Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:52     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:- Ideal small to medium-sized interdisciplinary college in a city or suburb
- chemistry major, also wants to take classes in AI and applied math
- wants high exposure to professors and research opportunities
- has strived in high rigor environment but doesn’t want the kind of place where fun goes to die or everyone is studying for grades
- collaborative, highly intellectual culture where students love learning, not all about jockeying for IB connections or the next IPO opportunity
- Female, unhooked, non URM, from a top private, full pay, quiet nerdy but has lot of friends
- 1580, 3.88 from a school that’s known for rigor/doesn't grade inflate (no one gets a 4.0), decent ECs (STEM leadership, part time job year round, volunteer year round, some regional math and writing awards)


I love how every post feels compelled to point out that their private school does not inflate grades. The fact is, virtually all schools do, private or public.


untrue. there are some feeders where nobody gets a 4.0 - but the average test scores are 1540 and they send 20% of their class to HYPSM. trinity, collegiate and regis all fit this bill in nyc.
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:49     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reaches: Brown, Yale, Harvey Mudd, Stanford (stay away from Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn, Harvard, Duke).

Targets: Hamilton, Haverford, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Bates, Davidson, Wake, W&M

Safeties: Beloit, St. Olaf, Denison, Kenyon, Colby

(Given stats and a small elite private school, these targets are different than what many would suggest for a public school student).


Harvey Mudd is not a reach for her! It’s a target. Please. If you want to boost for HM, find other opportunities.

DP. Mudd is a reach for all applicants due to a low acceptance rate (as is the case for all schools with low acceptance rates)
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:48     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:Reaches: Brown, Yale, Harvey Mudd, Stanford (stay away from Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn, Harvard, Duke).

Targets: Hamilton, Haverford, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Bates, Davidson, Wake, W&M

Safeties: Beloit, St. Olaf, Denison, Kenyon, Colby

(Given stats and a small elite private school, these targets are different than what many would suggest for a public school student).


Harvey Mudd is not a reach for her! It’s a target. Please. If you want to boost for HM, find other opportunities.
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:43     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:Reaches: Brown, Yale, Harvey Mudd, Stanford (stay away from Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn, Harvard, Duke).

Targets: Hamilton, Haverford, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Bates, Davidson, Wake, W&M

Safeties: Beloit, St. Olaf, Denison, Kenyon, Colby

(Given stats and a small elite private school, these targets are different than what many would suggest for a public school student).

This is a really solid list, though I'd replace Harvey Mudd with Rice, personally, based on OP's description of the student. I would maybe drop Wake, but really like W&M for them. (I think someone else's Swarthmore rec is possibly a miss for this student as well, but I do like their Carleton rec as a high target.)

Also would recommend adding in a rolling application in August to Pitt (or another rolling school, but Pitt is an easy one), to have an acceptance in hand by October, to take some stress off (even if she's not over the moon about the school itself).
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:35     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:GPA weighted or unweighted?


Private. 3.88 puts you on the very top.

This is the typical stats for HYPSM.


Agree - same for our private. But unhooked REA is always a risk. I'd ED to Brown if its a good fit tbh.


3.88 is not HYP from many privates. It isn't from NCS. You need a 3.95.


In many privates 3.8+ you would apply for HYPMS (doesn't mean will get in).
Lower than 3.8, no need to apply to HYPMS, can apply to ivies (again, doesn't mean you will get in).
3.88 is very high.



It all depends on your high school. What works for one person at HS A may not be true for another at HS B.
This thread might help you out:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1255948.page
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:28     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Emory is the obvious choice.
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:27     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:GPA weighted or unweighted?


Private. 3.88 puts you on the very top.

This is the typical stats for HYPSM.


Agree - same for our private. But unhooked REA is always a risk. I'd ED to Brown if its a good fit tbh.


3.88 is not HYP from many privates. It isn't from NCS. You need a 3.95.


In many privates 3.8+ you would apply for HYPMS (doesn't mean will get in).
Lower than 3.8, no need to apply to HYPMS, can apply to ivies (again, doesn't mean you will get in).
3.88 is very high.

Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:25     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:My almost frighteningly similar-sounding DD is looking at Brown (reach), W&M (target), Mary Washington (safety).

For full pay?
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:21     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:If she is at NCS, she is in the running for HYP. If those do not appeal, apply to Brown. Good luck .


This is not true at all. HYP unhooked from NCS this year were all 3.95+
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:20     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:GPA weighted or unweighted?


Private. 3.88 puts you on the very top.

This is the typical stats for HYPSM.


Agree - same for our private. But unhooked REA is always a risk. I'd ED to Brown if its a good fit tbh.


3.88 is not HYP from many privates. It isn't from NCS. You need a 3.95.
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:20     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:- Ideal small to medium-sized interdisciplinary college in a city or suburb
- chemistry major, also wants to take classes in AI and applied math
- wants high exposure to professors and research opportunities
- has strived in high rigor environment but doesn’t want the kind of place where fun goes to die or everyone is studying for grades
- collaborative, highly intellectual culture where students love learning, not all about jockeying for IB connections or the next IPO opportunity
- Female, unhooked, non URM, from a top private, full pay, quiet nerdy but has lot of friends
- 1580, 3.88 from a school that’s known for rigor/doesn't grade inflate (no one gets a 4.0), decent ECs (STEM leadership, part time job year round, volunteer year round, some regional math and writing awards)


Reach: Swarthmore, Harvey Mudd

Target: Carleton College in Northfield, MN (45 mins from twin cities) sounds like the the perfect intellectual place for your DD. Extremely collaborative, full of engaged, curious students and teachers who love teaching. Science is not an afterthought at this LAC, but a strength.

Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:17     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Davidson
William and Mary
St. Olaf
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:13     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
If she is at NCS, she is in the running for HYP. If those do not appeal, apply to Brown. Good luck .
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:13     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:- Ideal small to medium-sized interdisciplinary college in a city or suburb
- chemistry major, also wants to take classes in AI and applied math
- wants high exposure to professors and research opportunities
- has strived in high rigor environment but doesn’t want the kind of place where fun goes to die or everyone is studying for grades
- collaborative, highly intellectual culture where students love learning, not all about jockeying for IB connections or the next IPO opportunity
- Female, unhooked, non URM, from a top private, full pay, quiet nerdy but has lot of friends
- 1580, 3.88 from a school that’s known for rigor/doesn't grade inflate (no one gets a 4.0), decent ECs (STEM leadership, part time job year round, volunteer year round, some regional math and writing awards)


Rice would be the reach here. But the ECs need to be there, and it's somewhat beneficial to apply ED. They started an AI major this year, so they have the classes for that. MIT would be the other reach. But again - ECs, essays, LOCs. But there's no advantage to applying early to MIT early, so save that one for RD.

Other schools would be Berkeley, Georgia Tech, UIUC, Penn, and Cornell. CMU is also good, but it's a where fun goes to die school.

Safety is your state flagship.


Did you not read? Small to medium-sized interdisciplinary schools. Every single school you suggested is a HORRIBLE fit.
You suck at this.
Anonymous
Post 08/25/2025 12:11     Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:GPA weighted or unweighted?


Private. 3.88 puts you on the very top.

This is the typical stats for HYPSM.


Agree - same for our private. But unhooked REA is always a risk. I'd ED to Brown if its a good fit tbh.