<p>My college list right now has a lot of reaches, very few matches, and only one true safety, so I'm looking for more matches and safeties that I would be happy to go to. </p>
<p>My absolute favorite colleges right now are Harvey Mudd, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, and Stanford. Can you please suggest colleges that are similar to my reaches but easier to get into?</p>
<p>Basically I'm looking for a college that is strong in engineering and math, but isn't <em>too</em> focused on math/science/engineering either. I would also prefer small class sizes and warm weather, though I can compromise on that. </p>
<p>I have a chances thread here: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1173239-chances-harvey-mudd.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1173239-chances-harvey-mudd.html</a></p>
<p>These might not all be safeties, but they are likely to be easier to get into than the favorite schools you listed. Also, depending on your cost constraints and state of residence, they may or may not be within your affordability range.</p>
<p>California (Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego)
Georgia Tech
Michigan (Ann Arbor)
Minnesota (Twin Cities)
Maryland (College Park)
Penn State
Purdue
Rensselaer Polytechnic
Texas (Austin)
Washington (Seattle)
Wisconsin (Madison)</p>
<p>If you are taking college sophomore / junior level math courses while you are still in high school, check to see whether an undergraduate focused school like Harvey Mudd will have sufficient math courses to keep you interested. Many math majors who are more than a year ahead in math take graduate level math courses as undergraduates.</p>
<p>The plus side of being advanced in math is that, if you major in math, you will likely go quickly into junior / senior level math courses with small class sizes, skipping the large freshman calculus type of courses that are needed by students in numerous majors. If a school offers honors freshman / sophomore level math courses, they are likely to have much smaller class sizes than the regular courses.</p>
<p>[Lehigh</a> University: About Lehigh](<a href=“http://www4.lehigh.edu/about/default.aspx]Lehigh”>http://www4.lehigh.edu/about/default.aspx)</p>
<p>Lehigh is about as selective as CMU or Michigan, so it wouldn’t be a safety. It is much smaller than any of the state schools listed above (<4K undergrads), so it would be a little closer to Harvey Mudd in that respect. It has a college of engineering as well as a college of arts & sciences.</p>
<p>The University of Rochester is another small, private university with an engineering school. It is a little less selective than Lehigh, and farther north.</p>
<p>My absolute favorite colleges right now are Harvey Mudd, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, and Stanford. Can you please suggest colleges that are similar to my reaches but easier to get into?</p>
<p>Well, for a school to be a safety, then you need to know for sure that you have all costs covered…otherwise it’s not a safety. What is your safety and are you certain that you have all costs covered?</p>
<p>SAT: 2310 (math 800, critical reading 800, writing 710) - this was as a freshman, i will retake in October
ACT: 36
AP: Biology, English Language, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Physics B, US History, English Lit, Government - all 5s
IB: currently taking English HL and TOK 1, and will take Spanish SL
GPA: weighted 4.0, unweighted 3.8
Rank: 12/436</p>
<p>The following aren’t safeties because I don’t know if they are affordable. I think you mentioned in another thread that your parents will pay $30k. So, think of them more like matches…</p>
<p>I agree that URoch is a good idea. I like the rest of UCB’s list. I think you could get merit at some/most/all that would bring cost down to what your parents will pay.</p>
<p>Forget taking the SAT again, you’re done with that. You will look like a fool to take it again with a 36 ACT and a 1600 M+CR, which is what most colleges use anyway. </p>
<p>However, you don’t even meet the basic qualifications for any of the schools if you didn’t take SAT II Math Level 2 and an SAT II in Physics and Chemistry, which you neglected to mention in your other thread. </p>
<p>Rounding off your probability of getting in to a single digit, I view 0-30% as a reach, 40%-90% as a match and 100% as a safety. </p>
<p>Assuming that you took them and just forgot to mention them and got 750+, then I think that the only reach on your list is Stanford. I give Harvey Mudd 80%, MIT 40%, Carnegie-Mellon 70%.</p>
<p>I’d consider Rice 50%, CalTech (very numbers driven) 40% if you want warm. </p>
<p>Johns Hopkins has engineering and is probably 60%.</p>
<p>Michigan is 90%, Wisconsin is 100%. I believe that UWashington would be 100% also. If you got into the honors program at any of these places, which you should, you’d get small classes.</p>
<p>As far as early decision, I think I’d wait to compare offers. You’re going to get into Harvey Mudd anyway.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids: My safety is Oregon State University. I’m pretty sure I’ll get a full ride from the engineering school, based on what other people at my school have gotten, but even if I don’t, my parents can afford it. Some of the UCs are semi safeties. I’m not sure if they’re academc safeties but they are financial safeties since my dad lives in California.</p>
<p>@classicrockerdad: I thought I should retake the SAT to improve my writing score. My essay subscore was only 7. My ACT essay score was low too, though I don’t remember exactly what it was. Do you think improving my writing score will help me, or will i just look test obsessed?</p>
<p>I forgot to mention SAT 2. I got 800 on both math and physics.</p>
<p>My previous post was cut off so I’m continuing it here…
@classicrockerdad, thanks for the encouragement! I really hope you’re right about my chances for Harvey Mudd. The one thing that worries me a lot, the reason I considered it a reach, is my transcript. Sophomore year, I got a C in AP English first semester and a B second semester, though I got a 5 on the Lang and lit exams. Also, second semester sophomore year I got a C in literary seminar and a B in social studies. Junior year second semester I got a B in IB English. Do you think those grades will hurt my chances a lot?</p>
