Anonymous
08/25/2025 16:59
Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote: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).
Colby is not a safety, and it’s in the middle of nowhere.
Colby is 100% a safety for this kid from a strong private. They will take down to a 3.4 or so from ours. My kid was one of them this year.
Colby takes the lower 1/3 of our private too.
How many were ED? How do you think Colby maintains that low admit rate? They don’t produce a CDS but I suspect they are heavy in ED and savage in RD.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 16:58
Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote: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)
For safeties, consider BC, Wake, Richmond.
Richmond EA is a good safety. The OP's kid will likely get a lot of merit too.
Richmond doesn’t give that much merit.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 16:56
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)
For safeties, consider BC, Wake, Richmond.
Oh brother. None of these are safeties in RD. They all have some yield protection tendencies. Yes, the stats make the student a very strong candidate but that does not equate to easy admission. Rejections in these scenarios happen all the time.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 16:43
Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote: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).
Colby is not a safety, and it’s in the middle of nowhere.
Colby is 100% a safety for this kid from a strong private. They will take down to a 3.4 or so from ours. My kid was one of them this year.
Colby takes the lower 1/3 of our private too.
And almost no one from our W public. Ditto Middlebury.
Im sure. Its why all of these comparisons are pointless.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 16:14
Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote: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).
Colby is not a safety, and it’s in the middle of nowhere.
Colby is 100% a safety for this kid from a strong private. They will take down to a 3.4 or so from ours. My kid was one of them this year.
Colby takes the lower 1/3 of our private too.
And almost no one from our W public. Ditto Middlebury.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 16:11
Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote: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).
Colby is not a safety, and it’s in the middle of nowhere.
Colby is 100% a safety for this kid from a strong private. They will take down to a 3.4 or so from ours. My kid was one of them this year.
Colby takes the lower 1/3 of our private too.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 16:04
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).
Colby is not a safety, and it’s in the middle of nowhere.
Colby is 100% a safety for this kid from a strong private. They will take down to a 3.4 or so from ours. My kid was one of them this year.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 15:51
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)
For safeties, consider BC, Wake, Richmond.
Richmond EA is a good safety. The OP's kid will likely get a lot of merit too.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 15:50
Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:GPA weighted or unweighted?
ITS PRIVATE!!!!!!
SO WHAT!!!!
My kid at private has a 3.9 unweighted and a lower SAT score (likely, based on practice tests) than OP’s kid. So is the 3.8 weighted or unweighted? It makes a difference, whether coming from private or not.
She already answered this question on uw vs w.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 15:42
Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My almost frighteningly similar-sounding DD is looking at Brown (reach), W&M (target), Mary Washington (safety).
For full pay?
Brown, no. VA publics, yes.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 15:40
Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:GPA weighted or unweighted?
ITS PRIVATE!!!!!!
SO WHAT!!!!
My kid at private has a 3.9 unweighted and a lower SAT score (likely, based on practice tests) than OP’s kid. So is the 3.8 weighted or unweighted? It makes a difference, whether coming from private or not.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 15:38
Subject: Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My almost frighteningly similar-sounding DD is looking at Brown (reach), W&M (target), Mary Washington (safety).
Brown: no advantage for girls.
So? It’s a reach anyway.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 15:35
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)
For safeties, consider BC, Wake, Richmond.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 15:34
Subject: Re:Pls suggest 2 each for reaches, targets, safeties for this student
As a previous poster said, Wesleyan is a great option. Really nice community of inclusive, interesting, sharply intelligent students, and there is no "type". Very strong in STEM. Also a nice size for a SLAC, bigger than most = more social opportunities, livelier campus.
Anonymous
08/25/2025 15:22
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.
OP: they really don’t. Only a handful of kids get A in a class for each subject. No one has graduated with a 4.0 in past 5 years. I would call that no grade inflation when no many schools have half the grade with 4.0.