<p>Crazymomster,</p>
<p>I’m also curious about Mudd. Did they tell you point blank that your son would have to repeat his junior year? I know they don’t necessarily give credit for either AP or college courses earned elsewhere but I assume that if your son would talk with deans of various schools, they would place him in the appropriate level of course. Is this not true? That would be a big concern for my son, too. I assumed they would place him where he’ll learn and not repeat what he knows or maybe give placement exams. (Assuming he’d get in and we somehow magically came up with the money-ha!)</p>
<p>Sorry to get off the subject. This thread is very interesting for me, too, as my son and I have had a very hard time coming up with safety STEM schools or safety schools at all that would be to my son’s liking besides UTD and I looked up a bunch of math and physics professors on “Rate My Prof” and not too many of them had good ratings. 
My son said, “That’s ok. I’d still want to go there.” So, we have exactly one financial safety on the list.</p>
<p>It’s really, really hard. People always say to choose your state school’s honors college. Well, first, we don’t have a “state” school that would fit the bill. San Diego State Univ. is the “state” school and as I’ve said in other posts, my son’s already taking the hardest u/g physics course there this year as a junior. Unless he was planning to do his bachelor’s and a doctorate at the same time, it wouldn’t make any sense for him to go there. The other school, UCSD, certainly is on his list but it’s hardly a financial safety. Our income is just such (78K) that we’re too rich to be a Questbridge family (even with 3 kids in one of the most expensive cities in the country) but on the low end of middle class and certainly unable to come up with even half of our EFC.</p>
<p>Money definitely weighs heavily on us. Our best hope is that our son would get into one of the highly selective schools with amazing aid for families like us or that he would win an amazing science competition scholarship this year or next year, or that he’d earn some little scholarships that add up.</p>
<p>Yes, my son is a URM (1/2 Puerto Rican) but based on results for 2011 on the Hispanic parent’s thread, I’m not seeing huge benefits. My son’s stats are similar to the above (2320 SAT, 3 SAT II 800, 800, 730 (will retake the 730 and add one more), 5 APs (all 5s, one 4 and will take 3 more), 4.0/4.87 gpa, will have about 70 college units, has some national awards (physics olympiad semis twice, AIME twice-decent score this year, nationally ranked in chess for age, etc), lots of ECs including tons of music ( professional violin work, youth worship leader, teaching and community service), varsity baseball, work 3 jobs part time, and so on.</p>
<p>Do I think his URM status will help? I don’t know but if it does, I guess it’s similar (though from what I’m reading, it’s less of an advantage) to legacies, athletes, and other students with a “hook”. I seem to be more focused on his weaknesses as a homeschooler and I worry about those. Honestly, I think, I truly think, the essays are going to be a make or break for him.</p>
<p>So, I’m on the hunt for safeties that fit my son’s wants, too, and it’s been hard to find them!</p>