HELP!!! I need a safety school!

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi everyone-
I'm a rising senior, and I've already culled a list of reach/match colleges that I'm thinking of applying to, but when it comes to safety schools, I have no idea! I want to double major in political science and economics and hopefully get a law or public policy degree in grad school. </p>

<p>The schools I'm currently considering: UChicago, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Amherst, Wellesley, Georgetown, Dickinson. I'd like to go to a school with 2000-8000 students, in a suburban area. However, I don't know what constitutes a safety school for me. What acceptance rate, or what SAT median scores? Are these valid ways of determining "safeties"?</p>

<p>Thanks so much. My stats are below for your consideration.</p>

<p>SAT I Reading-800
SAT I Math-800
SAT I Writing-760
(I only took the SATs once)
SAT II Literature-780
SAT II Chemistry-790
SAT II US History-800
SAT II Chinese-800</p>

<p>I'm in the International Baccalaureate Program. I have a 3.98 cumulative unweighted GPA, and a 4.66 cumulative weighted GPA. I'm a National AP Scholar because I've taken 9 AP exams and have gotten eight 5s and one 4.</p>

<p>-SGA Class Treasurer, all four years
-Principal's Advisory Committee
-president and founder of Young Republicans Club
-president and founder of the Chinese Culture and Games Club
-a school ambassador
-VP for my school's French Honors Society
-student advisor on the Board of Education's Wellness Policy Workgroup</p>

<p>I am on my school's state champion quizbowl team, and I placed first in the statewide Economics Challenge prelims, and ended up being a finalist. I was nominated for a national writing contest (results come back in October) and I was also selected to be a contestant in the Miss Teen Maryland pageant (which is in November). I was a district winner at the National Piano Playing Auditions, and I placed 6th at a prestigious regional competition. I've worked as an intern on a political campaign, as a secretary for a major corporation, as a counselor for a summer leadership camp, and this summer, as a Senatorial intern. I also have more than 600 hours of community service.</p>

2

<p>Isn't the Principal's Advisory Committee a given if you're a Class Office (Pres, VP, Treasurer, Sec)?</p>

<p>That said, look into the your State school...</p>

3

<p>how have you done all of these things? you're all over the place in terms of, well, everything. Super-high scores and grades, founded, placed in, or been a leader of at least 10 different extracurriculars, etc. </p>

<p>if this is true, then your safety is as milki said, the state school which will probably accept you with scholarships if you apply.</p>

4

<p>you look right for Northwestern, have you considered them?</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
you look right for Northwestern, have you considered them?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Northwestern is NOT a safety for anyone</p>

6

<p>I think Wellesley is a 'safety' for you. I know it is very competitive, but if you can write good essays (which I'm guessing you can bc your SAT score is so high), you should be fine.</p>

7

<p>There are a ton of small LACs that would be safeties for you if you didn't want to use your state school. Schools like Lafayette, Colorado College, Whitman, Occidental. These would be safeties where you would still get a fine education. You have such stellar stats that I bet if you apply ED at your favorite school you will get in, and the safeties won't be necessary.</p>

8

<p>Seeing that you're applying to Georgetown, I'm going to venture a guess that you might be interested in polisci. If so, you might want to look into American University. Their finaid isn't great, but it's great for polisci types.</p>