Safeties and other college options

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I really would like to ask what u guys think are some good safeties and matches for a student who is at least qualified to apply to Harvard? (I don't need to worry about reaches-- Harvard fits in that category!)</p>

<p>Any suggestions? My guidance counselor is really bad and never answers my questions and instead talks about other things-- he's pretty old and senile. Anyway, I would prefer colleges in the east coast, maybe a couple south. no women's colleges and no tech schools. Thanks!</p>

<p>If you want a clearer idea of what my stats and profile are like, here are a couple things:</p>

<p>GPA: 4.5 out of a possible 5.0
SAT's: 2350
SAT II's: 790, 740, 700 (will have to retake the latter two)
AP's: 5, 4, 5</p>

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<p>Awards:
National Merit Semi-finalist
National Cum Laude Society
Magna and Maxima Cum Laude's on National Latin Test
1st place in Philadelphia Koreans Musicians piano competition</p>

<p>Activities:
Piano (orchestra and chamber groups/highest level possible at piano school)
Violin
Yearbook/newspaper
Varsity soccer
Student Forum
Manager of Boys varsity b-ball team
tutoring
internship at newspaper over summer
200+ hours of community service
black belt in tae kwon do
prom committee</p>

<p>ok...now that i've taken the time to write all this, i think i would also like your input on my chances at Harvard?</p>

<p>Thanks very much!!</p>

2

<p>Quite frankly, concerning your chances at Harvard, I would say you have a very slim chance. Don't misinterpret me; you are obviously an excellent student with a variety of interests but nothing about you <em>stands out.</em> I really can't help you with matches if I don't know what you are interested in.</p>

3

<p>Why do you want to be on the east coast?</p>

4

<p>thanks for responding--</p>

<p>the parentals don't want me too far away...</p>

5

<p>While you never really said what you were interested in, here are a few on the East Coast that you'd have a good shot at:</p>

<p>Vassar
UVA
Emory
Georgetown
NYU
Brandeis
Haverford</p>

<p>If you applied to about three or four of these schools, I'd think you'd be pretty safe. (That's just off the top of my head, no particular order.)</p>

<p>As for your chances at Harvard- I wouldn't be all that confident, but definitely apply- and apply to a good number of other top schools, like Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, Williams, Amherst, etc- my guess is that you'd have a great shot at one or more of them. (What's most important is that you apply to schools you like, of course- don't get too into the mindset of 'safety, target, reach).</p>

6

<p>Consider Vanderbilt in the south and Cornell in the east</p>

7

<p>The schools listed here are not safety schools. May be a slight match for this candidate - but not safety. Can someone else in your guidance dept. give you any idea of where kids from you school with similar stats have been consistently admitted?</p>

8

<p>I disagree- Cornell isn't a safety, but I'd say that for this candidate, NYU and Brandeis are.</p>

<p>A good option for safeties is to apply to a few of them- if you applied to three or four schools roughly around NYU's level, I would be very confident in your chances.</p>