Help Finding a Safety? Madison considered a safety?

College Search & Selection
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<p>i am haing trouble finding schools that one would consider safeties. I think the main problem I am having is finding a place I could actually see myself going if all else fails. I would also hate to be explaining to people where the college is or other things about it due to people just not knowing about it, so I guess I would like a degree of "prestige" (for lack of a better word).</p>

<p>My Stats: I live in WI, 34 ACT, 4.0/4.27 GPA, 150 Community service hours, heavy church involvement, many music EC's, various other smaller EC's such as basketball/volleyball leagues through church, Math team, chemistry olympiad.</p>

<p>I am interested in Chemistry, possibly going into Chemical Engineering, but I am not 100% decided yet. I also have an interest in History/Political science</p>

<p>My List so far: </p>

<p>UW-Madison: State Flagship, place where my parents went and my brother currently goes, in state tuition would make this the least expensive option by far. Could this be considered a safety?</p>

<p>Notre Dame: Probably my number one school, LOVED the campus, has a great "community" vibe, good athletic pride,</p>

<p>Cornell: Very good engineering school if I end up going the chemical engineering route, Ivy League, pretty far away from me though, ok campus (lots of hills), could be difficult to travel back and forth due to distance and the fact that it is very isolated.</p>

<p>Northwestern: Great school, good chemistry and engineering programs, located in Chicago which I love, however my parents were very unimpressed by its campus,</p>

<p>Boston College: Its really only on list because of its location. I would love to go to college in Boston and I have had many people tell me they love the city. It is a very good school, but it is very far away, although it seems easier to commute back and forth than Cornell</p>

<p>Georgetown: Location is great in DC if I end up changing my mind and going the history/Political science route. again very far away, </p>

<p>So thats my list. Thanks if you read it all. Any feedback is appreciated. I also should mention that my parents said we would be able to afford each of these schools if I am planning on pursuing a 4 year degree, but if I plan on something that takes more than 4 years or requires grad school, I should look to go to Madison and then go to a high ranking school for my further education.</p>

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<p>Those are all very good schools (Captain Obvious…).</p>

<p>Your flagship is quite prestigious internationally and very many of its programs, including Chem, are top-20 nationally.</p>

<p>It is not nearly as selective as the others on your list, but its faculty is top-notch – UW is very strong academically.</p>

<p>I don’t think UW is a safety for anyone, but since you are in-state with those stats… unless you commit a crime or your app is somehow lost, you’ll get in. 99% chance probably. </p>

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<p>I have to say I do think WI is a safety. GPA, rigor and class rank are very important, scores and state of residence are important. Your scores are well above the 75%ile and your GPA is above average as well. And the overall acceptance rate is >50%. <a href=“https://apir.wisc.edu/publisherssurvey/CDS_2013-2014.pdf”>https://apir.wisc.edu/publisherssurvey/CDS_2013-2014.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>@"Erin’s Dad"‌ do you think I need more than one safety though? I see many people on here having 2-3 safeties</p>

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<p>If your “safety” is actually a near-safety rather than a 100% certain safety (the latter would have stated automatic admission criteria that you meet), then you may want to have a few more near-safeties. Perhaps University of Minnesota as well? Or, for 100% certain safeties, look at the automatic admit and merit scholarship lists (e.g. Texas A&M and Alabama could be candidate).</p>

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<p>Some students want to have more than one safety just to have a choice. It’s up to you if you want to add to your list. @ucbalumnus‌ has made some good recommendations there.</p>

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<p>I think I will take a look at Minnesota. I heard its application process is very simple. It does have a big rivalry with UW though haha</p>

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<p>You could add Minnesota, but UW is a safety for you. If you love ND, apply ED if they have it.</p>

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<p>@sally305‌ they have early action but no early decision</p>

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<p>Minnesota will also be a good price since you get discounted tuition (last I heard).</p>

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<p>U of MN-TC has great Chem E, and you would pay in-state tuition there due to reciprocity. If I were you, I would add it to the list.</p>

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<p>UW is better than Minnesota; I’m sure if you chose the latter your family would not let you forget it. ;-)</p>

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<p>I am not sure I agree, prez. Both schools are outstanding in STEM fields. And Minnesota has a much nicer campus, in my opinion–plus it is in a major metropolitan area, which UW isn’t.</p>

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<p>@prezbucky‌ very true haha. Judging by your username you seem very unbiased :slight_smile: </p>

<p>@"Erin’s Dad"‌ @intparent‌ I am fairly positive Minnesota still has the reciprocity agreement. There have been talks about removing that though. Would that end up affecting me if I go to school there and they end up changing it like my junior year?</p>

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<p>I doubt they would make a change like that without grandfathering any current students. That would be unfair.</p>

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<p>Sally, based on academic rankings and prestige… both overall and by department. Minnesota is good in STEM, but not stronger than UW (and probably less so) based on individual program rankings, and UW is decidedly stronger in many Humanities fields. </p>

<p>Madison is consistently ranked among the most fun campuses and the city is among the nation’s finest (I’ll cite refs if you want them). The Twin Cities are nice too – I don’t mean to disparage UM or the TCs – but when you combine the UW academic rep with the coolness of campus life, the vibrancy of State Street and the Union (and Terrace), the grandeur of the state capital, the goodness of the city overall, and its proximity to Green Bay, Chicago and Milwaukee… UW is hard to beat. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Now I’ll send an invoice to them. Hehe </p>

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<p>prezbucky, did you even notice my profile picture? :slight_smile: You don’t have to sell me on UW, or Madison.</p>

<p>In any case, I am increasingly growing to hate the campus, and not just because of the constant construction. Apart from the area along the lakeshore, it’s a disconnected mess with a lot of buildings that are actually falling apart.</p>

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<p>Hopefully campus can be fixed.</p>