Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did she feel about Chicago?

No.

OP - that wasn’t me

VT is a safety.

Why research university?

What I learned this year: EA case western as a safety. Their EA decision is released 12/18. Once accepted, you can cut all other safety schools on your RD list, and focus on target/reach only. You might as well add a couple high reach like Yale and Brown for lottery. For your major (chemistry), case makes sense as a safety.

op never mentioned interest in all women’s colleges.

Anonymous wrote:No one mentioned women's colleges, so I will start.

Wellesley and Barnard would be great targets, and Smith an excellent safety school for OP's profile.

Smith isn't a safety lol but it could be low reach high target

Anonymous wrote:You realize that “stats” aren’t what get you into the top 20 schools, right? Very high stats are table stakes. What is her unique hook or interest that will make her of interest to admission officers?

Thank you OP. I've been trying to figure out a way to communicate this. You're absolutely right and this is the perfect statement.

From where I sit in deferral city I would just say: if she likes Rice and has a good shot at Rice, do Rice.

Her ED odds at Brown as a girl are tiny. I know you are thinking, but it could happen! Honestly I know so many kids who ED'd Brown and many were very strong and none got in. I think Yale sounds unrealistic unless she is among the 2-3 top kids in her class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tufts, Wesleyan, Vassar, Oberlin, Rochester (in rough order of selectivity).

For OP, some of these are safeties.
Tufts yield protects RD so it’s a low reach, but schools like Rochester oberlin Wesleyan should be safeties.

Keep thinking Wes is a “safety” for anyone in RD. Good luck!

No one mentioned women's colleges, so I will start.

Wellesley and Barnard would be great targets, and Smith an excellent safety school for OP's profile.

Anonymous wrote:How did she feel about Chicago?

No.

Hi, OP! My daughter's journey this past year looked a lot like what your daughter's might look like. She was drawn to midsize universities with "academicky"/friendly/curious students and warm relationships with accessible professors. Like yours, she was top 10% of class (maybe higher; they didn't rank) at a known-to-colleges private school on the west coast. Was National Merit, had other great stats — 1560, 4.0 UW — and high course rigor. And, like you, we knew that while she had the academic background to thrive at pretty much any school, the odds were (are!) stacked against any unhooked student (and, especially, girls, apart from engineering programs, which she wasn't focusing on), so finding schools in that 15%–40% acceptance rate window was pretty important.

I'd be happy to talk about other schools she applied to and how it all went (the tl;dr is that she SCEA'd at Yale, but was rejected, and was waitlisted at Rice RD), but the key takeaway is that your daughter should absolutely look at William & Mary. My daughter's there now as a freshman and loves it. Based on how you've described your daughter, I think it would be a really good fit.

As you do more research leading up to your CC meeting, you might check out this list of schools from College Navigator, to see other midsize schools with a high SAT bar but a more accessible admit rate: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=all&en=2000&ex=10000&an=20&ax=40&tv=660&tm=660 Play with the search parameters (like the undergraduate size) to see different lists of candidate schools.

Anonymous wrote: Op- Thanks for the detailed and very helpful insight! Did your DC apply to Brown ED? Stats similar to my DD’s or higher?

Yes, he did apply ED. White male, unhooked, majoring in engineering. We realize he got very lucky, but he was also in the top 5% of a very competitive private school in a heavily underrepresented state (Appalachian area where few kids apply out of state). He had a 4.0 UW, 35 ACT and great ECs. I think you have some great suggestions here, I particularly like the poster who suggested Tufts, Wesleyan, Vassar, Oberlin, Rochester. I’ve visited all and agree these have a similar vibe/feel.

You realize that “stats” aren’t what get you into the top 20 schools, right? Very high stats are table stakes. What is her unique hook or interest that will make her of interest to admission officers?

How did she feel about Chicago?