Reviews of colleges in or near big cities for great (but not outstanding student)?

[Anonymous]

How about Emory? Kids from my kid’s strong but not top private get in both RD and ED with similar profiles.

[Anonymous]

University of Arizona, if you consider Tucson to be a big enough city

Arizona State University in Phoenix

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A boy with good grades and 1500+ SAT from a strong private school has a good chance at Tufts if he applies ED (only do that if he really likes it). FWIW, my DS is there and LOVES it (had a similar profile and a couple other academically strong but not tippy-top boys from his private got in ED...the girls had a harder time)....

Agree with this, Tufts ED is possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:University of Arizona, if you consider Tucson to be a big enough city

Arizona State University in Phoenix

+1 U of A. We have family in Tucson...great city and U of A is in a cute, college-y neighborhood. Plus, great weather during academic year.

[Anonymous]

We visited UW last summer and it is beautiful. Kids seemed happy, lots of options for majors and in Seattle. It is a big state flagship and very popular with western states.

University of Denver is another great option.

[Anonymous]

We loved university of denver - ds ended up at Miami (in suburbs of Miami)- he definitely wanted a city school.

[Anonymous]

I have a DD accepted ED at BU
Test optional with a 1430
Weighted GPA ~4.2 - high rigor at their private high school - but not the highest
For a male - with higher stats, I think he is in the mix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is a good student (A- unweighted at a decent but not "top tier" private school outside DMV), strong standard ECs (varsity sport/club leadership, community service), strong SAT (1510).
Major: Undecided social sciences

Has anyone had a DC attend or have experiences at these colleges that you'd be willing to share?
University of Denver
UW Seattle
McGill
UC Davis or UC Santa Cruz
Santa Clara
U Wisconsin Madison

Finally, would these reaches (USC, BU, tufts, NYU, UCSB, Michigan) be too high of a reach for this profile student? He's interested in applying but I'm afraid they're too reachy.

I have a similar DS (private school, good ECs, same GPA range, 35 ACT). I kept hearing how boys like this are sought after by top colleges, but he has had surprising deferrals so far. Maybe the January round of EA decisions will be better, but it has been hard for him.

I get your frustration. But, I'm assuming your DS is applying at highly selective schools These schools receive thousands of apps a cycle with everyone at the top of their class with strong stats. We had the same issue last cycle with my DS with similar stats. Deferred most places at the start. However, he was admitted later in RD to most of his top choices. So, don't give up hope.

[Anonymous]

ED will be a huge help at the private schools.

You also need to figure out where he falls in the class.

[Anonymous]

So, his GPA is around 3.6-3.7? It's so hard to judge what that means for a particular high school. Where does he fall in the class? Sorry if I missed it.

I think Tufts (ED) and BU are absolutely possibilities. USC is unlikely but apply anyway. UCSB you'd need to check his UC GPA, which is only for 10th and 11th https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/ and https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/about-us/information-center/admissions-source-school

Michigan is hard to say; who Michigan takes can be confusing. Worth a try.

As noted upthread, Santa Clara will need demonstrated interest. Also may not be as urban in vibe as he is hoping. It's nice that EA results for SCU come in December.

GW is a low target; apply RD and expect merit. DU is a safety.

U Rochester would be a target. If U Roch is of interest, also Case Western.

[Anonymous]

If you are not a California resident, forget the California public schools. US News aside, they do not have the prestige you think outside or even within California.

As for Michigan, why? Even if you could get in, it is private school tuition for a factory school.

USC is a very tough admit; better chances at Tufts, BU, Northeastern, BC, or NYU ED.

[Anonymous]

Consider University of British Columbia if you are considering McGill, UW and UO. Great school in a beautiful city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about BU general studies? It’s an easier admit.

Likewise for NYU Liberal Studies core, which I consider a better program because it is more international in content and less Eurocentric

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is a good student (A- unweighted at a decent but not "top tier" private school outside DMV), strong standard ECs (varsity sport/club leadership, community service), strong SAT (1510).
Major: Undecided social sciences

Has anyone had a DC attend or have experiences at these colleges that you'd be willing to share?
University of Denver
UW Seattle
McGill
UC Davis or UC Santa Cruz
Santa Clara
U Wisconsin Madison

Finally, would these reaches (USC, BU, tufts, NYU, UCSB, Michigan) be too high of a reach for this profile student? He's interested in applying but I'm afraid they're too reachy.

UCSB and UCDavis are about the same for selectivity. Both are great schools but not located in big cities. OOS is a far easier admit. When you hear about 4.0 UW top stat kids not getting into UCSB or UC Davis they are probably from the Bay Area. If your kids gets into Davis, he’ll get into UCSB.

Davis has a really cute town, restaurants stay open late, lots of live music, very public transportation and bike friendly, train station right next to it. Sacramento is one stop, SJ is about 3 hours, you can take Amtrak to Richmond and switch to BART to get to SF. California Zephyr runs to Truckee (Tahoe). Nice kids, more parties than DS was expecting and he enjoys it. Housing is easy.

Santa Cruz. Easier to get into and beautiful campus literally in the redwood forest. They have a shuttle that runs into the city/town. Housing is a nightmare. It feels remote even though you are close to San Jose. The drive up 17 to San Jose can take 30 minutes or 3 hours depending on traffic. It’s a somewhat treacherous highway with frequent crashes but beautiful drive.

Santa Clara cares about demonstrated interest so go visit and do all the stuff that requires demonstrating interest. Apply early action. SC is in an urban/suburban area. Easier to get into than UCs. Santa Clara area is nice, a little boring but very close to downtown SJ and there is a Cal Train station right next to campus for easy access to SF. Housing is easier than SC but more expensive than Davis.

Good summary and there are lots of things for kids to do in midtown Sacramento which is only 15 miles away. It is like a mini Greenwich Village before gentrification.

Bonus points for OP recognizing that UC Davis is near a big city.

[Anonymous]

Apply to UCLA. The A- are treated as A’s. Are classes AP classes?