Please suggest a safety for me.

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So, I need a safety. </p>

<p>Some quick stats:</p>

<p>SAT: 2150-2300
ACT: 34-36
GPA: 4.8 W
Rank: Top 1%
Meh ECs</p>

<p>Looking for a college, preferably in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic. Looking to double major in philosophy and political science. Not to anger anyone, but I want a school that is pretty liberal and not religious. Size doesn't matter, but I would like to be within a 20 minute drive of a metropolis.</p>

<p>I should probably mention that I live in Pennsylvania and have taken 6 APs and have 5 this year. SAT II in US History at 760 and World at 710.</p>

<p>Current reaches/matches:</p>

<p>Columbia
Princeton
University of Chicago
Brown
Reed
Brandeis
NYU
Pitt (safety)</p>

2

<p>What state are you in?</p>

3

<p>Pennsylvania</p>

4

<p>I’d put George Washington University on your list - urban, great programs in your areas of interest. And American University if you want something even safer.</p>

<p>And if you are female, look at some of the women’s colleges: Barnard and Bryn Mawr perhaps.</p>

5

<p>I was considering American as a safety, so thank you very much. I’m not a girl though.</p>

6

<p>What about Temple?</p>

7

<p>Regarding Temple:</p>

<p>I don’t want to offend, and I don’t want to be like the average CC kid, but I think Temple might be “too safe” if you get what I mean. Pitt and American are more of my safety speed, but I do want more suggestions. Thanks though. I might tour there just to see if it might be a place I’d consider. I’m not far.</p>

8

<p>What about Drexel</p>

9

<p>I could be wrong, but I never heard of Drexel being good at political science or philosophy. Plus, it is a little close.</p>

10

<p>

</p>

<p>American University lists “level of interest” as being a very important factor in admissions, and presumably dislikes being used as a safety (i.e. will probably reject you if it thinks that you are applying to it as a safety).</p>

<p>If Pittsburgh is a safety (for both admissions and cost), do you need additional ones?</p>

11

<p>I like to keep my options open. I want to be able to have choices and on the unfortunate chance I don’t get into any school other than Pitt, I don’t want to only have one choice.</p>

12

<p>Perhaps see if any of these can be safeties, especially if you need a lower list price:</p>

<p>Minnesota, Penn State (in-state), Stony Brook, SUNY Binghamton</p>

<p>Remember that a safety must be certainly affordable (you did not specify any cost constraints).</p>

13

<p>in NYC - NYU and Fordham, in DC -GW and American, in Phila. – Haverford, in Boston Tufts, in Pittsburgh – Carnegie Mellon, in New Orleans (not northeast I know) Tulane has early action.</p>

14

<p>I don’t think NYU, GW, Haverford, Carnegie Mellon and Tufts are safeties. In fact, I’d be willing to bet most, if not all, of them have less than a 35% acceptance rate.</p>

<p>I am applying to NYU though.</p>

<p>I need to look into Fordham and the schools mentioned above you.</p>

15

<p>A safety meets these four criteria:</p>

<p>1) You can afford it without any aid other than federally determined (FAFSA) aid and/or guaranteed state aid (if it is in your home state) and/or guaranteed merit-based aid from the college/university itself.</p>

<p>2) You are guaranteed admission. You know that because you meet or exceed the criteria for guaranteed admission that the college/university posts right on its website. Many public institutions do this for in-state applicants. Next best (but not truly guaranteed because policies change from one year to the next) would be if your own high school has years of records that clearly indicate that no applicant to that college/university who has your precise profile has ever been rejected.</p>

<p>3) Your major is offered.</p>

<p>4) You will be happy to attend if come April you have no other affordable options.</p>

<p>If Pitt doesn’t clearly meet these four criteria, it is not a real true safety. It is just a very low match. If it does meet these four criteria, and you really could be happy there, then you may not need to be looking for any others that are equally safe.</p>

16

<p>Only problem with PSU is that it’s definitely not near an urban area.</p>

<p>How about Univ of Delaware?</p>

17

<p>

</p>

<p>More conservative would be to note if the stat range where no applicant from your high school has ever been rejected in recent years includes a margin below your stats. A college can become significantly more competitive in admissions from one year to the next – especially if budget problems at state universities force them to reduce capacity. Also, for colleges which admit by major or division (e.g. engineering versus arts and sciences), previous history of students getting admitted in less competitive majors or divisions may not apply to you if you apply to a more competitive major or division.</p>

18

<p>Temple does have an honors program. A friend’s daughter loved it and definitely was challenged. Investigate before ruling out.</p>

<p>West Chester? Villanova? St. Joseph’s?</p>

19

<p>West Chester and St. Joe’s? Seriously? Did you look at his stats?
And Villanova is Catholic and not liberal. </p>

<p>I would look at Rutgers College as a safety. You will be above their typical test scores (same with Pitt) but Rutgers has one of the best philosophy departments in the world. NYU is another top philosophy program and should be pretty safe for you and plenty liberal.</p>

20

<p>If you like Reed, have you checked out Lewis and Clark across the river? You might be competitive for merit money there, and it would definitely be a safety with your stats.</p>