Washington Univeristy in St. Louis vs. dream school....

Question

ok...this is something i cant talk to my family about. i could go to WashU, (i can get in there b/c of connections, etc. BUT i would have to apply via binding early decision) OR i could go to Kenyon, which i love, but theres no guarentee i would get in. WashU is a top school (ranked #11) and i feel like i'm turning down a lifetime opportunity if i dont go there, or i could go to Kenyon but theres no guarantee i would be accepted. Advice, please.

Answer 1

Sadly, this is something you're going to have to decide for yourself.  

Both Kenyon and WUSTL are excellent schools, and I don't think you'll be hurting yourself either way-- unless, of course, you tried for Kenyon and ended up not getting in to either school.

Also, you haven't written why you want to go to Kenyon, or why you

don't especially want to go to WUSTL.  That makes it tough for anyone to help you here.

Some things to think about:

-What's so bad about WUSTL?  What's so amazing about Kenyon to you?  

If it's something minor, like "my friends are going to Kenyon" or "the campus is beautiful", I wouldn't do it.  

If it's something like "Kenyon has the best program in x in the nation, and WUSTL doesn't even have that program", you might have a point.

-What's your chances of getting into Kenyon, based on things like your GPA, SAT/ACT, and extracurriculars?  I wouldn't do it if your scores/strengths place you at the lower end of their applicant pool.  

You can see where you stand by plugging in Kenyon College at http://www.peterson.com and comparing your stats to the average student's.

-If you applied for Kenyon and ended up not being able to go to either, will you regret it for the rest of your life?

-Same for going to WUSTL and getting in without trying for Kenyon: will you regret that, too?

And just a thought:  

I have heard people say that they've enrolled early-decision to a school, then bowed out despite the bind.  I do not recommend this.  However, it has been done.  I have no idea of the consequences, though, so you'll definitely want to look it up if it even crosses your mind.