Penn State

If you are full pay, try to visit and make a solid decision on a realistic reach (F&M, Holy Cross, Kenyon, Bucknell, Dickinson - lots of good suggestions here) and apply ED. Work on a great essay this summer. Full pay, being a boy and ED might get him in. Also strategize for an ED2 if ED1 doesn't work out. There are plenty of good options that will accept him RD, you don't have much to lose by aiming a bit higher ED.

St Lawrence is gonna be a farther drive but the stats fit, economics is a strong department and you can’t get more open space than the entire Adirondack’s in your backyard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Really? Vassar, F&M and Skidmore, Bucknell? Do these seem realistic to people? I had thought those were out of reach for my son, who has a higher gpa and higher scores based on Navisnce.

Depends on the reputation of the private school

If your kid is in public they are out of reach

Most privates don’t have as much grade inflation as publics. A 3.4 at Sidwell, these schools are in reach

This kid is at a private. See the OP.

Anonymous wrote:+1; F&M, maybe Conn college if 4.5 hrs is ok; UMBC; Dickinson;

I think that Conn College is probably a reach, but it’s worth a shot because it’s 62% female. However, it’s in a small city and not surrounded by green space although it’s a lovely campus overlooking a beautiful river with lots of boating activity.

I think that Franklin & Marshall and Dickinson are more realistic although not automatic. I’d add Gettysburg to those two.

A hidden gem for a kid like this is Hobart College (listed as Hobart & William Smith Colleges), located in the lovely small town of Geneva, NY and located literally on the shores of Seneca Lake in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of west central NY. It’s a 6 hour drive from Baltimore, but OP said you’d be willing to look beyond 4 hours for the right fit. And it’s an easy drive with no traffic along the way. The area is surrounded by tons of outdoors opportunities. His numbers are a perfect fit for admissions and Hobart provides excellent support services for their students. (See, for example, the advising for their pre-business program.)

If you were visiting Hobart, I’d also visit SUNY Geneseo, a gorgeous campus in the same area of NY, which is considered one of the best public liberal arts colleges in the country and is just 10 minutes down the road from 14,000 acre Letchworth State Park, once voted the most beautiful state park in America. A kid could ride a bike to get to Letchworth from the Geneseo campus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elon, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke, Lynchburg, High Point

A B+ student can do better than that

Still a good list of schools that could be worth a look.

Indiana University

Anonymous wrote:Really? Vassar, F&M and Skidmore, Bucknell? Do these seem realistic to people? I had thought those were out of reach for my son, who has a higher gpa and higher scores based on Navisnce.

Depends on the reputation of the private school

If your kid is in public they are out of reach

Most privates don’t have as much grade inflation as publics. A 3.4 at Sidwell, these schools are in reach

Anonymous wrote:Elon, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke, Lynchburg, High Point

A B+ student can do better than that

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would add St Mary’s, Colgate,


At some schools, being a male applicant can be helpful. I wound look at a few of those schools. Traditionally, that includes places like Vassar, Holy Cross, Kenyon, Skidmore

St. Mary’s is a great place to look. These stats will not work at Colgate, Vassar, Holy Cross, or Kenyon.

I wouldn't be so sure about Holy Cross. Their most recent SAT midrange was 1240-1420. So, certainly some people are getting in with scores of 1300 and below. As for GPA, they don't report it on their CDS, but only 43% of the most recent class was in the top 10% of their high school class, at least among the small number who submitted class rank. That indicates you don't need perfect grades, either.

Yes, Holy Cross has been getting easier to get into recently, which is a change from their past trend. I’ll note that it’s in a city of 100,000+. The campus itself is lovely, but it’s surrounded by a city neighborhood.

Anonymous wrote:Juniata College
Muhlenberg
Allegheny College

Juniata sounds like a good fit for him.

We will look at Juniata. Thank you so much for the recommendation!

Juniata College
Muhlenberg
Allegheny College

Juniata sounds like a good fit for him.

Elon, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke, Lynchburg, High Point

And here is one more.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/03/13/want-an-edge-in-college-admissions-see-the-schools-where-women-and-men-have-an-advantage/


Most boys are not looking at smaller, liberal arts schools. If that is what he wants, he could use it to his advantage.