<p>Thank you all very much for your thoughtful responses. (1) I am relieved that my safeties seem fairly safe (thanks Consolation). (2) Thanks for the advice to make sure I can actually afford to go. I had just assumed that within our (below $75000) income bracket, sufficient aid was guaranteed. Ha! Anyway, I could definitely afford Hampshire, but the other three would be a bit steep. They’re workable, but I would be left with a bit more debt than I would like to take on and things would tight for my parents for a while. So, I’ll try to find one or two more safeties that I am certain I can afford. Thanks Classof2015 and happymomof1 for the suggestions - I will check those schools out.</p>
<p>-jshain - yes, the GPA really is weighted (unweighted it is 3.9; they have a weird weighting system, but that doesn’t really matter) - I go to a school with a lot of kids who aren’t very interested in the whole learning thing. </p>
<p>-Classof2015: thanks for the Smith recommendation - it is already on my list in the match column.</p>
<p>-momwonders: Thanks for your advice; I think I would enjoy Earlham and will try to convey that to them.</p>