Does this list need a safety?

gadad · 10-26-2007, 08:51 AM

I acknowledge that my D has a very strong application, but none of the seven schools on her list (HYP, Columbia, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, U. of Virginia) could be considered a "safety school" for anyone. She has a 2260 SAT including two 800s, another 800 subject test, individual state titles in performing arts and essay writing, she's ranked #1 in her class at a rural public HS, has taken about a third of her HS classes at the local university, will complete four levels of both Arabic and Spanish, and reads about 150 books a year. She's also got loads of honors and interviews exceptionally well. It seems implausible to me that she'd go 0-for-7 with her list of applications, but I look at it and say ". . . and her safety is - . . . . . . ."

What do you think - does she need an eighth?

gadad · 10-26-2007, 09:04 AM

BTW, She'll be an out-of-state applicant at U.Va.

treefarmer1 · 10-26-2007, 09:12 AM

Yes.
I have 2 children in college now who had nearly identical profiles to your child-2290, 2270 SATs with some 800s, state level artistic accomplishments and they both happily enrolled at a very top LAC. Just for the record, they did not get into Princeton or Yale -didn't apply to Harvard- but they also collectively had rejections from Amherst, Middlebury, Wesleyan, Brown. I do not believe college acceptances are crapshoots, but you should have some safeties in there. I am sure your child is a wonderful candidate and will probably get acceptances from your list, but probably does not a safety make. I think JHU, Georgetown and UVA are comfortable "matchs." probable, but not safeties.

Chedva · 10-26-2007, 09:18 AM

Search these forums and read the story of andison - great stats, no safeties, no acceptances. Story ended happily after a productive, if forced, gap year, but still, not a story anyone wants to repeat.

There should always be a safety. And don't forget, the definition of "safety" includes not only the probability of acceptance, but a place that your kid would actually want to go. In the best of all worlds, it should be one that your kid will consider even if she gets into other schools. It is unlikely that she'll have to go to her safety, but you never know.

And you can also look for safeties that give merit money - having money thrown at you is a nice thing, too!

mtpaper · 10-26-2007, 09:46 AM

I searched for the story of ANDISON.

I found 7 pages of threads referring to the story of Andison.
The very first thread of the list (ie, the oldest thread in the list) referrs to the story, so I presume the event happened prior to that.

I cannot find the story itself.
Is it repeated somewhere in the 7 pages of threads?
Is there an easier way to find it, rather than reading 7 pages of threads, some of which are pages and pages long???

THank you!

Chedva · 10-26-2007, 10:03 AM

It's in the archives. Here's the thread:
We're picking up the pieces, but what went wrong?
Just reading the first few pages should give you the sense of what happened. As mini said in that thread:

Quote:

What went wrong is that he (and you) didn't choose a safety, and fall in love with it. The safety is ALWAYS the most important school on the list.

nimby58 · 10-26-2007, 10:27 AM

If she is applying RD to all of those schools, she definitely needs a safety. The only way that you can proceed without applying at this point to a real safety is if you get some admissions results early. For instance, if she applied EA to Georgetown and found out in mid-December that she was accepted, she would not need to add any other schools and might even decide to subtract some when she applies by Januray 1st. But you are taking a very big chance otherwise. Her list is populated with the most selective schools--exactly the same ones that almost every valedictorian with high test scores and some nice ecs and honors sets his/her sights on.

momfromme · 10-26-2007, 10:38 AM

How about a LAC that is ranked (roughly) 15-50? There are lots of excellent schools in that list, many have excellent need-based need and/or merit aid.

gadad · 10-26-2007, 11:44 AM

Thanks nimby - Yes, her plan is to apply EA to Georgetown - it might then be a safety or it might be her top choice; she's been there and loved it. So the safety need would only arise if she finds out in mid-December that she's been deferred at Georgetown. Accordingly, since high school personnel aren't available over the holidays, it'd be nice for a safety school to have an application deadline of Jan. 10 or later.

Muffy333 · 10-26-2007, 12:09 PM

From your screen name, I'm thinking you're from Georgia; doesn't University of Georgia have a great deal for applicants with certain numbers; like the top ones get admitted with no tuition? Anyway, definitely have a safety she likes; way too many people who would have gotten into Ivies five years ago are being surprised.

gadad · 10-26-2007, 01:59 PM

Mom and Muffy - Great ideas; Macalester in particular is a wonderful match for D and students at any Georgia public college or university who graduate from a GA HS with a 3.0 GPA go tuition-free. D wants to continue the study of Arabic beyond level 4 however, which limits her target schools to relatively few. But I think GW and American may have the Arabic and Near East Studies focus while being closer to the definition of a safety?

Chedva · 10-26-2007, 02:19 PM

If she likes American, it should be a safety for her.

As far as school personnel not being around during break: I've always heard it advised to get the applications in before hearing about EA (or at least have everything set up so you just have to push a button and input a credit card number). It is often devastating to deal with being deferred or rejected. To then have to get the rest of your apps ready is much harder.

Can she ask school personnel simply to send their pieces in before break? If she gets into Georgetown, she doesn't have to complete the applications (or pay for them).

nimby58 · 10-26-2007, 03:01 PM

I agree with Chevda's point. This is what my D has done. She has applied early to 2 places, but she asked her counselor and teachers to send their pieces to all of the schools on her list because of the concern about running into winter break. Only one teacher preferred to wait. We also sent her transcript to all of the schools. She will work on the other applications to some extent, but will not submit them unless she has to after she hears from the others. If she gets rejected or deferred, she will send in her other applications and we will send the rest of her test scores. If you can create tiers in the application process, it goes far in informing later actions. Hopefully, she won't have to test the theory that it is really difficult to get those later apps out after rejection or deferral!