<p>One more thing, if your female, and I'm assuming you are for some reason, you should look into Wellesley, Smith and Mount Holyoke which are great schools if you're not opposed to a single sex environment. Also easier to get into than the Ivys and the co-ed LACs.</p>
<p>Thanks, hohum! Great Suggestions!</p>
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Amhearst College
Tufts ?safety though.
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<p>Amherst and Tufts are only safeties if you are already have a likely letter from an Ivy or Stanford, MIT, et al.</p>
<p>I don't think your lack of ECs will be a huge problem if you are able to explain your babysitting duties. Have you looked into Questbridge? It is designed for low or lowish income students like you.</p>
<p>I do think your ACT could hold you back. Perhaps you should try taking the SAT this spring and see if you do better. That still gives you time to retry either the SAT or the ACT in the fall, if necessary.</p>
<p>And have you taken SATIIs yet? Most of the schools you've named will want 2.</p>
<p>Consolation- yes, I have one SAT II and will be taking my other this summer, thanks.</p>
<p>And I don't know why everyone thinks I'm low income. Just because my parents were immigrants and didn't go to college and work a lot of over time doesn't mean I am low income. My mom actually makes more than a lot of the college educated people around here (she makes 70k). Just thought I'd clear that up.</p>
<p>Colgate and Holy Cross are Division 1</p>
<p>What about Skidmore in NY, Clark University in MA, Ithaca, Bard College, Sarah Lawrence</p>
<p>Trust me, Sarah Lawrence is not a safety. They probably turn down more NMSQT finalists than any LAC of the same size, mostly because they don't consider standardized test scores in their admission decisions. Unpredictable? Yes. Safety? No way.</p>
<p>And Bard? Princeton Review ranks Bard only one-point lower than Wesleyan on their selectivity rating. An outstanding school that is no longer a safety but rather a first choice for many bright kids with great records of HS achievement.</p>
<p>FWIW Colgate's Selectivity Rating is 97 the same as Wesleyan and Holy Cross's is 96 the same as Bard.</p>
<p>Sure, and Tufts is 97 and Amherst is 98. So, within the thickness of a gnat's wing, none of these schools are statistically "safeties", which I thought was the point I was making. </p>
<p>Even though SLC is listed at 89, by the time you've delved into rather unique colleges with unique student bodies, you have to throw out the statistics as they apply to admission and whether or not a school is a "safety" based on pure stats, SATs, rank, etc. For instance, if you can't write a decent essay, you might as well put yourself in that group of otherwise-qualified students in the top 1% of SAT scores that SLC will most certainly punt. They call this a self-selected pool of candidates. It just ain't like State U. </p>
<p>I think "Consolation" pretty much nailed it with respect to safeties. The admissions selection process gets more capricious every year, even for the best students. Very little is certain.</p>
<p>To the OP, don't listen to OHKID #8.....
D is a junior and has one rule: "ABO" .............Anywhere But Ohio!!!!!!!!!! She doesn't hate the Buckeye state. She just wants to study elsewhere. Good for both of you! As far as Ohio Northern, forget it if money is even remotely an option. I'm a PROUD alumnus of ONU (TWICE!!) with an undergraduate and a law degree. The school is excellent----especially pharmacy----but ONU has one of the worst debt ratios among its graduates: translation........even the better students cannot get the aid to compete and enjoy the collegiate experience without the worry of student loans.<br>
In NY and Boston, I would add Mt. Holyoke and Barnard to the existing list CCers have been submitting here. Stay focused. Oh, BTW, there is a good college fair sponsored by NACAC in Cleveland on April 26. I took d when she was a freshman and we are returning next month. PM me if you want more info.</p>
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And I don't know why everyone thinks I'm low income.
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<p>The image of immigrant parents slaving away at multiple jobs working lots of overtime and getting home at 1 am while you take care of little brother instead of taking part in ECs screams "low income." Many, if not most middle/upper-middle class families with a pair of $70K+ incomes would have little brother engaged in some after school activities or would make some other arrangements so that you could engage in after-school ECs. Clearly, your parents have different expectations and have made different choices.</p>
<p>So safeties for you are: Northeaster, Umass Amherst (youll get into Commonwealth which is a good school), BU, and maybe Holy Cross since it does not go by grades/scores as much as ECs and community service/recs Amherst and Tufts are NOT safeties whatsoever they are definite reaches. You'll get into the bigger schools with high applicant pools since they standardize to weed out the competition. Schools in the top tier in the country such as ivies, Tufts, Amherst and tons others will be more selective and take the time to evaluate the candidate so don't expect a fairly average courseload/GPA and weaker test scores to get you in. You need to have well-roundness and the fact that you couldn't maintain certain things because of your schoolwork doesn't looke good. Although you can write a good essay about being trilingual and also in the "additional space" portion of the common app or supplements for certain schooos, you can talk about taking care of your brother.</p>
<p>BU and HC are not safeties.</p>
<p>Do you have an idea of what field you want to go into...and are you planning on going to graduate school following your undergraduate degree and/or does your prospective major require it? Compare the strength of majors at various colleges. There are literally what seems like an endless array of colleges between Ohio and Boston. What exactly are you looking for in terms of fit?</p>
<p>BarristerDad118- thanks for the info! Very informative and helpful, thanks!
StevenWheatland- Thanks for the tips. Thanks. I'm going to include how I had to look after my brother and the house while they were at work and that's why I couldn't become deeply involved in anything in the "other info" section of my application. I will also write my essay (most likely) about how I was in a bad car accident (the car flipped twice) and I was miraculously 100% unscathed and how it was a very spiritual experience for me and has caused me to reevaluate my relationship with my brother since before we would do our own thing when home alone taking care of him but now we always spend time together and I will possibly throw in there how I want to make the most of my life by going into public service since I was spared compared to the thousands of others teens who die in car accidents. Sorry, that was a bit run-onish. Do you think that's a good idea? And also should I even add that part about public service or just leave it how the accident has change my relationship with my brother. Am I even in this ballpark as in is this even what admission officers want to see?</p>
<p>greatescape74- I want to go into International Relations or Political Science. I definitely want a very collegian feeling school in NY/DC/Boston either in the city or very near, so urban/near urban campus.</p>
<p>Some others not already mentioend. Around NY - Drew in NJ, Bard in NY, Barnard (if you are female) in NYC, Fordham in the city.</p>
<p>You need to "show some love" to each of these schools as they will be sensitive to being used only as a safety. Everyone needs safeties but they should be schools you really would be happy to go.</p>
<p>With your stats you should have a good shot at Vassar, Tufts, BC, and the other schools mentioned.</p>