Let’s say your reaches all rejected you and your targets all rejected you. How would/did you react when you found that only your safeties accepted you?
Do not fret. There are many paths in life. If you truly feel your best suited at a particular college, then go to your safety for the first year and then transfer.
Assuming that you picked affordable safeties that you like, then just attend one and be happy.
Pick your safeties with care, so that they have similar qualities to what you like in your reaches… and/or some other aspect that really excites you.
Obviously you will feel some initial disappointment. But hopefully, if you bring a positive attitude, once you start there you will be having a great time learning and making friends, and you will not be thinking about any other school anymore.
You make it sound as if your reaches would be your favorite schools, your matches at the middle of the list, and safeties at the bottom. Why must this be the case?
If it really breaks down this way, I would suggest some soul-searching as to why you so much want what is hardest to get and why you don’t value what you can have. Really, this is a recipe for an unhappy life.
If you research safeties you will find there are so many great colleges that are not that hard to get into. Schools that have beautiful campuses, lots of majors to choose from, small classes, great professors, fun social things going on, etc. Everyone should be able to find safeties they love
If you pick your safeties carefully, this will work out okay if it happens. And if you are realistic about your matches, it is unlikely to happen anyway. One of my kids intentionally picked her safety to attend after getting into several matches as well. She decided she liked it as well as the higher ranked schools she got into, and they gave her good merit aid. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with no loans, and several years later is happily working as a manager at a company she got into because of an alum at her school. She still has lots of friends from college and is in touch with a few professors.
The best thing to do is to find a whole range of colleges in terms of selectivity that you would be willing to attend. It is harder work to find safeties and low matches, but they are out there if you can avoid getting hung up on prestige, and look at fit & cost instead. If you are willing to attend your whole list of colleges, then you have nothing to worry about. Do the work now so you are in that position later.
@citymama9 Please tell me about affordable safeties with small classes. I am looking for my younger child.
Re: #7
Since what can be a safety depends on the student’s academic credentials and the parents’ contribution and financial aid situation, you need to provide some information on that if you want safety school suggestions.
I was disappointed. I got over it.
My D picked her safety school over her match schools, and is very happy. Just make sure you apply to a safety school you would be happy attending.
Exactly. A safety school is only a safety if you would be happy attending (as well as relatively sure you can get in, and can afford it). That is why they are so much harder to choose. Some of the best advice we got on CC was to build your list from the bottom up. Start with the safeties. Reaches are fun and matches can be too, Safeties take more legwork, lots of research and weighing pros and cons, and once you have identified them, often they require even more demonstrated interest.
I would need to know your child’s stats, and what you can afford.Also what part of the country are you interested in. Start by looking at the Colleges that change Lives list. @mamalion
I wouldn’t be torn up about. No decisions to make, no loans to take out, no fretting about whether I’ll fit in with the culture. My safety is great, they’ve got guaranteed admissions and merit aid for my test score range, and I’ve already been promised a spot on their club ski team if I decide to go.