<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I am starting to seriously consider where I want to apply, and so of course I have a handful of top "reach" schools but I need a couple of safety schools as well. I don't want to aim too high, but also don't want to waste time (& money on application fees!) applying too schools that are TOO low. What would be a good safety for me?</p>
<p>Graduated from the honors program at a large state school (big research institution), 3.73 GPA (magna cum laude)
Dean's list almost every semester
2 years research (1.5 years in school, now continuing as a tech at the same lab)
most likely two great LORs and one "pretty good" from a big name in my field
Highest honors on honors research thesis (also got an award for outstanding thesis)
Poster presentations at 4 smallish retreats/school symposiums, one poster presentation at a large conference
Summer research fellowship
Recieved a small grant (to fund conference attendance)
Taught and designed one credit course for freshman about current topics in science/medicine
No pubs yet...my PI REALLY wants to publish ASAP, but although I am close nothing is going as it should anymore, so who knows if that will happen in time (when I do it will be first author....only me and my PI, but I'm not banking on it happening in time)
1st place poster prize in the department's senior research poster session
Four year academic scholarship
Taking the GREs next week, but shouldn't be TOO low (if it is I will just retake it, aiming for at least 95% quant)</p>
<p>Any suggestions on what would be a good safety school for me??</p>
<p>Why don’t you ask your PI? He/she should know what other professors are studying similar areas as those you’re interested in researching.</p>
<p>I have, and she seems a little too optimistic about it, haha- she is convinced that I will get in anywhere and didn’t even encourage applying to ‘safeties’. I’m not as optimistic about it</p>
<p>I am a bit flexible as to what kind of lab I am looking for, but of course wherever I apply I will look over the faculty/research at that school first</p>
<p>No such thing as a safety school. Only schools you are interested in that happen to be ranked lower. Figure out what interests you, and apply to programs that have a lot of faculty doing those particular things. In my opinion, safety schools are worthless. I don’t want to end up at a “second choice”, I don’t understand that mentality. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that program ranks > school rankings. Being too flexible about what you want to do in graduate school is going to make it really hard to create a good list. Become more focused and you’ll start to see schools with less prestige jumping out. You can consider those “safeties” I suppose…</p>
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If that’s what she thinks, she is probably right. Keep in mind that she most likely reads applications for your department’s graduate program – she knows what qualities the programs like to see in an applicant.</p>
<p>When I was applying, my PI similarly told me I would get in everywhere and that I shouldn’t bother with safeties, and he was right.</p>
<p>Ultimately, you shouldn’t apply anywhere you wouldn’t enthusiastically go.</p>
<p>The title says it all. Just apply broadly, and you will be surprised at what you see. Every year people get accepted to a top 10 program, and get rejected from the 60th best Mol. Bio. program. Or you have cases where people who should get into the top 10 programs get rejected from all of those programs, and get into a mid level (25-50 ranked) program.</p>
<p>Looking at your stats… assuming you are an american citizen and if you score >80% in both quant and verbal and are pretty confident that your letter writers know you well and can right strong letters, plus, you can hold a conversation, I don’t think you need safety schools. Let me explain…</p>
<p>I would agree that there is no such thing as a safety school for looking at one particular college. But I do say that there is such thing a having safety schools (plural). Based on my scores/application (which is similar if not worse than your application), for me my safety pool was three different UC’s. I don’t want to sound cocky, but before I applied I knew for sure that I would get into atleast 1 of the 3 if not all. I ended up getting into all 3. I applied to around 7 other top 10 programs and got into 5. So basiclaly I applied to 3 school which gave me a piece of mind during the process, but ultimately ended up “wasting.”</p>