<p>I keep hearing this over and over again and I am loving this mantra! </p>
<p>I am a parent, son is a senior in HS and we are in the thick of it as you can imagine......list is getting ready, but still not many safeties his list.</p>
<p>If you want to pitch in here and talk about your child choosing a safety and being happy there, would provide a big incentive to others..........thanks.</p>
<p>Please tell us the name of the college.</p>
<p>Hi Pixeljig,
I am a student, but i really really REALLY love my safety, so i thought i’d add my two cents.
Most of my college list is small, LAC, but my safety is UAlabama. There are a couple of reasons
1-I love football and Crimson Tide certainly helps fill this need
2-Size…if i get into the honors program and fellows, it become very similar to a LAC, but it still has all the opportunities of a big school
3-Cost. I am putting myself through college, and UAlabama is offering me full tuition. That’s a big plus</p>
<p>Plus, I love the weather(i hate cold) and i love how beutiful the campus is…</p>
<p>My “safety” is probably my third choice out of 6, so i really love it :)</p>
<p>We’re still visiting schools, but my D fell in love with Shawnee State University, a public with a 100% acceptance rate. It’s a fairly new school in Ohio and most people here have never even heard of it. I’m glad she likes it, but I’d like to her try for a few more selective schools.</p>
<p>Just a note: there might be a difference between a “safety” and a “financial safety.” D was happy with one private school that we called her safety, but she got better merit aid elsewhere. Her ultimate financial safeties were probably the state schools (UCs) to which she applied, but she was never very keen on any of them. So the challenge is to find a school your child would be both willing and able to attend.</p>
<p>I also know that “safety, match, reach” are common terms, but I know one college counselor who prefers likely, 50-50, reach. Apparently calling a school a “likely” renders a more positive verdict on the school than calling it a “safety.”</p>
<p>My son and I visited our flagship State U earlier this year, and we both were impressed. It’s currently both his academic and financial safety, because fortunately our state gives generous aid to kids who stay in-state. (We have a major brain drain.)</p>
<p>However, I’m still encouraging him to look for other safeties, in order to ensure that he doesn’t feel like he’s just settling. We’re looking particularly at the large state schools in the South that offer exceptional scholarships such as full rides for National Merit finalists. To be able to attend any state’s flagship school for free—even it’s not a very impressive state—would be quite a privilege!</p>
<p>EA (or SCEA) acceptance is the best kind of safety…</p>
<p>There may be some fine tuning to our S’s list as the weeks of fall move forward. The current thinking is that UC San Diego (we are in state) is his “likely.” (We haven’t visited it just yet but it will be easy to fit in when the time comes.) Other UCs on his list that can never be on anyone’s “likely” list include UC Berkeley and UCLA. For another $60 (one essay for all, what a relief) he may throw another as yet unknown UC campus in the mix. </p>
<p>Although we don’t discuss it with him, USC is also a “likely” for a number of reasons that won’t apply to many applicants (e.g. DH is on faculty, a friend with similar stats who attended the same HS and who’s father is also on faculty was accepted last year and currently matriculating.)</p>
<p>As of now, he’s focusing on his “moon shot” applications.</p>
<p>in this economy, love thy state flagship college. Seriously. We didn’t…we paid for four years at a top 10 university (my son loves his alma mater, don’t get me wrong) and now that all the kids are entering grad school…I have to wonder what were we thinking. The costs of graduate school is staggering…and yeah…they can borrow but in an economy with limited salaries…it is scary indeed to borrow the price of a large home at age 22 with no guarantees re future income. </p>
<p>My husband borrowed ten grand to do Vandy Law in our generation. One year there now costs 66 grand. Did we think about this one whit when selecting our son’s undergrad college? No. We didn’t even look these figures up.</p>
<p>I failed to look at something important. We are Virginians with obviously very good state colleges…and we skipped the bargains of our great undergrad colleges…We did not realize (dumb us) that graduate schools in Virginia are not bargains…they cost very much about the same as private college graduate schools in many instances. </p>
<p>Take a look at the price of one year of UVA Law Business or Med school and catch your breath…now look up these costs in your home state.</p>
