<p>Okay so these are my main safeties: Claremont Mckenna, UC Berkeley/LA/Irvine, Case Western, University of Rochester
*I am a California resident:)</p>
<p>Gender/Race: Caucasian Female (Grandparents are from Italy?)</p>
<p>GPA: 4.0 (unweighted) and 4.37 (weighted)</p>
<p>SAT: 2060 I will retake in November
-Subjects: Chemistry, US History, Math Level II (probably in 700's for all)</p>
<p>ACT: 33</p>
<p>APs: Calc AB, Calc BC, US History, European History, Art History, Chemistry (5 on all)
-Currently taking English Literature, Statistics, and Government
*Multivariable Calculus with special high school UCSD linked program</p>
<p>Decent EC's: theater company, leadership in clubs, volunteering/tutoring, hospital internship, work experience, church leadership (piano/vocals/guitar)</p>
<p>Awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, Commended National Merit, Rose Award (theater), record from physics rat trap</p>
<p>School doesn't rank but I am absolutely in the top 10% and my school is pretty competitive </p>
<p>No
I know one person who was accepted to Harvard and wait listed to claremont mckenna and many others who have gone to elite colleges such as Cmu northwestern and Amherst who have gotten rejected at claremont mckenna.</p>
<p>Ucla and ucb are not exactly safety.
Uc irvine and case western are safety schools but just in case you may want to try Santa Barbara or another claremont school</p>
<p>Melbelswell,
once you talk about like top 30 school of LAC or research universities, safety schools
don’t exist.
Safety schools are like mediocre-low state or private universities where the middle 50% of SAT score or ACT scores are significantly lower than your scores…
So, yeah Casts28 is right. Claremont Mckenna, UC Berkeley/LA/Irvine, Case Western, University of Rochester are safeties for no one.
Well your stats are in accepted people’s range, so work on your esssay.</p>
<p>HAHA Oh I know that UCB and UCLA are not guarantees, I just consider them “safeties” because I believe I have a reasonable shot at getting in even though I don’t necessarily want to go to either (I would prefer smaller and private:)) Thanks for the responses though!
As for Mckenna, I’ve looked at the average stats for the school and I am above or at least equivalent in every category (not sat but I count act). I am also confident that my essays will be an additive factor to my application…So is it just because they are picky? Or do I have my info wrong?</p>
<p>P.S. CMC is actually somewhere I really would enjoy going!</p>
<p>A safety isn’t necessarily a low-tier school. It can be as prestigious as a UC or a well ranked national liberal arts college, or it can be a top regional school. It can also be a lower-ranked school that offers merit scholarships to top applicants.</p>
<p>A safety hower is always a school 1° where you’re above to well-above the top 25% students AND 2° which your parents can afford.
In order for Berkeley to be a safety for you (something which UCB can be, despite its high selectivity, for CA residents) you need all three SAT scores at 750 or more PLUS a 3.9 U GPA PLUS other factors. </p>
<p>Same thing for Claremont McKenna but it cannot be counted on as a safety, not even a match, even with 2250 and 4.0 uGPA.</p>
<p>The only safety on your list is UCI. If you’re fine going there, then okay. However if you like smaller, private colleges, you need to diversify your list. In addition, it’s good to have two safeties, so that you have a choice in the Spring.</p>
<p>Any school where you’re about the bottom to middle of the mid 50% range is a reach if you are unhooked (the bottom 25% and a good chunk of the bottom 50% will be legacies, athletes, students with special circumstances or highly-desirable lopsided).
A match is when you’re between above the median and below the top 25% applicants.</p>
<p>A safety for you would be Chapman, UCSC, Lewis and Clark, Willamette.
A Match would be Occidental, Pitzer, Whitman.</p>
<p>Since CMC is a school you’d enjoy, try to find other colleges that are similar to CMC. What do you like about it? I’m sure we could suggest safeties and matches based on what matters to you.</p>
<p>University of Rochester is definitely not a safety school for you. It is a match but only if you show some demonstrated interest, write outstanding essay and have stellar recommendations.</p>
<p>Thanks for the thoughtful response:) What I like about CMC is the strong science program, decent class sizes, and general quality of life that has stood out to me in my research! I was also considering Skidmore, Bucknell, Vassar, and Colgate to be schools that I would most likely get into! </p>
<p>As for the rest of the responses…Thank you for responding too! Maybe I am just delusional, but my counselor and peers seem to think that I am relatively competitive for most of these schools. I have a perfect GPA unweighted, have taken diverse and difficult honors/AP classes (plus additional UCSD courses) at a very competitive public high school, have over 150 hours with an internship, work experience, humanities/advanced math tutoring, club leadership, youth leadership, and 8 years of professional youth theater as some of my main application highlights. My recommendations will be excellent (almost guaranteed) because I have been lucky enough to develop re wonderful relationships with experienced/intelligent teachers. I am also positive about my ability to write interesting and unique essays that will showcase who I am as an individual! </p>
<p>PS. I seriously do not understand about the criticism of my ACT score…isn’t 33 in the top 99% percentile? </p>
<p>Thanks though really I appreciate the advice/responses/warnings ahahha</p>
<p>Just so you know CMC isn’t known for science but rather for economics. If you’re interested in the Claremont consortium, small classes, and science, Scripps is probably a better fit. They encourage their majors to take classes at Harvey Mudd, too.</p>
<p>You have to compare yourself with the average admitted student at that college. For the school to be a safety, you need to be above to well above the top 25%. With a 33 you’d be at or slightly above the 25% mark for CMC (25% students have more than 32-33) so that doesn’t quite make it a safety, more like a match.</p>
<p>Yes you’re definitely competitive, but your profile fits that of at least half the applicants to the schools you’re applying to, and many will be rejected. That’s why you need a “real” safety or two (I think UCI and another UC would be your safeties, but since you’d rather go to a smaller private college you should look at smaller schools that you like and will be able to afford.) A school like Chapman, Truman State, or Juniata would be safeties. Bucknell is between safety and match, Lehigh is a match.</p>
<p>33 is Ok, but a lot of people with 34, 35, 36 will apply, and think of the population of those people…That’s why i think 33 is ok, but not great.
Skidmore - maybe a low target
Bucknell - sure, it’s a safety, but I personally don’t like the school environment. Make sure you read into it
Vassar - It’s very artsy but not sciency, and I think it’s a high reach for most of the people.
Colgate - target.</p>
<p>the 33 isn’t a problem At this level of competitivity, it’s NOT the test score (as long as one breaks 32 everything’s fine) but rather the ec’s, leadership positions, and essays, that matter. OP has everything she needs for her schools but since they’re very selective she needs real safeties. Since right now her safety (UCI) is a school that doesn’t sound she really wants to attend, we need to help find some smaller colleges that are similar to CMC or offer good science programs.</p>
