^^ by the way, Im just a mom. One kid in college, and one a senior. I'm just into the college process - hope this was helpful and not overstepping or overwhelming for you. |
Williams Pomona Bowdoin Amherst Wash U Vanderbilt Dartmouth |
ED to Northeastern or Wake Forest |
WHAT? Its a private school where no one has a 4.0. My 3.8uw/34 is in at an Ivy from a private..... |
Good list. Depending on major and vibe/what the kid likes. Think OP said NE and no WashU. |
Lots of ideas on impact earlier. There was a kid at our HS who became an EMT; then hosted a blood drive at our school and also hosted some sort of medical tourniquet training for all seniors to get certified. That was actually impactful. Small, but impactful. Getting EMT certified is also a big deal I think. Search on r/collegeresults for EMT or some of the other stuff others have listed. You have great ideas here. |
Bet your kid was higher than top 20% |
Declare an easy major if wanting medical school - humanities boy helps then take the premed courses. Top 20% with rigor is probably good enough for top 50 schools but not top 20. I would look at fits in that range. Perhaps ED to tufts, Davidson, wake forest level school? Or a SLAC with a small endowment like bates? |
So do 50% of his peers. (The other 50% are probably looking at the same 10 schools in southern states.) It's fine to have preferences, just know that being part of a herd comes with drawbacks (e.g. more competition for the same spots). |
I don’t think so. But wouldn’t know because our school does not answer that question on the common app counselor form. There is no ranking and no marking of the quarttiles or deciles. |
If you ED, the world is your oyster. Otherwise it seems like a crap shoot. Friend with 1590 deferred from GT. |
OP here. Thanks! Those are really good advice. |
Thank you! |
I think Bowdoin is only realistic option here for a kid that is just in top 20 percent of class at private with average ecs, and they care the least about test scores |
I think you need to find out if your private school will disclose the 20% ranking or not. Most do not.
Then you need to ask your college counselor if kid does certain things from a story, EC, impact perspective, then what are some good options for ED - reach for him. It’s surprising you don’t have access to any of your schools data. How are you supposed to tell if you’re competitive or not for school? Maybe you haven’t gotten access yet and it’s coming? |