<p>My son is lucky -- CU Boulder is his safety, they still have guaranteed admission for Colorado Residents that meet certain testing requirements. Plus, they offer a combined BA/MA in his major and he would be able to transfer in about 50 hours of coursework. It is too big for his tastes, but he would most likely be in the honors program (which makes it seem smaller) and being able to take graduate level courses in his major (and skip most of the intro /distribution classes due to transferring in classes) which means that his classes would be smaller and more focused. Not bad for a safety.</p>
<p>Safeties are very important. Just make sure you don't tell others who really want to go to your safety and didn't get in, that said school is your safety. Awkwardness will ensue.</p>
<p>This is such an important point. Along with the posts bemoaning not getting into multiple top choice schools, every year we see post saying things like, "Well, I'm accepted at my safety school... but I really don't want to go there." A school that you aren't crazy about attending is NOT a safety school, it's just a college that you can get into.</p>
<p>Ideally, the safety school should be among the top few school choices for the student. If the top choices are all Ivy-equivalents, and the safety school is nothing like them, insufficient thought has gone into preparing the college list. Or, the student is basing preference primarily on selectivity and prestige.</p>
<p>A student with the stats to aim for Ivies also has the stats to be accepted at virtually all but a few dozen colleges in the U.S., and to get merit aid at many schools. Devoting some serious study to alternatives with almost certain acceptance and the probability of financial aid (if that's important) will pay big dividends.</p>
<p>problem is that all four of your requirements, accessibility,
price etc, tokenadult are usually not present for most
applicants especially low income ones - you might have
to lower your expectiations to "probably get in" "might
be able to afford it," "there's a couple of decent programs"
and "I can learn to enjoy it." Unfortunately, for a lot of
kids that's the definition of a safety college and also
why they don't bother to apply.</p>
<p>
[quote]
problem is that all four of your requirements, accessibility, price etc, . . . are usually not present for most
applicants especially low income ones
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is an issue of great concern to me, and has prompted some threads I have posted before. It is undeniably true that a low-income student has a narrower list of choices than a student from a high-income family, other characteristics being equal. High family income can even go a long way to boost admission chances of students with LESSER academic credentials. </p>
<p>But for each applicant, the applicant may as well look for the "safety" college that fits that applicant. It's surely especially pointless to apply to a lot of colleges and not get into any. The first step in building an application list is finding a college </p>
<p>1) you can definitely get into, </p>
<p>2) you will learn a lot at,</p>
<p>3) you can afford, </p>
<p>and</p>
<p>4) you will enjoy. </p>
<p>Other people may indeed have more or even "better" choices than you have, but make sure your choices include at least one college that fits that set of four requirements.</p>
<p>I took my D to that college and she said, "I cant
go here, everyone's dumb!" I understood and
agreed, that's why she and we, like so many
others, are up to our necks in college debt. But,
yes, she did get in, she did learn a lot and she
did enjoy it. Hey, 3 outta 4 aint bad!</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>everyone's dumb</p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>The biggest appeal of the very selective schools is that just about the entire peer group will be smart and interesting.</p>
<p>At a safety school, there will be a variety of levels of past achievement. The trick, I think, is to find a school where one will be able to find a micro-peer group of motivated students. Honors colleges are one attempt to create a more elite environment in a big school. But, just like high school, particular courses and areas of study will attract better students.</p>
<p>And there's one advantage of not going to a school where every other student is at least as smart as you are: the possibility of earning a high GPA and accumulating honors is greater, a plus for admission to law school or med school.</p>
<p>That 30,000 student school may have lower average stats due to in-state admissions policies, but the top end of the bell curve will contain some amazing people.</p>
<p>Hooray for JHU being a great safety without great financial aid!</p>
<p>A recent thread talked about being the kid that inspires others to acheive more, being the mentor in a school with kids less gifted. I thought that was a really valid point. It can be hard to stay motivated if you aren't in a community of your peers, but if you can find a few and then work to raise the others up....</p>
<p>
[quote]
