Recommend me some matches and safeties please? :)

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hey everyone! Like many other rising seniors on this forum, I'm in need of some reasonable schools to apply to come fall. I have my reaches, but I don't really know which schools would qualify as matches and I'm pretty much clueless about safeties. I'd like to truly apply to only schools I would be happy attending, though, so I'm trying to get some good fits and apply to as few universities as I can. </p>

<p>I'm an Asian female at a medium sized public who will be applying for finaid (although I doubt I'll get much need-based). My school sends a couple of kids to top schools each year. I'm taking the most rigorous courseload possible with a 4.0 unweighted, I'm ranked in the top 1%, and my test scores can't be better. My ECs are decent with some leadership. Volunteer hours will probably total to around 100. I work a part-time job. I'm a fairly talented artist and writer and will send in supplements where allowed. I have some awards on both local and national levels. My essays should be great and recs should be glowing. </p>

<p>I'd like a small to medium sized private university, preferably in/near an urban location with access to good public transportation. I'd want to attend a school that's relatively strong in most fields, so I'm not too keen on engineering schools as of now. Co-ed is a must. Merit aid would be nice... essentially, no matter the school I'd need the final amount of tuition relative to the institution's prestige/quality to be acceptable to my parents; they'd be okay paying full-freight for Harvard, for example, and if it's a school they haven't heard of I'd need a full ride. Lastly, it'd be really great if I could mostly apply to schools that don't really care about demonstrated interest; visits and such simply aren't feasible now due to time and etc. </p>

<p>If anyone has any suggestions that would be fantastic! So far I have HYPS as reaches. Maybe Columbia or Penn or Cornell, although that really depends on if I'm accepted anywhere EA. Would Chicago be a semi-reach or a match? I really have no matches/safeties right now, and I'm not interested in my in-state publics. </p>

<p>Another thing: Would you guys recommend applying to safeties/matches in the early round so I can go into the regular round assured of acceptance somewhere, or should I take my chances and apply to a reach like Yale early? Being accepted to a reach school early would cut down on the number of applications substantially. Obviously that's a risky move, though, but would it be worth it?</p>

<p>Thanks a bunch to everyone who reads this incredibly long post. I'd appreciate all the help I can get from CC's collective wisdom. :)</p>

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<p>"Another thing: Would you guys recommend applying to safeties/matches in the early round so I can go into the regular round assured of acceptance somewhere, or should I take my chances and apply to a reach like Yale early?"</p>

<p>You need to identify at least one true safety. That means a school where you are absolutely guaranteed admission based on your stats, and that you can pay for without anything other than federally determined financial aid. In most cases, this is a community college or an in-state public. Find your safety. Develop a reasonable amount of affection for your safety. Apply early so that you have it in the bag, and so that you have the best chance at any kind of merit aid. Your safety is the most important school on your list because it is the back-up in case everything else fails. And, believe me, you don't have to read very far here at CC to encounter people for whom "everything else" has failed!</p>

<p>Do not apply early decision to a college or university that you do not have the money to pay for. Being accepted early decision will commit you to attending that college/university unless they can't meet your financial need by THEIR standards, not yours. If your parents don't have $200,000 available that they are willing to drop on your choice of ED school, be very, very, very careful about early decision.</p>

<p>"...no matter the school I'd need the final amount of tuition relative to the institution's prestige/quality to be acceptable to my parents; they'd be okay paying full-freight for Harvard, for example, and if it's a school they haven't heard of I'd need a full ride."</p>

<p>Sit your parents down and run the FAFSA calculators at FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans. Ask them just exactly where they think they are going to find that kind of money. Ask them just exactly why they think it is OK to drop $200,000 on HYPS, but not $50,000 on your in-state public or $100,000 on some school "they haven't heard of". Get them to make a list of the schools they have heard of. Then have them make a list of people who they know and respect (friends, co-workers, neighbors, your teachers, etc.), and ask those people where they went to school. Compare the two lists. Are they the same? Which ones are new to your parents? See if your parents will consider any of those new schools as decent options for you.</p>

<p>I recognize that Asian immigrant parents are a really special category. Part of your job is helping them open up their eyes, hearts, and minds to the possibilities that are available in the US. You have many options. I wish both you and your parents all the very best as you work through this process together.</p>

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<p>Oh, Happymom, I don't intend on applying ED anywhere. I'm sorry if my post was unclear about this, but I'm only looking at early options that are non-binding. </p>

<p>My state has a scholarship program that guarantees the cost of tuition for students with above a certain GPA, but I really would rather not attend any in-state schools for fit, atmosphere, location, etc. </p>

<p>My parents can be persuaded; I've mostly convinced them of Chicago's merit, for example. They're not exactly of the mindset that ivies are the only schools of substance in this country, but they still do have an approximate mental hierarchy of institutions and the amount they're willing to pay corresponds accordingly. I'm sure that any school I can see myself happy at will be a great university regardless of prestige, and I probably will be able to convey that to my parents to a certain extent. They won't necessarily oppose me going to a less prestigious school, but to them it would seem unreasonable to spend full-freight on a school that would provide approximately the same quality of education as my instate publics, which would be free.</p>

