<p>It doesn't take too long on CC this week to be reminded of the importance of safeties, both financial and academic. Our GC recently gave us a preliminary list to get the college search started, but I am feeling the need for more on the safe end. Here are about 13 schools I plucked from the list he gave us (I removed places for various reasons, e.g., NYU is off bc I finally convinced my son that it is not worth the cost, Villanova is off bc my son wants a non-denominational school). They are ordered from safety to target to target/reach to reach. If you have any suggestions on or experience with any schools that could be on the safety end and are east of Chicago, I would appreciate it! Stats are 4.2 weighted GPA with upward trend (4.5 last semester), 2010 SAT (first try, taking again and expecting/hoping for better since both CR and Math dropped from PSAT score, though writing went up). Bio SAT 740. Almost all honors or AP (not in English or Spanish). Volunteers with two agencies, member of debate team, and vp of one club. Plays piano. Not sure what he wants to study but loves history and physics. THANK YOU! </p>
<p>SUNY Buffalo
SUNY Albany</p>
<p>SUNY Stony Brook
SUNY Geneseo
SUNY Binghamton
U Rochester</p>
<p>Lehigh
U Michigan
Vassar</p>
<p>Hopkins
Northwestern
Tufts</p>
<p>Stony Brook is highly regarded for physics and math, despite its lowly overall reputation.</p>
<p>Consider looking for safeties according to the procedure described here:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1314309-how-find-assured-admissions-safety.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1314309-how-find-assured-admissions-safety.html</a></p>
<p>For a school that may not necessarily be a safety, consider Minnesota.</p>
<p>try adding few low tier private school that offer merit aid scholarship. imo those school fa offer was much better outcome then suny…if your son can increase his sat, it would mean acceptance with good fa package :)</p>
<p>Depending on aid and the desire to leave the East Coast, check out Lawrence University. Great physics department and a conservatory as well, so piano can be continued.</p>
<p>Wow, really useful information already! (I will never go to sleep now.) Advicemom, how very interesting that LACs’ merit aid can put you in a better place, financially, than SUNY tuition. Wow again. Had not thought of that at all. Amazing. Thank you.</p>
<p>My youngest had somewhat similar stats, but not the interest in physics. He liked history best in high school and in the process of looking at colleges got interested in International Relations. Safeties he considered were U of Vermont, Syracuse, Boston U and Trinity. Ultimately he picked American has his main safety, and when he got into Chicago EA that became his second safety even though it was the most selective school he was ultimately accepted at.</p>
<p>I highly recommend applying to schools with rolling admissions or Early Action - the best safety is the one you get into early!</p>
<p>(I don’t know what SUNYs cost these days, but S2 did get half the cost of attendance as a merit scholarship at American.)</p>
<p>MomofNEA</p>
<p>Love U Rochester and its unique curriculum in which students explore three subjects in depth! I could not get senior son to apply, but am hoping junior one does. </p>
<p>Senior son also loves history and physics. You might try Ohio State – good physics and history dep’ts; very generous with scholarships for OOS (we are from NOVA, and my son received $13,000 from two different scholarships, with grades and academic portfolio close to your son and a 2130 on SATs (which it seems like your son is on the path to achieving); and a very good honors program that provides special attention, research projects and classes for its students, as well as honors housing. </p>
<p>We are looking hard at OSU versus the other places he was accepted – University of Virginia, William & Mary, Va. Tech, and Wake Forest. Of course, all will change of he gets off the wait list at Duke (hope springs eternal). </p>
<p>Just for your information, senior son was wait listed at Hopkins, but he removed himself from WL (which means if your son bumps up SAT another 100 points or so, he would be competitive for JHU, especially if he applies ED where JHU takes 40% of class). Senior son also WL at University of Chicago (better in my view for physics and history than NU), but he removed himself from that WL to focus on Duke. </p>
<p>A few other ideas: Universities of Illinois and Maryland (awesome physics dep’ts, not sure about history); and Pitt and Syracuse (strong in both areas). </p>
<p>Good luck! Your son has lots of great options.</p>
<p>How about Rensselaer? [Office</a> of Admissions - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)](<a href=“http://www.rpi.edu/dept/admissions/index.html]Office”>Redirect Page) If you are thinking of Lehigh and you intend to visit, Lafayette is about 15 minutes away and it’s on the way from NYC to Bethlehem. [Physics</a> Department Lafayette College](<a href=“http://physics.lafayette.edu/]Physics”>http://physics.lafayette.edu/) I’m not sure they would be considered safeties, but good matches with good financial aid.</p>
