Choosing Safety Schools

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I haven't really been able to find any safety schools so far. I'll post what I'm looking for, information about my school, and information about me to help.</p>

<p>I'm looking for a College with a good program in Physics and (orish) Math.
Size that I'm looking for is 5000 +/- 2000 (with wider range for really good Math and Physics programs).</p>

<p>I want it to have good classes for other areas as well, which mainly include sciences, philosophy, Chinese history and language, politics, and some other similar subjects.
Would rather it not be a school with a lot of drinking, though I'm not too against some drinking.</p>

<p>Don't want it to have very many smokers at all.
Main state I prefer is California, but Oregon, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and states in their vicinity are also ok.</p>

<p>Academics are the most important factor.</p>

<p>Here are the colleges I am already applying to for more insight into my preferences:
Harvey Mudd (ED)
Stanford
MIT
Reed
Rice
Caltech</p>

<p>My senior class size is 493.
It offers 67 weighted courses, which include 28 IB, 12 AP, and 27 Pre-IB (not part of IB but are advanced courses to help prepare for IB classes).
Of 98 teachers with 15 years of experience, 51 have master's degrees and six have doctorates. </p>

<p>Here are the 2007 standardized test score averages:
SAT - 596 (Reading), 610 (Math), 592 (Writing).
ACT - 25 (Composite)</p>

<p>For IB Diploma students, roughly 100% of the 40 students trying for the diploma earned it for the class of 2008.</p>

<p>For the information on me, I'll primarily look at the information in my Common App application and my MIT application.</p>

<p>My GPA for the past three years (including 4 semesters of Math classes at a High School as a 7th and 8th grader) is 4.489. This puts me roughly about 12% of class (4.561 - 4.902 is top 10%). GPA for sophomore and Junior years is 4.67. GPA for Junior year is 4.77.</p>

<p>Class schedule this year:
IB English 12 (year)
Digital Art and Design (maybe year)
IB Chemistry 1 (year)
IB Theory of Knowledge (second part of year course)
IB Physics 2 (year)
IB Mathematics HL (year)
IB Spanish 5 (year)
One notable class that I have taken is Calculus 2/3, which included Multivariable and Vector Calculus and was taught by a former Professor at Harvey Mudd.
As is evident, I am doing the IB Diploma and expect a score of around 36.</p>

<p>Test Scores:
SAT - 710 / 690 (Reading), 750 / 800 (Math), 630 / 670 (Writing)
SAT II Math - 800
SAT II Physics - 750
ACT - 31 (English), 33 (Reading), 36 (Math), 33 (Science), 33 (Composite), no essay.
AP Calculus BC - 5
AP Computer Science AB - 5
IB History SL - 5
IB Computer Science - 5
Will take tests in IB Math HL, IB Physics HL, IB Spanish SL, IB English HL, AP Physics C, AP Statistics, and maybe more AP tests.</p>

<p>Other Activities:
People to People for three years to Australia, China, and Europe. I am going to the Presidential Inauguration with People to People.
Ultimate Frisbee Team for the past two years. Five hours a week for 30 weeks roughly.
Karate for 4 hours a year, 46 weeks a year, since I was 8. I am a 1st degree black belt soon to be a 2nd degree.
I've golfed for the past two years for roughly 5 hours a week, 15 weeks per year.
I am in Math Club this year for 3 hours a week 36 weeks a year. I was a substitute on the winning team of a Colorado State University Math Day tournament this year. I qualified for the AIME last year.
I am in Science Bowl this year for 4 hours a week 36 weeks a year.
I tutored at my school for 2.5 hours a week 30 weeks a year last year.
I have also hunted since I was eleven years.
I did Youth in Government this year and was able to pass my bill at General Assembly (yesterday, actually).
I was inducted into the National Honor Society this year.
I am in Chinese Club this year as well.</p>

<p>The teachers that are writing my letters of recommendation are my former Calculus 2/3 teacher (who taught at Harvey Mudd) and my Theory of Knowledge teacher.</p>

<p>I think that's pretty much everything. Feel free to post non-safety schools I might be interested in as well. Thanks for the help.</p>

2

<p>There are at least two kinds of safeties. First, there is the admission safety which is a school where you are guaranteed admission based on your statistics.</p>

<p>Then there is the “true safety” which is a school you can pay for without financial aid other than federally determined need-based aid that will also admit you based on your statistics. Usually this is an in-state public university. Sometimes, depending on your exact financial situation, it is a local community college.</p>

<p>Look around at the admission requirements of your home state public colleges and universities, and check out what courses they offer that suit your personal goals. Chances are that one or more will be likable enough to serve as safeties for you.</p>

