Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:57
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Male, HS class 2025
1530 SAT, max rigor, 3.9 unweighted. Good ECs, not national anything. Great essays.
Applied RD to Bowdoin, Carleton, Williams. Accepted to Carleton and to Bowdoin with faculty research award given to 100 RD applicants.
Interviewed at Bowdoin, submitted video.
1530 SAT, max rigor, 3.9 unweighted. Good ECs, not national anything. Great essays.
Applied RD to Bowdoin, Carleton, Williams. Accepted to Carleton and to Bowdoin with faculty research award given to 100 RD applicants.
Interviewed at Bowdoin, submitted video.
Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:45
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Anonymous wrote:Got in Pomona, Wesleyan, Denison, UChicago (not a LAC but DC thought of it as one) and several others in RD (submitted all just hours within deadline)
Magnet HS top 10%
NMF
34
didn't schedule any interview with those (forgot or something like that)
didn't visit any of those
Maybe okay rec letters, DC chose the teachers they liked not those liked them
Quirky main essay, DC liked it and disregarded others' comments
Applied for FA, but not FGLI
National awards in arts and writing
Selective summer camps
Two sports, but not recruited
Submitted portfolio although intended major wasn't art
SLACS have a love hate relationship with the SAT. They don't hate when you don't sbmit, but certainly love when you do, especially those 1530+ ones.
Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:43
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Anonymous wrote: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
DC was accepted to Amherst and Middlebury RD and WL at Williams (currently attends one of the two NESCACs where he was admitted).
- RD to all schools
- No hooks, Asian male
- Interviewed at Middlebury; Amherst and Williams do not interview.
- Competitive private school, top 5%, 4.0 UW
- Maximum rigor possible at his school (all APs junior and senior year)
- 1580 SAT
- Toured Amherst and Williams the summer before his senior year
- Significant leadership on campus at high school, but not much awards or external ECs
Middlebury did not require supplements. All supplements for Amherst/Williams were recycled. He used an essay about his Asian-American identity for an Amherst prompt related to diversity (affirmative action was still legal at the time of his application cycle).
Seems to be a theme.
Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:41
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Anonymous wrote:DD was recruited at Carleton for her sport. 1540 SAT, NMSF, 4.0uw GPA. But she decided on another (T10) school, where she was not recruited and will play club.
Forgot to include: top 10 percent in graduation class, private school.
Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:40
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
DD was recruited at Carleton for her sport. 1540 SAT, NMSF, 4.0uw GPA. But she decided on another (T10) school, where she was not recruited and will play club.
Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:39
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Got in Pomona, Wesleyan, Denison, UChicago (not a LAC but DC thought of it as one) and several others in RD (submitted all just hours within deadline)
Magnet HS top 10%
NMF
34
didn't schedule any interview with those (forgot or something like that)
didn't visit any of those
Maybe okay rec letters, DC chose the teachers they liked not those liked them
Quirky main essay, DC liked it and disregarded others' comments
Applied for FA, but not FGLI
National awards in arts and writing
Selective summer camps
Two sports, but not recruited
Submitted portfolio although intended major wasn't art
Magnet HS top 10%
NMF
34
didn't schedule any interview with those (forgot or something like that)
didn't visit any of those
Maybe okay rec letters, DC chose the teachers they liked not those liked them
Quirky main essay, DC liked it and disregarded others' comments
Applied for FA, but not FGLI
National awards in arts and writing
Selective summer camps
Two sports, but not recruited
Submitted portfolio although intended major wasn't art
Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:19
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Anonymous wrote: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
These are not the 10 most selective SLACs. Colby, Davidson and Haverford have lower admit rates vs Wesleyan, Carleton and Middlebury.
Ok Karen
Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:14
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
c/o 2021-23 (i.e. a year where both TO and AA were in effect)Anonymous wrote: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
DC was accepted to Amherst and Middlebury RD and WL at Williams (currently attends one of the two NESCACs where he was admitted).
- RD to all schools
- No hooks, Asian male
- Interviewed at Middlebury; Amherst and Williams do not interview.
- Competitive private school, top 5%, 4.0 UW
- Maximum rigor possible at his school (all APs junior and senior year)
- 1580 SAT
- Toured Amherst and Williams the summer before his senior year
- Significant leadership on campus at high school, but not much awards or external ECs
Middlebury did not require supplements. All supplements for Amherst/Williams were recycled. He used an essay about his Asian-American identity for an Amherst prompt related to diversity (affirmative action was still legal at the time of his application cycle).
Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:11
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
DC was accepted to Amherst and Middlebury RD and WL at Williams (currently attends one of the two NESCACs where he was admitted).
- RD to all schools
- No hooks, Asian male
- Interviewed at Middlebury; Amherst and Williams do not interview.
- Competitive private school, top 5%, 4.0 UW
- Maximum rigor possible at his school (all APs junior and senior year)
- 1580 SAT
- Toured Amherst and Williams the summer before his senior year
- Significant leadership on campus at high school, but not much awards or external ECs
Middlebury did not require supplements. All supplements for Amherst/Williams were recycled. He used an essay about his Asian-American identity for an Amherst prompt related to diversity (affirmative action was still legal at the time of his application cycle).
Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:10
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Anonymous wrote:Years of application might be helpful too. If these kids were admitted in 2005 or 2015, nothing about their story is relevant.
Pretty sure no one who has a current student applying to college also has a student who applied 10-20 years ago.
Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:09
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:ED Amherst highest rigor, magnet program, 4.0, 36 ACT, NMF. Instrument scholarship and competitive club sport (not recruited). Male. Amherst doesn’t consider legacy or demonstrated interest, and doesn’t interview or do glimpse videos.
Bingo.
Lmao that is not what got their child into Amherst
Why? I am curious if you have access to the admission rates of 36 ACT scorers or 1580+ SAT scorers to Amherst? Just an FYI, fewer than 28 students had an SAT above 1580 or an ACT of 36 in the entire freshman class.
Anonymous
11/16/2025 18:05
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Anonymous wrote: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
These are not the 10 most selective SLACs. Colby, Davidson and Haverford have lower admit rates vs Wesleyan, Carleton and Middlebury.
Barnard and Wellesly are more selective than Davidson and Haverford.
Anonymous
11/16/2025 17:52
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Years of application might be helpful too. If these kids were admitted in 2005 or 2015, nothing about their story is relevant.
Anonymous
11/16/2025 17:51
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:ED Amherst highest rigor, magnet program, 4.0, 36 ACT, NMF. Instrument scholarship and competitive club sport (not recruited). Male. Amherst doesn’t consider legacy or demonstrated interest, and doesn’t interview or do glimpse videos.
Bingo.
Lmao that is not what got their child into Amherst
Anonymous
11/16/2025 17:50
Subject: Success Stories? How did your DC get into one of these selective LACs?
Anonymous wrote:ED Amherst highest rigor, magnet program, 4.0, 36 ACT, NMF. Instrument scholarship and competitive club sport (not recruited). Male. Amherst doesn’t consider legacy or demonstrated interest, and doesn’t interview or do glimpse videos.
Bingo.