<p>My son wanted one Ivy League college, and they said not right now, so he is unsure what he wants. He loves biology - but wants a school that is a known quantity - that is a good named school. What are the best recommendations for a named school that is a good safety school? He has good grades, top 10%, National merit, etc. I know there are a lot of other kids in the same boat, but any help would be appreciated since it is crunch time.</p>
<p>This is a very broad question, and you are very late in the game to be identifying match and safety schools for him. Almost every college in the country offers a biology major, and many of them are good. It sounds like he is just picking schools off the “brand name”, which is not a good way to find a school that is a good fit for him. I would suggest you hightail it down to a bookstore tomorrow morning and pick up a copy of the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Narrow down by geography, size, SAT range, and run the net price calculators on a few schools. Forget the names – go by the description of what sounds interesting to him. Fiske will list what programs are strong at each school as well, so you can identify some that are strong in biology (but some schools are good in LOTS of areas, and even if Bio does not make the list, it may still be a good program). Be sure to pick a few schools where his stats are in the top 50% (all test scores, not just 1-2 of the SATs), the admission rate is at least 30%, and you know you can afford the school based on the net price calculator. When you pick some schools, have him go to the web site and look through the biology course offerings, too.</p>
<p>Honestly… I do not think there are “a lot of other kids in the same boat”. Other kids have been making lists of match and safety colleges along with their Ivy reaches for several months now, and working on applications because they realize that the odds are stacked against them for admissions to top schools even if they have very good stats. They have been visiting, reviewing videos on the web, reading threads out here on CC about their colleges, and working on the supplemental essays.</p>
<p>Also… if they said “not right now”, I assume that means he was deferred. He really needs to put that college aside and focus in on finding several other possible options with some where he is pretty sure to be accepted. Unless he has some great accomplishment in the next couple of months, it is quite unlikely that being deferred at a top school will turn into admission. He needs to move on, and quickly.</p>
<p>intparent, I hope you have a massive word document so you can cut and paste the great advice you always give rather than have to recreate it each time. :)</p>
<p>What about your state flagship university? Many have honors colleges, and all have biology majors so far as I know. </p>
<p>I sure hope finances are not a consideration as you have missed the deadlines for applying for most significant scholarship considerations at most schools.</p>
<p>University of Alabama is accepting applications until January 6. If your son was a competitive applicant for an Ivy, he could garner some significant merit aid at Alabama. But he needs to get his application submitted ASAP.</p>
<p>“Other kids have been making lists of match and safety colleges along with their Ivy reaches for several months now” - Actually, often it is the researcher-parent helping to make those lists. Per my reading on CC, many GC are too busy to give detailed advise. Yes, some students do their own research. But I think not so common. </p>
<p>OP - The state flagship often makes a great safety. In my mind, it would have the added advantage of many majors. It just seems like options for Bio majors are very limited, unless they get grad degree.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter whether kids are doing this themselves or being pushed to make lists by parents or GCs. Bottom line is that this kid apparently has not made a list of other schools to apply to, let alone a reach of safeties and matches to go with his one reach. It may be that the state flagship is where this kid will end up. But there are a lot of other choices between a state flagship and whatever Ivy he was rejected from, too. Agree that he may want to put an app into the state flagship so he has SOMEWHERE to go next fall if all other options fail. But it is not going to feel good to a kid who had HYPS as the only school in his mind, and there is some time to apply to other schools if they get going this week.</p>
<p>His choice of majors is a whole different discussion… as Colorado_mom says, a bio undergrad degree alone is not very useful in the workforce. He probably would need to go on the graduate school or medical school for better job prospects. So picking a school with a good bio program, yet also where he can be very successful to enhance his chances at admissions to those post-undergrad programs is another factor to consider.</p>
<p>A safety HAS TO BE affordable…yet, most safeties do NOT give much/any need-based aid. So, if you can pay all costs then there are many safeties for him.</p>
<p>HOWEVER, if your son needs aid, then he must apply to safeties that will give him ASSURED merit for his stats.</p>
<p>What are his stats? What are his test scores, including SAT breakdown?</p>
<p>Is he a National Merit Semi-Finalist? </p>
<p>Is he pre-med? If so, then ANY good school is fine for that.</p>
