Northeast "Selective" Colleges

[mjkacmom]

Having just gone through this, I've found it is much harder to get admitted than back in my day! Dd17 was in the top 5%, 2000 SAT, 4.0 weighted GPA (all honors classes), only 4 AP classes, worked for 2 years, was mostly involved in choir/theater (top choirs, all state, regional, leads in plays). No leadership.

She got money from UMass Amherst, and wasn't admitted to Northeastern. She's majoring in business.

 

[lurkernj]

We recently went through this too. It's way more competitive than I thought. Just go on college confidential forums under the ivy leagues, OMG.

DS had a 4.3 weighted gpa, 2060 sats, top 5%, but only 4 ap classes(but he went to a small high school that didn't have many to offer). He had a large list of extra curriculars, leadership, volunteerism, and awards. Honestly, he had what we thought was a very impressive resume. He only applied to high level schools(7 of them I think,and one state school as a back up plan), some were on your list. He only got into two of the high level schools (one he really didn't want, but we asked to apply), waitlisted at his topchoice, and got into the state school.

So really, he had one school that was his choice, and the state school, which he really didn't want. Not a lot of options for a kid we thought would have more. He ended up at the choice school, which was a bit more money than we had wanted to spend, but it ended up being the right choice for him(finished freshman yr in May).

Seriously, go onto the collegeconfidential forums and read, it's overwhelming, makes good students look like slackers!

 

[klacey1]

I almost went to Vassar. I ended up wanting to get out of NY for a few years and ended up going to Providence College. I transferred after two years to go to URI because I wanted to double major in Communications & English and PC didn't offer Comm. There was a lot I loved about PC-- the city of Prov, being so close to Boston, a gorgeous campus. Things I didn't-- all of the Western Civ, philosophy, & theology courses and the lack of diversity in the student body. Also, even though URI was a state school, I found the quality of professors and class conversations waaaaaay higher than at PC. I ended up getting a job immediately in the middle of the recession, so transferring to a "lesser" school didn't harm me in the least. PM me if you want any more info on PC!!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

These are my stats, from 1998. Obviously a different scenario than now.

I was #9 out of 500 in my class, weighted GPA of 4.48, mediocre SATs.

I got into Smith and George Washington, as well as Kenyon (OH), U. of Iowa and Skidmore. Didn't apply anywhere else.

 

[OurBigTrip]

DS had a 4.3 unweighted gpa, 2060 sats, top 5%, but only 4 ap classes(but he went to a small high school that didn't have many to offer). He had a large list of extra curriculars, leadership, volunteerism, and awards. Honestly, he had what we thought was a very impressive resume. He only applied to high level schools(7 of them I think,and one state school as a back up plan), some were on your list. He only got into two of the high level schools (one he really didn't want, but we asked to apply), waitlisted at his topchoice, and got into the state school.

I must be missing something, because I can't figure out how an unweighted GPA can be higher than 4.0.

 

[sonnyjane]

My experience was kind of hit and miss. I had one thing really going for me which was that I was a good swimmer so places were contacting me. I was valedictorian, don't remember my GPA, and had a 1400 on the (old) SAT. I was editor of yearbook and school paper but my main extra-curricular was just the swimming. This was in 2001 and I can't believe how everything has changed. I strongly considered Wellesley and spoke with their coach a lot, but because they were division III, I wouldn't have received any athletic money. I got into Brown and Columbia (again I think my swimming STRONGLY HELPED), but didn't get into Harvard. I had no intention of going there but was curious if I could get in (I couldn't lol). I got into UNC Chapel Hill but not Duke. I got into UC Berkeley but not Stanford. There didn't seem to be much explanation for why one said yes and one said no and I was surprised that I didn't get into Duke when UNC have me a good scholarship offer. My safety in-state schools were Pitt and Penn State. I ended up going with University of Miami because I got a good offer and well, it was tough to beat the sunshine and the beach after visiting those northeast schools in winter haha!

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

My daughter also had great grades, activities, scores, etc and wanted to go to a particular Ivy League school, but she came from a large school in an east coast highly competitive school system and that makes a big difference too. Only 2 kids got into her 1st choice school from her class that year - one was training for the Olympics and the other was a comparably competitive legacy.

