<p>I haven't been able to find a good safety I like - I'm looking for a medium sized school in or near an urban area. Right now, my top choices are mostly ivies, which I know are very unlikely. I really need to find some less selective schools that I'd be happy to go to. Thanks for your help :)</p>
<p>My stats:
UWGPA: 4.0
SAT: 2400
ECs: Cello (in a competitive urban youth orchestra, made all-state)
Dance (take classes, will be director of my school dance troupe next year)
Mock Trial (captain since junior year, member all four years)</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>Do you have any idea what you want to study in college? And what’s your state flagship?</p>
<p>well, assuming you can afford UMass and would be willing to go there, any of the UMass campuses are safeties. Other safeties would be schools you don’t have to show interest in. Again, state unis come to mind in smaller states, but these would have to be ones you could afford. Pitt (granted not a small state but a medium sized school) and UMaryland are strong to very strong in the sciences and you’d likely be eligible for some significant aid at both. Tulane is a good deal smaller than any of the state unis and you’d likely garner significant merit aid, but you’d absolutely have to convince them of your desire to go there. Don’t bother applying if you can’t write the Why Tulane essay and show additional interest. Hope this helps some. There are many more out there. </p>
<p>Here are a few options:</p>
<p>-UNC Chapel Hill.
-Penn State.
-Boston College.
-Brandeis.</p>
<p>Are you a probable National Merit Semifinalist? If so, lots of great safety options are available here: <a href=“NMF Scholarships: An Updated Compilation - #826 by celesteroberts - National Merit Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-an-updated-compilation-p56.html</a></p>
<p>You are competitive for merit scholarships at University of Southern California-- really fantastic school. University of Miami may be another merit option, especially if you like gorgeous weather! Agree with the Tulane suggestion. Look into Boston University, Northeastern University, Fordham, possibly University of Rochester or Villanova. These aren’t safeties, but they are mostly low matches. Make sure to include lots of matches on your list, as they can provide a nice compromise if you don’t get into your reach schools. More ideas here: <a href=“Competitive Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - #46 by ucbalumnus - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1461983-competitive-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-p4.html</a></p>
<p>For a higher match, Emory comes to mind.</p>
<p>With your stats, you will probably get into UNC, but it isn’t a reliable safety for anyone from outside of NC. I’d say that Tulane is probably pretty safe for you. They have a non-binding, Early Action option, and have waived the application fee in the past. They include merit scholarship notifications with early notifications (or just shortly after mailing the acceptance letters), and so you’d hear from them in the fall. If ,by some strange twist, they were to reject you, you would still have time to apply to other safe schools. </p>
<p>I don’t know how much you like LAC’s, but schools like Oberlin (fantastic conservatory), Skidmore, and Bates are all great schools that I think you definitely could get into. Just a heads up, these are all very small schools.</p>