@swampdraggin #13 – Well, the term “safety school” to me implies that it functions much like a safety net – it’s not a place that you might want to be, but it’s the last thing between you and absolute disaster. In that circumstance, it’s hard for me to consider such a place as a school where you might be really happy; but if it’s a place that you can tolerate or perhaps learn to like, then that is what I had in mind.
^ That’s when we get posters in April crying “OMG, I only got into my safety and I don’t want to go there”. In that case it shouldn’t have been on the list IMO.
^So what’s your suggestion if - for a particular applicant - no schools meet your criteria for a safety
^For most students, I believe there are safeties to be found that meet all 3 criteria. But it takes some work, and many students would rather visit the reaches on their list, and leave the safeties to the very end if at all.
My daughter applied to Bucknell in 2009 for chemical engineering. ACT was 34, class rank 3/500, only one B in high school in AP US. Her HS had a 6 point grading scale, her grade was 93.2, a B. She got into all the schools she applied to except Bucknell. She narrowed her list to UVA, Georgia Tech and Vandy. She graduated from Vandy 2 years ago. So I am not sure she should consider Bucknell a safety. My daughter did not need financial aid either.
It looks as though Bucknell considers Level of Interest (it’s marked as important). http://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/InstitutionalResearch/CDS_2014-15/CDS_2014-15C.pdf They obviously don’t want to be considered a safety. You have to show them love to get in.
Holy Cross would be a good c hoice as it has a great combination of academics and sports like Vandy and Dartmouth.
Miami of Ohio, Clemson…tight-knit, small town, not huge…
Boston College…not exactly a safety, but easier to get into than Vanderbilt…and with nice campus, Div. 1 sports,
Maybe Wake Forest, Elon, Washington and Lee, Tulane, Emory, and UGA are good to look at