<p>I've been following this thread and hardly know where to begin but I feel you have gotten excellent feedback by many members. </p>
<p>For one thing, it is hard to get too specific with you without knowing your D's profile (which goes WAY beyond her test scores....which we don't truly even know) in order to advise you about schools. There are her actual grades, the rigor of her chosen curriculum, her GPA, her class rank or distribution, her essays (they need to be great at very selective schools), her achievements in and outside the classroom, her ECs and level of involvement, role played in those endeavors, and achievements in those pursuits, her recommendations and much else. So, no advice that I or anyone else can give you is truly geared to your D individually with so little to go on. </p>
<p>But I can mention some GENERAL things. I feel your D's list is very foolish. Everyone should have reaches (that are remotely possible and not impossibly out of reach). But a candidate's list MUST be balanced with reaches, matches, and safeties. It will differ from kid to kid but let's say roughly 40% reaches, 40% matches, and 20% safeties will make up her list. </p>
<p>I believe in having TWO safeties. For one thing, a lot of time there is not a guarantee even if a very strong likelihood. Also, if the scenario turns out that she only gets into her safeties, she is left with a choice. Options are nice to have so you don't attend a school by default. A student should put a LOT of thought into her safeties and like them enough to attend (even if not her most favorite schools) and they should not be chosen just because she can get admitted. I see a lot of people have all reach schools and then tack on their state U "just because" they can get in. Nothing wrong with state U, but it makes sense to put the same amount of care into selecting the safety as any other school on the list and that the safety meets one's selection criteria, and not simply a school one can get into. Without knowing more about your D, it is hard to say what a safety will be but what about Goucher, Drew, Hofstra, Syracuse, UVM, Penn State?</p>
<p>I believe your D needs match schools as well. The chance of getting into reach schools is not good (but worth applying to) and so if the reach schools do not come through, why does she have to jump down to her safeties when she has a reasonable chance to get into some schools in between? It makes sense to have schools in between where the student has a realistic chance of about 50-50, where one's stats fall right in the middle of the school and the admit rate is at least over 20% if not more (depends on the student). I can't really accurately suggest match schools for your D without knowing more of her profile. But since you mentioned her reach schools, and going ONLY by that, then I think she should look for some matches such as (and I can't say these are truly matches for her based on way too little information): Skidmore, Sarah Lawrence, Conn College, Lehigh, Muhlenberg, American, Brandeis, UMiami, Elon, Northeastern, Tulane, Bates, Dickinson, Trinity, James Madison, Wheaton, Fordham. </p>
<p>Your D's selection criteria isn't really that defined either. She says no to snow, yet she has Brown and Northwestern on her list (both quite snowy). She says no to outside the Northeast but has Northwestern on the list. When students select where to apply, they try to match schools up with their selection criteria but not every school will match up just so with each of their selection criteria and so sometimes they have to give in one area, to get something in another. And right now, she only has to decide where to APPLY and not where to ATTEND. Once she sees what options she is handed, she can then afford to be picky! </p>
<p>Lastly, your D needs a shift in her outlook. In my job as a college counselor, I have run into this "attitude" your D seems to possess where they knock out lotsa schools as "not good enough"...."I don't want to go to a safety school!" or "If I have to go to a safety school, why bother if I am not good enough for the schools I really want to go to?" Believe me, in my job, I have heard it all. This is a poor attitude. I have two D's a little older than your D. My oldest applied to some top schools (she attended Brown in fact, where your D is applying). But she had reaches, matches and safeties on her list. And I don't know your D's profile but based on the little bit you shared, I believe my D had a much stronger profile. Even still, as ellemenope posted, schools that accept less than 20% of applicants, even if your stats fall in the middle or at the top, are STILL REACHES for anyone. We considered these types of schools reaches, even though my D's stats were very strong for these schools and so it wasn't like your D where you say she falls in the lower mid 50% with the SATs (that's all the info. you provided and so I don't know the rest). I'm saying for kids with extremely high SATs, perfect GPAs, valedictorians, many EC achievements, academic awards, etc. etc......schools like Brown are STILL REACHES BY THE FACT OF THEIR VERY LOW ADMIT RATES. So, the odds at these schools are very low for ANYONE. They very well may be even lower for your D if she is in the lower half range of their published stats. Reaches are fine. </p>
<p>Your D will be served well by finding matches and of course safeties. She is too caught up in thinking that her reach schools are the "best" and nothing else is good enough. She needs to find SOMETHING she likes about any school. If she likes a few things about a school, that is reason enough to apply. She is only applying, not attending. I would have her find some, apply, and visit. She may be turning her nose up at schools that she very well WILL like. And she very well may end up attending these schools, as nobody can count on the reach schools that you mention, even top students (is your D a TOP student?). It pays off to find schools you like even just a little as matches and safeties because the odds are high that you'll end up at these schools. To only have reaches and one safety is playing with fire. She is highly likely to end up at the safety. Why not expand the options she'll be handed in spring with some matches and another safety? You and she will be glad you did.</p>