I think it might be an advantage to your daughter that she comes from a small charter school. If you aren't from the East Coast, that's in her favor too! Good luck!

 

[laughinplace199]

Java, that's right. They need that one thing that makes them standout from all the others. I'm not sure she has that, and one of the reasons I started this thread. I want to get an idea of what type of student is getting into these schools she is looking at. She is active enough, manages her school bookstore, went to Girls State this summer, earned both Bronze and Silver GSA awards and is working on her Gold. Full time job for the past three summers and part time during the school year, including a new gig tutoring Latin to a rising Sophmore this summer as well. I guess my biggest concern is lack of sports and/or arts-type programs. There is some guilt here, I never allowed either of my kids to be what I considered "over-involved" and limited their extra-cirriculars to two at any given time. I'm a stickler for a good nights' sleep and "down-time", neither of which I had ever considered a detriment to getting into a great college until now.
And FWIW, 2100-2200 is the average SAT at her reach schools and 2000-2100 at her "match" schools so her score has to increase or her search has to start over.

I know nothing about this process, as my oldest is going into her sophomore year in high school, but your DD sounds very impressive to me. I would think that having real work experience would be a good thing.

As to your comment about sports/arts, is that really important since she was so busy with other things? I've been wondering about sports and how to decide what the right balance is.

DD's school requires that they play a sport every season. DD is not athletic and has never been on a team, but she decided to join the crew team. She did it for both Fall and Spring seasons and loved it. But...it's a huge time commitment, which I didn't realize. They practice every day until 6:00, which means she's not home until almost 7:00. Then it's dinner, a shower, and 3-4 hours of homework. Her grades were good, all A's and two B+'s and we were happy that she was able to do well given how much time crew takes up. For the future though, I wonder if it's better for her to quit crew and take fitness classes for her "sport" and dedicate more time to her schoolwork or whether she should do what she loves as long as her grades don't slip too much.

 

[sonnyjane]

I know nothing about this process, as my oldest is going into her sophomore year in high school, but your DD sounds very impressive to me. I would think that having real work experience would be a good thing.

As to your comment about sports/arts, is that really important since she was so busy with other things? I've been wondering about sports and how to decide what the right balance is.

DD's school requires that they play a sport every season. DD is not athletic and has never been on a team, but she decided to join the crew team. She did it for both Fall and Spring seasons and loved it. But...it's a huge time commitment, which I didn't realize. They practice every day until 6:00, which means she's not home until almost 7:00. Then it's dinner, a shower, and 3-4 hours of homework. Her grades were good, all A's and two B+'s and we were happy that she was able to do well given how much time crew takes up. For the future though, I wonder if it's better for her to quit crew and take fitness classes for her "sport" and dedicate more time to her schoolwork or whether she should do what she loves as long as her grades don't slip too much.

I'm not the OP but as far as sports and helping them get you into college, if you read my post a few above yours, it helps A LOT if your daughter is at all good at her sport. There are definitely a lot of schools that offer crew scholarships. My step-brother was, how do I say this nicely... an idiot, but was a super fast swimmer so he got into UPenn. Another guy I went to HS with was really good at lacrosse but the typical "big dumb jock". He went to Dartmouth. If you're good at sports AND intelligent, you have a lot more doors opened for you. I can't tell you how many times I heard coaches tell me over the phone, "As far admission, I'll speak with them and see what we can do..."

And that doesn't even touch on the issue of receiving athletic scholarships if she goes to a DI or DII school. I had a lot of friends growing up that got at least 25%-50% athletic scholarships simply because they were above average (i.e. not even the top 10 on their HS team) in their sports.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I know nothing about this process, as my oldest is going into her sophomore year in high school, but your DD sounds very impressive to me. I would think that having real work experience would be a good thing.

As to your comment about sports/arts, is that really important since she was so busy with other things? I've been wondering about sports and how to decide what the right balance is.

