Help me find some safety schools?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi! I already know what good schools I’m gonna reach for - places like Rice, Tufts, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, and so on. I also need a few safety schools to apply for too. If you could let me know the names of some good science/tech schools I could easily enter with this portfolio, let me know.

Testing:
34 ACT Composite, 1 sitting. 35 English, 32 Math, 34 Reading, 33 Science, 9 Writing (out of 12, right?)
2160 SAT Composite, 1 sitting. 700 Math, 770 Reading, 690 Writing. Might retake Nov. 7th. 1 sitting.
760 SAT Math II, 730 SAT Physics, 740 SAT US History

Extracurriculars:
Champion, UNO Computer Science Programming Challenge
2nd Place, IT Innovation Cup (basically a yearlong team-based computer engineering contest with a good community service hook, I made a virtual reality environment with Oculus Rift to treat PTSD)
Robotics Team
Marching Band
Concert Band
Junior Varsity Tennis
Band Manager (leadership)
Summer Internship (legitimate research position with local university)
Paid Job (Expo/Server Assistant at local restaurant)
Debate

AP & Honors Classes:
AP Micro/Macroeconomics, Honors Biology, Honors Geometry my Freshman year.
Honors World History, Honors Advanced Algebra, Honors Chemistry, Honors Literature my Sophomore year.
Honors American Literature, AP Computer Science, AP Geography, Honors German 4, AP Physics 1, Honors PreCalculus, AP US History my Junior year.
AP Government, AP Literature, AP Composition, AP German 5, AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC this year.
5’s on AP Geo, AP US History
4’s on AP Physics 1, AP Computer Science, AP Macro & Micro

Grades & Class Rank:
3.84 Unweighted GPA out of 4. (My school does not weight GPA) Ranked 30 out of 485 at the end of my Junior year, weighted class rank. These will probably go up slightly by the end of the semester, as my current GPA is 3.90 and I’m taking a lot of harder classes.

Other stuff (honors):
Mu Alpha Theta Honors Society
National Honor Society
National Merit Semifinalist (so far - still working on finalist application)
AP Scholar with Distinction

2

butler university

bradley university

drake university

3

What is your home state? Some flagship Us are fantastic and even better with in-state pricing. How much can your family afford?

4

UC San Diego and UC Irvine have great science departments.

5

My family has money, so I can afford pretty much any school. I’m from Nebraska, but I’d like to go out of state.

6

University of Rochester would be my pick as a school you have little risk, but some obviously, of being rejected, especially coming from Nebraska. Lehigh would be another. Geography is a big plus.

7

Purdue? Pitt? RPI? Clemson?

8

You can apply to UMichigan now and hopefully hear back by December. I’d also second URochester.

9

Alabama, Ohio State, Purdue.

10

With a 34ACT you don’t need to retake the SAT. Just submit your ACT.
I second URochester and a UC if you truly can afford anything (check with your parents to make sure they plan on spending 55-65K a year on your education).
Cal Poly SLO, Penn State, UMN Twin Cities would be good safeties for you.

11

Rochester, as a fourth mention, and RPI as a second, depending on the balance you would like between tech and liberal arts. Both of these schools are desirable beyond their position – for some students – as being relatively less difficult to get into. I might prefer them to a school or two in your reach group. I agree that with your already solid ACT, you have little reason to retake the SAT. Though if you have prepared substantially for it, give it another try.

12

If you make National Merit Finalist, Texas A&M and other schools will be relatively inexpensive:
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/

Here are some automatic big scholarship schools that do not need National Merit status:
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/

If you want smaller engineering-focused schools, there are South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

13

Georgia Tech?