ISO of Safety Schools

College Search & Selection
1

Hello-

We’d appreciate any input you can provide on safety schools our daughter can love. It’s currently a pretty selective list. She is looking for a liberal arts school with ready access to the sciences (attends a rigorous sci-tech magnet). Possible English or history major with life science minor. Preference is for a smaller school, but she did like Carnegie Mellon. She has a working essay and has started her Common Ap account to start thinking about essays. We will need financial aid and would like her to do a couple early action aps.

Many thanks for your thoughts,
aron

Her current list is:
Kenyon
Macalester
Oberlin
Haverford
Swarthmore
Carnegie Mellon
Wesleyan

reach:
Columbia
Harvard

safety:
Guilford

She also interested in Middlebury, Amherst, Williams and Northwestern, but those are not safeties.

GPA 4.0 unweighted, never received a B on a report card

SATs 2220 (she does not intend to retake)
CR 800
W 750
Math 670

SAT Bio 800
SAT Lang and Math 2 pending

PSATs 217

soph: AP Biology 5, AP US Government 3
junior: AP Calculus BC, AP Language, French 3, AP World History, AP Psychology
expected senior classes: AP English Literature, AP Statistics, AP French, AP Environmental Science, AP Human Geography, senior research project

5s on all AP exams except for AP government which was a 4

Honors/awards:
Wesleyan Book Award
National Merit Commended expected
AP Scholar of Distinction, possibly National AP Scholar
Two Presidential Excellence Awards, Superintendent Award, etc.
Honor Roll student throughout her high school career
Junior school awards: exceptional achievement in AP Calc BC, Physics, French and AP World History & service to science and tech

Extracurriculars:
Peer tutor for science and tech students, school newspaper-writer & editor, National Honor Society, French Honor Society, Students for Social Justice, Junior State of America, regular intern at children’s performing arts camp

early ECs: drama, school plays, choir, tutors, book blogger since age 11

2

University Of Scranton, Allegheny College, Juniata College, Muhlenberg

Run net price calculators on each college website

3

Ursinus (PA). They have solid science, great research opportunities and merit.

Rhodes (TN). Tremendous opportunities with St Jude. Good merit.

Trinity (San Antonio, TX) - great merit, new facilities, easy commute from airport

4

<<>>

The only schools that can be safeties are schools that you know that 100% you have all costs covered.

A school cannot be a safety if the “net cost” to you is higher than you can pay…right?

Safeties tend to give lousy aid, so safeties would be schools that would give your DD enough merit so that the remaining costs are affordable for you to pay.

How much can you pay each year?

Your DD has a 1470 M+CR (the W score rarely matters for merit or admissions)

5

@mommdc @Longhaul Thanks for the ideas.

@mom2collegekids Thanks. We’ve done this before with a high stats kid and are simply looking for safety school suggestions.

6

For strength in the sciences (for grad school), Beloit, Lawrence, New College of Florida, Bryn Mawr, Earlham, Smith, St. Olaf.

Maybe NMTech

7

Look at Sewanee, University of the South.

8

@PurpleTitan Thanks. We’ve been thinking of ACM colleges as well, but have had a tough time suggesting women’s colleges. She has a preference for a school about 30 minutes by transit or car from a metro area, however, Kenyon’s a top choice, so location is not a deal killer.

9

Denison (not necessarily a safety) and College of Wooster. If she hasn’t visited Kenyon/Oberlin yet she can hit all 4 in one trip.

Wooster has EA and will also do an early financial aid read (beyond the NPC, an actual review by FA). Denison doesn’t have EA, only ED, but still.

10

@OHMomof2 Thanks, we have visited Kenyon & Oberlin. She did not want to take a look at Denison on spring break, but I’ll raise it again. She will have a cousin at Wooster.

More ideas are welcome!

11

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We’ve done this before with a high stats kid and are simply looking for safety school suggestions.


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Ok…so you’re not worried about whether the school will be affordable, just whether she’ll get in.

Along with several of the above choices (Rhodes, Sewanee, Wooster, St. Olaf, and New College…

DePauw
Marist
Santa Clara
Loyola Marymount
U of Dayton
St Louis Univ
Gonzaga
Loyola Chicago
Tulane will likely be a safety for her, but more of a match.
Marquette

12

Neither Haverford, not Swarthmore are matches for anyone.

13

@mom2collegekids Thanks, some of those might work for her. Tulane’s been ruled out by both our kids–too clear their father simply wanted an excuse to travel and listen to music.
@Chembiodad Agreed.

14

Safeties with merit which have non-binding EA, so decisions by mid-Dec –

Earlham: Quaker school, very diverse student body, lots of new building and renovations, including new/renovated science, new art/music, new/renovated athletic facility, and next up, is new/renovated dining hall).

Kalamazoo: artsy city, charming (but compact) campus, diverse student body.

Wooster: larger physical campus and larger student population (though less diverse than Earlham and K), has a merit aid predictor, in which you submit info and an admissions rep reviews it and you get a written prediction a few weeks later. My kid’s merit turned out to be a few thousand dollars higher than predicted.

Alternative matches with merit potential:

Dickinson in PA: merit up to $20k per year, I believe.

Denison: typical awards are $16/20/24k a year, though some super high performing kids get full tuition. This is a school which snuck up on us – we visited first as a potential match/safety, and were surprised and delighted by how lovely the campus is and how diverse the campus is. The reputation as a safety for east coast kids who didn’t get into NESCAC schools is really out of date.

Alternative reach:

For a kid looking for a LAC with strong sciences, who already likes Oberlin, Mac, Wes and Kenyon, consider adding Grinnell, although I know OP is looking for more safeties, not more reaches. (In my view, any LAC which values fit and culture and has 30% or lower acceptance, is a reach for even high stat kids because admissions can be so unpredictable).

15

Thank you, @Midwestmomofboys --those are good ideas. We need her to look again at Grinnell (might be a better fit than Oberlin) and Earlham’s always been in the back of my mind as a nice safety. My nephew starts this fall at Wooster and did EA–he had a fun Christmas and senior year :slight_smile:

16

Clark, Union (NY), Allegheny, DePauw.

17

I second what @Midwestmomofboys said.

18

I, too, would suggest Sewanee. Some similarities to Kenyon, but a very unique campus experience in its own right, and a wonderful academic community since most professors live right on campus. English and the sciences are both very strong, in a setting that is really unmatched. And they have produced 26 Rhodes Scholars.

19

Every school that came to mind when I read the OP has already been mentioned, so I’ll echo Wooster, Lawrence, Beloit, Earlham, and Kalamazoo as especially good safeties with merit potential for this student.

20

I will reaffirm the suggestion of Ursinus. Small LAC that many haven’t heard of but it has a nationally respected bio/pre-med program. Also a great school for creative writing which may be a draw since your daughter is interested in an English major. Easy for your daughter to get into admission-wise but still a good school. (They do offer some scholarships but these fill up in their non-binding early action phase so be sure to apply during that period.)