<p>Just thinking,yes:( lots of disappointments after colleges hit the jackhammer and decide on who to admit and who not to.
So you are left somewhere hanging in the balance. But instead, instead of selecting a safety college that might not fit the standards or industry recognition of your preferred choices…</p>
<p>…what about you also research on and apply to equally competent colleges abroad on your subject of interest. Let’s say, for exemplary purposes, that student A wishes, and has applied for, an arts related bachelors degree at the Rhode Island School of Design. While student A waits patiently to see whether RISD will accept him/her, a thoroughly simple online search could yield The Media Design School in Auckland, New Zealand, as yet another industry recognized university for a bachelor of art and design degree. So if RISD rejects the application, why not just fly to NZ, earn your degree in still a competitive institution and get backs with tons of exposure, new outlook and insight?</p>
<p>Rules 1 and 2 can be compatible if you extend the definition of 1 to include match schools or if you decide on the (somewhat risky) course of action of switching majors once accepted.</p>
<p>Match schools are not safeties. And if selection of major makes a difference in admission selectivity, it is likely that changing major after enrolling requires a competitive application process.</p>
<p>But it should be possible for many students to find schools that they have assured admission to and affordability of as well as strong degree programs in their majors.</p>
<p>It is critical that applicants pick “safety” schools because you just don’t know where you’ll get accepted. I got a 4.3 gpa and a 1830 on the SAT and I was rejected by UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD. Although UC Irvine and UC Davis weren’t my top choices, I’m glad I applied because I would’ve been stuck going to a junior college. I can’t stress enough how important it is to do well on the SAT…I think that’s where I was lacking.</p>
<p>This is an extremely important step when applying to colleges. To anyone applying: TALK TO AN ADVISOR/COUNSELOR to figure out which is your safety, match and reach schools. I ended up spending hundreds of dollars more than I had to on safety school applications merely because I couldn’t figure out which were my safeties, matches or reaches. Some that I thought were reaches (Berkeley, Cornell, Dartmouth etc.) were actually matches. Some that I thought were matches (UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego) I later realized were actually my safeties. Like a dork, I only talk to a school advisor about this after I sent in my apps. We all know that apps are super expensive right now – no point in spending more money than you have to!</p>
<p>You only need one safety, if you are 100% sure of admission, 100% sure that it is affordable, 100% sure that it is academically and otherwise appropriate, and 100% sure that you like it. Some students apply to only one college total after finding that their first choice is a safety for them.</p>
<p>But it is common to have more than one, in case a safety is not as safe as estimated, or in case one changes mind about how desirable various schools are.</p>
<p>Local community colleges and state schools are often used as safety schools, at my school many people use ASU as a safe school since the school does admit close to everyone.</p>
<p>How big would you say the risk is of getting rejected from a school for being overqualified? A girl at my HS was accepted to Harvard etc. but rejected from the community college bc they knew she would not attend.</p>
<p>If she had the credentials to get into Harvard, it’s not a surprise a community college did not accept her. Especially if it’s a local/very low end CC ( not like the CCC which are established/have pathways to the UCs, etc).</p>
<p>How many safeties should a student ideally apply to? I can’t decide between some!</p>
<p>If paying for college is an issue in your family, then I think a student should have 3 financial safeties for the following reasons: </p>
<p>1) a safety that you like during the Fall app season may not still be liked in the Spring.</p>
<p>2) You may not get accepted for some odd reason.</p>
<p>3) The merit or grant that you thought you get never happened because of some misunderstanding (i.e. the school doesn’t superscore, so you didn’t really qualify for merit, the school considers NCP info and you didn’t realize that, your FAFSA EFC was adjusted and you no longer qualify for Pell/SEOG grants…and so forth. </p>
<p>4) This is a biggie…if your non-safety schools all turn out to be unaffordable (or you don’t get accepted to them), then having 3 financial safety schools will still provide you a choice in the Spring. It’s bad for morale to end up only having one workable choice. A student might feel railroaded into his safety…even if he likes it. While classmates are discussing “which school should I attend” over the lunch tables, it’s nice to also have choices to make as well. I recall one of my son’s classmates only having one financial safety, which turned out to be be her only choice (other schools rejected or didn’t give enough aid). Since she only had one safety, she sadly referred to it as “the consolation prize” and it affected her attitude about attendance. </p>
<p>Note: a Financial Safety is a school that you’re certain to get accepted to, has your major, you like it, AND…most importantly…you know FOR SURE that you have ALL COSTS covered by ASSURED merit or grants, family funds, small fed student loans, and/or earning a couple of thousand during the summer or school year.</p>
<ul>
<li>Which you are certain to be admitted to.</li>
<li>Which you can certainly afford to attend.</li>
<li>Which has suitable academic programs for you.</li>
<li>Which you would like to attend.</li>
</ul>
<p>Question: Everyone says a safety school is a school you can definitely get into AND definitely afford, even without financial aid. What if your family can literally afford to pay nothing, or only a very small amount that won’t come close to covering even a cheap state school? Does that mean I have to apply to the state school a mile from my house so my family doesn’t have to pay room and board, when I know I’d be miserable there? Or should I resign myself to the fact that I have no true financial safety, and apply to as many generous schools as possible?</p>
<p>As an incoming music major, the idea of a “safety” school is quite risky to me, since I will be going through auditions for each school. Nothing is guaranteed, but I suppose a way to make it easier is to apply to more to broaden my chances.</p>