Help with college list/need safeties? Thank you!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So, applications are due soon, and my college list is still not finalized completely. After speaking with my father, I've decided that I'll pick two or three reach schools, three targets, and a safety or two. I've picked my reaches and targets, but I am failing to come up with good safeties.</p>

<p>Here is my basic information:
SAT: 1940 (Math: 630//Reading: 640//Writing: 670)
ACT: will take in December, hoping for a 31 or 32
SAT IIs: will take in December, hoping for low 700's/high 600's
Overall GPA: 3.2 (Weighted)--Junior and Senior Year (3.7 Weighted)
About 20 honors courses during high school
Two very good teacher recommendations
Basketball (Club) (10-12)
Football (Club) (10-12)
Over 1,000 hours of community service
Head of school maintenance
Peer counseling (over 1,000 hours)
Residential Advisor for 1/2 a year
Paid-intern at contracting company</p>

<p>Here is what I want in a college:
-good academics (really interesting classes, good professors, good study abroad opportunities, good career center)
-interested in economics, philosophy, computer science, political science, and math.
-well known and reputable
-must be near or in a big city
-would like a sports culture
-cannot be dominated by greek life; I prefer more meaningful forms of friendships
-option to explore new hobbies and passions
-somewhere near home (I live in New Jersey)--this is really for my parents' sake</p>

<p>Here's my current list:
Reaches: Boston College, NYU, George Washington
Targets: American University, UPitt, Rutgers-New Brunswick (In State)
Safeties: No idea</p>

<p>Can anyone help with suggestions? Very much appreciated, thank you.</p>

2

<p>How much can your family afford? What is your UW GPA?</p>

3

<p>Possibilities:</p>

<p>Syracuse (if the cost is not an issue)
Drew (if the cost is not an issue, and you’d prefer a smaller school)
Clarkson (ditto)
Rutgers-Camden (if you need a financial safety)</p>

4

<p>Safeties: the less selective NJ public schools and community colleges can be candidates. However, see post #2 – a safety must be affordable, and weighted GPAs are meaningless since your high school’s weighting system may not be what anyone else has seen.</p>

5

<p>Technically, my family can afford a 60,000 liberal arts college, but I would need to take out loans one way or another. I just feel bad that my dad has to pay so much, and I was choosing slightly less expensive schools (minus BC and GW).</p>

6

<p>can you think of any safeties outside NJ?</p>

<p>Syracuse could be a good one… thanks!</p>

7

<p>You may want to see if the less selective SUNYs can be safeties, as they are not super-expensive for out-of-state students, if you really want to leave NJ but your parents don’t want you to go too far.</p>

8

<p>University of Connecticut</p>

<p>University of Maryland</p>

<p>How does NYU, GW, and AU fit your stated criteria of being a sports culture?</p>

9

<p>What is your UW GPA???</p>

10

<p>Even though those schools don’t have an internal sports community, the surrounding city does.</p>

11

<p>My parents are fine with me going as far as the midwest, but when I mention California, my dad seems fairly apprehensive. If I were accepted (this would never happen, of course) to USC, UC Berkley, UCLA, or Stanford, he would absolutely allow me to go.</p>