These are all excellent recommendations and tips. and we will look into each of them. Thank you all!
Re: Alabama, student population is 30k; OP is looking at 5k-10k.
Agree with @cptofthehouse…be careful of thinking of most of the schools offered as suggestions here as safeties (or even matches) as most in this group have become very to very, very selective. They are good options but just be sure to include a few TRUE safeties.
There have been quite a few examples here on CC of late where very qualified, high stat kids are posting about their admissions disappointments and when you look at the schools they applied to, in hindsight, it was clear that they had too many reaches and not enough matches and safeties as they were naively overly optimistic about their prospects in the current ridiculously competitive admissions environment.
If you are looking for a true safety then I second Alabama. My DD had stats a bit higher than your DD (34 ACT one sitting but higher rank and GPA) and was initially looking for a smaller school but feel in love with all that UA had to offer top scholars. After getting into her high match and then a lower reach EA she decided to not even apply to her one reach lottery school as she said that even if she was accepted, it was highly unlikely she would attend. She like UA that much. There are multiple programs to make a huge school smaller and UA has several elite programs that will give it a LAC experience inside of the larger school. If not UA, don’t discount all large publics due to size as many have these specialized programs that create a school within a school.
Looking at schools now for my DS20 with higher stats and finding true safeties is challenging. Watching results threads here on CC this spring showed us that with such a HUGE pool of talents young adults at the top, many of the schools that look like safeties are not a safety for anyone. It is mind boggling. We are putting in some early apps to true safeties he would be happy to attend before he fills out a single match or reach application. While he doesn’t want to “Follow” his sister, he is happily applying to UA as soon as the application opens.
How would she feel about a Catholic school? Someone mentioned Creighton, how about Loyola (MD or IL), Fairfield, Marquette, Xavier? Generally there are lots of service opportunities both local and international at these schools.
I’m guessing look at some schools in Florida for the Spanish opportunities
Matches: Elon, TCU, Ithaca, U Denver, Quinnipiac. If she would go a little bigger (under 20K): Dayton, Miami Ohio, Pitt
Highly Likelies (I am trying really hard to dispense with the concept of safeties): second U Tampa, Coastal Carolina and Creighton. Adding: U Maine Orono, Univ Northern Iowa. OP’s state (IL) directional schools would be in this category too, but it’s really hard to recommend them from a practical and value perspective.
Catholic schools have become a great value. Yes, I highly recommend researching and visiting. Do talk to your student too. There may be schools locally and that friends and classmates are mentioning that may be good bets. My one son who did not have great test scores found himself welcomed warmly at many such schools with opportunities galore.
IMo, finding a satisfactory safety is the biggest challenge in college search. It doesn’t take much to savor the thoughts of choosing one ivy over another. Discussing the merits of one school with high name recognition over another. It takes a lot more work to find the schools that are not as heralded that have great departments, tremendous deals and where your student will find wonderful opportunities. Tacking a school onto the list because “ya gotta have a safety” is not a good idea because too often that safety ends up the only viable choice. I suggest two such schools so there is some modicum of choice.
Some of my kids just naturally and normally had safeties in their list because they liked the schools and they met what they wanted in a college. It’s great if it works that way.
A super safety would be University of Iowa. Excellent medical resources right on campus. With her stats she would have an admission and merit scholarship locked in before senior year even started. It’s a beautiful school with happy students and alums and excellent choice of premed-type majors. Lots of Illinois/Chicago suburban students there because it is a nice distance, cheaper (with merit) than UIUC, and lots of fun. It lacks “prestige” because admission stats make it look easy (virtually no one applies if they don’t have the Regents numbers, which you can easily add up yourself ahead of time), Probably easy admission to Honors for your daughter, which would make it seem a bit smaller than 20,000.
Hey, it’s a true safety! Actually my daughter’s second choice out of 12/12 acceptances–still a little wistful about it. “The Wave” at football games to the adjoining Children’s Hospital–c’mon! It’s a sweet school.
Throwing an LAC into the fray. St Olaf is excellent in the sciences, close to the twin cities for hospitals, excellent merit and would be a likely safety. It’s not big but for an LAC its considered large. It is a very service oriented school, small class sizes and a gorgeous campus in a very cute town. Lawrence might be another safety to look at though I am only familiar with their physics program.