ED Bump at Bowdoin or Middlebury
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Anonymous
| There are students at top privates in the area coming out with 3.9s and above and being rejected. Widen your search and have realistic choices. |
Anonymous
OP, this is the best advice you are going to get on here. I'm a PP who posted about friend's DC as well as the friend of one of my DCs. Kids shut out at these places with higher GPAs and 33+ test scores. Even if Bowdoin is test optional, I gotta imagine that every kid with a 1500/33 ACT is submitting these scores, especially if their GPA is in the 3.5-37 range. If your DC wants to throw it all in on ED1 @ Bowdoin/Midd, then I would be frank that ED2 at Colby/Hamilton may not be successful. Might work, but might not. DC's friend ended up at another NESCAC, but friend's DC left region as they didn't want to do Conn/F+M/Lafayette. |
Anonymous
| You said she's captain of 2 sports teams - have you contacted the coaches yet? My nephew recently got in to Midd ED with a similar GP (33 ACT) as an athlete. |
Anonymous
|
PP - she contacted the coaches and Hamilton and Colby got back to her quickly. She had a zoom call with both coaches and they asked her to send a transcript, school profile and list of classes for senior year. The Hamilton coach seemed to indicate that ED1 and ED2 is when he had the most pull. We're not sure about Colby as DD didn't ask this question of the coach. The reason why she is not super keen to apply ED1 to these schools is that Naviance shows that her GPA (actually I realized it's a 3.69 and not a 3.68) is already competitive at both schools even without athletics and kids with 3.5 and above tend to get in from her private.
She also got a pre-read at Claremont McKenna but I didn't mention that earlier because we don't think that pre-read will come back as a "yes". The Middlebury coach had expressed interest over the winter but has not responded recently. It must mean he has gotten more competitive athletes than my kid. The Bowdoin coaches have not responded at all despite several attempts at outreach over the year. What's strange is that DD's sport is a field event which is a numbers game and easily quantifiable and she handily meets the threshold for Bowdoin. |
Anonymous
Did she pass the pre read at hamilton and colby? |
Anonymous
| OP here - we just sent Hamilton and Colby early last week. We should have asked the coach how long it takes to hear back. Our DD is very independent and feels like it looks childish on her part to have her parents participate in these discussions. I feel conflicted because I'm concerned she may misread a situation and make a wrong decision. |
Anonymous
Good for her! Ime with a nescac coaches, he was very forthcoming with direct questions and gave detailed information and instructions once the pre read was a yes including was exactly he was offering. There was "protection" for a very limited number of spots and then sort of a wish list for lower ranked recruits. If the recruit was a top ranked recruit, in exchange for protection...the recruit was expected to apply ED and commit. The coach was pretty clear about exactly be where a recruit was ranked and how the process would work so I think she can ask direct questions. But if she does not want to apply ED and commit... presumably the coach will use his limited protected spots for other recruits....but she should make sure she has a very clear understanding of what the process is and where she stands But I would encourage her to get as much info as possible so you can proceed with a clear understanding. |
Anonymous
| If you are at a big DC private school (and are full-pay for college), you should NOT go test optional. Colleges expect that you to have the means to pony up for the test prep. If your kid does test prep and still scores poorly, then that really tells them something. Sorry that this is the way it is. |
Anonymous
Maybe the coach has athletes with comparable numbers, higher GPAs, and good test scores? Do you have older children who applied within the last two years? Maybe there will be enough give with the tightening demographics, but Colby only took one kid at DC's independent school this year. One. One of the rejected kids had a higher GPA than 3.69/33 ACT, two sport athlete, and very, very good ECs. Colby has gotten crazy selective with no test score/no admit fee. |
Anonymous
| I think Colby is a bit harder to get into at this point than hamilton. I’d ED1 at Colby if the coach is fully on board and pre read is good. If not ED 1 at hamilton, then apply EVERYWHERE regular if ED doesn’t work out - Bates, conn, trinity, Colgate, bucknell, WM, macalaster, Carleton, skidmore, f&m and then anyplace with that same SLAC vibe that could be considered at safety - muhlenberg, Wooster, Rhodes, etc. |
Anonymous
| Do not choose a college based on which one is or is not slightly harder to get into. If she has a slot at multiple schools...visit, do your homework and go with the one that is the best match for her and her desired course of study. None of these kids will be professional athletes......if she is in at several...choose the best fit for her beyond the sport. |
Anonymous
| Colgate will be tough RD |
Anonymous
Hmmm. Some of what you say here makes sense (none will be pro athletes), but I still saw a lot of "not able to buy remorse" this cycle with kids getting rejected in ED1 and sometimes ED2. Yes, go for it if you understand and can tolerate the risk. But if you really want to be done in ED1, then consider accordingly. And doesn't sound like the kid is in at several. If anything, parents here are suggesting that OP and DC may be overly optimistic based on recent experiences. |
Anonymous
Know a kid with higher GPA and submitted test scores rejected outright in ED1 @ Colgate. |
Anonymous
I thought she had a slot at hamilton and colby. If she does...she can't go wrong with either and should choose the best fit. If she does not have a slot but just is on the coaches list of desired recruits...then it is a different situation. |