Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend just had his son accepted ED at Colorado College with a B- GPA and very high SAT scores. A school out west like that might be a good choice. I think it really depends on your high school. My son's private really does not award very many A's but seems to place kids very well despite nearly no 4.0s.

The schools out west won't be able to distinguish the top privates, from the lesser privates or top publics. To the average college counselor out West, Whitman looks the same or better than HOLTON, Sidwell or NCS.

The schools that most understand and appreciate the top private schools are the Eastern SLACS

I don't know about the "average college counselor", but, having worked in admissions, I can tell you that the staffers at colleges that recruit from high schools across the country know the schools in their regions very well. I'd be willing to bet money that the CC ref for this area knows the curriculum at Whitman, Holton, Sidwell and NCS inside-out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend just had his son accepted ED at Colorado College with a B- GPA and very high SAT scores. A school out west like that might be a good choice. I think it really depends on your high school. My son's private really does not award very many A's but seems to place kids very well despite nearly no 4.0s.

The schools out west won't be able to distinguish the top privates, from the lesser privates or top publics. To the average college counselor out West, Whitman looks the same or better than HOLTON, Sidwell or NCS.

The schools that most understand and appreciate the top private schools are the Eastern SLACS

So what is so different between Whitman and Holton etc?

Anonymous wrote:A friend just had his son accepted ED at Colorado College with a B- GPA and very high SAT scores. A school out west like that might be a good choice. I think it really depends on your high school. My son's private really does not award very many A's but seems to place kids very well despite nearly no 4.0s.

The schools out west won't be able to distinguish the top privates, from the lesser privates or top publics. To the average college counselor out West, Whitman looks the same or better than HOLTON, Sidwell or NCS.

The schools that most understand and appreciate the top private schools are the Eastern SLACS

A friend just had his son accepted ED at Colorado College with a B- GPA and very high SAT scores. A school out west like that might be a good choice. I think it really depends on your high school. My son's private really does not award very many A's but seems to place kids very well despite nearly no 4.0s.

Anonymous wrote:The acceptance rate for Chicago this year just a hair under 9%.

http://chicagomaroon.com/2014/04/04/admissions-rate-reaches-new-low-despite-drop-in-applications/

Interesting discussion on the UoC - some very serious navel gazing and worry about drop in applications (which was offset by increased yield) and griping about over using the Wash U. approach of pumping up application numbers to bring down acceptance rate.

The acceptance rate for Chicago this year just a hair under 9%.

http://chicagomaroon.com/2014/04/04/admissions-rate-reaches-new-low-despite-drop-in-applications/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:University of Chicago weights test scores more than most, it is not out of reach:

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/GPA-SAT-ACT-Graphs/ss/university-of-chicago-admission-gpa-sat-act.htm

This is WAY outdated. It says U of C has an acceptance rate of 20% -- no way. It's acceptance rate in recent years has dropped to single digits. They are wait listing kids with very high ACTs, SATs, SATIIs and GPAs if they don't like your essay answers, you don't tell a good story of fit, etc.

The last reported acceptance rate was 13.2%. The 75% for ACT is 34. A 35 ACT would be no problem, but the 3.5 GPA would have to be explained and, as you noted, there would have to be some other + factors. Nothing in that chart says hopeless to me, but it is definitely a stretch.

Anonymous wrote:University of Chicago weights test scores more than most, it is not out of reach:

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/GPA-SAT-ACT-Graphs/ss/university-of-chicago-admission-gpa-sat-act.htm

This is WAY outdated. It says U of C has an acceptance rate of 20% -- no way. It's acceptance rate in recent years has dropped to single digits. They are wait listing kids with very high ACTs, SATs, SATIIs and GPAs if they don't like your essay answers, you don't tell a good story of fit, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Its more difficult for girls to get in than boys. The school may be rigorous but there are plenty of kids, I am sure, in OP's DD's class with similar scores and higher grades. And some of those won't get into the schools OP listed. I think Wesleyan would be a reach but maybe not Oberlin, which is a really good. I also agree about state schools, other than UVA. Kids in this area do well at Michigan, which is a great school. Cornell may not be in reach.

Cornell seems to be a school that really values grades - though, among Ivy League schools they are not known for attracting students from the top private schools, so the grades could be misleading. Few Cornell students have a 35-36 on the ACT.

