^ I agree with the above. Your list looks too reach heavy again. Take some time to really get to know yourself and what you want in college. You don’t want the same thing happening again. You want to see your acceptances and be happy next year. I think you might still be stuck on this prestige thing.
I’m not sure that Brandeis, Rochester, Emory and CWRU taken together do not equal at least one safety. Even better, it seems like you would like and do well at these schools.
@goingnutsmom I know. The problem I have right now is that many safeties have the same issues I have with NEU/my schools from this year…I honestly don’t know of a safety that’s small enough for me to feel comfortable with decent CS that’s a real safety. For example, when I punch “Small or Midsize school” “Computer Science” “33-66 percent acceptance rate” into the college search tool at the top of the page, I get:
-Nazareth College of Rochester
-Hampton
-Niagara University
-Rider University
These are not schools I would choose over NEU if I get rejected from all the schools I apply to this year.
Again, I wanted a gap year BEFORE I got all those rejections. If I end up at NEU after a year, so what? I got to go to Spain for a year! That’s incredible!
Getting into a college I like more would sweeten the deal, but that’s it. I would also be very surprised if I was rejected from Rochester or Brandeis. Not stunned, I guess, but surprised.
I am not saying that you would get rejected from the matches on your list. I highly doubt that you would be shut out from them. What I am focusing in on is if you would be happy or at least accepting of the schools that do accept you this second time. TBH, I’ve come across your posts in this process and you appeared haphazardly applying to colleges that you had not intended to go to in the first place (Northeastern- too close to home) or colleges that you found out were not a good social fit (too big, impersonal). Developing a list comes from really knowing yourself. I was not aware that the gap year was always something you wanted to do. It was briefly mentioned in one post then again how your parents wanted you to take a gap year when you got shut out by all of your reaches. Maybe slow down to really understand what you want from college. Also, visit the campus before you apply. Read the books out there like Fiske and some others.
@goingnutsmom Have you read the entire thread? The haphazard applying is part of the reason I’m taking a gap year. That’s why I’m starting to form a list now as opposed to, say November (which is when I made my list last year). I have been open to suggestions and this is not my final list.
There is absolutely no way, unless I limit my locations to MA, Eastern NY, VM, and CT, for me to visit all the schools I’m applying to before I apply.
If you’re going to criticize the list I have, fine, it’s only May…but give me some suggestions, too!
OP, you got accepted the first time from a lot of great colleges- Occidental, Fordham and others. It’s that you weren’t really happy or accepting of them. You wanted the reaches. I get that. But your list needs to have the safeties, matches that you would be happy to attend. Maybe not ecstatic but looking forward to attending happy. None of those in the end fit that criteria. Again, your list needs some reflecting on your part. If your family can afford it, maybe a consultant can help you craft a solid list. You say that you are full pay, no need family. Wish you the best.
Occidental College does not have a computer science program. They have a CS minor. They recommended I try the 3/2 program with Caltech. I declined because I know how unlikely it is for students to actually complete a 3/2 program.
Fordham, upon visiting, was more overly Catholic than my guidance counselor suggested it would be.
I did not “want the reaches”. My reaches were the only schools that fit me and my needs. That was a mistake I made last year. I made mistakes last year. I am trying not to repeat those mistakes. I don’t know why this signifies to you that I do not know myself and need a college consultant.
Your list now is mostly, and nicely, homogeneous in character, Q. I’ve seen other posters who think variety is better, but I think an important part of the narrowing process should be an appropriate narrowing of your list based on the style of education you are seeking. If you can define this, then the particular schools will start to fall in line. Nonetheless, I see the addition of the LACs with good CS programs as a positive.
NEU is certainly not a safety in terms of selectivity, so you’re in a favorable situation providing you’d attend, like you say. You might be able to find a safety/likely that you’re more excited about, but it won’t be as selective as NEU. Merit aid is a possibility too, to increase the appeal over NEU.
Emory, Brandeis, Case Western, U Rochester are matches to some degree. Your 670 M is bottom half for these schools, especially with respect to computer science. Sure, you should get admitted to at least one of them, but a cluster of matches does not constitute a safety, so you need to be sure about attending NEU.
@Dunboyne Yes, I know about my math score being weak, hence the ACTs, which are more apt to “hide” a bad math score. Hopefully I will do well.
Look, if I have to attend NEU, I have to attend NEU. It is what it is. I’ve probably taken 15 SAT math sections at this point (in practice and officially). I don’t predict that score budging, regardless of how much I study. Math has been more difficult for me than other subjects for the bulk of my life. Again, it is what it is. That is not an attribute about myself that I can change. I have been successful in math courses through immense effort and study. If that’s not enough, there’s nothing more I can do.
I’m not suggesting for you to improve your math score. I was dealing with the likelihood of you attending NEU, according to the matches on your list. Your math score is fine. The matches on your list are fine. Moving along, I’m with @merc81 in regards to finding a LAC or two that might put a smile on your face. 
