Admissions Excellence

I made a quick visit to Middlebury this week! Located in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Midd is sometimes called a ‘little Ivy’, known as one of the finest small liberal arts colleges in the US. With an enrolment of 2500 undergraduates, Midd dominates the quaint town it inhabits. An outdoorsy school known for its foreign languages, international studies and environmental science majors, Midd also offers exceptional study abroad options for its students. Midd is working on upping its diversity as it does have a bit of reputation of having a preppy student body. Midd is 7hour drive from Toronto, 1 hour from Burlington, 3 hours to Boston and 2.5 hours to Montreal. Midd’s acceptance rate is declining, at less than 22% last year (and a majority of the class is filled with early decision applicants). Among Midd students are many Div 3 athletes, and about half the students participate in intramural sports. Given the remote location, small size and excellent student/faculty ratio, opportunities for students to connect with professors socially or for research abound.

Midd has always been a test optional school and does not require a supplemental essay; however, gaining entry is still extremely competitive. Students should have a rigorous course load and exemplary extracurriculars.

Check it out. Maybe you’ll be interested in becoming a MiddKidd!

A visit to University of Texas at Austin did not disappoint! One of the top 10 public universities in the US, UT Austin is benefitting from Texas/Austin’s growth, particularly in the tech sector (Tesla just moved here from Silicon Valley). Internships and coop opportunities are plentiful, and Austin’s music and social scene is fantastic. Famous UT alumni include Matthew McConaughey, Farrah Fawcett and Kevin Durant.

International students make up only 10% of students, and 75% of students gain access through auto-admit Texas residence (top 6% in their schools). However, international students can gain admission through UT’s holistic review process. Tuition is slightly more affordable than private universities like the Ivies (assuming full pay and no financial aid.)

Engineering, computer science, business are all nationally-ranked programs. The Plan II Honors program is one of the best around.

Rising seniors, take note: while UT is now on the Common App, final deadline to apply is December 1st. Hurry up if you want to be a future longhorn. Hook ‘em, as they say!

Are you a budding engineer that wants a super hands-on education with access to incredible research and internships in Silicon Valley? With a top-notch gpa (they don’t care about extracurriculars), and some luck, you might get into what is affectionately know as Cal Poly. A separate application system called ‘CalState’ (not on the UC app) is where you need to go. Admission is near impossible for out-of-staters and internationals given in-state quotas, but the facilities (computer and robotics labs, wind tunnels, vibration labs, metallurgy etc) were all so impressive. I felt like I was a kid at the Ontario Science Center. And the town of San Luis Obispo had a LuluLemon, an H&M and Urban Outfitters, just a 15 minute drive from some of the most incredible beach views. What’s not to love about CalPoly in SLO (pronounced by the locals as SLOW). It’s anything but ‘slow’! These kids are headed ‘fast’ to the top!!
Get psyched and apply!
You might just ‘win’. Did I mention the affordable tuition prices $ compared to the UCs??

Pic 1- Pomona-part of the 5 college consortium, including Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, Harvey Mudd and Scripps. Amazing professor access and small classes with access to all consortium schools, socially and academically. 4 years guaranteed housing.

Pic 2-Occidental- Barack Obama is an alum! Proximity to Los Angeles provides amazing internship opportunities. Solid liberal arts. 40% acceptance rate with ED1 and ED2 options. Well-maintained campus.

Pic 3- USC. New Early Action option, merit scholarships, stunning campus, Dornslife College of Arts & Science and many pre-professional options like Viterbi Engineering and Marshall business. Not to mention Cinematic Arts (courtesy of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg donations). Metro stops on campus!

Pic 4- UCLA.

Thank you to the creative genius of Duncan Brown at Juice!

A stop at Vanderbilt in Nashville was quite informative. Gone are the days of it being known as a party school for southerners. With a mere 9% acceptance rate, median ACT of 32-35, 10% international, 90% from out of state, and ethnically diverse, Vandy compares similarly to the most elite of US institutions.

The school receives a 99% quality of life ranking by Princeton Review as rated by its 6800 undergraduates and a professor rating of 95-97 for both ‘interesting and accessible.’

The campus is beautiful and set in the heart of vibrant midtown Nashville with loads of live music, bars and restaurants.

Engineering, education and music are standout programs. Students are known to be highly intelligent and collaborative. About 60% of students participate in research, 44% study abroad, and 85% live on campus according to FISKE.

The flight from Toronto was short and sweet at under 2 hours.

The Commodores, nicknamed for Vandy’s founder Cornelius, are particularly known for the men’s baseball team who won the NCAA championships in 2014 and 2019.

Go Dores!

Day 3 of Admissions Excellence College Road trip

Photos
1. Syracuse University
2. University of Rochester
3. Rochester Institute of Technology

A 3-4 hour drive from Toronto, these private universities are impressive, especially on a sunny day! Syracuse has 15k undergrads compared to 6.5k at Rochester and 12.6k at RPI. Well-known for its sports teams, Carrier Dome and Otto the Orange 🍊 mascot, Syracuse is a research university with a dedication to its undergraduates. Prestigious programs include Communications, Architecture 🏙, Management, Arts 🎭 and Science 🧬. Rochester has strengths in science/biomedical engineering and also the famed Eastman School of Music 🎶 . There are combined admission programs offering simultaneous acceptance to undergrad and graduate degree programs in medicine, engineering and education. Lastly, RPI offers a robust coop program and is strong in computing 💻 , art 🖼 and design and engineering. Rochester is city where Kodak was born, so this school is legendary for its photography 📸, imaging science, film and animation. Of note, RPI also has the National Center for the Deaf 🧏‍♀️ with stand-out accommodations and over 1000 deaf and hard-of- hearing students. Acceptance to these schools is competitive, ranging from 30-70%, but there is some self-selection, especially to STEM-programs so acceptance rates are somewhat misleading. For Canadians looking to break out of their bubble, these universities are far enough to provide a different experience but close enough for quick visits home.