Please Help Me Find Safeties!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey, I'm a graduated junior (I skipped senior year) and a female from Chapel Hill, NC. I'm taking a gap year to volunteer in South America right now, so I'll be 17 once college starts.</p>

<p>Here are my stats:
Rank: Something like 46/420.<br>
GPA: 3.8 unweighted. All As and only a few Bs until last year, when I got 4 As, 3 Bs 1st semester and 4 As, 2 Bs and a C second semester.
SAT: 700, 770, 710 = 2180.
AP:
Calc AB - 4
U.S. History - 4
Environmental - 4</p>

<p>ECs:
Gay-Straight Alliance, 9-11, co-president (11)
Youth Performing Arts Conservatory, 10-11
Spanish Club, 10-11, president (11)
Science, Arts Summer Camp Counselor 9, 10
Photography, 9-11
Teen Court Attorney, 10
Duke TIP Summer Studies and Scholar Weekends, 10 </p>

<p>Awards:
Governor's Page in 11th grade
Featured in local paper's photography section
Spanish National Honors Society
AP Scholar
National Merit (Semi-)Finalist
Mayor’s Award (for community service)
Project CA.F.E. Award (Calling All Future Educators, Language)
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference Delegate
Society of Women Scholars (Co-vice president)</p>

<p>Work Experience:
Babysitting 9th and 10th grade
Legal intern for mom's law office 10th and 11th grade
Working 32.5 hours a week (unpaid) as a teacher's assistant for fourth grade ESL class</p>

<p>I've got three match-ish schools - BC, Emory, and Vanderbilt? (I'm so worried about getting in to those, but technically I fit with their SAT range)
Then Northwestern, Tufts and U Penn SAT-wise are reaches, but I don't have any safeties!</p>

<p>Any advice? I really am only interested in big schools near big cities, but preferably in residential communities instead of directly downtown.</p>

<p>Thank you SO much!</p>

2

<p>University of Vermont (7000 students, not a BIG city, but nice walkable area).</p>

<p>Villa Nova (maybe more of a match)</p>

3

<p>Vermont is beautiful, but if you want to be near a big city, I don't think it will work. As for Villanova...if you're involved in things such as GSA, it may be a bit too conservative for your tastes (although some Catholic colleges are uber-accepting of things like that, Villanova typically is not). </p>

<p>That said, try these..all have pretty, residential campuses in or near major (500k+) cities: American, Northeastern, DePaul, University of Washington, Tulane, Case Western Reserve, University of San Francisco, Fordham - Rose Hill, etc. </p>

<p>What do you want to major in?</p>

4

<p>Yeah, there's definitely no way I could go to Vermont, but thanks lafalum!
World changer, I think you're right . . . I know the school's nickname is "Vanilla-nova" so I'm not so sure I'd be comfortable going there.
Until I change my mind I'm majoring in political science, but I'm also interested in international relations and journalism (possible co-majors?). I'll minor in Spanish, or maybe education.
Thanks to both of you!
Any other ideas?</p>

5

<p>anyone else have any suggestions?</p>

6

<p>I missed the GSA reference. You're right, scratch Villa Nova.</p>

<p>There aren't that many "big schools near big cities, but preferably in residential communities instead of directly downtown." Big schools tend to be downtown (NYU, Boston Univ, Northeastern) or out in the boonies (Penn State, UConn, UMass Amherst, Va Tech, Clemson, etc).</p>

<p>BC is a notable exception, but already on your list.</p>

<p>Perhaps some smaller/midsize schools, like Brandeis? Or some of the good state schools in the southeast - it sounds like you want to leave your own UNC-Chapel Hill area, but what about UVA, Univ of SC, etc that are in mid-sized cities? If you're looking for big schools as safeties, I think some flagship state schools might be your best bet.</p>

7

<p>Do you think Brandeis could really be a safety?? It's such a good school.
Yeah, I think you're right about state schools. Hmm . . . I've debated over UGA and USC, but eventually decided I couldn't go there because they're sooo conservative and southern (Chapel Hill is only physically North Carolinian :)) but I'll definitely look closer at northern state schools.
Thank you so much!</p>

8

<p>Try Seattle University in Seattle. Similar to Villanova, but very accepting of gays. Son has a gay friend who goes there and he is really happy.</p>

9

<p>Maybe U Pittsburgh (love this school - but it is very urban) or Duquesne (has a real campus, but is in Pittsburgh downtown). Maybe University of Rochester, not real urban, but maybe has enough to offer city-wise.</p>

10

<p>I love Pitt, but it is a very urban and integrated into the surrounding community. </p>

<p>Rochester could be good though...</p>

11

<p>rice gal - thank you!
weenie - ooh, i really think u pittsburgh looks awesome. great idea :)
and world changer, thanks for letting me know!</p>

12

<p>U Rochester is a match. U Maryland College Park would be good and should be safety (apply early in fall though). U Delaware may be good. Look at Goucher College. How about Rutgers?</p>

13

<p>Northeastern, perhaps?</p>

14

<p>one mom - thank you for all those ideas! rutgers in NJ . . . i don't know, but UMD, UDE and Goucher look like definite possibilities. is baltimore nice??
tetrisfan, i didn't want to go to northeastern for silly reasons but it really does look like a nice school and it's in boston, so at least for now i'm seriously considering it. i don't know if it's safety enough though . . . .
thank you one mom and tetris fan!</p>

15

<p>You are welcome. Another alternative near Baltimore is Towson University. It's a public school. Baltimore has a nice harbor area with museums and shopping. Towson is more a small satellite city than a suburb and has a huge mall. It isn't far from Baltimore. One of my neighbor's kids went to Towson U and loved it. Goucher has cross registration with Johns Hopkins and also I believe with Peabody Conservatory.</p>

16

<p><a href="http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/advsearch/match.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/advsearch/match.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

17

<p>What about the Washington DC schools -- Georgetown, George Washington, American and Catholic? Also Loyola of Baltimore</p>