<p>So I'm a rising senior who has just recently constructed her main list of colleges. The only problem is.... there is a serious lack of safety schools.</p>
<p>I am almost exclusively interested in liberal arts schools (although exceptions may be made for honors programs of certain universities), as I really appreciate the breadth of the typical liberal arts curriculum and interdisciplinary approach to education. I am willing to work extremely hard academically (as you'll see below, Swarthmore is my top choice) and intellectuality-- a broad term, I know-- is a major appeal, as is openness and flexibility of curriculum. I am particularly interested in programs with offerings in human rights/peace and conflict studies/international relations majors. </p>
<p>All of the safeties that seem logical in my situation (Beloit, Earlham, Clark U) seem to sacrifice some of the above. I really, really would like to be near a city/in a city-- I value alone time and independence-- but I'm really struggling to combine a similar atmosphere to the ones of my top choices with a good, at least somewhat urban setting. </p>
<p>I would appreciate any help that could be given. If it helps to determine safeties, my SATS were 750 CR, 760 Writing, and, er, 600 math, but I plan to retake them for the sake of my math score and will definitely improve. (Let's just say that it was NOT a good idea to get 5 hours of sleep the night before....)</p>
<p>These are the schools currently on my list:</p>
<p>Swarthmore
Reed
Barnard
Bryn Mawr
Hampshire (the one real safety-- my dad went there and was roommates with the dean)
Macalester
Pitzer
Princeton
NYU Gallatin (free tuition for 3 years)</p>
<p>tetrisfan, that is right; I found Clark to be more down-to-earth than intellectual and unconventional. Please correct me if you find that to be an unfair conclusion.</p>
<p>Hmm, I will look more into Goucher. I know that they have a mandatory study abroad option, which is awesome.</p>
<p>Any other ideas?</p>
<p>By the way... I've realized that perhaps sharing my SATS was not the most effective way of presenting myself. I have a 4.0 GPA at a public suburban high school, but I spend second semester of my junior year at The Mountain School of Milton Academy, a prestigious semester school program that accepts 45 students each semester to attend school on an organic farm in Vermont. (The</a> Mountain School)</p>
<p>I'm also a vocalist, having seriously pursued music for all four years of high school. Just this past summer, I attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute young artist program. I attend to continue voice studies, but not on a professional/conservatory level--- at least, not until I'm older. </p>
<p>I also have 250 volunteer hours so far, many of them international and independently organized. They were not to fulfill any kind of school requirement.</p>
<p>Based on these stats, with the exception of perhaps one safety, does my list seem appropriate?</p>
<p>Why did you cut Haverford from the list? It would fit right in with both your other schools and your major interests (peace and conflict studies particularly).</p>
<p>Surprised at the inclusion of Pitzer as well. I think of it as more laid-back rather than intellectual.</p>
<p>I took AP US History, AP French, and AP Environmental Science last year, but not the exams. You see, I was at The Mountain School and the AP exams took place around the same time as finals there, and I chose to focus on exams at school instead of supplementary ones.</p>
<p>Next year, I am taking AP Chemistry, AP English, SUPA English Honors (a college-level english class based off the Syracuse University curriculum), and AP Art. </p>
<p>As for Haverford, I declined to fully investigate it, as I felt as though I didn't need yet another reach on my list. Is this incorrect? If so, I will definitely look into it further, especially when I go down to Philly for my Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr interviews.</p>
<p>Haverford is a reach but if you're looking at Bryn Mawr you really need to take a look at Haverford, too, because Haverford is so much a part of the Bryn Mawr experience and vice versa. And Keilexandra is right about the peace and conflict studies fit.</p>
<p>Also, if you're considering Bryn Mawr (which I think is commendable), what about Smith? I'd say Bryn Mawr is more of a match for you than a reach, and Smith's selectivity is actually a little lower than Bryn Mawr's, making it a low match/possible safety. Very strong intellectual tradition at both schools.</p>
<p>Macalester also sounds like a great fit.</p>
<p>As for cornfields: you'll need to decide how much you'll let your anti-maize bias dominate this decision, but for a true safety with a strong intellectual tradition and a peace and conflict studies option, you really can't beat Earlham.</p>
<p>^I'm seconding eugene lang, that's the first school I thought of when I read your post. It's a pretty intellectual liberal arts school that's also located right by NYU in NYC.</p>
<p>Intellectual and laid-back are not mutually exclusive, by the way.</p>
<p>Since Bryn Mawr and Barnard are on there I'm assuming that women's colleges are on the table:</p>
<p>Agnes Scott College - a small liberal arts college for women in Decatur, GA, which is right outside of Atlanta. Decatur is a cool small city in its own right with a funky flavor, and the Scotties are great women who are certainly intellectual and down-to-earth. I think it would be a safety for you.</p>
<p>Dickinson College - a small liberal arts college in Carlisle, PA, which I am pretty sure is not in a cornfield (it's a large town in PA).</p>
<p>City College or Hunter College - both are certainly in urban locations and are safeties for you, but you have to decide if they are too safety. Hunter, especially, can have an intellectual environment but the majority of students may be NY state students because they are public colleges. But they're right in the middle of NYC; City College is further uptown on 137th street but Hunter is farther downtown.</p>
<p>Skidmore may be more of a safety-match, but I think you'll get in without any problems. Anyway, it's close to NYC (you can reach it using a train) and it's pretty underrated as a college.</p>
<p>Lehigh? I don't know much about it, but it popped up in my search, and it's an hour's drive from both Philadelphia and New York City. Villanova and Muhlenberg came up as well.</p>
<p>I really think the best thing for your chances is to take a couple AP tests. I think a few AP scores is almost a prerequisite, as an objective (or at least standardized) measure of your accomplishment.</p>
<p>If financial aid is not an issue for you, I'd suggest looking at Sarah Lawrence. Bronxville/Yonkers is somewhat boring for a college kid, but New York City is not. SLC is SAT optional, and, with Reed and a handful of other notable schools, has resisted placement in the US News ranks. Not having the SATs available means it's harder to scale as a safety or match. They admit 44% of applicants and 37% were in the top 10% of their graduating class.</p>
<p>I would also suggest New College of Florida. According to collegeboard.com, NCF is in a "small city." It looks like it's a little more competitive admissions-wise than SLC, even though they admit a higher percentage of applicants.</p>
<p>Colorado College may be a good option. Colorado Springs is sort of a city ;) and not terribly far from Denver... but it will offer you the intellectual atmosphere you want. I know a couple of kids who did IR-related studies there.</p>
<p>Given her list of schools, Vassar would be pretty far down the line, perhaps a low match or a high safety (ahah..), but it matches all the qualifications she puts forward, so I thought I'd list it. And around here, a lot of people who apply to some of the schools she's applying to do use Vassar as a "high safety" over their state school or another school that they're not too thrilled about going to but is almost guaranteed acceptance. Generally, if they have a high-end application, they get in.</p>
<p>"Vassar would be pretty far down the line" - not sure what you mean by that, but if you mean it's somehow a significantly lesser school, you're very much mistaken. </p>
<p>Keilexandra is right; it's nobody's safety. Yes, kids with stats not unlike the OP's do get in, but that isn't because it's a safety. 23.9% isn't really a low match either. </p>
<p>I second Sarah Lawrence. Skidmore, too (though it is hardly "close to NYC." It's three and a half hours). </p>
<p>juillet has some great suggestions - though given the schools on the OP's list, I don't see Lehigh as a great fit, and while it's an hour from Philadelphia, it's much closer to two hours from NYC (three in traffic).</p>