Find a sure-bet college for admission. Love it. Apply to it early.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That just about says it all. In the wake of the recent RD decisions, this was the enduring lesson, both for D2, who's just in the very beginning phases of her college search and me, as a parent. I remember when my college freshman D was applying to colleges, receiving that early acceptance from our state flagship U(even though she eventually matriculated elsewhere) was a huge weight off of her shoulders. I also liked Mythmom's suggestion about the "Mommy" school; D1 had one or two of those, and I imagine that D2 will submit a Mommy app., as well.</p>
<p>again, Roger Dooley, and I feel like l'm beating the
proverbial dead horse, but the 30,000 student state
u may not be available to many students. Low income
pop at PSU main campus is less than 10%, black
enrollment 4%. Yes, the micro-peer group may be
available to you at a lower level, mostly white school
in the middle of a cow pasture. Or you may find it
in an all black state u, say Cheyney U, for example,
Have you taken a drive through lately, Roger? I
wouldn't get out the car, if I was you. But, yes,
youll have learned a valuable lesson in life -
safety means loser. If youre low income with
decent stats, try for one of the elites, apply early
do everything you can, but if you don't get in
you might be better off, getting a job and doing
the night school thing. In many ways it makes a
lot more sense. Going to some third tier toilet,
living cheap, taking out the loans, youre chances
of making it are very slim. I bet the large majority
of these students drop out often with big loans.
I think the safety school route may be bad advice
or just irrelevant for many students. Again, probably
better off getting a job.</p>
<p>I don't understand a single word you're saying speedo...</p>
<p>If you already have the stats to be applying to great schools that you require a safety, then vocational school probably isn't for you, in my opinion, although vocational schools are excellent programs for many.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, Canada doesn't have "reach" or "match" schools (I'm not even sure if they're just terms used exclusively on CC), which in my opinion is a good thing.</p>
<p>My general outlook on this whole University application thing is that if I were to get into an Ivy League or prestigious school in the US, that's great. However, I recognize that the odds are against me, and that most universities here are great. I'd have no qualms being rejected because it'd mean...</p>
<p>McGill :D</p>
<p>Great point to make, I know plenty of seniors this year at my school that have only been accepted into Rutgers and absolutely detest it. I have no idea why they applied if they couldn't see themselves attending.</p>
<p>I for one, will be happy attending Rutgers if I don't get into McGill, because of the top Philosophy and Science departments and I know plenty of people there that love it. </p>
<p>Good Luck Everyone!</p>
<p>I think one of the key things that tokenadult advised is to apply in the early rounds if possible. Since many schools have gone to early action rather than early decision, it is possible to apply to multiple schools early and get an indication of how the remainder of your applications will fare. My son applied early action to two schools, one a likely and the other a safety, and then applied ED to a reach school, and was accepted to all three. It was great to have the two EA decisions come in. He knew that no matter what, he would have a school he liked. Even though the waiting for the ED decision was stressful, it wasn't as much as it might have been.</p>
<p>Also remember that for some schools, applying in the early round gives you an advantage.</p>
<p>We are just beginning this college journey. If you apply to a school with early acceptance or rolling admission, can you wait until you hear from all your schools before you make your final decision?</p>
<p>When determining a safety, are the websites like Princeton and College Board fairly accurate?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I thought you couldn't apply to more than one school EA/ED?</p>
<p>Usually one may apply to ONE college on an early decision basis (with, of course, the commitment to enroll if admitted) and some early action colleges don't think it's inconsistent with their rules to apply early action at the same time as applying early decision elsewhere. Check each college's rules for interactions with other college's rules, but ONLY apply early decision if you would be really happy to be admitted and glad to enroll, no matter what the financial aid offer.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If you apply to a school with early acceptance or rolling admission, can you wait until you hear from all your schools before you make your final decision?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>In general, the national reply date for college offers of admission is May 1st, even if you were admitted way back the previous October 1st. </p>
<p>Looking at the statistics of the previous entering classes on websites is helpful for gauging chances of admission. A student applying in fall of 2009 will have the information for the class before last (class that entered fall of 2007) available when planning where to apply, and if a particular college is becoming much more competitive, it may be possible to overestimate chances of admission. That's why I recommend being VERY conservative (cautious) in choosing a "safety" college.</p>