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<p>If the school offers early action, then you might as well do it, as long as you are able to have the application in on time. So what I'm saying is that you should apply to both your reaches and safeties early, as long as it is non-binding. There's no risk, and you get to find out earlier. You can only benefit by applying EA.</p>

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<p>LOL @ the absurdity of this..
"they'd be okay paying full-freight for Harvard"
"it'd be really great if I could mostly apply to schools that don't really care about demonstrated interest"
"I'd need the final amount of tuition relative to the institution's prestige/quality to be acceptable to my parents"</p>

<p>Based on a cursory survey of your desires and expectations, you already sound satisfied with the old HYPSM, and I sense that you would be disappointed if this weren't the track that your life went on. Obviously, your parents would be, and they seem to have the guiding hand here. In fact, your posting here is a little trivial to begin with, because you apparently have already formed in your mind what are the proper schools to attend, and which are the ones that shouldn't be, shall we say, bothered with. In a sense, I feel kind of bad for you, because your parents have set crazily high expectations for you. It's definitely not fair of them, and it's almost delusional to have Ivy League fever (of which your parents are showing strong symptoms).</p>

<p>Since no recommendations that I offer will be any use to you, I mean, you won't even consider top publics, let me leave you with a story. My best friend and his mom had the same mentality that you did; that the only schools worthy of attending were the Ivies, and maybe some other top-tens, etc. Eventually, he ended up going to UPenn, and he was excited, I mean, who wouldn't be - it's UPenn, right? I remember that good feeling carried over until about Thanksgiving, whereafter he fell into this black hole of depression, rejection, and alienation. The idea of having that Ivy League degree is his hand seemed farther than ever, and now he had to suffer 4 years of bad weather, drunk rich girls, and legacy chaps who thought they were god. He's considering transferring to UC-Berkeley.</p>

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<p>"Drunk rich girls." The horror of it all....</p>

<p>Tufts, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, and Emory as matches?
How about McGill, U of Southern California, and NYU as a safeties?</p>

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<p>"They won't necessarily oppose me going to a less prestigious school, but to them it would seem unreasonable to spend full-freight on a school that would provide approximately the same quality of education as my instate publics, which would be free."</p>

<p>Yup, lots of parents (and not just Asian ones) feel that way! Pop on over to the Financial Aid and Parents forums and you will see that theme repeated over and over. If you want to avoid your instate publics, you will have to do some serious research on merit scholarships that you are in the range for.</p>

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<p>Did you end up in TASP?</p>

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<p>Why does everyone on this board believe that the only schools worth looking at are HYPS? It's getting kind of boring.</p>

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<p>Though I admittedly know little about it, Rice came to mind.</p>

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<p>I'm asking about any school but HYPS... I really have no idea why this has turned into another debate about the validity of prestige and Ivies, since that totally wasn't the point. Yep, I'm applying to HYPS and my parents are the typical Ivy-focused Asian parents, but I know my chances aren't as great as they think and I know I'll be happy at many more places than just 8 schools in a sport league. I'd enjoy myself at tons of schools, but applying to too many is a waste of money and potentially deprives other students of spots at what might be their first choice. I just want a couple of feasible options come fall so that I'd get in some schools I genuinely like, regardless of their prestige. The public thing is just that I don't think OOC tuition is worth it, although in the case of exceptional top publics or schools that offer good OOC merit aid it'd probably be different. As for demonstrated interest, I don't have time to visit or do much besides maybe request some info; I wouldn't apply to a school if I wasn't genuinely interested, though. </p>

<p>Ultimately my parents are the ones paying for my education, and I respect that. Like you guys, there are some facets of their attitude towards college that I find unfair and misguided, but ultimately I just have to deal with it as best as I can. Maybe in explaining their perspective it erroneously came off as my own, who knows. Either way though I don't agree with them on many things. At the same time, it would be a bit ungrateful for me to refute them on everything. </p>

<p>Thanks TourGuide, although your recs seem a bit generous... Would NYU really be a safety? </p>

<p>MLEVINE - nope. I was a finalist and got interviewed, but ultimately I didn't get in. My interviewer was like the New York Times's main southern correspondent, lol. I definitely screwed up though, it wasn't surprising.</p>

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<p>teenage_cliche - I was definitely interested in Rice, but I thought it would also be a reach? :/</p>

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<p>I think Cornell would be an easy match, maybe even somewhat of a safety. Check their stats. But its still a great school. Also Wash U. in St. Louis. For a true safety how about the Honors program at UMichigan? Its really good. I agree that rice is too hot a school right now to be a sure match, esp. in these competitive times when admissions is like roulette. Id say to remember that scores and grades are not everything. You need to show the schools that you are unique, and can contribute something distinct to their school, even if its the quality of your personality--leadership, social responsibility, etc. Or a talent or passion. Don't make the mistake of just relying on your numbers. And you go, girl-- you have an awesome resume.</p>

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<p>P.S.- Sorry, I forgot to say that UMich residential (honors) program is much much smaller than the huge, general Umich, cause I know you said you don't want a huge school. Also, I know its a pain to visit, but I do think you need to visit your top reaches, cause in these times, they actually use that factor to eliminate even great applicants. And also visit your true safety. Otherwise they will know its your safety and they will kick you out of town for screwing with their stats!</p>