over the summer, my parents want me to look at a few “safety” schools. Not to sound arrogant, but I’ll look at them and everything, buti dont think that i would actually consider going to one of these schools. i think that i worked pretty hard so i kind of deserve to go to the best school possible/school that i feel fits me best. What are like the notorious safety schools that kids who want to go to wesleyan, columbia, swarthmore (schools of that caliber) would visit/apply to. I think a lot of people would say tufts, because they think of it as an ivys reject, but i think its a pretty good school. What are some other safeties, maybe even more “safe.” i was thinking like brandies, colgate…am i on the right list here? any others? thankss
<p>University of Michigan could be a good one
Wake Forest–another one
Boston College</p>
<p>also, there’s no smart kid’s safety school. Colleges dont measure smartness. Most people who go to top 25 schools just plain work hard and they have just average intelligence…so your topic should have been “overachievers’ safety schools”</p>
<p>emory
duke</p>
<p>Duke is nobody’s safety, sorry. The best it can be is a solid match.</p>
<p>There are more kids that “deserve” to go to top schools than there are spots. It’s very possible that you will end up at your safety, so make sure you pick ones that you would actually like to go to.</p>
<p>Some stats would help. With a strong enough app, schools like Tufts, CMU, or NYU can be safeties. Are you in-state in Cal, VA, Mich, or NC? Those are all good schools, but they are tougher to get in out of state.</p>
<p>Duke? Is that a joke?</p>
<p>Depends on scores, but if you have a 2200 hundred and up, I’d say Colgate, Trinity, Wellesley if you’re a girl, Vassar are a few that shold be fairly safe if you’re a soldid Columbia candidate.</p>
<p>well, wherever your parents went for one </p>
<p>lol</p>
<p>Or smart as in you want other smart students?? UChicago, Rice, Emory</p>
<p>colgate, trinity, bucknell, hamilton</p>
<p>Many folks would tell you that Swat is a safety to the Ivy. I might mention to you that your comment “deserve” is not a part of college admissions unless your last name is say: Gates, Rockefeller etc. Deserve implies quid pro quo…which to my understanding are not grades, test scores, ECs nor other hooks. Also, my personal advice is don’t look at ANY safety school where you could not make a happy life regardless of how deserving you believe yourself to be. Look at it this way…how does you local community college look like for a safety?? How does an alternative year look?? What would you be happy doing for a year if you got NO acceptances? Then think safety plan…</p>
<p>Nice metro location, easy admit+money if you are truly a smartgirl. SF without the hassle and great ops for cross registration with Barnard, Berkeley etc. A nice program and great location…great alumni support. ONLY women for undergrad but it is definitely a safety my dear.</p>
<p>The #1 all time, don’t need scores or GPA but desire. this is the most safety of all…great program but not the norm.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if we’re being realistic about what is a “safety”. Schools like Rice, UChicago, and even Emory are not totally safe. I suppose it depends where you are on the totem pole. What is a safety to one is a reach for another. These days, however, very little is truly “safe” even for great kids. Just look at andi’s son.</p>
<p>My son has a 32 ACT, 4.0 UW average at a small private school, normal solid batch of APs and EC’s (esp. theater), and 750 average on 3 SAT II’s, legacy status at three schools (Brown, Emory, UVa.) He is working to pull up the SAT (took it once for 2020) which was less than his equivalent PSAT. </p>
<p>We are thinking of safeties like American University (honors), Muhlenberg College, and Clark University. Maybe “strong likely” is a more accurate term than safety these days. The one true “safety” we have is UT Austin since we fall under the state’s 10% rule.</p>
<p>Anyone else thinking along similar terms, considering schools whose ranking is is the 80-90 range in the PR guide?</p>
<p>Your comments are interesting but you seem to forget the “deserve” comment. What I find interesting is the seeming lack of creative thinking when looking for a safety school. You made some excellent points.</p>
<p>If anybody knows the answer to this (sorry to pseudo-hijack the thread!) it would be great. This may be very obvious, but I guess I missed that:
If you apply to a joint (BS/MD and the like) or honors program, could you still use the undergraduate program as a safety? That may have made no sense; let me try again. I want to apply to UT Austin’s Dean Scholars program and GWU’s BA/JD program both of which are tough to get into, but I probably wouldn’t have too much trouble getting into either universities if I simply apply as a regular freshman. If you apply to the special program, are you automatically considered as a regular applicant as well? And is it common for those who do not get into these special programs to be accepted under the ordinary undergraduate agenda?</p>
<p>Admission to UT is totally separate from admission to specialized programs like PLAN II or the Dean’s Scholars. The admissions person was very clear about that when she spoke with us a few weeks ago.</p>
<p>So, if you are sure about your credentials making UT a “safety”, then it is indeed a safety, even if the specialized programs may not be. We have a friend who is a Dean’s Scholar and also got into some kind of specialized program in computer science. He is really looking forward to going. </p>
<p>I have no idea about GW but I suspect the situation is similar.</p>
<p>You would do best to check the policy at each individual school. At Brown for example you can “check a box” that you will accept going into the undergrad program. A school may compel you to notify them that you will accept admission to the “regular” undergrad program.</p>
<p>Ml41588,</p>
<p>Thanks to SRMom3 for her orginal post which bears repeating…</p>
<p>Beware of assuming admissions at any selective school. Do a search for “Andi’s son” a very talented musician and top student with excellent test scores applied to HYP, Wash U, Swarthmore and Oberlin. Felt confident he would get in, kids like him or less, from his school, typically got in to these schools. He didn’t. Rejected at the ivies, waitlisted at the other 3. Aggressively courted the waitlisted schools, result, rejected. He’s taking a gap year.</p>
<p>I cannot seem to find this on my search. Can you help me out? I take it this student was not a legacy. One factor folks frequently forget is that the pool of applicants from any given HS in any given cycle will pit agains: Development, Legacy, URM, etc. None of these factors will be overcome by grades, test scores etc. It is a shame and it happens regularly.</p>
<p>Here’s that link to Andi’s son who sounds like a wonderful kid. He’s now taking a gap year and hopefully everything will play out right in the end. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=71429&highlight=Andi’s[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=71429&highlight=Andi’s</a></p>
<p>Hope this link works.</p>
<p>I guess I will read for awhile!!</p>