Help me find safety schools, please?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So far I'm considering Tufts as my first choice, but I'm veeery unsure about my admission chances.</p>

<p>I'm looking for similar-ish schools with good study abroad programs, good academics (preferably in international relations/neuroscience/biopsychology), not a huge emphasis on athletics, and overall sort of geeky.</p>

<p>Stats:
ACT: 34
GPA: 3.88</p>

<p>I studied abroad in Switzerland for part of my junior year and I now volunteer with the organization I went with. I'm also in my school's GSA. I don't have a ton of extracurriculars. :P</p>

<p>Any suggestions are welcomed!</p>

<p>Also - schools with good financial aid are a plus (especially merit aid.) I don't know my parents' income but I know it's around $100k per year, and my sister's already attending a very expensive school.</p>

2

<p>I don’t think Tufts gives merit aid. </p>

<p>Do you know how much your parents are willing to pay each year for you?</p>

<p>What do you know about Tufts?</p>

3

<p>I’m not sure how much my parents are willing to pay; they don’t like discussing it with me. Maybe 20k a year tops, but that’s just a guess based on my sister’s tuition.</p>

4

<p>Holy Cross has great study abroad, strong academics and a very nice campus.</p>

5

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<p>That can make it tough, since a safety must be definitely affordable. Getting admitted with insufficient financial aid is no better than getting rejected.</p>

<p>Your stats do get you the Presidential Scholarship (full out of state tuition) at University of Alabama. This leaves about $14,000 of other costs per year, which would make it a safety if you can afford more than that. However, it may not be the kind of school you want based on what you wrote above.</p>

6

<p>Hmmm. I’ll look into it. (:</p>

<p>Does anyone else know of schools where I’d get a full scholarship?</p>

7

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>Ooh, that’s helpful.
Does anyone know of schools with the same sort of vibe as Tufts?</p>

9

<p>Profrouge, a useful thread for you: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/tufts-university/1012759-safety-options-tufts-applicants.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/tufts-university/1012759-safety-options-tufts-applicants.html&lt;/a&gt; You could always bump the thread or start a new one over on the Tufts forum.</p>

<p>Please have the money talk with your parents now. I know as a parent it’s not fun, but it is not fair to you or to them to leave it hanging. At the same time, have them get an estimate of their EFC (which they may have if they filed it for your sibling). It’s important for you to know now if you will be looking for merit or need-based aid.</p>