Help me find some safety/match schools!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm a senior and I've found some schools that I really like and would love to attend, but they're on the reach side of the spectrum. These schools include Villanova, Wake Forest, USC, Clemson & Loyola (I'm expecting to get into those last two, but admissions might throw me a curveball). I'm having trouble finding safety & good match schools...anyone like to help?</p>

<p>I don't want to go anywhere larger than 15,000 or smaller than 2,000. States I'm open to are: VA, NC, SC, MD, DC (not a state but oh well), NJ, NY, PA, MI, and southern CA. Public or private, doesn't matter. I'd like a beautiful campus, but then again, who doesn't. </p>

<p>My stats are as follows...
4.1 GPA, currently taking the toughest course load out of anyone at my HS</p>

<h1>4 rank in class of 200, go to public small HS in MA with some of highest scores on state-standardized testing in our area</h1>

<p>1350 SAT...hoping to improve, have tutor now & am aiming for 1400 at next test
Excellent recommendations from AP history and AP Spanish teachers
lots of ECs, including varsity volleyball captain, varsity lacrosse, competitive dancer since age 4, piano, Model UN, student council class rep for 4 years, co-founder of Book Club, member of Habitat for Humanity LPC in our town, choreographer for a production at school, peer mediator (Note: dance is my "thing" so to speak, it's my passion in life and I don't think I could live without it. I intend on showing that to the admissions board through my essay.)
Volunteering is as follows...re-building dorms at local school for mentally retarded, working at hospital, volunteering at local natural science center, Relay for Life team member raising $2500 annually, helping young kids learn how to play lacrosse at clinics
Had a steady weekend job since freshman year, and this year have started teaching little kids dance at my studio</p>

<p>In college, I'm looking to major in either political science, history, Middle Eastern studies or international relations. I'd also like the school to have a dance program or a dance team. School spirit is important to me, I want a school with a lot of pride - empty stands at football games are NOT an option. I'd also like Greek life to have a somewhat strong presence.</p>

<p>I know this is long and picky, but I'd appreciate any help! Thank you so much.</p>

2

<p>For matches/safeties, my daughter liked Bucknell, Dickinson, Elon. She also is looking at Univ. of Charleston and Univ. of Miami.</p>

<p>I feel your pain, though. Finding safeties that D would happily attend is proving a challenge! Her latest theory is that if she can't go to a dream school, then she wants to go to a "fun" school. Hence the safety nod to Charleston and Miami.</p>

3

<p>Georgetown and Tufts don't have great football but have great Poli Sci/IR. U Maryland College Park has popular football and proximity to DC. Maybe Duke, UVA.</p>

4

<p>Thank you, cindysphinx! I visited Dickinson & didn't care much for it, but Elon sounds good from what I've heard, same with U Miami.</p>

<p>collegehelp, those are some pretty impressive schools! I suppose I'm flattered that you think these are matches/safeties haha.</p>

5

<p>U of Maryland, layfayette, lehigh and u of Delaware. You have a good chance at Villanova and Loyola is a safety</p>

6

<p>Your stats are similar to my daughter's. She didn't have as big a priority on school spirit as you so we generally looked at different schools. I think you are slightly underrating yourself in that I considered Villanova to be a high match for my daughter. In New England and New York, football is generally not as important as hockey and basketball. It is difficult to maintain interest in a fall sport when daytime highs can drop below zero late in the season. For a school fanatic about basketball you might consider Holy Cross which I viewed as comparable to Villanova. It has a reasonable dance program in its theater department. Bucknell has a strong school spirit, a dance program that reads good, and academic requirements which are a high match for my daughter. Gettysburg is an excellent match for your interests if you can accept Division III membership. William and Mary is a high match. UVM is a safety for you, but school spirit is shown at hockey not football.</p>

7

<p>meadesport, thank you! I have heard good things about both U of Maryland and Delaware, I will take a closer look at both.</p>

<p>nmparents, thank you also! I appreciate it. And the whole division III/what sport is popular thing isn't so much of the issue for me as is just having a lot of school spirit, I was just using football stands as an example =) Thank you very much though, my counselor recommended Gettysburg the other day for me, now I will look into it even more!</p>

8

<p>U Maryland College Park seems like a fit. Marquette might be pretty good if you don't mind the location. How about George Mason?</p>

9

<p>One place that has a lot of school spirit, great dance opportunities as well as academics, is larger than 2000, and has a beautiful campus is Smith College. No football, but rugby, crew and other varsity sports seem popular. Strong house system with lots of pride in one’s house, as well as in the college.</p>

<p>And Smith no longer requires SAT or ACT scores for US applicants.</p>

10

<p>*Sorry, didn't read it carefully</p>

11

<p>Since dance is your passion in life, I'm presuming you'll want strong dance opportunities (either classroom or performing) at a safety school. When my youngest d was college hunting last year, she found this to be a challenge. There weren't as many strong ballet offerings for dance minors as she expected, and one of the schools she liked very much as a safety (UPitt, because it does rolling admissions) didn't offer dance except at a club level.</p>

<p>Of the schools on your original list, Wake Forest offers great dance options for minors, and I think you could consider that a solid match school. I don't know about Villanova - for some reason my d thought there wasn't much in the way of dance offered.</p>

<p>Of the safety/match type schools that have been suggested, Bucknell has good dance offerings, and Dickinson more so (CPYB co-operative type program) - though you didn't care for Dickinson after your visit. Elon's dance dept. is terrific (based on the observations of a friend whose d is a MT major there). But there's a strong pre-professional MT and Dance program at Elon - it's important to find out the extent to which non-majors can participate. </p>

<p>Smith is a great school on so many levels, including dance. But I notice that you're from MA, and didn't include it in the list of states you're looking at. If you're open to it, I hope you'll visit. And I don't think there's any Greek scene there, which you've said you'd like as an option.</p>

<p>W & M, where my d is, has a dance program for minors that is strongly focused on modern. My d is loving her modern classes (for the first time ever) and enjoying her ballet class, too, though it isn't what she considers challenging. Many other dance opportunities there - dance team, several performing groups. Neither Smith nor W & M can be considered safeties, though. If you were from VA, I think W & M would be a match school for you; OOS is just a very tough thing there.</p>

<p>Two suggestions - Muhlenberg (safety, though you've got to show interest) and GWU. They're very different schools, of course, but nice dance opportunities are there at each, as well as excellent academic programs. GW is, of course, very strong in your prospective majors. And Muhlenberg is a great school - on the small side (2300?), but gorgeous and full of spirit - really a gem, we thought. Best of luck!</p>

12

<p>All of the colleges in the Patriot League are highly regarded and worth a look.</p>

<p>The</a> Patriot League - Official Athletic Site</p>