DD's school requires that they play a sport every season. DD is not athletic and has never been on a team, but she decided to join the crew team. She did it for both Fall and Spring seasons and loved it. But...it's a huge time commitment, which I didn't realize. They practice every day until 6:00, which means she's not home until almost 7:00. Then it's dinner, a shower, and 3-4 hours of homework. Her grades were good, all A's and two B+'s and we were happy that she was able to do well given how much time crew takes up. For the future though, I wonder if it's better for her to quit crew and take fitness classes for her "sport" and dedicate more time to her schoolwork or whether she should do what she loves as long as her grades don't slip too much.

It's better to keep crew and show a commitment to one activity. Have her shower first thing in the morning from now on.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'm not the OP but as far as sports and helping them get you into college, if you read my post a few above yours, it helps A LOT if your daughter is at all good at her sport. There are definitely a lot of schools that offer crew scholarships. My step-brother was, how do I say this nicely... an idiot, but was a super fast swimmer so he got into UPenn. Another guy I went to HS with was really good at lacrosse but the typical "big dumb jock". He went to Dartmouth. If you're good at sports AND intelligent, you have a lot more doors opened for you. I can't tell you how many times I heard coaches tell me over the phone, "As far admission, I'll speak with them and see what we can do..."

And that doesn't even touch on the issue of receiving athletic scholarships if she goes to a DI or DII school. I had a lot of friends growing up that got at least 25%-50% athletic scholarships simply because they were above average (i.e. not even the top 10 on their HS team) in their sports.

I knew 2 heavily recruited athletes in HS. One guy was marginal academically & went on to be a 4-year Division I starter in basketball. The girl was a runner & near the top of her class. The volume of mail she got was STAGGERING Way more than the basketball player with poor grades.

 

[laughinplace199]

I'm not the OP but as far as sports and helping them get you into college, if you read my post a few above yours, it helps A LOT if your daughter is at all good at her sport. There are definitely a lot of schools that offer crew scholarships. My step-brother was, how do I say this nicely... an idiot, but was a super fast swimmer so he got into UPenn. Another guy I went to HS with was really good at lacrosse but the typical "big dumb jock". He went to Dartmouth. If you're good at sports AND intelligent, you have a lot more doors opened for you. I can't tell you how many times I heard coaches tell me over the phone, "As far admission, I'll speak with them and see what we can do..."

And that doesn't even touch on the issue of receiving athletic scholarships if she goes to a DI or DII school. I had a lot of friends growing up that got at least 25%-50% athletic scholarships simply because they were above average (i.e. not even the top 10 on their HS team) in their sports.

Wow, you got into some great schools!

I don't know if DD is any good at crew. I guess time will tell. She's a coxswain and they had more coxswains than boats, so there were days where one or two of the coxswains would ride in the launch with the coach and observe. Since the seniors have graduated, she will probably get more experience this year.

 

[lurkernj]

I must be missing something, because I can't figure out how an unweighted GPA can be higher than 4.0.

Haha, guess he doesn't get his intelligence from his mom. That's weighted.

 

[MouseMomx2]

If she likes the Amherst area she should not discount UMass. The Commonwealth Honors College offers a great program and the university itself is a wonderful place to go to school.

I am a UMass alum and both of my children now go there. The academic level, while very good when I was a student, has improved over the last 10 years and many of their programs are comparable to those at private schools.

My DD started out at a very competitive private school (RPI) and hated it. She now goes to UMass (she is in the Commonwealth Honors College) and absolutely loves. it. She loves the diversity of the student body, wide range of majors and classes offered, the honors program, surrounding area, and open-mindedness of the faculty/student body. UMass is also consistently listed in the top 10 schools with the best food (an important factor if you're going to be eating it every day for several years). It is a vibrant campus with a very vocal population and, IMO, a fantastic place to go to school.

Good luck to your DD on this very important journey.

 

[sndfan]

A school to consider that's slightly south of the northeast, but would probably be a fabulous fit for her intended major would be Johns Hopkins...just throwing it out there. My DS is just a high school freshman, but toured there as part of his Honors Program and fell in love. Best of luck!

 

[AnAmericanInDisney]

That's so funny. My son just got his John's Hopkins recruiting envelope. It includes a puzzle. He and his dad are having fun building it and knocking it down with a rubber band.

