I am a high school senior, and I am applying to Harvard (a reach) and Harvey Mudd (a safety). Is this alright, or should I apply to a broader range of schools?
How did you determine that Harvey Mudd is a safety school for you? Given their CDS data it seems unusual for it to be a safety for anyone.
I would suggest adding a few more options to your list.
Thank you, sir. I also have Stanford and Princeton on my final list, but didn’t write that in.
Maybe list a couple of your qualifications to help judge? Harvard is a severe reach, so you basically only have one college that’s a definite. If you are ok with that risk, then go for it, but I’d definitely recommend adding another college.
With a 15% acceptance rate, and middle 50% SAT range 710-770 & 780-800, Harvey Mudd is not a safety for anybody. Even if you have perfect stats and some shiny ECs.*
If you only want to go to college if you can go to one of those 2 places, then that is a fine plan.
If you want to go to college even if you are not accepted by either of those you need at least one more college: an actual safety.
If you want to go to college even if you are not accepted by either of those, and you can’t stomach an actual safety (which is a place that will 100% take you & your family can 100% afford), then you need some matches in the middle.
Your call.
*except maybe an Intel ISEF winner
Many applicants accepted into Harvard would not have gotten into Harvey Mudd had they applied. If you’re truly a high school senior searching for colleges, you need to get serious.
https://www.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9
You need more actual safeties. Or else accept that you could be declined at all and have to take a gap year.
If your goal is to go to college next year, you need more on your list. You can apply to as many schools as you want. Very risky to keep the list low and have them all have a 15% or less acceptance rate. Add to that the number of persons this year that could be delaying entry acceptance until next year due to covid, a low list is a very bad plan.
For some people, CC is their safety. Or yes, a gap year.
BTW, did you win any national/international awards of some renown? Scored perfect in a rigorous test framework (maximum possible IB score or AAA* on A-Levels or all 5’s on 5-10 AP’s; not the SAT or ACT, which are loaded with easy questions)? Then I can see why you’d think HMC is a safety (though it may still not be).
Yes, I participated in the Intel (Now Regeneron) ISEF and won the third award.
(By the way, Paul is a pseudonym, not my real name)
^ Good shot at HMC, though still not a safety. Considered Caltech and MIT as well? Northwestern’s ISP program? Cambridge Natural Sciences?
For that matter, why not the rest of HYPSM, Rice, and Oxford as well?
I don’t want to apply to too many schools, partially because the application fees are too expensive (70-80$)
So you need massive fin aid, then? Oxbridge are out, then.
But don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish.
If you apply to the American schools I suggested, you can compare fin aid offers and some may be considerably more generous than others.
^ Also UChicago. Forgot to toss them in but I should have.
Hmmm, I’m a little skeptical that this post is serious…
Harvey Mudd is not a safety for anyone. If you apply to only Harvard and HMC, the odds are that you will attend community college in the fall. CC is perfectly fine, of course.
Your best bet is to apply to HMC ED. If you don’t get in, then apply more widely. Your list seems to be based on prestige and little else. All the colleges you’ve named are high reaches for all students, regardless of stats. You need a school where you are assured admission, that you like, and can afford. That’s what a safety is. If CC is your safety, no problem. Otherwise, add schools to your list.
^ True, I didn’t suggest safeties. That really depends on what you can afford, though.
Oh, I forgot JHU. And it may be worthwhile to apply to some of the other colleges in the Claremont Consortium (which would still allow you to take a lot of HMC classes).
Agree with the above feedback.
Also, Harvard and Harvey Mudd are really different in many ways. Take the qualities you like in both and find some similar but less selective schools to apply too.
What can/will your parents pay for college?
Run the net price calculators (NPCs) at each school on your list to get an estimated cost of attendance. Note the NPCs may not be accurate if your parents are divorced, own a business, or own real estate beyond a primary home. If any of those things are true, let us know and we can help.
You have to have at least on affordable safety on your list that you would be happy to attend.
Yep ^^^… But for other families looking at this thread. Do what this op is doing and you’ll wind up at a community college of your choice.
What is your parents EFC? Run the NPC for some schools. If your EFC is low enough you can always request a fee waiver.
https://mitadmissions.org/help/faq/application-fee-fee-waiver/
If you’re EFC is high and you’re just being “cheap” with app fees please reconsider. It would be foolish to not spend some more on applications. You’re going to try to save $75 for an education that could cost over $300K?
You could do this if you apply ED/EA and then scramble to apply to some more schools RD if you don’t get in.
Thank you all for your constructive advice! Is Reed College a safety school?