OP, we are all just trying to help you. Calm down. I suggested the consultant only because it appears that your family can afford it and it might help you have a conversation with someone to bounce ideas off of. Sometimes these threads get really sticky because things don’t come across well. Crafting a solid list actually is a lot of work. Unfortunately, you are a demographic that these high status schools are inundated with. But there are so many options out there. One very high stats girl I know got shut out of all her matches and reaches. The matches wait listed her I think because they thought she would enroll elsewhere (no campus visit , no interview so really did not show them she was interested) and the reaches denied her because they are reaches. Guess what school accepted her? Northeastern with some merit but not enough to make it financially doable for her family. And she didn’t like the co op idea (then why did she even apply?). She hadn’t researched it before applying. Her only acceptance was her safety state university. It’s good that you realize the mistakes from the first time. Just suggesting you research your list more thoroughly.
@goingnutsmom Criticizing me for mistakes I already know about and admitted to making is not helpful. It’s unfortunate that happened to the girl you know. I have said several times in this thread that I’ll go to Northeastern if I get rejected everywhere again this year. I was planning on taking a gap year prior to the rejections and thought that this would be an opportunity to apply to schools I like better that Northeastern, hence why I’m not going to apply to any “safeties” in the traditional sense of the word. It’s not like I’ll take another gap year if I get rejected everywhere this year, which is why I’m comfortable with a list that’s full of reaches.
I’ll repeat again, for the third time:
If I am rejected everywhere during my gap year, I WILL go to NEU. It will not be the end of my life. I am not looking for someone to lecture me on how I’m an unhooked white girl that will probably get rejected everywhere. That is a reality I am (very) acutely aware of. I am looking for concrete suggestions of colleges I should look into. Telling me that I am not researching throughly and suggesting that I am not aware of the realities of college admissions is not helpful.
I thought you had already been accepted to McGill. Won’t they allow you to take a gap-year deferral? They are a great university, with global recognition. I think a school that’s accepted you could be a safety, unless you already missed your deadline for requesting.
@woogzmama No, most public universities, particularly those in other countries, will not allow you to defer admission. You also cannot defer admission to more than one university. I was accepted, and it does have global recognition. However, it’s just too large and impersonal. I think, despite its size, that I would feel very alone there.
I am sorry that you were not accepted to one of your reaches the first time. It does really appear that you were well qualified and would have done just fine. It just appeared that you were left with non options in the end because of not knowing what was a good environmental fit (knowing yourself) , some lack of research and well just bad luck. You came on here asking for help and I’m just suggesting you do more work by getting some good college guides. It’s when I saw Stanford, Harvard, Brown , WUSTL, I thought you might be recreating another reach heavy list. I’ll stop my input. Good luck and wish the best.
Check out the Midwest LACs: Grinnell and Oberlin. They have good CS and the type of vibe/size that seems to fit you. Grinnell is more rural, but that doesn’t stop loads of people from loving it. If you’re ok with a women’s college, look at Mount Holyoke, which is in a consortium with U Mass Amherst for additional course options.
Be careful with schools where your SAT M is near or below the bottom quartile – which is every reach on your list – especially when stating an interest in CS. You might have lower odds than you bargain for. Schools that you think are low matches might be high matches, high matches could be reaches, etc. LACs (except the ultra-elites) might be even more sensible for you in that regard, as the math scores tend to be lower, giving you more confidence in their “matchiness”. I’m ok with Emory, Brandeis, Case Western, U Rochester as matches, but again, a couple of these might be higher matches than you think. Most of your reaches are probably high reaches.
The unfavorable decisions you got from UCB, JHU, Tufts, Brown, and Rice could have had more to do with your SAT M (coupled with CS) than your overall profile or lack of passion in the apps. Your 2230, GPA, and class rank are very good, and should have put you in a decent position for those schools. Your list of reaches was actually not that ill-conceived, according to your basic profile. These schools are tough admits, no doubt, but you could have easily been pulled toward even more prestige (like with your 2nd list of reaches). Your list of match schools was poor because they didn’t fit.
Your current matches are much stronger and better fitting, but your reaches should probably be knocked down a peg or two. Harvard is acceptable as a legacy. Wesleyan is good (and probably a low reach). I might keep Amherst (proximity). With Brown, Pomona, Stanford, WUSL, your time and energy might be better placed. Tufts is debatable as an ED, having been denied once. If you could find another comparable school that pumped you up as much, for ED, then another RD application for Tufts would be fine, but concentrate on the app much more and show interest in as many other ways as possible.
It’s only May!
You might want to read through this thread.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1775102-help-me-find-some-smaller-lac-ish-schools-for-cs-p1.html
I love your initial list. I wouldn’t add Case, they are not that strong for CS as for engineering. I don’t know why.
Have you considered Wellesley? It would give you access to MIT especially during senior year, but it would also give you access to MIT recruiting. Maybe you don’t want a women’s college, but I think this could be a good situation.
By the way. Northeastern CS is actually very good, so having that as your safety is excellent.
I don’t think you need to add LACs because I think you’re likely to get into Brandeis or Rochester.
Rochester has really good CS.
@ClassicRockerDad I actually have a fee waiver and scholarship to the University of Rochester, so it could be a good place for me.
I have not looked at Wellesley, mainly because I haven’t been looking into women’s schools. I can take a more in-depth look, though! Thank you!