With a 3.89 unweighted GPA, it looks like the student is very likely to have a recalculated GPA >= 3.00 for ASU campus admission and recalculated GPA >= 3.40 for admission to ASU’s business majors. The OP should check ASU’s web sites to verify campus and major admission to any major of interest, which may move ASU to the 100% category if the student meets the automatic admission requirements for the campus and major:
https://webapp4.asu.edu/programs/t5/programs/AreaOfInterest/04/undergrad/false
Was also going to suggest U of Miami & Villanova but both are tough admits these days.
Some other possibilities depending on if she’ll compromise on size (also may get some merit at these):
Miami of Ohio
Furman
Wofford
I know! That’s exactly why I posted here - hoping to get some suggestions for those safeties that she’s truly excited about. Thanks!
Apply EA to Fordham (nonbinding).
Consider applying EA to Notre Dame as a legacy.
Add Arizona, Elon, UCSB, UCD, Boulder, UVM, Davidson, Carleton, BU,
Pitzer, Bates, Colby, Denison, Kenyon.
This is another list 
sorted by my very fallible guesses of what your daughter’s chances for acceptance might be. These are schools in mostly warmer climates and are (mostly) a bit smaller than most of the colleges on the previous list. There are a couple of midwestern schools should your D change her mind and want to stay closer to home. I added in Agnes Scott as a women’s college that is in Atlanta, as there are lots of other students in the area and it’s in a much bigger city than many other all-women’s schools. Several of these schools also have majors or concentrations in hospitality (a particular strength at UNLV). Most of the schools are D1, and most do not have football, but many of them have spirited fans of their basketball programs.
Guaranteed (100%)
Extremely Likely (80-99%)
Likely (60-79%)
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Possible (20-39%)
Less Likely (less than 20%)
That’s a great idea for her - hadn’t thought of it, and it ticks quite a few of her boxes.
Yes, these are all great arguments in it’s favor. My son, who was strictly interested in small LACs applied there, so I lumped into the “small LAC” category and therefore not for my daughter who is much less interested in smaller schools. But, it actually has some great overlap with many of her criteria. I’ll put it into the mix.
Great ideas - thanks!
Schools that offer Rolling Admissions are part of a kind of “a bird in the hand” strategy to consider. These schools start accepting applications as soon as 9/1, and you can have decisions back early in the process before the workload gets too heavy. It helps to have one or two acceptances in hand before you get into crunch time. Here is a link to some of the top schools that offer Rolling Admissions. Top Colleges With Rolling Admission in 2023 - Intelligent
Pitt comes to mind as a specific suggestion from this list.
We’re going to look at Wake Forest early this summer. I agree that if she loved it, EDing there could be a successful strategy. She hasn’t visited any schools in the southeast yet, and I’m truly curious to see what she thinks.
I don’t think W&L is for her - too remote up in Lexington and probably too much Greek life for her there. She’s open to Greek life, but my sense of W&L is that it completely dominates the school culture. I could be wrong though . . .
SMU and Tampa though are really good ideas!
Agree - I think BC is a great fit for nearly everything she’s looking for. It’s also a reach, but not quite as reachy as some of the schools on her list - eg, USC, Cornell, Tufts, ND.
I’ve been persuaded to throw Richmond into the mix for her - would be worth her serious consideration.
Wow, so many great suggestions here. Off the top of my head - I love College of Charleston, Gonzaga and SMU for her. Will research the rest of your ideas! Thank you!
Yes, that is really good advice. My son got a couple of Early Action acceptances by mid-December when he applied, which really helped lower the stress levels for the rest of process. Plus, he was able to eliminate some schools from his list that he liked less that the places where he’d already been accepted. So, a win-win. My understanding is that schools with rolling admissions could have decisions back even earlier in the fall, which would be awesome.
Truman would jump to the top for me. It’s under $100k OOS and she’ll get money.
Wow, missed this first list as I saw your second one first. Amazing recs. I was already thinking about Alabama, ASU, Arizona, Auburn for the possibility of merit, potential for honors college admittance and great football. will check out these others as well!
FWIW Lehigh’s mascot changed in 1995 --now the Mountain Hawks
I’d apply EA/rolling wherever possible (I know Fordham has non binding EA). I’d also add in your state flagship. Having an acceptance or two by December will take a lot of pressure off the process.
I’d call Wake Forest a maybe – it has got way more competitive recently.
If Barnard is her current top choice she will have to consider what major she might be interested in since they don’t offer business.
We have S20 at UR now. He’s having a great experience there overall, and I do agree with the comments about the business program. It offers small class sizes and excellent access to professors throughout the four years of undergraduate with all the resources typically available at a larger school. However, if your daughter is looking for a big school experience UR might not be a fit. Our kid’s one criticism of Richmond is that it feels more like high school than he thought it would be.
Great advice.
Non-binding EA and Rolling admission colleges in the “likely” category are great for a seniors self-esteem and for knowing they have a possible plan - allowing them to focus their energies on other things. They also allow for course correction if there are waitlists or denials that are unexpected.
Thanks! I’m just starting to look into this, but I think you are correct about her likely status for ASU.