<p>Thanks swish. I realize this sort of thing can (understandably) seem really arrogant to those who don't live in one of the states lucky enough to host a very prestigious flagship public, but I know enough people here at Duke who used UNC as a safety to realize that sort of thing isn't unique to my HS or Virginia.</p>
<p>To the OP - Re: financial aid, if you are low-income and don't have much saved you should be able to get a decent financial aid package. Have you tried calculating your EFC (Estimated Family Contribution) using any of the online calculators?</p>
<p>
[quote]
In fact, I know all about a humble lifestyle so you're preaching to the wrong person from your big Massachusetts boarding school.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Um you're mistaken I do not go to a boarding school. Where you got this idea, I'm not quite sure. and i dont know if you were implying that i'm wealthy but im from a low-income single parent home(apartment) and I have a job and money saved, I'm just saying sometimes people's money(including the college applicant's) needs to go towards making ends meet.</p>
<p>"Oh please. My safeties were UVA, CMU, and NYU. Go to the right high school and that sort of thing isn't uncommon."</p>
<p>"Or I could have a 1500+ on the old SAT and a high GPA at one of the best high schools in the country. Like I said, with the right connections (through your high school or your family) you can in fact call prestigious universities true safeties."</p>
<p>People aren't criticizing you for considering prestigious school safeties; they are criticizing you because you have stated so in an arrogant fashion. Ultimately, everyone on this forum would be guilty of declaring a renowned university a safety because prestige is in the eye of the beholder. While I consider university XYZ a safety another might consider XYZ a dream school. That does not make me pretentious or haughty; I am merely evaluating my chances of admission in accordance with my situation. Evidently, prestige is subjective. Just because you have a good chance of being admitted; however, does not afford you the right to be supercilious. So, I would recommend refraining from comments such as "Oh please. My safeties were UVA, CMU, and NYU. Go to the right high school and that sort of thing isn't uncommon", which make you, seem extremely pompous.</p>
<p>Fine. I'm sorry my wording seemed arrogant. That wasn't my intention, and in fact I tried to avoid that by placing the focus on my high school rather than anything that was special about me. Obviously your take on that varied, although I don't think you can speak for everyone who jumped on me. For what it's worth the first sentence in the second quote was meant to parrot elsjifdl's wording; I would not have mentioned my SATs or GPA otherwise. </p>
<p>However, I'd ask that you refrain from continuing to call me pompous or make sarcastic comments about my humility, unless you truly do believe 4-5 anonymous and apparently misunderstood posts on a message board are indicative of a person's character. I am a normal person with my fair share of character flaws but I know myself well enough to realize that a lack of humility isn't one of them.</p>