Anonymous
Post 11/21/2025 07:14     Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?

Anonymous wrote:Did they apply ED1 or ED2? Were they a sports recruit? A legacy? Did they do an optional interview or video? What was their unweighted GPA? Did they have "most demanding" rigor? Did they submit SAT/ACT? Did they show a lot of demonstrated interest?

10 Most selective co-ed SLACs:
Williams
Amherst
Swarthmore
Pomona
Bowdoin
Claremont McKenna
Harvey Mudd
Middlebury
Carleton
Wesleyan


by working a lot harder, by being a lot smarter, by being a self-starter
Anonymous
Post 11/21/2025 07:07     Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Colby and Davidson and Haverford have low admit rates because they are great schools

But they don’t have an admit nexus with Wesleyan, Carleton and Middlebury because they have different academic cultures


can you say more about the academic cultures at each of these schools?


My student is at Carleton and didn't apply to any of the others here (actively disliked some)so I can't speak about experience at the others. Carleton is very academic, but highly collaborative. My kid is a STEM major and kids work on problem sets together, professors are very accessible and kids go to office hours all the time. They work hard; kids don't skip class, don't use AI (which is very different from friends' experiences at some ivies). 9 classes per year (trimester system). All seniors do an intensive thesis.

Who knows how accurate any of this stuff is or what is included in the metrics, but Middlebury gets 99/99 on the Princeton review of academics. Carleton and Haverford gets 96/99. The others on this list range from 83 (Davidson) to 90 (Colby and Wesleyan). It's a big range, so the whatever it's based on I would assume some truth to it.
Anonymous
Post 11/21/2025 06:01     Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?

Bowdoin and legacy admissîons?
Anonymous
Post 11/21/2025 04:50     Subject: Re:Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:4.0, 1580, private high school feeder into ivies and took a shot at multiple LACs.
Strong ecs (using multilingual background (7 language skills to make a film, worked with a prof. To do research in another country, and began a linguistics club/reading group at school). National awards from scholastic. Humanities major.

Accepted- Williams, Berkeley, Bowdoin, Carleton and Middlebury

WL- Amherst and Hamilton

Rejected- Swarthmore and Pomona (top two choices), Harvard, Amherst

Ended up committing to Berkeley and is having an amazing freshman year!


Congrats to your smart kid but applying to Berkeley AND Bowdoin is not entirely obvious.

DH’s Alma mater- DC had no real intentions of going until it was an optionally
Anonymous
Post 11/21/2025 01:09     Subject: Re:Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?

Anonymous wrote:4.0, 1580, private high school feeder into ivies and took a shot at multiple LACs.
Strong ecs (using multilingual background (7 language skills to make a film, worked with a prof. To do research in another country, and began a linguistics club/reading group at school). National awards from scholastic. Humanities major.

Accepted- Williams, Berkeley, Bowdoin, Carleton and Middlebury

WL- Amherst and Hamilton

Rejected- Swarthmore and Pomona (top two choices), Harvard, Amherst

Ended up committing to Berkeley and is having an amazing freshman year!


Congrats to your smart kid but applying to Berkeley AND Bowdoin is not entirely obvious.
Anonymous
Post 11/21/2025 01:01     Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?

Anonymous wrote:In ED2 at Middlebury with no interview or strong demonstrated interest besides EDing

HS class of 2024
3.98/4.45
Ranked 8/89
Girl at strong public in competitive state
10 APs with mostly 5s
33 act
Regular extracurriculars: Team captain for non recruit sport, club founder, club president, robotics awards, camp counselor job



EDing to a school is, indeed, demonstrating strong interest.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 01:57     Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?

Anonymous wrote:There’s also no reason to go on Williams tours multiple times in Williamstown

You can see it in one 2 hour afternoon

Like, none of this rings true.

And no one turns down Williams or Amherst for another NESCAC unless your interests are totally different and have some other valid different decisions.

Like Middlebury for the languages. Or Colby or Bates because they kind of perpetuate the prep school culture into college. Or Wesleyan because of how they have grown to foster alternative young person cultures.


Like two different kids, obviously recruited athletes. Learn to read people.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 01:56     Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?

Anonymous wrote:So you went on Williams tours multiple times

“My oldest turned down Williams for another NESCAC”

Cool that’s a statement, but why?

“And my youngest will be receiving her acceptance to Williams in a few weeks”

Cool again for you, you’ve finally gotten your last child into a college you were kind of making fun of before now you’re anticipating an EA

Like I don’t know whether you’re proud or ashamed or trying to say what?

I know one thing I never said, which was “my youngest will be receiving her acceptance to Williams in a few weeks”

Like … LOL NO one “knows” anything like that, my friend

Even when we knew it was practically a “done deal” and got a call from the coaches just asking us to please accept and stop negotiating with other NESCACS … even my kid came in crying holding up his phone and we did the dance and put on a 🎶🎶


My my you are insecure. If you actually read their post they were commenting on the PP’s WEPO over rotation. And, I’m pretty sure that the kid is a recruited athlete.
Anonymous
Post 11/19/2025 01:52     Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?

Anonymous wrote:I have been on tours at Williams multiple times with my kids. This flat out isn’t true.

The Williams admission presentation includes WEPO. I know, because DS and I witnessed it 2 weeks ago. No reason this wouldn’t be true, unless you’re just too sensitive.


It's mentioned, but it isn't overemphasized. I've been on that tour multiple times as my oldest turned down Williams for another NESCAC and my youngest will be receiving her acceptance to Williams in a few weeks.


An athlete or are you manifesting? I am... waiting on a SLAC admission in a few weeks too! Good luck


Both kids were recruited. Good luck on your admission.
Anonymous
Post 11/18/2025 21:57     Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think a 1540 SAT and great/"best in class" LOR overcame a good not great GPA (Bs in French straight through). Was admitted to Amherst, Dartmouth, Midd, and Bowdoin last year. WL Williams and Pomona


How do you know what the LOR said?


he read it out loud to my kid. he reads all LOR to the kids. he will only write 10 a year so they're pretty good and he won't let you see them for whatever reason