<p>On average, how many safety choices do one have? I have like 3 to 4 right now, I don't know if I should decrease the amount or not. THey are LMU, Santa Clara, U of San Diego, and UC Santa Cruz.</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I think it’s a good idea to have at least 3 FINANCIAL safeties for a few reasons. </p>
<p>1) you may no longer like your safety in the spring of senior year and you don’t want to get stuck going to a school that you don’t like</p>
<p>2) Safeties often offer merit scholarships, so it’s nice to have a few offers to possibly choose from.</p>
<p>3) Safeties often have rolling admissions, so it’s nice to have at least one admittance in your pocket in the fall. :)</p>
<p>4) If your top picks don’t work out (either because of rejections or they are unaffordable), then it’s nice to still have 3 schools to choose from.</p>
<p>5) And, lastly, sometimes kids don’t get into one of their safeties, because they underestimated what they needed to get accepted. Or, one of their safeties isn’t affordable.</p>
<p>BTW…SCU isn’t really a safety for ANYONE these days. It can be a match or reach. And, because you’re out-of-state, then UC Santa Cruz isn’t a safety, either.</p>
<p>And…unless your family can afford to pay for the full cost for these schools (about $55k per year), then these schools cannot be considered financial safeties/matches, either.) </p>
<p>Do you know if your family can pay full-freight? If so, then great, but if not, then they aren’t financial safeties/matches.</p>
<p>My D applied to too many “safeties” She got into all and is having an extremely difficult time making the decision, costing us more money for an additional visit or two and alot of stress. The differences in her safeties are small nuances that make each school unique. Collectively we are using the “Honors College” programs to help decide between the 4 finalists. </p>
<p>She is waiting on decisions from the “reaches” now. I am praying that she gets into one of them so the decision will be made.</p>
<p>I have a 3.7 weighted GPA with 1720 SAT - 560 reading 600 math 560 writing. I’ll take SATs twice more and ACT too to see how much I get more.</p>
<p>I just saw this on one of your other threads. If those are your latest SAT scores, then SCU is a reachy/match for you. Same for UCSC. </p>
<p>Perhaps you don’t understand the definition of a safety. A safety should be a school that you can financially afford to go to. And, that you are pretty much assured to get accepted with your stats because your stats are in the upper 25% or so of the school.</p>
<p>For Santa Clara to be a safety for you, you’d have to have about a 2000 SAT (or a 1330 M+CR) or a 31 ACT.</p>
<p>aha yeah I think I didn’t understand the whole idea of “safety schools.” I’m gonna have to re-organize my list darn.</p>
<p>So for a maryland international student like me, a safety might be like a public university in maryland? But I don’t wanna go to college in Maryland at all, I really wanna go somewhere warm like California.</p>
<p>Collegeorbust: *Collectively we are using the “Honors College” programs to help decide between the 4 finalists. *</p>
<p>Yes! That can often be a deciding factor! Also the quality of **dorms **and dining venues!!! LOL</p>
<p>swkim…</p>
<p>There are some safety schools in Calif. I’m a Calif native, so I can recommend some. But, first you need to tell us what your family can afford to spend.</p>
<p>My family can probably afford SCU, but some sort of financial aid would definitely be helpful</p>
<p>I think having two safeties (financial if appropriate) is important to ensure that you have to make SOME choice in April. If you only have one, you may feel like you were backed into it because you got rejected from your matches and reaches. If you have two, you have to reject one, and it can be a catharsis to have to make an affirmative choice. </p>
<p>Another point to be made is that it is often cheaper and faster just to apply to safeties than to go visit them and make a careful choice. This may cause one to apply to a few extras just for expediency. If you have to go through a more grueling selection on the back end, it is because you saved time on the front end. For example, some schools have an application that takes 15-30 minutes. You need to spend a lot of time on your matches and reaches, assuming you prefer them to your safeties. </p>
<p>I also think that safeties mean that you will surely get in regardless of any subjective factor like demonstrated interest. If they do reject people with your stats, it’s not a real safety. I know this is a controversial opinion, but nonetheless, it is my opinion.</p>
<p>*My family can probably afford SCU, but some sort of financial aid would definitely be helpful *</p>
<p>Ok…this isn’t how it works… :)</p>
<p>You first need to find out what they will spend (don’t assume, kids often assume wrong in this area.) Ask them specifically how much they are willing to spend on your education each year. SCU costs about $55k per year. If they won’t say, then ask…“If I get accepted to SCU, will you pay the $55k per year for me to go there?”</p>
<p>Now…financial aid is based on “determined need”. If your family doesn’t have determined need, then you won’t get aid. So…what is their EFC? [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml]FinAid”>http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml) For private schools, use the Institutional method.</p>
<p>Also, most schools cannot meet determinedneed. Only the top elites usually meet need, and your stats aren’t high enough for those. </p>
<p>When you have that info, then you can correctly come up with a list of reaches, matches, and safeties.</p>
<p>In my opinion, you only really need one true admissions and financial safety. It should be a place that (a) is virtually guaranteed to accept you, (b) you definitely can afford to attend, and (c) you’d be happy to attend. If all 3 of these are true, you don’t really need more than one (though ClassicRockerDad makes a good point about the psychology of choice).</p>
<p>However, if you need substantial financial aid regardless of the school, and you are not a very highly qualified applicant (Ivy caliber), then these days it may be impossible to find a true admissions and financial safety. In that case, you’ll need more than one, or you may need to attend on a part-time basis if money does not come through.</p>
<p>I think having two safeties (financial if appropriate) is important to ensure that you have to make SOME choice in April. If you only have one, you may feel like you were backed into it because you got rejected from your matches and reaches. If you have two, you have to reject one, and it can be a catharsis to have to make an affirmative choice.</p>
<p>Even students from affluent families need to have a couple of financial safeties. There have already been a few postings from affluent kids & parents whose families can no longer afford the schools that they applied to in the fall because of job loss or a surprise divorce.</p>
