<p>I have guaranteed acceptance to UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, and UC Santa Barbara and I was planning on using those as my safeties BUT... </p>
<p>I don't really like them anymore.</p>
<p>Could someone give me sugesstions on private schools that could be safeties. Preferably in CA or the northeast</p>
<p>here are my stats:</p>
<p>Ethnicity: African American/Mexican
First gen. American
First gen. to attend college</p>
<p>Academics:</p>
<p>GPA - Unweighted: 3.80
GPA - Weighted: 4.20
Class Rank: 15
Class Size: 700</p>
<p>Major will probably be in either biology or poli sci</p>
<p>Scores:</p>
<p>SAT I Math: 680
SAT I Critical Reading: 760
SAT I Writing: 660
Total: 2100</p>
<p>SAT II Biology - E: 720
SAT II Spanish: 770</p>
<p>AP scores:
Bio-5
Psych-5
English lang-5
spanish-5
euro history-4
chemistry-3</p>
<p>Extracurriculars: too many to list with lots of leadership</p>
<p>yes I do need FA, quite a bit actually…
I would prefer the aid to be based on need but I could also look at schools offering mainly merit based.</p>
<p>Did you know that you can edit your posts for 20 minutes after posting? just click on blue “edit”.</p>
<p>The problem is that typically “safety” schools often can’t provide 100% of need w/o loans…therefore, you probably should look for merit - with your stats, you get some!</p>
<p>BTW…how do you already know that you have guaranteed acceptance to 3 UCs? Is that because of your grades? And, what is it about them that you don’t like? (So, we don’t suggest schools with similar issues)</p>
<p>People, this young person (male or female??) needs some suggestions for safeties. Needs a lot of F/A, so probably needs some merit to avoid loans.</p>
<p>California has a program called ELC and basically as long as you are in the top 4% of your class you are guaranteed a spot at certain campuses.</p>
<p>The thing I don’t like about them is that most are so large that I’m afraid that I will feel lost and that I won’t get any attention from the professors. Also, with all the budget issues in CA causing the tuition costs to rise, I want to find a school that will give me FA, like I said before.</p>
<p>btw- thanks mom2collegekids for the tip about editing, I’ve been on here a whil but I just never noticed the button!</p>
<p>Being a URM and with your stats, I can say that your reaches will probably want you. I don’t know what your list of schools are, but when you’re dependent on financial aid, you really don’t have a choice to be picky with your safeties unless you want to attend private schoolsl tiers below the UCs, and even at that rate no private schools below the UC’s will pay you to go to their school without you having to at least take out loans to cover housing expenses. The only schools that might completely subsidized your education including housing are the reaches because they will have the largest endowments and most likely have very generous financial aids. Also you shouldn’t be quick to eliminate UCLA or other UCs. Different UCs offer different financial awards. UCLA gave me more than Berkeley and Irvine.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if schools like Pomona College or Claremont McKenna have eliminated the no loan policy, and still have the guaranteed 100 percent of need policy as well, but you could look at those schools. But again they aren’t going to be safeties for anyone.</p>
<p>Yes, but would they be considered, “safeties”???</p>
<p>I’m thinking that she might get good aid/good merit from places like…</p>
<p>Seatle U
U of Portland
Gonzaga
USanFrancisco
USanDiego
LMU
Santa Clara (reachy match)</p>
<p>I think (not sure) her URM status would be a super help. They might even have additional scholarships for URMs. Santa Clara would be a matchy-reach, but they would likely give her a nice offer. I know that all of these schools are Catholic, but none would be “too Catholic” for a non Catholic.</p>
<p>But, I also agree that she’ll likely be snapped up by some/all of her top choices. She’s an excellent prospect :)</p>
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<p>Oh yes, I’m familiar with that program. I just didn’t know that a student knew ahead of time “which” schools they were guaranteed entrance. Thanks for the additional info. :)</p>
<p>What about USC? University of Chicago? You may have a shot at UNC- Morehouse fellowship. I think that Chicago could really work for you. I would not make an issue about loans when talking to schools. The norm still is that if you are getting aid, they expect you to take out a loan. You might have a loan, and still have a reasonable bank balance, though- that will help when you move to a new place for a job or graduate school. If you find a good loan-free school that wants you, what could be better. However, schools want people who want to go there and are willing to sacrifice something, so nickel and diming about loans will not look good. You can always decline politely later, if a better deal comes through from another school.</p>
<p>Well, it would be one thing if it was just about “nickels and dimes” . However, the truth is that a simple $40k loan (just $10k per year - which many on CC believe is reasonable), would cost the OP about $460 a month for 10 very long years. </p>
<p>Now, if that’s the only way the OP can get an education, then maybe there won’t be any other choice. But, if she pursues options that will leave her “loan-free” - her life between the ages of 23 - 33 will be less burdened with debt.</p>
<p>However, I agree not to say a lot upfront and wait to see what’s offered. But, it’s also important for the OP to actively pursue schools that will likely result in few or no loans.</p>
<p>As long as the OP qualifies for as much need based aid as he needs, we should be suggesting schools that meet 100% of need, and even better, schools that do so without loans. The OP is a VERY strong candidate for any private college, and safeties don’t need to go lower than top 30 schools.</p>
