<p>I'm really curious which colleges this year's Stanford applicants are choosing to make sure they have an absolute safety college to apply to. So far this thread is mentioning a lot of colleges that offer daunting odds themselves.</p>
<p>^^ exactly.</p>
<p>Mine are UC Santa Cruz and UC San Diego (many would argue the latter is difficult to call a safety, but its acceptance rate for ELC students is about 90% -- being that I'm in the top 1% of my high school, I think they're both true safeties for me).</p>
<p>While Berkeley isn't necessarily easy to get into, its admission patterns are highly predictable. It shouldn't be anyone's ONLY safety, but it could be one of two or three safety schools for a top-flight applicant.</p>
<p>For top in-state students with ELC, 2100-2200+ SAT, good SAT IIs and fair ECs, the trio of Cal-LA-SD is a generally reliable safety [edit: as a group].</p>
<p>JSB: I really disagree. Its admissions are not highly predictable. While they're more predictable than, say, Stanford's, they are far from "highly predictable."</p>
<p>MorsVenit: it's more than just that. Essays are extremely important; if you don't have good/great essays, your chances shoot down considerably. And your rigor of course load is very important. And ELC isn't as important as one would think -- at Berkeley, ELC isn't even considered; GPA and rigor of course load are much more important. So even if you are ELC, that doesn't mean you have a very good chance of getting in -- which is why the ELC admit rate is somewhere in the 50s. Thus, even with those stats you mention, as a group they aren't a "reliable safety," though I would say UCSD can be considered a safety in that instance.</p>
<p>Berkeley's admissions are much less predictable than people seem to think -- plenty of cases in which extremely qualified people are rejected, cases in which students who others (especially here on CC) thought wouldn't get in and they did, etc. A safety is one which you have a 90% chance of getting into; I don't think anyone can have such security at highly selective universities whose admit rates are in the low 20s.</p>
<p>Honestly, people's views on CC are so distorted because of the top privates (i.e. if it isn't as selective as an Ivy, it can be considered a safety for some).</p>
<p>Thanks for the further discussion of California colleges and their admission policies.</p>
<p>For Californians- A mid tier UC, or for those with the 2300+, val, and great EC's, bound to write a good essay, Cal and UCLA.</p>
<p>For OOS- Instate publics or a school you have a strong legacy connection with (that's not Ivy, etc.)</p>
<p>It's not too hard folks!</p>
<p>A lot of colleges with "rolling" admission are about to begin accepting applications. Some will notify you very soon if you are admitted. Have you chosen your safety college?</p>
<p>Good luck to the class of 2008 applicants.</p>
<p>There are SO many chances threads on the Stanford Forum. Don't forget to apply to a college where you know your chances are certain.</p>
<p>Princeton???Safety???</p>
<p>I'd say Yale.</p>
<p>A lot of colleges are admitting students now. (NACAC encourages colleges to hold off until this time of year to begin sending out admission letters.) Have you applied anywhere yet? Have you been admitted to your safety college yet?</p>
<p>I'm in-state, and Cal is definitely a safety school. I didn't really like the UCLA vibe when I visited, so right now, safety schools are Cal and UCSD.</p>
<p>It's time to submit the safety college application if you haven't already.</p>
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I'm in-state, and Cal is definitely a safety school. I didn't really like the UCLA vibe when I visited, so right now, safety schools are Cal and UCSD.
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<p>You can consider it that, but likewise, I can consider Stanford a safety. Doesn't mean it's realistic. =p</p>
<p>i wouldn't try and depend on cal on a safety school...i know quite a few people who got into stanford but did NOT get into cal.</p>
<p>Well, according to Stanford's CDS, 8% scored between 500-599 on SAT CR...etc. So maybe some of them didn't get into cal. But you bet they got something amazing outside the test scores. A number-driven admission like Cal's would turn them down, however.</p>
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A number-driven admission like Cal's would turn them down, however.
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<p>Cal weights numbers such as SAT much less than numbers such as GPA -- the % who scored between 500-599 is a bit higher at Berkeley than at Stanford. The most important factors are GPA, rigor of course load, and essays. ECs, honors/awards, SAT scores, volunteer work, work experience, personal qualities, and talent/ability are next in importance. Whereas Berkeley is much more forgiving with SAT than Stanford but very little with GPA, Stanford is more forgiving with GPA than SAT (from my observations, at least).</p>
<p>kyledavid80, that's good to know...SAT scores are much easier to bring up than GPAs, which accumulate over time. I suppose Stanford looks more at the SAT score because it gets a wider range of applicants, so it needs a "universal" way to compare people with all sorts of different backgrounds.</p>
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I suppose Stanford looks more at the SAT score because it gets a wider range of applicants, so it needs a "universal" way to compare people with all sorts of different backgrounds.
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<p>Hm, I'm not so sure about that one. Berkeley gets twice the number of applicants as Stanford, so it's likely that it has a wider range of applicants than Stanford. But yes, that's the "purpose" of the SAT -- to standardize a scale for comparing applicants. (UC probably doesn't have much faith in this, which is why they demanded a change in the SAT -- still isn't entirely effective, imo.)</p>