<p>Realistically, you might also find a FA merit offer from a lower tier private college that puts his total COA somewhat more $ than the SUNY with in-state tuition. It’s a good idea to try for that. That’d give a choice between a small/cozy/private vs. large public environment, if that sounds like an appealing choice to have. Sometimes parents decide the differential in cost is “worth it,” between SUNY instate tuition vs. the private with fa; they rationalize a difference of paying, let’s say, $7K-10K more annually to send the student to the private setting. S-2 ended up with a $14K differential between SUNY Purchase and a lower tier private uni that gave need-based and merit aid in equal measure. We stretched to send him private because of specific reasons in the major and location that mattered tremendously to him. </p>
<p>That said, the large SUNY’s provide a roaring good education to anyone who goes after it with confidence, and doesn’t get distracted by all the ridiculousnesses of freshman social adjustment year. IMO the large menu of courses especially at a large SUNY makes us lucky to live in NYState and have SUNY for a safety or match. </p>
<p>I wondered if you want to put both SUNY BUf and SUNY Albany for safeties, since they are in many ways similar. You could either replace one, or add onto your list, one of the smaller campus choices but not Geneseo; for example: New Paltz, Oneonta, Cortland… just for some variety and a super safety. Keep Geneseo (the SUNY Honors College) on your list, obviously.</p>
<p>Since you wrote “east of Chicago” – might he like Case Western (Cleveland) or UPitt, just for some variety of location on his choice list? They might be closer to match than safety. Look at transportation before you do that. Some students enjoy meeting non-NYStaters once in their lifetime! But the train/bus/car rides need to be considered. Many feel that to go to the effort of a distant school, there needs to be some reason, some offering of that school, to justify those extra transportation costs, time and effort. So I’m not suggesting just adding an Ohio or PA school for the sake of it, unless you find some reason their program offerings are rich. ETA: When researching plane routes and fares, look up a fare 2 months ahead, not within the next 2 weeks. This is more akin to the experience of booking fares for college students, since we always know their travel dates long in advance to get more discounted fares.</p>
<p>I just want to hug or commend you, whichever is your style, for going about this so intelligently, and with full consideration of safeties. So smart. Good luck in the coming year!</p>
<p>Just finishing my third child’s application process I thought this might help. He had approx. SAT scores of 1990, Sat 2’s high 700’s, GPA around 91 (unweighted), most demanding schedule with only 2 varsity sports as his EC’s, not a recruited athlete. No hooks. Not super star but solid, male applicant from suburb of long island. He applied for engineering. I was nervous but his guidance counselor was right on about his chances at the schools he applied to. Naviance at the school helped if you overlook the acceptances of some of the school’s recruited athletes at top schools with lower SAT’s and GPA.
He was ACCEPTED EA to SUNY Binghamton, WPI- (Large merit) and Clemson. WAITLISTED at Lehigh (visited) and URochester (did not visit). ACCEPTED to Union College (visited, small merit), Lafayette (visited) and REJECTED at Bucknell (visited many times, my older D is a senior there). Hope this helps. Sounds like your son is a stronger candidate. I would think (although none of us can fully predict) your son should get into all of the SUNY schools. My son’s friend with lower sat’s got into UMichigan and Geneseo. Other kids from our school with similar stats seem to get into Penn State, UMaryland, UDelaware, UMass Amherst, Syracuse, and Boston Univ, and Northeastern all of which could be ?safeties for your son. I could list many more if you want. Good luck. Sounds like your son will get into some of his match and reach schools too and should apply to them. But I think visiting, some of the smaller schools, really helps.
(Just a reminder, he should love or strongly like his safeties!)</p>
<p>How about U. Pittsburgh? Folks love that place. Also over the years ppl have raved here about Ohio University.</p>
<p>Good choices Hugcheck but an OOS student is unlikely to get substantial merit or financial aid at a State College, not enough to make it close to what she would get being instate at a SUNY.</p>
<p>Look at Allegheny College in western PA-S is a senior there, D accepted but likely to go to Kenyon. S has had an incredible experience there. Featured in Colleges that Change Lives by Loren Pope. Opportunity for non-binding early notification, so takes the pressure off in March/April. Should be good merit aid for a kid with those stats. My kids both got it. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you all for the advice, encouragement, and affirming words! It is so helpful and, for want of a less-cheesy word, heartwarming to get such support. I actually look forward to sharing the journey with you all! We will definitely be considering some lower tier LACs now, as well as schools like Pitt. Thank you !</p>
<p>If you son is willing to go to Buffalo or Albany, with his stats, you shouldn’t need any more safeties. I would suggest at least one school with rolling admission that provides early notification for apps submitted early - like Pitt or Indiana - so there’s some sense of early relief!</p>
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<p>I totally agree. If I remember correctly, DD heard from Albany in January, which is still pretty early. (she graduated from HS in 2010).</p>
<p>How about Roanoke (Virginia) and Susquehana ¶?</p>