 

[aristocatz]

IF she likes Western Mass then I would definitely NOT rule out Smith or Mt.Holyoke. Both are part of the 5 college exchange which allows students to take classes at any of the 5 schools....Amherst, Smith, Mt.Holyoke, Hampshire and UMass. Northampton is also a very fun town. Much more vibrant than Amherst.

If she likes the Amherst area she should not discount UMass. The Commonwealth Honors College offers a great program and the university itself is a wonderful place to go to school.

I am a UMass alum and both of my children now go there. The academic level, while very good when I was a student, has improved over the last 10 years and many of their programs are comparable to those at private schools.

My DD started out at a very competitive private school (RPI) and hated it. She now goes to UMass (she is in the Commonwealth Honors College) and absolutely loves. it. She loves the diversity of the student body, wide range of majors and classes offered, the honors program, surrounding area, and open-mindedness of the faculty/student body. UMass is also consistently listed in the top 10 schools with the best food (an important factor if you're going to be eating it every day for several years). It is a vibrant campus with a very vocal population and, IMO, a fantastic place to go to school.

Good luck to your DD on this very important journey.

I am part of the UMASS alumni as well, and went to Simmons for my double masters degrees. I was not part of the UMASS honors program (it did not exist at that time, nor would I have been eligible for it if it did!), but I did take advantage of the 5 College Program-I took a class or two at Hampshire College. I also attended some wonderful speaking arrangements and activities at the other colleges. It was a great experience. UMASS, as a whole, was an amazing experience that truly shaped me for adulthood. It is a very large school, with several hundred students sharing your classroom. A college that sizes taught me to self-discipline my learning. Socially, I was able to meet a wide variety of friends from many different backgrounds, and taught myself to come out of my shell & "find myself". I cherished my UMASS experience. The area is so beautiful, I ended up eventually moving back here. ...funny, I didn't realize UMASS scored so high with their food! They did have a huge variety of dining halls, with specific cuisines ranging from pasta to vegetarian to typical dining hall food. Best food was in the student union, at a student run restaurant called Earth Foods-I ate there several times per week! I agree about the wide variety of majors offered-you have the world at your fingertips! I loved that about UMASS.

Simmons is an all-girls school for undergrad, but we had men in our graduate programs. The experience is polar opposite to UMASS-very small classrooms, closer relations with your professors (I ended up working in a private practice with one of my professors after I graduated, and several of my fellow students also obtained jobs through professor contacts). Living in Boston is fantastic! Lots of fun, many cultural opportunities, and you meet many other students from the neighboring schools.

 

[sharbear]

Patsmom, it looks like she has a good list of schools. Her match schools can't be a sure thing, they are selective but it looks like she has some safety's that she likes. Things are much more competitive and with the common app will get even more so.

Do you need financial aid for her to attend? Have you run the financial calculators? If you need aid, it can vary wildly and after you run the NPC you can see if they will be affordable or not. The schools you are considering use the CSS profile which looks more in depth at your finances and will consider the income of her dad for instance if you are divorced.

 

[Bonnie151]

Someone else already mentioned this, but I'd suggest Bowdoin. I went to Bowdoin and I loved it! I went to a small high school and I wanted a small liberal arts college (too overwhelmed by the thought of the big Ivies).

It has an SAT optional policy as well- I can't remember whether I submitted my scores or not.

 

[PatsGirl]

Sharbear ~ we do need financial aid and the choice of school will most likely come down to the best packages offered. The only school on her list that we can afford is UMass Amherst and she really doesn't want to go there She would be less likely to resist if she got into the Honors College. We did tour there just to get a look at the new honors buildings...

I have run the calculator on every school on her list, but its hard to tell because her father will also have to establish an EFC and I'm pretty sure he'll put us out of the running for aid. And yet, not be able/willing to pay more than a small share of the cost. If it were determined on my income alone, she'd be going to school nearly free lol.

I've sorted her schools by acceptance %, size, merit aid, average SAT, etc. Its quite a spreadsheet we have going here Now we are starting to look for more match schools that will not consider her dad's income: PC, Bucknell, Susquehanna....these are a few she is considering.

She has looked at Colby, Bates, Bowdoin and I can't say for certain why they are not on her list. I think lack of merit aid maybe...