<p>My list of colleges is a little top heavy so I've been searching for some safety schools. I have a good academic record, but my extra-currics are lacking, so it's hard for me to determine whether or not a given college will accept me.</p>
<p>Here are my academic stats:</p>
<p>Somewhat competitive all-girls Catholic school in New York City.
SAT: 2280 (80V, 68M, 80W)
SAT IIs: 77 U.S. History, 76 Biology M
GPA: ~3.8 UW
Rank: 1/~115</p>
<p>I took A.P. classes in American History and Biology and got 5s on both exams. I'm planning to take A.P. classes in Calculus and English next year. My school only offers five A.P.s (the last one being in Spanish) to Juniors and Seniors.</p>
<p>As for extra-currics ... I've been a member of only two clubs since Junior year, and I will most likely hold a high position in one of those clubs in Senior year. My school has very few clubs and none of them really interested me. I never even considered joining a club solely to impress adcoms, but now it seems that I've screwed myself. :P</p>
<p>The most important qualities I want in my safety school(s) are an intellectual atmosphere and a strong academic reputation. I love learning, I want to be challenged, and I want to be able to hold interesting conversations with at least a few of my peers. Merit aid would be great, too.</p>
<p>Other potential criteria:
- Far away enough from NYC that I can dorm, but within hours of home (New England states, Mid-Atlantic states; I'd make an exception for Chicago ...)
- Majors in Biology, Italian, and possibly Linguistics
- Study Abroad programs
- Non-rural location -- at the very least near a semi-interesting town
- Balanced or mostly male student body
- Pretty campus</p>
<p>I'll research any suggestions you offer. :)</p>
<p>It's a little huge for my taste, but University of Pittsburgh has strong Italian and biology departments. The honors college is great, the application requires almost no work (and, because it's such a huge school, your lack of ECs won't hurt you too much), and they'll practically throw aid at you (though it's not expensive to begin with). Oakland is great -- it's fairly safe, very pretty, it feels separate from the rest of Pittsburgh (it feels like a college campus despite being really close to downtown), and everything (crappy downtown, much less crappy South Side, Squirrel Hill) is accessible by free public transportation (that, while it does kind of suck, is actually pretty convenient). Study aborad programs are good, too, since it's such a big school, and if you're interested in other languages, the School for Less Commonly Taught Languages teaches pretty much every language known to man.</p>
<p>The Honors College makes it less huge, since it's a select group of smart students, and, despite it being a quasi-state school (PA's real state schools are absolute crap), it has a really good academic reputation, especially for the sciences, IR, and languages. The Honors College is especially strong, since Pitt's tuition attracts a lot of people who would ordinarily go to top-tier schools -- they realize they can get the same quality of education at the Honors College for a quarter the price. I had a friend this year get accepted to NYU and Pitt and choose Pitt.</p>
<p>Pitt's by no means my first choice, but the Honors College would be way up on my list if it wasn't in Pittsburgh. I practically grew up in Oakland (my elementary school was run by Pitt) and my mother works for the university -- basically the worst combination for trying to get away from home. I'm still applying for a safety, and I love the school, but I wish I could move either my family or the school to a different place....Pitt basketball will always have a place in my heart, though. I, sadly, have a friend applying only because she can bear to be 500 miles away from her beloved Pete (the events center).</p>
<p>Sorry for the (very) late reply, and thank you for the suggestions. :) tkb6, your description of UPitt was especially helpful -- I just don't know how much of a 'safety' the school would be since I'm an out-of-stater. I'll definitely do more research, though.</p>
<p>Wake Forest University
University of Maryland
University of Delaware
Syracuse University
Penn State
Rutgers
Boston University
American University
George Washington</p>