<p>Yes. Because there are students who are strong in math/science and still maintain straight As in English/Social Studies. If there are 2 students applying to the same schools the one with Cs and Bs will be at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>If your parents are only willing to pay $30K, then you’re either going to need substantial need-based aid or substantial merit aid. Have you run FA calculators to get a general ballpark estimate of your EFC?</p>
<p>Keep in mind that many of the schools being tossed around here don’t meet 100% of need. That would include RPI (average 84% of need met) and Lehigh (average 96% of need met) as well as most or all of the public universities for OOS students. </p>
<p>But cost-of-attendance (COA) varies widely. At Minnesota—a top-25 engineering school where you’re virtually 100% certain of gaining admission—total COA for OOS students in 2010-2011 was $27,358. It will be a little higher for 2011-12 (they haven’t announced the new tuition rates yet) but it should be right in the $30K ballpark. There’s also the possibility of a small merit award to bring the cost down even further. So it seems to me that’s your safety, both on the admissions side and on the financial side (and a much better engineering school than Oregon State).</p>
<p>Doesn’t meet the “warm weather” criterion, though.</p>
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<p>I think you will look test obsessed and are better off demonstrating your writing ability on the essays. Taking another test is a complete waste of your time. There are very very few people out there who have the test scores that you have. </p>
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<p>I really don’t see you getting rejected by Harvey Mudd, but it’s not a safety. The C might hurt a tiny bit for some of the others. I really don’t think so though.</p>
<p>I might add Duke. They seem to like perfect test scores and it’s warm, at least compared to New England.</p>
<p>Hmm do you know if I can not report my first SAT score, since it was from freshman year? I really think I could get a 2400 if I try in October.</p>
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<p>Do you live in CA? Will you graduate from a California high school? If the answer is no, then you’re unlikely to pay instate tuition at any UC.</p>
<p>I agree with the previous posters; don’t retake the SAT, and Harvey Mudd is a match but not a safety if finances are a concern. A friend of my son’s matriculated there last year with similar stats as yours. I don’t think he received any need-based aid, but he did get a merit scholarship which gave him half tuition. Even with that, it’s an expensive school at $58K.</p>
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<p>I think it’s silly to re-take. You already have the highest possible ACT score, 36. You already have the highest possible scores on SAT CR (800) and SAT M (800). Some schools only look at the CR and M scores and disregard W; in their eyes you’re golden. Others look at all 3 parts but weigh CR and M more heavily; in their eyes you’re perhaps “golden -” on the SAT, but perfect on the ACT, and since they all say if you submit both the SAT and ACT they’ll use your highest score, that’s your ACT, which is a perfect 36. As for the essay components of the ACT and SAT, I don’t know anyone who thinks they’re an accurate reflection of your writing ability. Colleges will rely much more heavily on your essays, teacher recs, and grades from writing-intensive courses.</p>
<p>You’re better off prepping for SAT Subject Tests, because you’ll need those at some schools.</p>
<p>To answer your question about not reporting your first SAT scores, the College Board now allows that through its Score Choice program, which allows you to select which scores to submit. However, not all colleges allow it; some require you to submit ALL your SAT scores if you elect to submit any SAT scores. They say they’ll just use your highest scores, but they want to see all of them. Go figure. In any event your highest score right now is your 36 ACT; you’d need a perfect 2400 on the SAT to match that, but there’s no way you can exceed it, so what’s the point?</p>
<p>aopsgirl – don’t retake the SAT. Some adcoms would view that as petty, or score grubbing, or worse, pathetic. Have a look at this perspective:</p>
<p>[MIT</a> Admissions | Blog Entry: “What’s the big deal about 40^2?”](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/standardized_test_requirements/whats_the_big_deal_about_402.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/apply/standardized_test_requirements/whats_the_big_deal_about_402.shtml)</p>
<p>Mind you, I’m not insinuating you’re NOT pathetic, but there’s nothing to be gained by revealing that in a re-taking of a test you’ve already mastered. some might infer that you don’t have a life outside school if you sacrifice 5 hours on a Saturday to retake a mastered test.</p>
<p>Like Mudd but easier admissions: Rose Hulman
Like MIT but easier admissions: Case Western</p>
<p>^ Case Western meets on average 87% of financial need, though they do give out some big merit scholarships. More telling, perhaps, is that the average debt of 2009 Case Western grads was $37,496—by far the highest among top-50 universities—and 63% of the graduates had borrowed.</p>
<p>Rose-Hulman meets full need for only 19% of its students, with an average of 88% of need met. Average indebtedness of its graduating class was $35,261, and 73% of its grads had borrowed.</p>
<p>Given these stats, I don’t think you can count on either of these schools as a financial safety, though it may be worth applying to see what kind of offer they make you. Both are fine engineering schools.</p>
<p>@bclintonk: Thanks! Where did you get those statistics? I’d like to look up the average debt of grads from the other colleges on my list.</p>
<p>Data are from the US News college ranking online edition. which you need to pay to access. But I’d wait for the new edition to come out in August.</p>