Anonymous
04/16/2026 14:10
Subject: Tell me about the schools your kid applied to
DD was pretty open initially, but leaning towards midsize and urban or suburban. It soon became clear to us that she was using national rankings for her club sport to create her college list. After a bunch of touring she was surprised to love the LAC's more than expected and she is now headed to a rural midwestern SLAC. She ended up finding a school she loved in all aspects, including for the club sport.
Anonymous
04/16/2026 14:07
Subject: Tell me about the schools your kid applied to
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How would you describe the collection of schools your kid applied to without using any selectivity metrics. Location? Size? Public/private? Other criteria? If they had an outlier did they go there?
Interested in some of the criteria kids use that aren’t just selectivity.
Mid-size (<8,000) schools with a top reputation for overall academics and, specifically, undergraduate teaching, in an attractive-to-beautiful setting. Strong in both STEM and humanities. Reputation for “nice kids” and good relationships with professors.
Would love to hear some of the schools on this list if you’re willing to share!
Sure thing! This was for two different kids; one looking for humanities, one for biology.
In order of most-to-least selective: Yale (SCEA), Rice, WashU, Carleton, William & Mary (OOS), St. Olaf, plus a few others that weren't quite in line with the description above, but that they added to possibly have a few more options.
They were rejected from Yale, waitlisted at Rice and WashU, accepted at the rest. They're finishing up their freshman year at W&M and it's been great.
As for a longer list of candidate schools to consider (not all of which made my kids' lists, but that I've heard track with what they were looking for) …
Mid-size schools: Rice, Tufts, Yale, William & Mary, Brown, WashU
If small schools are in-bounds, consider: Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Bowdoin, Davidson, Carleton (+ St. Olaf for a more likely admit)
Thanks for the break down! When I read the post I instantly thought W&M, which is of interest to my junior and seems to offer such a unique combo of qualities. Glad your student has had a good year there
Funny, I immediately thought of Carleton which also was. Thanks for sharing.
Anonymous
04/16/2026 14:05
Subject: Tell me about the schools your kid applied to
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How would you describe the collection of schools your kid applied to without using any selectivity metrics. Location? Size? Public/private? Other criteria? If they had an outlier did they go there?
Interested in some of the criteria kids use that aren’t just selectivity.
Mid-size (<8,000) schools with a top reputation for overall academics and, specifically, undergraduate teaching, in an attractive-to-beautiful setting. Strong in both STEM and humanities. Reputation for “nice kids” and good relationships with professors.
Would love to hear some of the schools on this list if you’re willing to share!
Me too,
Anonymous
04/16/2026 13:49
Subject: Tell me about the schools your kid applied to
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How would you describe the collection of schools your kid applied to without using any selectivity metrics. Location? Size? Public/private? Other criteria? If they had an outlier did they go there?
Interested in some of the criteria kids use that aren’t just selectivity.
Mid-size (<8,000) schools with a top reputation for overall academics and, specifically, undergraduate teaching, in an attractive-to-beautiful setting. Strong in both STEM and humanities. Reputation for “nice kids” and good relationships with professors.
Would love to hear some of the schools on this list if you’re willing to share!
Sure thing! This was for two different kids; one looking for humanities, one for biology.
In order of most-to-least selective: Yale (SCEA), Rice, WashU, Carleton, William & Mary (OOS), St. Olaf, plus a few others that weren't quite in line with the description above, but that they added to possibly have a few more options.
They were rejected from Yale, waitlisted at Rice and WashU, accepted at the rest. They're finishing up their freshman year at W&M and it's been great.
As for a longer list of candidate schools to consider (not all of which made my kids' lists, but that I've heard track with what they were looking for) …
Mid-size schools: Rice, Tufts, Yale, William & Mary, Brown, WashU
If small schools are in-bounds, consider: Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Bowdoin, Davidson, Carleton (+ St. Olaf for a more likely admit)
Thanks for the break down! When I read the post I instantly thought W&M, which is of interest to my junior and seems to offer such a unique combo of qualities. Glad your student has had a good year there
Anonymous
04/16/2026 12:39
Subject: Tell me about the schools your kid applied to
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Kid 1: Big Rah Rah school with strong academics and Greek life. Applied to Mid-Atlantic and Midwest schools. Ended up at UVA
Kid 2: Big Rah Rah, good to meh academics, Greek life, applied to Mid Atlantic, South and Midwest schools. [b]Will attend Midwest flagship with “meh” academics overall, but highly ranked for their major.[b] Will not name school, as it might “out” my kids. Nobody from their high school is going there. Only seen one other NoVa kid on instagram class of 2030 from the DMV area.
Smart money is on journalism at Mizzou or Iowa for creative writing.
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