Created seperate thred. I found the question thought provoking, thanks!
Ask the counselors if any students in the past applied ED and backed out. If so, the colleges may be holding grudges against the school and auto rejecting applicants (including RD).
OP, your list is actually Yale, Duke, Hopkins, Cornell, UVa, Rochester, Penn State, and Lehigh? if you are an unhooked average excellent candidate, I’d say you still have some work to do, such as: (1) actually having a safety school on your college application list, and 2) adding a strong likely or two. You still have time to get an app or two in at a couple more schools as some have Feb 1 deadlines. Get busy.
@RustyTrowel what is the issue with my current list? I know that I have 4 reaches, but Penn State (I’m in state) and even Rochester are safeties (I was offered 2 separate merit scholarships by Rochester, so I really doubt they would reject me). I’m almost positive I will get into Lehigh; naviance shows that literally every student near me on the scattargram was accepted, and I showed a lot of demonstrated interest. I’m reluctant to add more schools because I think that my list is sufficient, though I was considering adding Pitt. I’d appreciate it if you could explain to me why I need more schools. Do you not think Penn State is a safety? I heard that they admit purely by numbers, and my stats are well above their averages.
@ucbalumnus that’s something I considered, but I don’t think that is the case here.
When I look at your list, I see 5 reaches (Yale, Duke, Hopkins, Cornell and UVa OOS) and three targets (Rochester, Penn State, and Lehigh). Three targets is just too few; it is just too easy (indeed, likely) for a high stats, average excellent kid to collect rejections from all of 5 your reaches. But, in general, a safety is a school where you a rock solid certain you will be admitted. In order to be rock solid certain, the school needs to run a mechanical, stats-driven admissions process, preferably on a rolling basis so you can apply early and get admitted early. I don’t see any of the Big 10 schools being safeties, even for in-state folks. Years ago, yes. But now? No. Lehigh has been accused of Tufts Syndrome in the past. Rochester is a great school, and the merit scholarships would turn it in to a likely. So, you have 5 reaches, 2 targets, and a likely from where I sit. it is getting harder to find true safeties that fit the rock-solid definition, so you add some likelys to the mix. Pitt is a great idea (interesting honors college there), another high quality likely that is probably off your radar like College of Wooster with it’s late app. deadline might also make sense.
Would you be happy at Penn State? if YES then you are fine - if NO then you might need one more
@swampdraggin my thought is that I would be happier at Penn State than any other safety school.