<p>You really only need one true safety if it is truly a safety for you. I am surprised that your counselor is recommending so many colleges. Are you a Mass resident? Can you apply rolling admissions to UMass, and get the acceptance before the end of the year? That can then be your safety. I don't know if CofC has rolling admissions or EA. I think you should apply EA to those schools that have it so they can be a litmus test of sorts, and you could then eliminate some of the other schools on your list. That is what my son did.</p>
<p>Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, is a very small LAC, best known for its creative writing program. We toured it with my son three years ago -- it's about an hour or so from our home in Newark, Delaware. My son's interest is in English/Literature/Journalism and was told that they had a student newspaper but during our tour, which was in February, so not exactly early in the academic year, our guide told us he didn't think they had published an issue yet that year. Totally lost my son right there. </p>
<p>It was also too small for him -- about 1200-1300. As we went around on our tour (a personal tour as it was just me and my son), we kept wondering where everyone was and then we realized that the scattered people we saw around campus was everyone. Now, it was the middle of the afternoon on a gloomy, cold February day, so maybe on a nicer day it would have seemed more populated.</p>
<p>However, it is a beautiful campus in a nice town, although I do not know anything about a sailing team (but, being on the Chesapeake Bay, I would expect they have one). We have friends with a daughter there (same year as my son) and have heard good things (except for a psycho freshman roommate, but crazy psycho freshman roommates can happen anywhere).</p>
<p>If you don't mind small, it is a possibility. Give it a visit - try it, you might like it. Good luck!</p>
<p>UMass doesn't have rolling admissions; it does have EA.</p>
<p>"My son's interest is in English/Literature/Journalism and was told that they had a student newspaper but during our tour, which was in February, so not exactly early in the academic year, our guide told us he didn't think they had published an issue yet that year. Totally lost my son right there."</p>
<p>The tour guide sounds like some of the kids in my wife's Regents American History classes..."Newspaper? What's a newspaper?" Your tour guide gave you bad information. Washington College has an excellent track record in getting out its student newspaper on time. You can check out the archived papers on the college's website. </p>
<p>Sorry if this is off topic, but I didn't want to let that tour guide's statement go unchallenged.</p>
<p>I think CofC has early action too. Get those apps in early, and you have your safety if you get in. Then you can deal with the issue of looking for other safeties (good to start a list) and your regular admissions.</p>
<p>the schools you "deleted right away" -- maybe another perspective might help you to reconsider 1 or 2 of these?</p>
<p>Most of your choices are mid-size (broadly defined) universities. How did Conn and Davidson get on your radar? Have you had a chance to visit a LAC like Conn and/or one of these larger schools? (Full disclosure -- my niece will attend Conn in the fall; 2 years ago, she was certain she wanted to go to BU or NYU, but that was before she visited a few campuses...)</p>
<p>Finally, as a replacement consideration for UMass, look into SUNY/Stony Brook. I think it may offer a lot of what you are looking for -- but you be the judge!</p>
<p>Looking forward to your response.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies!
[QUOTE]
OP, the college previously mentioned was Washington College. Washington University is an excellent school, but it's nobody's safety.
[/QUOTE]
Yes, I meant the college lol. I didn't mean WUSTL, because I know that would be a ridiculous reach for me.</p>
<p>And to answer some other people's questions... I think C of C has EA. I know a senior this year who applied to it as a safety and knew by December that she was in... so that's what I'm going to do as well.</p>
<p>Ford1998, the schools I deleted were like... U of Rochester, Syracuse, UT Knoxville, UGA. And I looked at Conn College and liked it... it's not high on my list but I wouldn't throw it out yet.</p>
<p>Does anyone know about UNC Wilmington? Would I be able to get in? That was also on my list and I might be interested in it</p>
<p>you would def have a good chance at UNC Wilmington!</p>
<p>Well, Rochester definitely would NOT be a safety, and I think UGA (which is much larger than most of the schools you're considering) is very competitive for OOS.</p>
<p>That leaves Syracuse -- which by most reports is on the upswing and is re-emphasizing undergraduate education -- as what I would call a strong match, and UT. Syracuse is not a great city, but there is theater, concerts, some nice restaurants, museums -- and Rochester, which is not far away, also has some of the urban qualities you seem to be looking for. I lived in Syracuse for a year 2 years (grad school); it was COLD, but as a native RI'er I didn't find the difference was that great. In sum, SU seems to have a lot in common with other schools you're looking at. I'm guessing if it was located further south, you would like it a lot better...</p>
