help figuring out my safety schools? =]

College Search & Lists
1

<p>1) Basics:
Ethnicity: Asian
Sex: Female
Location: NJ
non-competitive public school (or at least i think … ~7 people got into lower tier ivies this year, but this is unusually large)
school doesn’t rank, but i’m positive i would be in the top 10, most likely top 5, of a class of 450</p>

<p>2) GPA/courseload:
~4.4-4.5 weighted GPA // unweighted … not sure. I’ll have all A’s/A+'s except for two B+'s at the end of this year

  • hardest courseload possible
  • APs: psychology, lang&composition, chemistry (expecting 4/5’s on psych/chem)
  • the rest are honors.
  • will take 5 AP classes for senior year.</p>

<p>3) Test Scores
217 on PSAT
780 Math Level II / 700 on Bio / 780 on Chem
2300 SAT</p>

<p>4) Extracurriculars
-cofounder/pres of a human rights club. (10, 11, 12) – our first year, took a lot of effort to start, but raised several hundred dollars and planned 2 successful schoolwide events so far.
-treasurer of Key Club (9, 10, 11, 12)
-captain of Science League (9,10,11,12)
-captain of Chemistry Olympics team (10,11,12)
-exec board officer of Peer Tutoring (10, 11, 12)
-representative/publicity officer/head of exterior committee of SGO (10,11,12)
-VP/treasurer of human psychology club (11,12)
-delegate for Model UN (10,11,12)
-lacrosse (9,10,11,12) 2 years JV/2 years Varsity
(… the rest are insignificant clubs that i won’t put down.)

  • inventing is also a passionate hobby of mine, started when i was very young. have won multiple awards … see below. and have a uniqueish? story behind this.</p>

<p>5) Volunteering

  • student ambassador at a well-known science museum, 200+ hours
  • guidance office volunteer, 300+ hours
  • various activities through Key Club/Peer Tutoring/others…</p>

<p>6) Summer

  • UIBE - international cultural exchange program in beijing.
  • Camp Rising Sun - international, leadership camp run by LAJF, a nonprofit organization. given a $10,000 scholarship chosen from thousands worldwide. one of the most amazing experiences of my life and will most likely write an essay on this since it has had such a huge impact on me.
  • CTY
  • HOBY: chosen as the only representative for my school, leadership program // selected to return as a part of Team Alumni (junior counselors) // stayed active in the organization ever since
  • congressional academy for american history & civics – one out of two people to be chosen to represent NJ, scholarship program</p>

<li>Achievements/Awards</li>
<li>modern marvels invention contest - honorable mention</li>
<li>everyday edisons invention contest - semifinalist</li>
<li>patent for invention/in talks with companies about marketing invention.</li>
<li>my school’s guidance award - for citizenship & having a strong impact on the community // overall exceptional academic achievement in all subjects.</li>
<li>my school’s math achievement award - highest average in all junior year math classes</li>
<li>commended on PSATs</li>
<li>NHS/National French Honors Society</li>
<li>bronze Congressional Award</li>
</ol>

<p>i’m almost positive i’ll be applying as an international relations/international law/international business major. my top choice is brown, and i’m sure of my other reaches (which include duke, yale, upenn, columbia, etc.). i’m from jersey, and many of the people in my school go to rutgers. i could easily use that as my safety, but i really do NOT want to go there. basically, what other top schools are there that would be a good safety for me?</p>

<p>thanks in advance. :)</p>

2

<p>What are you looking for in a college? Size? Location? Any financial limitations? Are church-affiliated or women’s colleges OK with you?</p>

3

<ul>
<li>size: i’m looking for a medium to large sized school.</li>
<li>location: anywhere but places that are extremely cold for most of the year (for example, cornell isn’t a consideration for me. i really wouldn’t be happy in such cold weather)</li>
<li>no financial limitations</li>
<li>church-affiliated/women’s colleges are fine. i’m open to options.</li>
</ul>

<p>haha thanks northstarmom. i probably should have elaborated on this in my original post. :P</p>

4

<p>So a warm-weather, larger safety for someone who has a good shot at top schools, interested in international relations and business…Though I’m not too knowledgeable about them personally, top public schools sound like a good idea. I mean, the first to come to mind when I read your post was UMich, which sounds really good aside from the cold. Also, is there a reason you’re not interested in Georgetown? Because otherwise I’d say American and GWU should be good.</p>

5

<p>University of Maryland College Park</p>

6

<p>Boston University and Northeastern University would be good safeties. Northeastern being a little smaller than BU. You should recieve good merit aid from both schools.</p>

7

<p>UT, UF, Mid UC’s, UVA (maybe not a safety)</p>

8

<p>Tufts is one of the top schools in IR, u should consider Georgetown for the same reason but neither would be a safety I think.</p>

<p>Actual Safety Recommendations: Wake Forest, Boston College, George Washington U, American, U of Maryland College Park.</p>

9

<p>NYU, Emory?</p>

10

<p>i’ve definitely considered georgetown before, but definitely not as a safety. i’d be extremely happy being accepted to georgetown. (:</p>

<p>i’ll definitely look into BU and northeastern more. the only things i’m worried about are my essays. i heard northeastern particularly puts a lot of weight on them and i’m not the best writer. :/</p>

<p>and i actually have legacy at NYU, but my parents are not really too enthusiastic about me going there.</p>

<p>thanks for the suggestions everyone. =]</p>

11

<p>No “top school” is going to be a safety. Even for you. Thus, Georgetown, NYU, Emory are definitely NOT safeties. I’d even be reluctant to call GWU or BU a safety. You do stand a very good chance at all of these schools though. </p>

<p>I’d just apply to Rutgers if I were you… you’re going to get in. In terms of “better” schools, I’d say UMaryland, Northeastern and American have probably been the best “safety” suggestions.</p>

12

<p>GWU, with a 37% acceptance rate (including ED, which is almost 50%) and a small case of Tuft’s Syndrome (read: it doesn’t acceptant students purely based on their academic qualities, oh, the horror!), is not really a safety for many people. It can definitely be a match or a low match, though. American isn’t a bad safety at all, though.</p>

13

<p>Holy Cross, Colgate.</p>