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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Both of my kids are strong students and neither of them were aiming for Ivies.  Both applied ED to SLACs and got in.  For both of them the key was to think hard about the characteristics of the school that mattered to them (size, location, curriculum, vibe), figure out where they could be happy (there's not just one place), and then try to aim accurately in terms of grades/scores/other qualities.  The advantage conferred by ED does you no good at all if you aim too high.

In the case of my older kid (HS class of 2018) he had a 4.7/3.9 (weighted/unweighted) and a 1450 on his SATs, with good but not amazing ECs, and got into a NE SLAC with an admit rate in the high teens.  He was interested in a place with an open (or nearly open) curriculum and a progressive but not wildly left political climate.  He wanted the warmth and community of a small school.

My younger kid, who graduates this year, had slightly lower grades and not quite as many APs as her brother.  After a zillion cancellations she took the ACT in October and got a 34.  Her ECs were ok.  She was admitted ED to a NE SLAC with an admit rate of around 30%.  She had some of the same priorities as my older kid, but warmth and community were really important to her.

The situation this year is particularly crazy for the tippy top schools because everyone has gone test optional.  Tons of kids who would not have applied if they had to submit scores are now in the pool, and the admissions officers are (I think) being much more conservative in who they admit early.  I think my daughter in particular was lucky that her ED choice was a school that was already test optional and therefore had more experience in evaluating candidates without scores.[/quote]

Can you name your older child's college - or at least a few he was interested in. My DC wants a similar vibe although on this board all of the small NE colleges he likes are labelled "SJW" colleges. He is liberal and greatly enjoys politics but is very open to ideas and enjoys discussion so would not want a college where one viewpoint is dominant to the exclusion of all others. [/quote]

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