I have a W&M kid. Her likelies (we called them safeties) were Pitt (applied 8/1 for rolling decision, had an answer by 9/10), St. Olaf and Wooster. Oberlin was also closer to a safety for her than many kids because she had a strong family connection to the school (legacy + sibling). Also, American was a target-safety, because she wanted IR.

WM was ED1. If she’d been denied or deferred, Vassar or Bates were ED2 options (I think she would have chosen Vassar for ED2)

Kenyon and Macalaster were also on the mix for targets.

Carleton was also high on her list, but more in the target-reach category.

Also looked at Grinnell, Hamilton, Colby, Wesleyan, St. Lawrence, but passed for various reasons— mostly fit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My own suggestions of schools similar to Brown would depend on what your child seeks in Brown.

Wesleyan, Connecticut College and Skidmore may be similar in overall atmosphere.

Amherst, Hamilton and Smith offer similarly flexible curricula.

The University of Rochester is similar in size and curriculum.

Pitzer and Vassar seem worth considering for their notably strong psychology programs.

Note that some of these schools may be more selective than the desired range you suggested in the original post.

A school such as Vassar offers a notably strong psychology program.

ChatGPT

The post offered original writing and categorizations without any influence from AI.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm telling you, if he has the stats and application for Brown, William and Mary will be a safety. It's not a hard admit for a strong kid.

Mine had the stats for Brown and was WL at W&M. In at a few top 20s so it didn’t matter in the end, except to say it is not a safety just bc the kid has high stats.

Wow. What T20s did they get accepted? STEM major?

Anonymous wrote:Oberlin is not in your geographical target zone but it is the place for people whose reach is Brown full stop. As as Vassar and Wesleyan (too selective to be targets) and Bard and Sarah Lawrence to a degree. If your dc liked Brown’s artsy side, Emerson or New School could be likelies.

This is a great response. Agree 100%. My kid is at Brown, and it definitely attracts the more liberal, artsy kids- even within STEM fields. Check out Brandeis as a mid-sized target- there seems to be overlap in the type of kids who go there, according to my son who visits Brandeis for club sports fairly often. Also, for Psych, LACs are going to provide a great experience- check into the more liberal leaning ones such as Dickinson, Bard, etc.

UVM and Rochester are good to add to your list.

Wisconsin and Michigan are the two examples from 09:46.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is looking for schools with similar vibes but with a higher acceptance rate. Ideas?

Northeast or CA ideally, but would consider other areas (not red states).

Why would you consider W&M if you only want Northeast, CA and not red? Performative BS.

Virginia is not a red state and Williamsburg is one of the most liberal cities in Virginia

I know that VA is not usually a red state. But any state that Trump won in 2024 is too red for me.

It's not that black and white, of should I say red and blue. Some states went red that didn't have more than 50% of voters voting for the R candidate b/c of the stupid electoral college. Just b/c a state went one way or the other isn't reflective of the overal views of the residents.

Just wait until your daughter needs a women's healthcare appointment and prefers a female doctor. My DD is in grad school in a red state and she/I cannot wait until she gets out of there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is looking for schools with similar vibes but with a higher acceptance rate. Ideas?

Northeast or CA ideally, but would consider other areas (not red states).

Why would you consider W&M if you only want Northeast, CA and not red? Performative BS.

Virginia is not a red state and Williamsburg is one of the most liberal cities in Virginia

90% of college towns are liberal, even in red, southern states. Honestly, your kid sounds a little ignorant or brainwashed by mommy and daddy.

This might be controversial to some, but to be competitive for ivies the safeties are really target level schools.

Anonymous wrote:Likely should be a state school in the state you live in. Depending on the state, that might mean the flagship or it might not.

Why? Why not an easier-to-get-in-but-expensive private school, if you can afford it?

Dickinson is a good suggestion. My kid who applied to Brown and W&M also looked at Dickinson. Good bio program and major study abroad. Nice kids. Good merit aid.

Anonymous wrote:My own suggestions of schools similar to Brown would depend on what your child seeks in Brown.

Wesleyan, Connecticut College and Skidmore may be similar in overall atmosphere.

Amherst, Hamilton and Smith offer similarly flexible curricula.

The University of Rochester is similar in size and curriculum.

Pitzer and Vassar seem worth considering for their notably strong psychology programs.

Note that some of these schools may be more selective than the desired range you suggested in the original post.

A school such as Vassar offers a notably strong psychology program.

None of these are likelies. More potential reaches and hard targets with maybe 1-2 targets on that list. This is one reason why chat gpt doesn't replace a knowledgeable person.

Goucher, UVM

Anonymous wrote:My own suggestions of schools similar to Brown would depend on what your child seeks in Brown.

Wesleyan, Connecticut College and Skidmore may be similar in overall atmosphere.

Amherst, Hamilton and Smith offer similarly flexible curricula.

The University of Rochester is similar in size and curriculum.

Pitzer and Vassar seem worth considering for their notably strong psychology programs.

Note that some of these schools may be more selective than the desired range you suggested in the original post.

A school such as Vassar offers a notably strong psychology program.

ChatGPT