Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If so, which ones?

Based just on reputation, it seems UCLA and Berkeley are too large and "sink or swim", the other UCs are too expensive for OOS students, Caltech is too hard and cutthroat, Stanford is too impossible, Claremont Colleges are too small or too niche. What are other schools that east coast families found have to be worth long the trip to visit in person? DC is a high stat junior at a top private; above are schools college counsellor and friends of older kids mentioned for campus tours.

Focus on colleges that track demonstrated interest, AND your DC has a reasonable chance of getting in (target or safety)! Skip the reaches, they don't care if your DC visits, and only visit after they get in.

Some examples of target/safeties (depending on DC's stats) that do track demonstrated interest:
University of Santa Clara (fly into SF or San Jose)
Loyola Marymount (fly into LAX)
Occidental (fly into Burbank, or LAX)
Chapman (1 hour south of LA or Orange County has own small airport)
San Diego State
University of San Diego
Scripps (women-only)/Pitzer (co-ed but really focused on unique fit such as social/civic activism or environmentalism) - easier to get into colleges at Claremont (fly into Ontario or 1 hr+ from LA)

Anonymous wrote:We went to Berkeley, Davis, Stanford, UCSD, and UCSC, though mostly because we have family in the area, some of whom are also alums. Kinda wish we had visited the Claremont Colleges to see some LACs, maybe Santa Clara too. It was less likely for our kids to end up out there, but we kind of incorporated it into a family visit and also to get a feel for what different sized schools in different locations look and feel like.

Anonymous wrote:Ours toured the Claremont Colleges. Dream school is there, so fingers crossed

Anonymous wrote:If so, which ones?

Based just on reputation, it seems UCLA and Berkeley are too large and "sink or swim", the other UCs are too expensive for OOS students, Caltech is too hard and cutthroat, Stanford is too impossible, Claremont Colleges are too small or too niche. What are other schools that east coast families found have to be worth long the trip to visit in person? DC is a high stat junior at a top private; above are schools college counsellor and friends of older kids mentioned for campus tours.

Anonymous wrote:OP: thanks. DD will likely be a chemistry, applied math or computer science major. Have the stats for the most competitive schools but is otherwise unhooked (beyond being from a feeder private). Would love ideas for reach and target schools. Already toured and decided on safety schools in the east coast.

Among CA schools college counsellor discussed with DD, her favorites are Pomona and Stanford. So would love schools similar to them in academics and campus culture.