Not OP, but parent of student at one of these schools. I believe the ED bump at Middlebury is much higher at this point. Midd's last published ED acceptance rate was 45% (class of 2025); they haven't published more recent stats. Bowdoin ED1+ED2 acceptance fell from 26% last year (class of 2026) to 17% this year (class of 2027). Accounting for those ED spots reserved for athletes, Questbridge applicants, etc. increases the contrast even more. If you have an unhooked DC for whom these schools are essentially equivalent, their chances will be better at Midd.

OP-what happened with your DC?

Anonymous wrote:Kids from the elite DC privates do well at both schools. For instance, Bowdoin really likes STA boys.

Only the athletes from STA. Not the rest.

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the appeal of either on of these schools.

If you don't love a world class education, best-in-class small school sports that routinely win national championships, top-tier professional and grad school placement and amazing alumni networks, then don't send your kid there.

Kids from the elite DC privates do well at both schools. For instance, Bowdoin really likes STA boys.

I don't get the appeal of either on of these schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Could a kid with a 4.0/4.75 from an MCPS school, SAT of 1530, lots of sports ECs with leadership roles get into one of these two schools ED? I should add - no hooks.

The ability to ED and potentially full pay is a hook.

Aren't both schools need-blind?

Yes, of course they are. Full pay will not help one iota at Bowdoin or Midd.

Many need blind schools shift to need aware when selecting students from the wait list. Sometimes financial aid funds are no longer available unless sufficient financial aid funds were freed up by recipients who declined an offer of admission.

So, while it is difficult for many to believe that elite schools are truly need blind, it is almost assuredly so.

My dd graduated from Bowdoin a few years ago. They are truly need blind with no loans and were often generous to financial aid students - for example, helping out low-income students from southern states who had no winter boots. A few years ago, two New York City police officers were killed and the NY Yankees took up a collection to provide a college fund for the children of the officers. One son attended Bowdoin and the college basically turned around and rejected the money, saying in effect, “We take care of our own.”

https://gothamist.com/news/bowdoin-college-will-cover-tuition-of-slain-cops-son

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The accepts at bowdoin and middlebury in ED1 and Ed2 had a hook - primarily athletics and diversity (1st gen was big). And unless you as a parent or a grandparent are contributing six figures, don’t count on legacy.

No one from my child’s top rated school got in (my child’s stats, top 10%, all As, leadership in ECs, some minor national awards, sports all 4 years, good recommendations, and 1500+ SAT). My child was not accepted at either school and had used EDs.

If your child has a coach willing to help at a NESCAC, take it.

The admission cycle for class of 2026 was heartbreaking for seniors that didn’t get in anywhere ED1 or ED2 with stats similar to my child’s. Silver lining - and what I repeated at every rejection, “when you are getting ready to leave for school in fall, you will be excited about your school and going to college.” This is true for my child and extended friend group.

how did your use ED at both Bowdoin and Middlebury?

DP here. PP references EDs 1 & 2, so that was my assumption.

Anonymous wrote:The accepts at bowdoin and middlebury in ED1 and Ed2 had a hook - primarily athletics and diversity (1st gen was big). And unless you as a parent or a grandparent are contributing six figures, don’t count on legacy.

No one from my child’s top rated school got in (my child’s stats, top 10%, all As, leadership in ECs, some minor national awards, sports all 4 years, good recommendations, and 1500+ SAT). My child was not accepted at either school and had used EDs.

If your child has a coach willing to help at a NESCAC, take it.

The admission cycle for class of 2026 was heartbreaking for seniors that didn’t get in anywhere ED1 or ED2 with stats similar to my child’s. Silver lining - and what I repeated at every rejection, “when you are getting ready to leave for school in fall, you will be excited about your school and going to college.” This is true for my child and extended friend group.

how did your use ED at both Bowdoin and Middlebury?

Anonymous wrote:The accepts at bowdoin and middlebury in ED1 and Ed2 had a hook - primarily athletics and diversity (1st gen was big). And unless you as a parent or a grandparent are contributing six figures, don’t count on legacy.

No one from my child’s top rated school got in (my child’s stats, top 10%, all As, leadership in ECs, some minor national awards, sports all 4 years, good recommendations, and 1500+ SAT). My child was not accepted at either school and had used EDs.