<p>If “good named school” is one at the highest levels of general prestige, there are none which can be safeties, since general prestige is based on selectivity, and those at the top of the general prestige and selectivity lists are too selective to be anyone’s safety.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if a school like many state flagships and similarly selective private schools is included in “good named school”, then there are many potential admission safeties – but consider affordability.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-20.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-20.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1562918-updated-list-schools-auto-admit-guaranteed-admission-criteria.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1562918-updated-list-schools-auto-admit-guaranteed-admission-criteria.html</a></p>
<p>Perhaps your son would consider a gap year, and take another stab at this next fall. That would give him a chance to develop a realistic list of schools, and apply in a timely manner. </p>
<p>Safeties are generally public universities, some of which have an excellent reputation. The problem there, as mom2collegekids points out, is that they’re often pricey and most don’t give much aid. If your son has decent stats, he could also look into the many wonderful private schools which don’t happen to be super-reaches. Some of them are generous with aid.</p>
<p>Agree with all the good advice. If name/prestige is all that important, a gap year might be in order. Does your s have any safeties? Also, when admissions are sent out in the spring, the CACAC posts a list of schools that still have space. Sometimes some good schools pop up on that list.</p>
<p>OP- what is your son’s (or your) definition of a “good-named” college? Can you give examples?</p>
<p>Also, what made him apply to one school without preparing a back up list? Had either of you looked up acceptance rates at the school he liked?</p>
<p>I think you need to go back to the drawing board and ask why he was so fixed on an ivy, why he is so fixed on prestige and a “named” school. Is he an international student?</p>
<p>The fact that you have to ask this question indicates to me a family that is very unsophisticated in terms of the higher education system, perhaps an international family who only knows certain names, and who is driven by their prestige. We could tell you the names of countless excellent colleges, but if you don’t really know about these schools, they will appear, to you and your son, to lack “names”, even if those of us who know more consider them top choices.</p>
<p>Your question would seem to imply that you think there is a hierarchy with Ivies at the top, then a next layer of easy to identify second runners, that we can easily provide. I don’t really think that is so.</p>
<p>And do you truly want safeties, or is that question seeking the next best to an Ivy in terms of prestige?</p>
<p>You don’t have much time, but I suggest Loren Pope’s books on “Colleges that Change Lives” and Looking Beyond the Ivies"; Colleges that Change Lives also has a website and national fairs.</p>
<p>State universities are often excellent and by all means consider them. For biology, in my area, I would suggest Tufts, Clark University, Boston University, UMass, Maybe Northeastern. But shine a light on any area of the country and there will be many possibilities in each.</p>
<p>Preferred location? Size? Vibe? Academics? If prestige is your son’s only criterion, it is kind of sad.</p>
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<p>My kid’s safeties were private schools (Lawrence and Mount Holyoke, in fact). Depending on your kid’s stats (for admission purposes and likely merit aid) and your own pocketbook, it certainly does not have to be a state university. If your kid is in the very top of the pool at a private, and has shown adequate interest in that matters in admission, you can certainly use private schools as safeties. Although in the OP’s case, since it is very late and they have apparently not visited or done much research, that may be the best option for a safety.</p>
<p>So…what happened to the OP?</p>
<p>Umm… dont think the op can use holyoke as a safety…</p>
<p>Until we know what the budget is, we can’t recommend safeties.</p>
<p>And, if the student is premed (bio major suggests that to me), then spending a bunch of money on undergrad may not be the best choice unless money is no object. It is not necessary to attend a top name school and go to med school. </p>
<p>I could be reading too much between the lines (“they said not right now”), but I’m guessing that the parents are immigrants and there’s pressure to attend at top name school.</p>
<p>Where is there any indication of the OP’s ethnic background? All the OP said is that his/her son wants to go to an Ivy.</p>
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<p>I would be wary of using schools that consider “level of applicant’s interest” (as these two do) as safeties.</p>
<p>Still thinkin’ the OP’s SON is not likely going to get far using Holyoke as a safety ;)</p>
<p>I think every kid should have two safeties, especially one who has been deferred from his first choice. The last thing he wants in April is only one acceptance. I agree that an honors college at the State University might be a good first choice safety. For my older science guy we looked at the smaller tech schools for safeties. For a kid with Ivy stats RPI and WPI were absolutely safeties at our school. (This might not be true at your high school - so if you have Naviance check the school’s records.) RPI has gotten more and more selective in the years since my son applied. I do know one young woman who majored in bio there, got very nice merit scholarships and is now working on her PhD at Cornell, her original first choice for undergrad. Case Western might be close to a safety depending on his stats. NJIT is often mentioned around here as a backup, but I don’t know how their bio is - the 19% graduation rate strikes me as a bit scary.</p>