<p>And I think that you shouldn't be hasty and dismiss offhand your "why bother" schools (Tufts, Brandeis). Same goes for GW.</p>
<p>Your daughter needs to show interest in these schools. Try to have her visit these schools. At the very least, have her get in touch with the admissions officers for the schools. My daughter opened a dialogue with a couple of admissions officers for her reach schools, and it really helped (admitted to one, waitlisted at a second). Conversely, she displayed no discernable interest for one of her safeties, and she was rejected outright. I think that essays and demonstrated interest play a large part in the admission process.</p>
<p>Did you consider Rutgers in New Jersey?</p>
<p>SUNY Binghamton is supposed to have a nice Jewish presence.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is NYU. Yes, its very competitive. But I think they have a 2-year associate degree program. When you finish the 2 year program, you are pretty much guaranteed admission into the 4 year program. I seem to recall a boy in my daughter's class got into this program. I'm sorry I can't give you more info about it, but you can check out the NYU web site or call the admissions office.</p>
<p>If I think of any more schools, I'll post again.</p>