If your child has a coach willing to help at a NESCAC, take it.

The admission cycle for class of 2026 was heartbreaking for seniors that didn’t get in anywhere ED1 or ED2 with stats similar to my child’s. Silver lining - and what I repeated at every rejection, “when you are getting ready to leave for school in fall, you will be excited about your school and going to college.” This is true for my child and extended friend group.

Wow ! Must be hard to accept. Your child seems exceptional. Curious as to what constitutes a "minor" national awards. Seems like all "national" awards would be a big deal.

The accepts at bowdoin and middlebury in ED1 and Ed2 had a hook - primarily athletics and diversity (1st gen was big). And unless you as a parent or a grandparent are contributing six figures, don’t count on legacy.

No one from my child’s top rated school got in (my child’s stats, top 10%, all As, leadership in ECs, some minor national awards, sports all 4 years, good recommendations, and 1500+ SAT). My child was not accepted at either school and had used EDs.

If your child has a coach willing to help at a NESCAC, take it.

The admission cycle for class of 2026 was heartbreaking for seniors that didn’t get in anywhere ED1 or ED2 with stats similar to my child’s. Silver lining - and what I repeated at every rejection, “when you are getting ready to leave for school in fall, you will be excited about your school and going to college.” This is true for my child and extended friend group.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Could a kid with a 4.0/4.75 from an MCPS school, SAT of 1530, lots of sports ECs with leadership roles get into one of these two schools ED? I should add - no hooks.

The ability to ED and potentially full pay is a hook.

Aren't both schools need-blind?

Yes, of course they are. Full pay will not help one iota at Bowdoin or Midd.

Many need blind schools shift to need aware when selecting students from the wait list. Sometimes financial aid funds are no longer available unless sufficient financial aid funds were freed up by recipients who declined an offer of admission.

So, while it is difficult for many to believe that elite schools are truly need blind, it is almost assuredly so.

I'm the PP at 13:16. Should say what could "happen" not "happy."

Anonymous wrote:OP here with an update. Hamilton coach came back after pre read and said they would support DD in an ED1 application. Colby coach seems to have ghosted kid. I understand if their roster changes but it's not a great look to just ignore kids emails. My DD has emailed several times asking Coach to just let her know if she is no longer on his list but no word back at all

I'm thrilled with Hamilton but DD still thinks she wants to go aggressive and try her luck at ED1 Middlebury/Bowdoin. I'm hoping when school reopens the counselors can talk to her more about her odds. No point in my being the bad guy in this process which is how it will turn out if I try to influence her decision making.

Seems like the right approach to take as a parent IF you've walked through with her what could happy (end up with none of these schools) and how she would feel about that. If she's ok with that, then I understand why you would support her decision to "go aggressive." Don't push it off on the school to have that conversation with her. One of my closest friends could not convince her DD to not use her ED opportunity at an Ivy and pushed the school to convincer her. They couldn't either. Results were devastating - deferred at ED then rejected at RD, waitlisted at her other schools, accepted at state flagship for a spring admit. She will always wonder if things would be different if she hadn't gone "aggressive."

I assume you have visited all of these campuses so she's making a reasoned decision that she is able to articulate. My kid attends a NESCAC, my husband attended another, I have multiple family members who have attended NESCACS, and good friends and their kids who attended others. These schools are all far more similar than different (other than Tufts maybe due to its size and more urban location) so I admit that I wonder why your DD would give up a nearly certain spot at Hamilton for a roll of the dice, especially if she would be happy at Hamilton even if it wasn't her first choice. Good luck to her. I hope it works out in one way or another.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there more of a bump if it is a boy with similar stats of a 3.7 (out of 4) at a private school and a 33 ACT?

Sure, that boy, with no other hook, applying ED, would have maybe a 1 in 20 shot at admission instead of the 1 in 30 shot a comparable girl would have.

Are you serious? A boy with a 3.7 GPA from a private school (so presumably no weighted GPA available) and a 33 ACT would have only a 5% chance of getting into Bowdoin or Middlebury ED?

I too think this sounds exaggerated. Thoughts?

Know kids with higher GPAs and test scores rejected in ED last year @ Bowdoin and Middlebury. It is what it is.