I would not have Clemson in safety category category. As @tsbna44 mentioned their applications have gone through the roof the last couple of cycles.
As I recall for the incoming class there were 60,000 applicants. Less than 50% admission rates for woman. They really look heavily at class rank and GPA so that impacts how you classify Clemson in your particular situation.
By all means apply and you have a decent shot at admission but I wouldn’t say you are in for sure which is how IMHO a safety should be defined.
It is obvious you are a good student, and I think you are well-prepared for college. I will say, however, that I’m quite surprised by your list based upon the majors you’ve indicated an interest in, as some of the schools don’t offer most of your majors.
As you’ve asked to be chanced, these are my guesses as to what your chances might be at the schools on your list. I may give some additional thought to some other colleges that you may want to consider, too.
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
Georgia State
Likely (60-79%)
Auburn
Elon
U. of Georgia
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Clemson
Syracuse…if you show a lot of demonstrated interest, it might move up to likely
UIUC
U. of Washington (but be aware of all the capacity-restricted majors here, including neuroscience, psychology, and speech & hearing sciences (source)
I’d move Wake and Case Western to the low probability category as op would be applying RD, where admissions is more difficult at both these institutions.
That’s certainly a very reasonable approach. My favorite site (the feds’ College Navigator) is giving me trouble today, but looking at Dataverse’s aggregator, Case’s RD acceptance rate is still 30%. The aggregator didn’t have the ED vs RD differeence for Wake-Forest, but its overall acceptance was 25%, so it would make sense for that one to fall in the low probability range during RD. Because I can’t see the various stats at a glance with what percentage submitted, what the scores were, acceptance rates by sex, etc, I went with my guesses above, but my guesses are not science.
CC may be a bit of a low reach but I am waiting on an SAT score from last month and have the upcoming September ACT, so I’m hoping I can get my stats up and increase my chances. I believe they also have an arts supplement which I think would be beneficial for me because I dance competitively and it is my main EC.
I think UIUC is more of a match because of the stats for the specific college/program I am applying to. Both GPA and standardized test scores are higher than 75th percentile.
Don’t know much about Washington so it may be a reach. Thank you!
Yes, I am eligible for the scholarships so going to UGA would be great. My parents are willing to pay for me to go out of state/private so that is not the biggest factor in my decision, although it is definitely still considered. I know many people that transfer from GSU, UNG, etc. so that would be my backup plan if denied UGA.
Yes, this is definitely a big factor in my decisions. I have a wide variety of interests so I’ve applied for different majors for a few of the schools depending on competitiveness/availability. Thanks for letting me know about U Washington, I will look into that.
Just thought Clemson was a safety based on acceptance of people from my area/school in the past few years (with lower or similar stats).
Can I ask what your GPA was? Do you know if Clemson looks at unweighted or weighted?
Not rural GA unfortunately.
Yes, I have a wide variety of interests and am not really set on one career path, but it has been a little difficult applying when schools have limited ranges of majors. However I’ve found most at least have Psychology major which I am interested in.
Thank you for the thorough chancing. I appreciate it!
The more I read what you write, the more I think you shouldn’t ED.
BTW some schools like Case give false hope by WL everyone. They literally do 30% of applicants. Last year Case admitted 10600 and WL 11600. Other schools run similarly although they seem most aggressive. Sort of a scam although 436 eventually got an offer. Just to keep hopes in check.
I hate the transfer option for you. Auburn, wherever - I think Pitt fits you - if you get in four years it’s so much better than a transfer since you can afford it. I’d love to see you add a few schools that are sure bets. Transferring means starting again. You deserve better.
Transfering from GSU or local Community College is not starting over. Everything will transfer within same system (if classes will be chosen wisely). Given that the student is “local” with many “connections”, and student will be happy with UGA, I think it is an excelent approach. She will save money for graduate school with scholarships (free tuition) in all of the above.
I get it financially but it is starting over socially. I work with a Kennesaw to UGA and it was tough. He wishes he stayed. If you can embed four years, it’s better - but given the student wants to ED to two really expensive schools I’m not factoring in money. Yes law school costs too.
Ultimately whatever OP chooses is great but she’ll have no problem finding affordable four year schools - including Rhodes as a lower cost Davidson sub
I agree on “low” cost. But “low” these days is 25k. Times 4 it is not that low… Who is williing to give away 100k?
DD had higher GPA and only because of FA (3 students in college) and being lucky with old FAFSA got to “low” cost. Without significant financial need Rhodes is not giving free candies even to the best students.
There is no doubt that finances are important, and students should choose a school that will not result in financial hardship. For some, that means starting at a CC and transferring because that is what is affordable. For others, it means chasing merit.
Keep in mind that there are students who would not thrive if transferring from a CC or other school. Some students have anxiety etc and would do better socially and confidence wise if they attended a 4 year school and remained.
I think families need to balance finances with what is best for their student. Transferring might not be “starting over” financially, but it can absolutely mean “starting over” socially and could impact mental health (depending on the student, of course).
And in this case, while UGA is a fine school, it gives you no leg up on law school - as I often show, Harvard is represented by 147 undergrad institutions in its law school - including schools like Canisius, Kansas State, LSU, Montclair State, South Dakota Mines, Tennessee Tech, Alabama, Oklahoma, Rhode Island. Last year it had, if I remember correctly, not posted anymore, Georgia Southern, Fairleigh Dickinson, Oakland…the point being, get great grades and a great LSAT for law school. The where doesn’t matter.
Why free tuition at UGA is AWESOME if it happens, the OP can find inexpensive tuition at many schools from Bama to Florida State to other SEC schools and midwestern schools - but again, per OP, finances aren’t the concern.
Hopefully she gets into NEU or Davidson if she ED 1s or 2s - or UGA otherwise and this is all moot.
