<p>I won't list all my credentials and everything, but my top choice is Yale and I have a long list of colleges I'm considering, none of which I would consider a "safety."</p>
<p>Requirements for the school:
-Good science program (specifically physics) with research opportunities
-Decent music program
-Students work hard but are not very competitive with one another
-Not especially cold</p>
<p>Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Perhaps I should briefly mention some basic credentials:</p>
<p>3.9 GPA unweighted, taking hardest classes (and a math class at johns hopkins this upcoming year)
Ranked 3 out of 250
2330 SAT scores
Good ECs, decent community service</p>
<p>Current list of reaches and matches that will be shortened eventually:</p>
<p>Yale
Princeton
Penn
Brown
Carnegie Mellon
Johns Hopkins
Stanford
Brandeis
UCLA
UC Berkeley
UCSD
USC</p>
<p>Take a look at University of Maryland, College Park. A highly ranked graduate program in physics, decent mid-atlantic weather, metro-accessible to DC and a highly regarded music program as well. Also, check out the Gemstone program which is the residential honors program for science-focused kids: You get preference for enrollment, among other things.</p>
<p>Spoke several months ago to a physics department faculty member who talked about how much he and others in the dept value their physics undergrads: He was commenting that most of the students taking physics at UMD are into engineering rather than physics majors, so when they find someone who really loves physics, they are avid mentors.</p>
<p>Since you are taking a math class at Johns Hopkins this upcoming year, I assume that you are from Maryland. The University of Maryland has an excellent physics department. It should be on your list.</p>
<p>Ok I am pretty convinced. I hadn’t looked into College Park that much because that’s basically where everyone from my school goes, but I guess that’s not a good reason, especially because it’s a big school.</p>
<p>Ok so UMD, should I have any others?</p>
<p>You should be cautious of the numerous California schools on that list, since many of them are making sacrifices due to the state’s economic misfortunes.</p>
<p>Eh probably not USC though, since it’s private. And for the UC’s I won’t apply to all three of those, just 1 or 2.</p>
<p>Well are you willing to consider single sex colleges? And would you rather been a in rural or more urban campus? Do you prefer larger or smaller schools?</p>
<p>And what can you afford?</p>
<p>college park offers full or half tuition to students like you…look into it. A full ride there was my ivy safety. (i turned it down because its where everyone from my school goes, yay Maryland). But it is a great program…it was harder to turn down than I would have thought.</p>
<p>UMiami, Tulane, Emory</p>
<p>I think Case Western Reserve would be great for you - I think it has a lot of similarities to Carnegie Mellon, as well as many of the other schools you list, and they’re known to be very generous with merit aid; I got quite a nice award for them. It definitely fits the good science and good music program criteria, IMO.</p>
<p>I realize this student has great stats, but I would never list Emory as a safety.</p>
<p>I realize they are extremely difficult, but why aren’t you trying for Cal Tech or MIT, since you want physics? Chicago is cold of course, but first-rate for physics. Princeton on that list also.</p>
<p>As far as other safeties, I think you would get in at both Texas and Michigan, both strong in physics. But if you are OK with big state school, Maryland is a top flight program and obviously cheapest for you, unless you really want a change from your home state.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Very helpful. Cost is actually not an issue (my parents are both professors at Hopkins, giving me free tuition anywhere, up to Hopkins tuition)</p>
<p>The reason I’m not applying to MIT or CalTech is because there are less options in other areas besides math and science and the students there seem to be pretty competitive/stressed.</p>
<p>And as long as the size isn’t on the extreme end of huge or tiny, it’s fine with me.</p>
<p>But yeah I definitely have a few options for safeties now. Thanks!</p>
<p>Oh yeah, you did mention the not overly competitive thing. Forgot that. I think you have great choices. One other question that occured to me that makes some difference, possibly. Do you think you are more into theoretical physics or more hands on experimental physics? I know that might be hard to say at this stage of your life, but if you have some clue, it might make things lean one way or another.</p>
<p>Well I’m more into theoretical physics, but I still would want to be able to do research because working in bio labs can be pretty interesting.</p>
<p>Sigh…another one of “those” threads. If you are smart enough for yale and with those listed stats you are smart enough to pick your own college. Good grief.</p>
<p>@ghostbuster There are lots of colleges. It would take much more time to identify these colleges through research than it did to ask people on CC, who already have knowledge about schools that I don’t. So I’m taking their suggestions as a starting point for identifying some safety schools. Good grief.</p>
<p>ghostbuster - that is a silly thing to say. Don’t you think getting opinions and facts from people that either have attended these schools, or have great familiarity with them (as I do with many because of my work in the sciences) can provide value to a 17-18 year old that cannot possibly have that kind of knowledge? He really isn’t doing a chance thread, which I agree are usually worthless, but is asking for fairly specific information. CC loses a lot of its value if one eliminates those kinds of threads. I agree with heinz, Good Grief!!</p>