Help me find safety/match schools? Thank you!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>4.0 GPA, 35 ACT, 250+ hours/year of community service. Multiple club leadership positions (in service-oriented clubs)</p>

<p>Here is a list of reach-type schools that I have been looking at:</p>

<p>BC
Brown
Johns Hopkins
Northwestern
Stanford
William and Mary (OOS)
Wash U in St. Louis
Yale</p>

<p>Obviously, this list is populated with highly selective schools. I like the size of these undergrad programs, and the flexibility in terms of course requirements that many of them offer. After visiting campus and speaking with students, each of these schools felt very welcoming and just plain friendly.</p>

<p>Do you have any suggestions as to schools that that might offer similar size with flexibility in requirements and a positive atmosphere? Thanks so much! </p>

2

<p>BC is probably close to a safety for you, but you might want one absolute sure thing. Can your family pay full price at most colleges? What state are you in? I think that your stats are good enough for almost every public flagship college in the country. You can almost certainly get into Tulane, and you are likely to receive a generous merit scholarship. I’m pretty sure that both Tulane and BC have non-binding Early Action, so I recommend taking advantage of that option. You will hear from both before the application deadlines, and - since you are very likely to be admitted - will not have to worry about any additional safeties. If finances are an issue for your family, then you should also apply to at least one in-state public college, where you are likely to earn a nice merit award. Breathe! Most high school seniors would kill for your qualifications. </p>

3

<p>@woogzmama thank you! I will absolutely look at Tulane. and thank you as well for that last bit of advice- something to remember for sure!</p>

4

<p>Someone with your stats will have to convince your safeties that you’re not just using them as safeties. Show them some interest. Write the Why Tulane essay. Make contact with the AO.</p>

5

<p>I disagree with woogzmama’s recommendation re applying EA to Tulane/BC. Before you go that route review your high reach colleges (Brown, Northwestern, Washington U, Stanford and Yale ). Is there one that is on top of your list? If so consider applying ED (Brown, Washington U, Northwestern) or EA (Stanford, Yale). For the ED colleges the acceptance rate for ED is as much as 3x that of RD. For the EA colleges the EA advantage is much smaller. The ED/EA colleges may have restrictions on where else you can apply during the ED/EA phase.</p>

6

<p>My D with similar stats used University of Wisconsin-Madison as her safety. She applied in September and was admitted in October. </p>

<p>Pittsburgh has an honors program and rolling admissions. Vermont is small for a flagship public, beautiful, has an honors program, and early action. </p>

<p>Other options
SUNY Binghamton
UDelaware
NYU (if you are fill pay).
McGill
Toronto
University of British Columbia
University of Washington (nice honors program). </p>

7

<p>I only recommended Tulane, because their EA is non-binding. I think BC’s probably is, also - neither of my sons applied, but it seems that several of their peers had acceptances from BC before Christmas, but chose other colleges.</p>

8

<p>Wow, I didn’t realize that Tulane had both EA and SCEA. That’s bizzare. So basically applying to Tulane EA signals to Tulane that it is NOT your first choice. LOL, I don’t even know what to think about that. </p>

<p>BC is EA and only restriction is that you may not apply ED anywhere. </p>

<p>So if your first choice is Yale or Stanford, since SCEA doesn’t gives you little advantage, the best strategy IMHO, is to apply to a rolling safety and apply BC and Tulane EA and the rest RD. You will get a safety before the RD deadline and maybe before the EA deadline. </p>

<p>If you have a first choice and it is either Brown, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, W&M or WUSTL, then apply to your first choice ED, apply to Tulane EA and skip BC until RD - take the admissions boost that ED provides. </p>

<p>If you do apply to Yale or Stanford SCEA, 1) these are very difficult schools to get in, so even with your stats it probably still more likely than not that you won’t get in, but if you did, it’s most likely that you would have gotten in RD anyway, 2) you won’t have a safety by RD time unless you either get in or applied to a rolling public safety, and 3) you will have given up the ED card, which is just as well because they weren’t your first choice. However, if you got in, and people certainly do, you are all set up - one and done. Yale or Stanford is your safety, haha. </p>

<p>If you don’t have a first choice, then doing BC and Tulane EA makes sense to keep your options open. </p>

<p>So, OP, you have some hard decisions to make, but you are a terrific candidate so don’t stress too much!</p>

9

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<p>Tulane openly says that applying SCEA instead of EA indicates a higher “level of applicant’s interest” that they consider.</p>

<p><a href=“http://tuadmissionjeff.blogspot.com/2011/10/whats-deal-with-single-choice-early.html”>http://tuadmissionjeff.blogspot.com/2011/10/whats-deal-with-single-choice-early.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

10

<p>Thank you, all! I hadn’t really thought of “Strategy” but you are absolutely right that I have to think that through. And best of luck to your people going through this process now! </p>