<p>Most of us have one or a few safeties when we apply to college. It’s natural and reassuring to ourselves. However, how do adcoms really feel about being regarded as ‘safeties’? I know that on the CommonApp, it asks you to list other universities/colleges you will be applying to. Obviously, you are revealing to them if they are your safety or perhaps a reach.</p>
<p>How do colleges feel about this? And does it affect decisions?</p>
<p>yes, sometimes, like Tufts Syndrome which is when adcoms reject you even tho u are overqualified cuz they think you’re using them as a safety</p>
<p>Ah, I did not know there was a name for this.</p>
<p>Apparently, it is also called ‘Yield Protection’.</p>
<p>Some schools accept it, like state universities. They accept a low yield, throw out a lot of acceptances, and see what sticks. It’s only the universities that are really actively trying to get beyond their image as a safety… privates and schools like Tufts… that really “bristle.” Another school that hates being used as a safety is the Washington U. St. Louis. Schools like Tufts and WashU reject super-qualified kids if they don’t show interest, assuming those kids applied to their schools as safeties. That’s how you happen to hear of someone who was accepted by Harvard and Princeton… but rejected by WashU.</p>
<p>The admissions scene is rife with rumors about schools that try to manage their admissions rate by denying admissions to students who are highly qualified but unlikely to enroll. One thing’s for sure: no college will admit to the practice, and no one on the outside is likely to really know for sure. I suspect that it’s a lot less common than people think.</p>
<p>Here’s an old thread where an adcom from Tufts strenusously denies that it’s the practice there, but explains why outside observers might believe that it was:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/tufts-university/448654-question-dan-do-you-ever-reject-applications-because-they-too-qualified.html?highlight=tufts+syndrome[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/tufts-university/448654-question-dan-do-you-ever-reject-applications-because-they-too-qualified.html?highlight=tufts+syndrome</a></p>
<p>Um, correction.</p>
<p>It’s Washington University in St. Louis.</p>
<p>It’s nicknamed WashU.</p>
<p>PLEASE get it right.</p>
<p>And yes, WashU is HUGE on interest.</p>
<p>i heard of uc schools like berekely and ucla rejecting applicants because they were too qualified. last year our val. got into MIT but was rejected to UCSD and UCLA</p>
<p>Ugh, most schools probably don’t reject highly qualified applicants as a strategy. Instead of just seeing them as “lost causes”, it would make more sense for them to offer insanely good financial aid to the student, so that they might be willing to give the school a real consideration. </p>
<p>Obviously, if the kid is applying to a school, even a safety, they must have some interest in enrolling. </p>
<p>I think that applicants are a lot smarter than drones that just base the quality of the school on its rejection rate. Personally, I like at median SAT scores as the baseline for gaging the selectivity of a school. Admit percentage is basically a non-factor since so much of it depends on how well known a school is.</p>
<p>lol regarding the WashU thing…they’re my safety & they accepted me.</p>
<p>i’d say for schools with kids that want to use them as safeties there’s only 2 practical strategies: likely letters/insanely good fin aid to lure them, or just reject + let go of these kids all together</p>
<p><em>shrugs</em> thats just my 2 cents…</p>
<p>Typically, don’t that list is not required. When asked, I just left it blank and submitted the app without it. When asked by interviewers, I am very vague- I talk about the qualities I like in a school instead of specific schools.</p>
<p>Try to avoid it if you can- they don’t like it.</p>
<p>this is not very on topic, but i think that listing the other schools you’re applying to can actually help you out (not much) by showing that you’ve researched your list. </p>
<p>Adcoms know that you’re applying to more then one school, and i wouldnt worry about listing the other schools you’re applying to. so apps even say that they use the answer to that question for research purposes only. (grinnell, i believe)</p>
<p>i think it also helps if you mention during interviews what your safety is. during all of mine i answered the question honestly, then i added on “and for my safety UVM” that way it is very clear.</p>
<p>I looked at the scattergrams for my son’s high school to see if I could detect a pattern of rejections/waitlistings for highly qualified students at some of these schools, while somewhat less qualified applicants were admitted. I couldn’t see this for Tufts, but the pattern of admissions/waitlistings at Swarthmore sure looked like they were waitlisting the most high-scoring students while accepting students with lesser stats. There could be lots of reasons for these patterns, though.</p>
