<p>As someone who ended up at the ultimate financial safety at community college for two years, I recognize two really important points here. (among many others)</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Having more than one financial safety, if possible, is crucial. For me my ONLY option was the one community college, even though there were others in the area. Not having a choice made it a very bitter pill to swallow, I was so disappointed. It would have been much easier if I at least could have picked the school so I didn’t feel trapped someplace that wasn’t even where I really wanted to be.</p></li>
<li><p>"Financial safety and academic safety are usually related and that’s where I could see regret coming from. "</p></li>
</ol>
<p>That is crucial, too. When I transferred my first choice/match school was a top 20 university (albeit my state flagship), and I could not come up with any financial safeties that weren’t tier 3 and 4 schools. While I did like some of those schools I was deeply concerned that the academics would be too far below my level for me to be happy. I could not have handled that. Safety schools still have to be a “fit!”</p>