<p>Do not assume your child can return to your home state and attend graduate school at a low price in the state institutions. Look up the cost of your home state graduate tuition right now. Factor this into your hard look at how much you can spare to reduce your son or daughter’s debt load if a graduate school is part of the path they must complete. </p>
<p>Debt is not the same in this generation as in ours. The job market is not the same. Very few can really afford to borrow the costs of an entire graduate school program. If your son or daughter will get a PHD in a hard science…in a very good school…they might find that grad school may be ameliorated with grants. If your son or daughter understands the concept of working a few years and banking money for grad school, this also works…but do not wear rosy beer glasses if you know grad school is a must.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that the best way to go about picking a safety is to find schools which resemble the dream school, in terms of size, major, climate, list is subjective, but top favorite things, and then make sure it is something that you can afford! (This seems really important)…So, if someone’s dream school was Amherst, then they could also look at thier state liberal arts school (which is not generally the flagship), and some other small liberal arts schools further down in the rankings, like Lake Forest or Lewis and Clark, or even some of the Colleges that Change Lives Schools…If someone’s dream school was an Ivy, then finding schools similar to that Ivy…ie Bernard for Columbia or Rutgers or whatnot…Just what I’ve heard. FWIW</p>
<p>Northern Michigan was my safety out of high school and when I transferred. Very easy to get in there. It’s definitely a tier 3 or 4, no one’s ever heard of it, out in the middle of nowhere, not very competitive at all. I ended up attending community college anyway and transferring to Umich but love Northern so much I am considering moving to the Upper Peninsula after graduation to take my teaching certification there JUST so I can spend some time there. 
The campus was beautiful, it was so quiet and peaceful up there, real big hockey community, lots of interesting programs. TOTALLY different from Umich but I loved it. I never would have known if I hadn’t visited and taken a tour, though. That was really important for me. When I did my transfer admissions I didn’t do any visits and while I applied to Northern again, Grand Valley State was my back up if I didn’t get into Umich and I’d never been there. I should have visited before I had the chance to get rejected by Umich to see if I liked it. Thankfully it wasn’t an issue but I got lucky.</p>
<p>“in this economy, love thy state flagship college.”</p>
<p>Applicant families better be prepared to love more than just the flagship - - in NYS, at least, one certainly can’t count on SUNY-Bing or Geneseo as safety schools.</p>
<p>One of my sons safeties became his first choice at the end. </p>
<p>He has a great part time job and was working on new research with a top professor as a sophomore. He found a nice group of like minded friends who are high achievers yet enjoy all the other aspects and activities of a state U. There was no shortage of very bright students. His minor in Japanese is in a small department and the professors know him by name on campus. He is having a ball as an engineering student at Oregon State. btw he received both merit and need based aid equivalent to his twin brother at a top 25 private so they can be generous.</p>
<p>There are plenty who, despite the budget crisis, love the state flagship in CA (and many say there are two, so UC Berkeley and UCLA.) Unfortunately, no one in their right mind could really consider these safeties, so students move down to the next tier of UCs and MIGHT consider those safeties IF they have the stats. Thus, UCSD for my S and maybe one other, possibly UCSB.</p>
<p>Actually, on of D’s safeties (she claims it’s a safety, but I am more of a worrier) is a school she would prefer over several that are more reachy. So, if they give her a decent amount of merit aid, that’s where she’ll end up. There are only 3 other schools above it on her list (as far as desire, not reach) and one is an uber-reach, one is a “she may have a shot due to double legacy, otherwise HA!” and one is a slight reach. She would probably go to the safety over every single match school she currently has on her list!</p>
<p>TwistedxKiss, I am an alum of Northern Michigan so there is at least one CC poster who has heard of it. I graduated many years ago when you didn’t apply to more than one or 2 universities.</p>
