<p>What are good safeties for someone looking at the Ivy League. I have been so caught up in researching reaches I have not payed much attention to matches and safeties. I had always thought of my local city's state university as a safety, but I have recently found out that their average accepted student has an SAT of less than 1500 (out of 2400). I realized I would never be close to academically satisfied at that school.</p>
<p>It would be greatly appreciated if you could suggest safeties for a student with generally Ivy acceptable scores and GPA, and solid focussed extracurriculars.
I don't want to specify any specific scores, I would just like to know what safeties top college applicants suggest in general. Thanks</p>
<p>* I had always thought of my local city’s state university as a safety, but I have recently found out that their average accepted student has an SAT of less than 1500 (out of 2400). I realized I would never be close to academically satisfied at that school.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Since safeties often give poor need-based aid, then you need to be sure that your safeties are affordable.</p>
<p>What about your state flagship or other flagships that give huge merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Do NOT pay attention to the “avg test scores” of a large state school. That doesn’t tell you anything about how challenging your major will be or how smart your classmates will be.</p>
<p>At large schools, the higher stats kids will be concentrated in about 12 majors. These large schools offer 100+ different majors. Those with lower scores will likely be found in the less challenging majors. If you’re in a STEM major, Business major, or one of the challenging humanities majors or similar, you will be challenged academically.</p>
<p>My kids go/went to a flagship university (one has graduated). Both are STEM majors. The “average ACT” at this school isn’t high. However, the upper quartile of the school is an ACT 30+ (96th percentile and above). The school has about 600 national scholars on campus and over 2000 with full tuition scholarships (ACT 32+). Since many of those kids are concentrated in STEM majors, there’s no reason for the classes to be “dumbed down” or anything like that. </p>
<p>What is your major?</p>
<p>What is your budget (how much will your family pay each year)?</p>
<p>lots of people in my neighborhood apply to U of Michigan as an Ivy safety, especially because they have some kind of rolling or EA admissions (not sure exactly how their admissions works). Also consider Tufts, Tulane, Wash U (St. Louis), Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, Emory, Vanderbilt. If you are OK with smaller schools maybe places like Bucknell, Haverford, Lehigh, Colgate.</p>
<p>The OP is asking for SAFETIES!!! None of these schools are “safeties”. </p>
<p>More to the point, the student didn’t even post any stats. </p>
<p>*lots of people in my neighborhood apply to U of Michigan as an Ivy safety, *</p>
<p>Sometimes your instate flagship may not be a real safety since it may not be affordable. Getting accepted is only half the issue. If your parents won’t pay and/or you don’t get the aid you need, the so-called safety won’t work.</p>
<p>*I think you’re being arrogant for thinking you are too smart for a state school. *</p>
<p>It’s unclear if the state school this student is referring to is a flagship or just a local directional school. If it’s a local directional state school then it may not be challenging enough…or it might be. If it’s his flagship and he’s in a challenging major, he’ll be challenged.</p>
<p>I don’t think it is arrogant to assume that this school is a safety because frankly, it is. I will be a pre-med bio major. No financial aid needed, merit aid would be nice but not necessary. I live in New York, the school I refer to is a “local directional school,” I think. Anywhere in central NY or east or out of state would be good. I also like city environments. Thank you.</p>
<p>I think Tulane is a good suggestion. Its a great school, but if you apply very early (september-mid october) they’re rolling admissions, and if you can be accepted to Tulane my November, you’re in a pretty good position.</p>
<p>Hello,
If you are in NY I don’t understand why you aren’t looking at SUNY Bing or Geneseo. The Honors Program at Bing is so competitive that its admission makes it closer to an Ivy.</p>