<p>How do we avoid this <em>alleged</em> problem? <g> For instance, one of the flagship state schools is actually my D’s first choice at this time. But in comparison of some of the other out of state school’s she’s applying to, which are truly not her first choices, it might appear as a safety, and we sincerely don’t look at it that way as it’s been a crapshoot getting into that university, even with stellar credentials. How do we minimize being looked at that way? I’d hate to think it means putting all our apples in one basket to show the love to that school because that’s obviously not an option in today’s climate.</g></p>
<p>zebes</p>
<p>Zebes, I’m not so sure of the prevalence of this issue. I am one to believe that is a rare occurrence and unlikely to happen. However, as long as your D may seem “overqualified” (which, I really think is a stupid word) in her stats, she can always use the subjective portion of her application to show interest and passion for the state school. Of course, I realize that by now she would have finished her application.</p>
<p>This is what I’d advise in the event she is waitlisted or rejected. If she is accepted to her reaches, then I’d strongly recommend an appeal to the state school. Let them know that they are her priority school and that she is very likely to attend if admitted. I’d have no doubt she would have a fantastic chance of getting that appeal approved.</p>
<p>Sherwelthlangley,</p>
<p>Wow that’s a long name to type. <g> Actually, D’s a junior. So we don’t begin the app process until this summer. I’m just trying to not put us behind an 8 ball on anything with this stupid roller coaster of a ride called college admissions. I figure minimize problems that we can fix, and pray about the problems that we can’t. And yeah, on paper she would appear <em>over qualified</em> for the state school in that she’s above their medians on everything from grades to standardized scores. And we think her EC’s are definitely above average … but who knows these days. </g></p>
<p>zebes</p>
<p>Well, generally essay prompts will require the applicant to describe how ‘so and so qualities’ will be emulated at the university. I say take anything that gives your D an opportunity to show her passion for the school. And because it is in state, I would count on her being admitted. But as long as your D shows commitment, she’ll be fine. Best of luck to her.</p>
<p>We are trying to understand this safety issue now. One of the daughter’s safeties (a state school) asked about their rank on her list: 1) firs choice; 2) second choice; 3) top3; 4) top 5; 5) other. And I think the online app did not allow to leave the field blank (not sure though)
Now we think whether our daughter will be punished for an honest answer (top 5) and what else could she do. List them as her first choice? She hasn’t visited and applied pretty late. There are schools nearby that are stronger in her major and better overall, and at least one of them gives out full scholarships. A competitive kid who suddenly decided not to compete for college admission? Then why is she taking SAT in Oct-Nov even though she had a good enough score from previous May? They could figure they are not her first choice regardless of what she would check on the app. Why ask such questions?</p>
<p>Now I know that they started sending acceptances, and she hasn’t received one yet…</p>
<p>They should not ask that question. If they do they deserve a non-honest answer, IMO.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s actually very easy to project an attitude of interest and knowledge for a school that you consider a match or safety. A bit of research, department/prof-name dropping, and the inclusion of some details particular to the school and enthusiasm for the school’s strengths demonstrates a lot of interest. And none of that requires actual interest, just an hour or two on the internet, a chat with an alumnus, or maybe a quick visit to campus, and even all of that isn’t necessary to write a very nice “Why X School?” short essay. Since I know a lot of my classmates are faking (to some degree) interest in ALL schools they apply to, when in reality, obviously not all of those schools are equally enticing to them, it’s probably not easy for an admissions officer to tell between a forced interest in a school and a genuine one. Unless someone can prove that he has done something with a university that you can’t do online or just by visiting perfunctorily, I somehow doubt the importance of the “Why X school?” essay, especially for top schools where most students try to show passion and interest in the university to gain a boost in admissions chances.</p>
<p>I think they are trying to avoid some students who apply to 25 schools because they are using the Common Application and application fee is free. Last year there was a kid that applied to 26 schools at D’s high school.</p>