I am beginning the college application process, and I am having a hard time thinking of safety schools where I can have a very good chance of being admitted in case I get rejected at all my preferred schools. I live in California, and my GPA is 3.83 unweighted/ 4.18 weighted. I have taken the ACT once and I got a 28, I will be taking it again in September. I have volunteered at my local public library since I was 10, and I am an officer of my school’s Key Club. I would like to be in or near a major city, and I am currently considering applying to Santa Clara University, University of San Diego, Loyola Marymount University, Cal Poly SLO, George Washington University, American University, Boston University, and Bentley University (I will be narrowing down this list). I don’t feel like I would be a guarantee for any of these schools, so can you guys help me think of some schools where I would have a very good chance of getting accepted? Thanks!
Since you are a California resident, your local Cal State would be a Safety or consider either UCR/UCM if affordable?
If you are looking for Private schools, depending upon major: Cal Lutheran, Cal Baptist, Whittier College, University of La Verne, San Diego Christian College could be options.
What are your favorite cities and would you need merit or financial aid?
I’m open to pretty much all of California, but my favorite out of state cities are Washington DC, Boston, Seattle, and NYC. I am counting on getting some type of aid. Most of my top choices cost close to $50,000 but they give a lot of aid.
I live relatively close to UCM, and I really want to leave the area. I am interested in Business, and I know Cal State Northridge is known for that; could that possibly be a safety?
SFSU, SDSU, SJSU, CSULB
CSUN would be a safety but the suggestions by @harvardandberkeley are actually better especially SDSU which has excellent business programs.
Providence would be a safety
Fordham a match/safety
Be sure to check out Seattle U, which would be a safety for your stats and has a strong business major (based on your Bentley mention) with lot’s of local internships. Merit aid would put it in your budget.
Add Bryant and Babson. Seconding sdsu. For a reach, Scrips or McKenna.
You need to do much better on the ACT to get the aid you may be looking for. Run the Net Price Calculator for the schools in which you are interested to see what you can expect. Try Seattle U as mentioned above. I don’t think the aid offer will be high.
As an example and based on their current ACT and GPA,
this student would qualify for the $22,000.00 Trustee scholarship at Seattle U.
They quote their COA at $58,000. which would bring the students cost down to $36,000. prior to factoring in family EFC or any Federal loans the student may qualify for.
Not the most inexpensive option but as this is a California students, it puts the costs in the same COA neighborhood
as the UC’s, which on average is $36,000.
I hit the ‘post’ button before adding that if the student is really looking specifically for a safety school,
that costs, as well as the admission statistics, should be factored in carefully.
It’s not your safety school if you wouldn’t want to - or can afford to - attend.
Seattle Pacific, George Fox (near Portland), and Whitworth (Spokane) also considerations.
^George Fox and Whitworth are both (very) conservative Evangelical Christian/Fundamentalist (Bible as literal truth, gays excluded from anti discrimination language, and clear language it could be cause for exclusion, 20th c definition of mariage, strict rules of behavior students must abide…) . Definitely not mainstream. Although they’re good academically, since op 's current list doesn’t include Pepperdine, Biola, Point Loma, Wheaton, Calvin… I don’t think those would be good fits. It’s a bit like randomly recommending Yeshiva or the Usaf academy.
Initial post at a lot of Catholic universities posted so Christian universities might also be a consideration. Better to have too many options than not enough.
MYOS1634: Whitworth is not “(very) conservative” college at all. They have an LGBTQRSTUVwhatever+ club on campus plus they are affiliated with the most liberal Presbyterian and Christian in general sect out there. They are very moderate, with a fairly equal number of conservative and liberal students in their campus. “Definitely not mainstream”: they are most definitely mainstream. They are academically superior to their neighbor Gonzaga, their rankings on sites such as student reviews and niche are very favorable, they are comparable if not better than U of Puget Sound, they have alumni in some of the highest positions in business, etc. etc.
As for George Fox, they are more conservative. However, IMO you are exaggerating,
To the original OP: I would highly recommend you check out Whitworth, as it is a rising star in the PNW. Great academics, along with great financial aid for students with low incomes and high grades. I mentioned University of Puget Sound, you might want to check them out too, even though I wouldn’t consider the school quite as good. But if you’re worried about getting in, Puget Sound’s acceptance rate is somewhere around 70% I believe. Whitworth’s fluctuates, being anywhere from around 40% to 60%. Also for Oregon, Linfield College.
Edited some comments
ED