<p>100% MEET NEED SCHOOLS</p>
<p>Amherst (MA)
Antioch (OH)
Barnard (NY)
Bates (ME)
Beloit (WI)
Bowdoin (ME)
Brown (RI)
Bucknell ¶
California Institute of Technology (CA)
Campbell University (NC)
Carleton (MN)
Chapman (CA)
Claremont McKenna (CA)
Clarke College (IA)
Colby (ME)
Colgate (NY)
College of the Holy Cross MA)
Columbia (NY)
Connecticut College
Cornell
Dartmouth
Davidson (NC)
Duke
Emory
Franklin and Marshall ¶
Georgetown University (DC)
Gettysburg ¶
Grinnell (IA)
Hamilton (NY)
Harvard
Harvey Mudd (CA)
Haverford ¶
Lafayette ¶
Lake Forest College (IL)
Lawrence University (WI)
Macalester (MN)
MIT
Middlebury (VT)
Mount Holyoke (MA)
Northwestern (IL)
Oberlin (OH)
Occidental (CA)
Pomona (CA)
Princeton
Rice
Salem College (NC)
Scripps (CA)
Smith College (MA)
Southern Arkansas University
Stanford
St. Olaf College (MN)
Swarthmore
Talladega College (AL)
Thomas Aquinas College (CA)
Trinity College (CT)
Tufts University
University of Chicago
University of Pennslyvania
University of Richmond
University of Virginia
Vassar
Wabash College (IN
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wesleay University
Williams Colelge
Yale University</p>
<p>Of these schools, IMO, schools in the range of Richmond, Trinity, St. Olaf, Bates, Occidental and Lafayette would be safeties.</p>
<p>Couldn’t find a list of no loans schools, but here’s an article that mentions most:</p>
<p>My <strong>free advice</strong>* pass on UC San Diego Not much of a school feel to it, more of a commuter campus, very crowded, hard to park, expensive to live in La Jolla which is 35% retired people, 35% wealthy people and 30% students. San Diego is lovely but very boring. Where are you from?</p>
<p>Also skip Scripps- better to go to Claremont McKenna</p>
<p>Why not Skidmore if you like Amherst? Williams?</p>
<p>OK I know you want safety schools but I wouldn’t worry, you will get aid everywhere. You seem to be sort of al over small schools, big schools, urban…where do you really want to go, what environment?</p>
<p>@404jeff: Thanks for the advice! I’ve already decided that I don’t really like UC’s for their size, but my parents would like to to apply to a few anyway. Actually, I would prefer not to apply to schools in SoCal (too close to home, I want to get the experience of really being independent, otherwise my parents will be sure to visit often I’m from the SD area. </p>
<p>I have never heard of Skidmore. I’ll look it up now!</p>
<p>I want a school that is mid-sized (maybe 3000-8000 undergrads) and I don’t have to be in a city but I at least want to be within easy reach of a city. No rural schools. I prefer a schools in CA (north of LA only) or in New England (I really like the Boston area, but other areas are fine too.)</p>
<p>Lots of good advice so far and you might have good reason to rule out your safeties but…I want to mention that as a professor who has taught at a smallish Ivy and a large state school…don’t naturally assume a large public means not knowing your professors. You can absolutely build close relationships with them, with just a tiny bit of initiative on your part. You will be likely very very pleasantly surprised. Don’t get sucked into the mythology.</p>
<p>I’m positive about this. In fact, getting to know your profs will set you apart from most of your classmates (who’d never seek them out) and you can do research with them, be mentored by them, and so on. Trust me on this. I’ve been there, I see it all the time (and its something I counsel my kids about as well). Just make an effort to meet with them and their doors will be open.</p>
<p>I’m confused about how posters can call schools like Chicago, Emory and Georgetown safeties. Really? It could be about the definition of safety, which will vary. For my S, I define safety as 95% chance of admission and affordable. Even with strong stats, it would be hard for me to consider these top schools as safeties.</p>
<p>I’d really be interested in anyone explaining their reasoning on this.</p>
<p>My URM S has somewhat similar stats, but lower GPA and higher test scores. We consider Santa Clara a safety, albeit more of a match/reach in terms of finances.</p>
<p>Maybe what the OP needs is more “match” schools, not safeties.
Some of the UCs may seem less than ideal compared to YPS or Amherst, but among private colleges and OOS publics, how many true admissions & financial safeties really outshine the UCs?</p>
<p>I’m thinking of a school like Brandeis. It’s less selective than most of the private schools on the OP’s list, but very good. It’s in the Northeast, Boston area, not rural. ~3200 undergrads, decent student-faculty ratio. I don’t know about their aid policies with respect to need-blind or no-loan. However, they do grant merit scholarships; OP probably would have a shot at a good one.</p>
<p>The Brandeis student body seems to be about comparable to Berkeley’s in qualifications. But you get smaller classes with more undergraduate focus, plus the New England change of scene.</p>
<p>Rose, If you’d read to the bottom of that post you would have found this:
“Of these schools, IMO, schools in the range of Richmond, Trinity, St. Olaf, Bates, Occidental and Lafayette would be safeties.”</p>
<p>HMom was just listing the colleges which meet full need because the OP needs a lot of FA.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all the input and suggestions! I’m looking into Brandeis, and UC’s are still on my list.<br>
HMom: thanks for the list of schools that meet full need! very helpful!!</p>
Santa Clara would be a matchy-reach, but they would likely give her a nice offer. I know that all of these schools are Catholic, but none would be “too Catholic” for a non Catholic.</p>
I’m from the SD area. </p>