<p>I disagree about the flagship state U always being a safety, financial or otherwise. UIUC accepts about 70% of applicants but cannot be considered a safety if you live in the Chicago area. If they accepted all of the qualified applicants from the Chicago area ( and I am talking all of Northeastern IL) then no one from the rest of IL would get in. My son has a good friend who was rejected in the EA round and his stats were good.</p>
<p>COA is about $25,600 for in-state students and they offer very little financial aid to in-state students. My son is attending an OOS flagship state U that offered him very good merit aid. It frosts me that UIUC does the same thing in offering OOS students very good merit aid (or so I hear) but will not offer it to the state taxpayers.</p>
<p>The school my son attends was his east coast safety school and he loves it. A weekend visit with a stay in the dorms last spring totally changed his view of the school.</p>
<p>My son doesn’t have a dream school yet. So far he’s liked Vassar and Tufts. Hated GW (too urban) and Bard (too rural). Seemed okay with Brandeis when we were there, but in retrospect is less keen on it. American is his safety and really, it looks like a great place for him. Location in or near a city, but with a suburban atmosphere. Self contained campus. Strong in the fields that interest him history/international relations. Good internships and study abroad. And the bonus of an aunt in the area, who we know will take him out to dinner from time to time. He might even get a merit scholarship there if his grades are good this year.</p>
<p>We found this financial and admittance safety that sounds almost too good to be true: Mount Allison in Atlantic Canada. Americans pay 12,000 tuition/fees. Rolling admissions, SAT optional. Cute college and town. </p>
<p>Small school of 2250, faculty ratio is 1:15. 10% international students. Strong endowment. Has produced 47 Rhodes Scholars and 70% of their graduates go on to med, law or graduate school. Strong school spirit and it receives highest ratings of Canadian schools in terms of student satisfaction/engagement/alumni devotion.</p>
<p>Yes there is a difference between a financial safety and an “admit” safety.
I think financial safties can be hard. One thinks of their state school first although that might be more than some privates with aid. Some states have colleges that would be wonderful to attend, others not as much. I keep trying to instill in my daughters the difference, but they’ll still slip and say, “Assumption or Simmons can be a safety” and I retort, “Both are expensive, how would you pay for it without a substantial scholarship?” You have to have a lower cushion at least in our case. I am sorry we couldn’t save enough, but we have to deal with what we have, as realistically as possible.</p>
<p>My daughter’s knew some students that used UConn as a financial and admit safety and didn’t get in…the reasons are unknown, too high stats, not enough interest, but there were students with similar that weren’t rejected or waitlisted. You can’t really 100% count on anything until you get the envelope (or email) That’s why I LOVE EA…if only they would get their essays done!</p>
<p>Faline, thanks for the post about grad school tuition. I was always of the belief that grad school was free, that you got TA jobs to pay your tuition.</p>
<p>At a recent session at UAB, one of the perks touted for the Science and Technology Honors program was two years free tuition toward your doctorate if you complete the SciTech Honors and do your grad work at UAB. </p>
<p>Now I can appreciate the value of that benefit.</p>
<p>Thanks for the heads up!</p>
<p>Faline2-</p>
<p>When I moved myself and the kiddos from one coast to the other 5 years ago, it was for EXACTLY the reasons you listed. With 5 kiddos of high school age I knew college and grad school were looming in the not too distant future.</p>
<p>Oldest was looking at vet school, others dental, med and business school. So we settled on NC and have not looked back since. The under grad tuition was remarkably affordable for the flagship UNC, $4K tuition for the year (couple of years ago- a little over $5K now) and other in-states even more affordable.</p>
<p>And since 3 more are now currently looking at out in-state grad programs I again am breathing a sigh of relief. UNC Med school is about $13K per year, and we live within easy driving distance. ECU’s is substantially less so room and board would be affordable.</p>
<p>Grad school is much less than the professional programs, so I echo what you said in your post about being mindful of possible grad school costs. It has factored hugely in what my kiddos have decided to do, if they had been looking at HUGE, HUGE grad school indebtedness it would discourage them from possibly persuing those options.</p>
<p>So keep in mind the “financial safeties” for undergrad.</p>
<p>Kat</p>