<p>CRD is right. If you only have one financial safety, you may feel “backed into it” in the spring. Last year, one student sadly referred to her safety as the “consolation prize” when all of her top choices proved unaffordable. If she had had 2-3 financial safeties to choose from, she wouldn’t have felt so “railroaded” into one school (especially if by the time spring came, she didn’t like her safety anymore). At least then she would have felt like she still had a choice.</p>
<p>In my opinion, you only really need one true admissions and financial safety. It should be a place that (a) is virtually guaranteed to accept you, (b) you definitely can afford to attend, and (c) you’d be happy to attend. If all 3 of these are true, you don’t really need more than one (though ClassicRockerDad makes a good point about the psychology of choice).</p>
<p>The psychology of choice cannot be underestimated. It can also not be underestimated that kids change their minds during the application season, and the one “loved” safety in the fall may not be loved in the spring.</p>
<p>Safeties come in two main categories: Academic (you are pretty sure you can get in based on your grades and test scores), and Financial (you can afford without much financial aid). If you do not qualify to file the FAFSA, your Financial Safeties are places that your family can afford to pay for. You say that you are a “Maryland International”. Do you have a Green Card or otherwise qualify to file for federal financial aid (read the rules at the FAFSA website)? Until you answer this question, you really can’t go any further.</p>
<p>Depending on your specific visa status, and the length of time you have resided in Maryland, you may qualify for in-state tuition and fees at the community colleges even if you can’t file the FAFSA. Here are the rules for Montgomery College: [Tuition</a> & Refunds Information - Montgomery College, MD](<a href=“http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/admissions/Registration/TuitionInfo.htm#policy]Tuition”>How To Apply and Register | Montgomery College, Maryland) I don’t know about the rules for the public universities in Maryland. Check their websites.</p>
<p>As an International, if English is not your first language and you have been studying in English language schools for fewer than seven years, you should take the TOEFL. A TOEFL score will give the international admissions offices more information, and can help them determine how much of your standardized test scores are due to English language issues.</p>
<p>tk21769 recommends that you find at least one “true admissions and financial safety”. I agree with this completely. Academic safeties may not be financial safeties, and vice versa. You need at least one clear true safety that qualifies in both categories. As a Maryland state resident, your local community college probably fills this bill. All of them are very good, and Montgomery College is excellent. There are several honors programs, and students transfer successfully to 4-year institutions all over the country after completing a year or two there. If you live in an adjacent county, the commute would not be difficult, and if you choose one of the “Statewide” programs you would pay in-county tuition and fees (provided you are eligible for in-state fees). You also need to investigate the public universities in Maryland. UM-College Park is not the only one! Stop by your guidance office and ask for a copy of the Maryland Higher Education Commission publication “College 411” or visit their website at [url=<a href=“http://www.mdgo4it.org%5DMDgo4it%5B/url”>http://www.mdgo4it.org]MDgo4it[/url</a>] for more ideas.</p>
<p>Another Safety option that you might want to explore, is returning to your home country for your undergraduate education. Often that is the least expensive option for international students. However, you will need to investigate the specific admissions requirements at those universities.</p>
<p>
Depends on what kind of decision-maker you are. I’m the kind of person who can eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch for weeks on end. All my dress shirts come in one solid color (makes things easier in the morning). So I guess I’m not that big on choice for its own sake. </p>
<p>Sure, if you have time and money on your hands, go ahead and submit 2, 3, or more. But this is no substitute for ensuring that, if at all possible, at least one is a true admission and financial safety. Several schools that don’t quite meet the three criteria I stated are a poor substitute for one school that does. Finding 2 or 3 that do can be a tall order.</p>
<p>Depends on what kind of decision-maker you are. I’m the kind of person who can eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch for weeks on end. All my dress shirts come in one solid color (makes things easier in the morning). So I guess I’m not that big on choice for its own sake.</p>
<p>LOL… (and I mean this with love)…this reminds me of Adrian Monk from Monk TV show. And, my sister ( a therapist) wears a black skirt and a white blouse everyday! LOL She says it makes like easier…and I’m sure it does.</p>
<p>But, remember, you are “choosing” to buy all your tops in one color. That’s different than being told, “You must only wear THAT color.” (LOL…this is coming from a girl who spent 12 years in Catholic school uniforms…LOL )</p>
<p>Sure, if you have time and money on your hands, go ahead and submit 2, 3, or more. But this is no substitute for ensuring that, if at all possible, at least one is a true admission and financial safety. Several schools that don’t quite meet the three criteria I stated are a poor substitute for one school that does. Finding 2 or 3 that do can be a tall order.</p>
<p>Oh I agree with much of what you’ve written. I just think teens change their minds about what they want more than older people do, hence the suggestion of applying to 2-3 financial safeties. </p>
<p>I agree that in some areas of the country, it can be hard to find 2 or 3 safeties, especially if you limit yourself to a small geographical area, if you have a unique major in mind, or if you have modest or lowish stats. However, with an open mind and decent stats, a person should be able to find 2-3 likeable safeties. :)</p>
<p>But, if a student only applies to the local instate financial safety where he doesn’t really want to go (even if it’s a fine school), then he should apply to a couple other financial safeties.</p>
<p>My kids each applied to 6 - 9 schools. Each applied to 3 safeties. I insisted that they apply to the local state school because it is strong in their majors (just in case), even though they’d rather die then commute to a local school…LOL…but, they also applied to 2 other “go away to school safeties.”</p>