3

<p>I’m only looking for admission safety. In a way, all schools are cost safety for me. There are none of the schools in my state that are likeable to me enough, especially since I want to go out of state. Colorado School of Mines is the only one that, to me, is academically likeable enough. However, the fact that 78% of the students are men is enough to make it so that it is not likeable to me as well as the proximity factor.</p>

4

<p>Here are schools very similar to the schools you have chosen</p>

<p>Brown University
Carnegie Mellon University
Claremont McKenna College
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Duke University
Georgetown University
Harvard College
Johns Hopkins University
New York University
Northwestern University
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College
Pomona College
Princeton University
Rice University
Swarthmore College
University Of California - Berkeley
University Of California - Los Angeles
University Of Chicago
University Of Pennsylvania
University Of Southern California
Washington University In St. Louis
Whitman College
Yale University</p>

5

<p>“Safety” school = School that YOU know you’ll get lots of merit scholarships from. Keep in mind, that if you go to graduate school, or plan to I mean, then there’s a budget…I’d say you’d want graduate school as a physics major. Thus, you don’t necessarily need MIT for your B.S; you can apply there for graduate training and earn your BS at a cheaper (full ride) school! Lots of money saved!!!</p>

6

<p>Case Western would be a good safety and would offer merit aid. It’s a little smaller than what you are looking for.</p>

7

<p>in this case BU might be a safety</p>

8

<p>Well, since I have a good chance of going to Harvey Mudd (which is 50k a year) and I’d still most likely go to Graduate school, I’m still not sure how important cost is as a factor. Like me, my dad thinks that education is the most important thing one could have, so he’d still probably be willing to pay for Graduate school as well. Although since my sister will be going as well (but for a lot less), there will be less required of us to pay.</p>

<p>I’ll look into Case Western and BU, which I assume is Boston University.</p>

9

<p>Don’t worry so much about grad school; for physics, there’s a good chance you’ll get tuition remission + stipend.</p>

10

<p>

</p>

<p>You might want to reconsider Reed, there will be many smokers, of many things.</p>

11

<p>Do you mean smoking cigarettes or marijuana? Cigarettes is what I’m referring to when I say I don’t want smoking. I’m less against marijuana than I am against cigarettes.</p>

12

<p>Oregon has some of the strictest anti-smoking laws. Smoking (anything) is prohibited inside every Reed building, nor within 10 feet of any building opening, so this shouldn’t be a factor.</p>

13

<p>Still looking for more insight.</p>

14

<p>You could try out a school that has a strong physics department. [Lawrence</a> Physics Workshop](<a href=“http://www.lawrence.edu/dept/physics/lpw/]Lawrence”>http://www.lawrence.edu/dept/physics/lpw/)</p>

15

<p>“I’m still not sure how important cost is as a factor.”</p>

<p>Cider -</p>

<p>You have got to sit your parent(s) down and have a serious talk about the money. Have they run any of the FAFSA or CSS-Profile calculators? (they can start with the ones at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) ) Do they have a giant college fund stashed away for you somewhere that has not been affected by the current world-wide economic melt-down? Do they have absolutely rock-solid recession-proof jobs with high incomes? How much debt can they take on? How much debt can you take on? How many siblings do you have, how soon will they be attending college, and how willing are you to limit their choices as a result of the choices that you make?</p>

<p>Your statistics are in a range that you should be able to scrape up some merit money if you are willing to look at lower tier schools. You might want to start with reading this thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=momfromtexas[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=momfromtexas&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

16

<p>We have a college fund of 85k, which is 15k less than what we put in. My dad makes about 300,000 dollars a year. There’s no way that my dad is going to be laid off, either.</p>

<p>As far as I’m aware, the CSS Profile and FAFSA both calculate a total amount needed to pay for both students if there are two at one time, which would increase financial aid. </p>

<p>My dad has already specifically told me that he’s willing to pay anything for my education, as well.</p>

17

<p>Cider -</p>

<p>Glad to see that you have been talking about this with your dad! Too many kids don’t, and they say things like “He says he’ll pay whatever it costs” without knowing the real scoop.</p>

<p>Keep the lines of communication open about this, and things should work out well for you. You are in a truly uncommon and fortunate position.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>

18

<p>You already have a good list of reach schools. You mainly pick mid sized universities and LAC. Therefore I will second the suggestion of Case Western as your safety. You should also consider University of Rochester, George Washington, and Trinity as your safety/match.</p>

<p>This is just my humble opinion. :)</p>

19

<p>Case Western, Lehigh, Rochester, Tufts.</p>

20

<p>Oh wow. I don’t think the financial aid calculator is that great on this site. It says my parents should have to pay almost half of their total income each year.</p>