Looking for some Safeties

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Ok, so I have a (short) list of schools I'd love to go to, but I need some safeties and/or less expensive schools. I'm only a junior right now, so I have a while to expand this list.
-Harvard (most amazing school I've ever seen and Boston is just PERFECT, I have no chance but I'm going to apply anyway, because they have to let someone in, right? Yeah, right.)
-Georgetown (I love DC. I so wish I could go here. But another reach. Sigh.)
-William and Mary
-Northeastern</p>

<p>My Info:
(remember, currently only a junior)
GPA: 4.0 WGPA: 4.25 W10-12GPA: 4.35
Honors and APs:
Freshmen:
English Honors
Spanish 3 honors
Sophmore:
English honors
History honors
Junior:
Spanish 4 honors
English honors
US History AP
Calc AP</p>

<p>SATS:
Verbal: 730 Math: 660 Writing: 660
(I've only taken these once, I'm retaking them again this year)
Haven't taken any SAT subject tests yet, I'm starting with the Spanish Listening test this November</p>

<p>Ranked first in my class of 196
Also, this is my second high school, by the time I graduate I'll have gone to 3 high schools in 3 countries (Spain, US, and Germany)</p>

<p>ECs:
Freshman:
1st semester "mini-exchange" at local Spanish school, classes taught entirely in Spanish. (I was going to an international school in Spain.)
Varsity Swim Team (won 5th place at European championships)
Spanish Club
Concert Band (flute)
Drama Club
European Drama Festival
Math Counts</p>

<p>Sophmore:
summer swim camp in Austria
Varsity Volleyball (team won 2nd place in league championships)
National Honor Society
Varsity Cheerleading (squad won 2nd at championships, received the "spirit award")
Spanish Club
Concert Band
Drama Club
Red Cross lifeguard certification</p>

<p>Junior: (moved to a school in California)
Concert Band
Pep Band
Jazz Band
California Scholarship Federation (like honor society)
Waterpolo
Drama Club
(list will grow as the year continues...)</p>

<p>My concern is that as my application begins to take shape, I really look like I can't find one activity that I like, like I'm just trying a bunch of stuff to pad my application. This isn't true, but it's going to look even MORE like this is the case next year, when I move to yet another school and join different clubs and different sports (my next school doesn't have a swim team, a water polo team, a volleyball team OR a cheer squad!)
I'm also concerned that I haven't had a job yet, because I was overseas, and although I'm getting a job soon, I'll only have it until May, at the latest, and I won't have one next year because I don't speak German.</p>

<p>ANYHOW. Does anyone have any suggested safeties, or any advice at all?</p>

<p>EDIT: I forgot to mention that I was sophmore class secretary, but when I moved here to the monterey peninsula, they had already elected class officers. Another thing making me look inconsistent. Also, all of my schools are very small, so there are a lot of "singleton" classes offered once a day, causing conflicts with my classes. IE: not taking honors or ap science because of singleton conflicts, BUT I have a 103% average in the class and I'm doing a science fair project.</p>

2

<p>bump
does anyone have any suggestions?</p>

3

<p>do you care about size, location, atmosphere, etc?</p>

4

<p>I'm looking for a small to medium sized school. I'm pretty much looking in the New England area (I love love love Boston) or northwest, but I'm open to any and all suggestions. I want a school that has a lot of students living on campus. It also has to have a "campus" feel; I would prefer to be in or near a city, but there has to be a definite difference between the city and the school. I did not enjoy my visit to BU, it was too city for me, but I loved Northeastern, because even though it's in the city, it's seperated from the "hustle and bustle." I want to go to a coed school, and I'm pretty much looking at liberal arts institutions. But again, I am open to any and all suggestions.</p>

<p>BTW, I've visited:
-Georgetown (loved)
-American (did not like)
-William and Mary (liked, despite it being suburban)
-Northeastern (really liked)
-Tufts (Liked the academic aspects but I didn't like the vibe other than that. I got the impression that I'd be very...I don't know, I guess....lonely there.)
-Boston U (hated!)
-MIT (for my freakin' genius brother. other than the tech atmosphere, which is very not me, I enjoyed it)
-Harvard (love love love love love love!)</p>

5

<p>Based upon what you posted here:</p>

<p>Other reaches/matches you'd love: (not just in the NE, though)
Yale
Colgate
Princeton
Middlebury
Stanford--it is big, but has the feel of a small school
Vassar (maybe)</p>

<p>The following are the safe matches/safeties I think you'd love, but none of these are in the NE
Washington--same as Stanford above, big and in a big city, but small town feel
Virginia
Reed College</p>

<p>Maybe Holy Cross as a safe match/match is the only one in the NE that comes to mind.</p>

6

<p>Agree Holy Cross would be a good choice-solid academics and strong social life/athletics. HC is also SAT optional and located 1 hour from Boston.</p>

7

<p>Tufts isn't a "lonely" place unless you sit in your room by yourself watching TV; but then again, any place would be "lonely" like that. I'd say that was a way off perception of yours.</p>

8

<p>What didnt you like about BU? Why did you really like NEU? I had the complete opposite opinion.</p>

9

<p>My parents and I have discussed Tufts a lot. None of us can quite pinpoint just what it was we didn't like, because it really had everything I was looking for. I really don't know. It just didn't feel right, you know?</p>

<p>NEU: I actually didn't like it at first, and I thought the whole co-op thing was a bit dumb. But whatever it was that Tufts didn't have, Northeastern had it. Something just clicked, I could see myself there. I loved that even though it's in the city, it had a "campus feel". </p>

<p>BU: First of all, the highway running through the middle of campus. Huge turn off. And it was too big, both in numbers (15000 undergrads, am I right?) and size. I think the whole campus is stretched out over 3 miles, or something along those lines? It felt more like a city than a college.</p>

<p>Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm actually going to visit Stanford tomorrow, I've had other people tell me I might like it, but to be honest, I HATE California. I've lived here a few months already, and I can't imagine living here for 4 years.
Yale, I'm going to check out. Princeton is a bit too close to my grandmother's house...she's the type of woman who would drop by the dorm anytime, day or night. No thanks! Lol. Colgate, Middlebury, Vassar, Washington- I'll check those out.
By Virginia do you mean UVA or...?
I have been told by my parents that they won't contribute to tuition if I go to Reed. They've heard that it's the Western version of St. John's, and since my dad is USNA and my mom is from Annapolis, the last thing they're going to do is let me go anywhere like that...whatever.
"Maybe Holy Cross". I think I'll check that out, too. </p>

<p>Thanks for all the advice! Anyone else have any ideas?</p>