<p>I don't know anything about UT other than it is a very big school. UNC Wilmington is on the beach and is well know for film. I don't know how strong their French dept. might be...</p>
<p>UDel is very popular these days...</p>
<p>For a safety, maybe Drew, which is near NYC but not in NYC. Since you like NYU.</p>
<p>GW and Tulane have gotten pretty competitive recently.</p>
<p>Are you open to smaller schools? If so, Drew is an excellent suggestion and I'm sure we could all come up with a lot more.</p>
<p>Ford1998, those schools weren't the safeties that she added... they were just other schools that I wasn't interested in... mostly because of location.</p>
<p>I don't really want a tiny secluded school. I think C of C is perfect because it's right in a great city and it has sailing. UNCW might also be good because it's close to the water and has a sailing team... although I don't know how accessible it is to get from Boston there. That might be a problem.</p>
<p>By the way, thanks everyone for the replies... I really wasn't expecting so many but it's been real helpful!</p>
<p>Here are my safeties so far:
- College of Charleston
- UMass (possibly... if I can't find a better one)
- Washington College (I'll look into it)
- UNC Wilmington</p>
<p>I forgot to add... does anyone know how hard St. Mary's College of MD is to get into and whether it would be a safety or more of a match?</p>
<p>Villanova, Providence, Syracuse, Fordham, Clemson, VaTech, Boston U., Clark U.(Mass), Union College (NY), Denison, Southern Methodist U., Texas Christian U.</p>
<p>I agree with happymom. All you need is one safety if you are POSITIVE you'll get in, POSITIVE you'll love it, and POSITIVE you can pay for it. I only had one safety (BC) and I was able to try my hand at other schools I knew would fit me.</p>
<p>OP, as much as it may annoy you, you don't have to listen to your counselor. It's ultimately you that'll have to put the signatures, supply the essays, and pay the fee in the end.</p>
<p>At this point in college admissions, unless your safety is open enrollment (meaning that they accept all applicants), you are playing with fire if you only have one safety. Sungchul could have had a very different admissions result than he did; BC is rarely a "safety" by his definition, since no one can be POSITIVE that a school that accepts fewer than 50% of its applicants will accept him. Search for the saga of Andison; that could easily have been Sungchul's situation. And that's not where you want to find yourself, OP.</p>
<p>Of course, if you are in fact admitted to CofC on a rolling basis, you then can drop your other safeties from your list.</p>
<p>Sail640, we visited St. Mary's of Maryland, hoping it might be of interest to S1, who also sails and needs a good safety or two. </p>
<p>I'm not sure if you could really consider it a safety, but they are extremely eager to get good students from outside of MD down there. And if your sailing skills are good enough, I'm sure that would strengthen your chances. </p>
<p>On the downside, it's a nice campus but very, very isolated - which probably knocks it off your list. (Definitely knocked it off my son's.)</p>
<p>C of C seems like a good safety for someone with your stats. I don't know much about smaller schools...I'm probably not the person to talk to about this, because I have issues with safeties myself. Safeties are good and I probably need more.</p>
<p>However, one thing I do plan on doing - depending on application deadlines and the schools' options - is applying EA to the schools where I can apply EA. I'll get accepted/rejected before I submit the rest of my applications, so if I get into somewhere I want to go/would be happy at early, I don't have to apply to a bunch of safeties during regular admission. If that makes sense.</p>
<p>Also maybe U of Rochester? I guess it might not be a safety for you, but for others looking, apparently everyone who goes there - even as a safety - ends up loving it.</p>
<p>So it seems that the cold is a factor for you, but one you are willing to give up for a more selective school (such as BC or Conn). Can't argue with that reasoning -- but based on that reasoning, you do need another option besides UMass. I won't say anthing against UNC Wilmington except that it's unknown to me -- I don't know the qual;ity of the academic programs outside of the oft-mentioned film; I don't know if it's a suitcase school, etc. These are important considerations to keep in mind. By the way, UDel and SUNY Stonybrook are both early action schools (sorry, I'm stubborn with my suggestions...)</p>
<p>I think CofC is a good safety for you. With EA, you will know if you need to look elsewhere, and if you have an app in UMass as well, you are well covered. Salve Regina is also a safety for you, and they probably have an early notification program as well. I think you are fine. If you like to sail, St Mary's is a wonderful school, but it is getting more selective. I think you are a good match for it; make sure you visit and interview, as they are looking for kids that fit well with the school. UMaine is also a good sailing school, as is Hobert William Smith.</p>
<p>yeah I'm hoping I'll get in to CofC and know by mid-December so that I don't have to send out any more applications to safety schools : )</p>