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/GPA-SAT-ACT-Graphs/ss/cornell-admission-gpa-sat-act.htm

Anonymous wrote:OP, what is your DD interested in in terms of studying? What kind of school does she want culturally? (arty? frats/sororities? preppy?) Does she have a preference for size? I ask because a student for whom Oberlin would be a good fit would probably not like Michigan. Matching these interests is far more important than the prestige of the school.

Oberlin would be aiming awfully low: http://collegeapps.about.com/od/GPA-SAT-ACT-Graphs/ss/oberlin-college-admission-gpa-sat-act.htm

But, if it's a good fit, then it is surely a nice safety.

OP, what is your DD interested in in terms of studying? What kind of school does she want culturally? (arty? frats/sororities? preppy?) Does she have a preference for size? I ask because a student for whom Oberlin would be a good fit would probably not like Michigan. Matching these interests is far more important than the prestige of the school.

Anonymous wrote:Which elite universities place more emphasis on standardized tests than grades? DC aced the ACT (35), but has just a B+ GPA (at one of the three most rigorous private schools in the area). Varsity athlete, but no legacy or ethnic hooks (we are full pay). Where on the USNEWS list would our “stretch schools” fall? I assume that the less than A average would kill, HYPC + Stanford & Chicago. How about Duke? Dartmouth? Vanderbilt? Washington University? UVA would seem to be a solid safety (we live in Virginia). Are there schools known to place more emphasis on standardized tests?

I would also post this question on College Confidential. They have a nationwide audience, and you'd get more opinions.

I would skip most of the top 20 or so schools entirely. Skip the ivies and all the swanky New England SLACs, skip Stanford and Chicago. Reaches should be top schools in the south or midwest that don't get the same volume of applicants that the big hitters do, e.g., Carleton and Davidson, Vanderbilt, Rice, Emory. Maybe Pomona and Claremont McKenna.

Eh, I don't know. It's important to be realistic, but if she is a B+/A- student at a top private with great test scores, I think it's ok to have a few top (not Harvard, Yale, Stanford level, but Chicago/New England SLAC/Dartmouth level) as reaches. It is not always so cut and dry in terms of who gets in. There is always someone who gets into their super reach, and someone who gets into only their safety who seems like a shoo in. If there is an "elite" school she is in love with, sometimes ED can push a borderline student over the edge. For some of those SLACs, a really strong "Why Swarthmore" or whatever essay can make a difference. FWIW I graduated high school in the mid-2000s and got into a SLAC that my college counselor said there was no way in hell I'd ever get in due to ED and it being a really good fit for the sort of student I was. There were also B+/A- students who got into places like Northwestern and Wesleyan, and people with straight As who didn't get in (and I'm not talking about obvious hooks--I'm talking about differences in courseload, essays, and test scores).

Carleton, Davidson, Vanderbilt, Rice, and Emory are all good schools to look at also. But seriously, make sure you have some "safeties" you are ok with. Interested in Carleton? Maybe look at St. Olafs as well. If you're interested in Pomona, maybe also look at Pitzer. A lot of people use Tulane as a safety.

I would skip most of the top 20 or so schools entirely. Skip the ivies and all the swanky New England SLACs, skip Stanford and Chicago. Reaches should be top schools in the south or midwest that don't get the same volume of applicants that the big hitters do, e.g., Carleton and Davidson, Vanderbilt, Rice, Emory. Maybe Pomona and Claremont McKenna.

For matches, focus on the schools ranked between 20-50 on UNSWR rankings, and again especially on schools in the south and the midwest. Grinnell, Macalester, Oberlin, Kenyon. Skidmore? Dickinson? Case Western, Wake Forest, Michigan, Wisconsin, UMiami, Tulane. Also, Pitzer, Occidental.

It's going to be hard for her to have safeties she likes with such uneven stats, so apply to a broad range of match-y schools.

Discourage all thought (both your own and your DC's) of "elite" and "prestige" and encourage focus all attention on FIT. This is not about getting her into an elite school. This is about finding an environment where she can truly thrive. She is clearly very bright. Find the right pond for her.

Its more difficult for girls to get in than boys. The school may be rigorous but there are plenty of kids, I am sure, in OP's DD's class with similar scores and higher grades. And some of those won't get into the schools OP listed. I think Wesleyan would be a reach but maybe not Oberlin, which is a really good. I also agree about state schools, other than UVA. Kids in this area do well at Michigan, which is a great school. Cornell may not be in reach.