<p>I'm looking for some schools that I can add to my list as safeties, so I don't end up completely top-heavy. I'm class of '08. I've posted my stats here: </p>
<p>but even without that, what are some good safety schools for someone looking for...
-> Small university/large LAC environment
-> East Coast
-> Good study abroad (I want to study in the Netherlands, so a school that accepts alternate study abroad programs to the school-sponsored ones is pretty critical)
-> Intelligent student body (not TOO party-obsessed), but still likes to have fun
-> Good International Relations & Molecular Biology Departments</p>
<p>My top schools right now are Yale and Oxford (I'm not averse to going out of the US; in fact, I'd be happy to!), and many of the things I love about Yale are the things that I love about Oxford: residential college system, etc. Are there any safety-type schools that have this?</p>
<p>Any suggestions that you guys can think of that fit all/most/some/(any?) of these criteria would be a wonderful help! Thanks!</p>
<p>It isn't really a "safety" for anyone, but University of Rochester seems to meet all your criteria. Small research university, molecular biology is wonderful, they have more research opportunities for undergrads than they have undergrads. Very intelligent student body that likes to have fun. Great study abroad program. Don't know about IR specifically, but they do have a great poli sci department.</p>
<p>Yeah, thanks - that sounds about in the range I'm looking at, too...according to the Princeton Review it's got around a 48% acceptance rate. Perfect!</p>
<p>Any other suggestions? I need as much help as I can get. :)</p>
<p>Rochester's acceptance rate has gone way down this year, since their yield was way too high last year. According to the Dean of Admissions, they got about 15% more applications this year, and accepted about 15% fewer students than last year. So don't count on the 48% admit rate anymore. And at least at my d's high school, there were kids with stats similar to yours that didn't get in.</p>
<p>OK, so if Rochester is out as a good east coast safety, then what counts as one? I don't know much about the east coast (living in CA), and especially safety schools don't get discussed much. Any ideas for schools that actually are safeties?</p>
<p>Groenveld: I'm half Dutch; I've always wanted to live in NL. My family lives there, and I adore the country. :-)</p>
<p>I would say Colgate and Bucknell would meet a lot of your points of criteria. While not necessarily safety schools, I would say it is very likely that anyone with a 1560 SAT who is solid in other aspects of the app should expect to get in.</p>
<p>As you are interested in residential colleges, you could also look at Durham in the UK. I wouldn't call it a safety (we don't really have the reach/match/safety concept here anyway) as it's in the top league in the UK, but it is certainly easier to get into than Oxbridge. I believe that the colleges are more purely residential that in Oxbridge, with teaching organised more at the university level. </p>
<p>The university and the city are quite small and much of it is picturesque. The older colleges in particular are clustered around the cathedral in the centre and one of them, University College, is situated in the mediaeval castle.</p>
<p>REACH: Yale, Oxford (the UK one)
HIGH MATCH/LOW REACH: Tufts, Middlebury, JHU, either Pomona or CMC
MATCH: Scripps, Wellesley, Colby, Bates, Bowdoin
SAFETY: Bucknell, U of VT (?)</p>
<p>I'm still looking for more safeties. How does the rest of this list look to you guys? Did I place schools in the right categories?</p>
<p>Bowdoin's acceptance rate this past year was a fair bit lower than Tufts, Middlebury, JHU. Also, I don't know if there really is that much difference in selectivity between Bucknell and Colby/Bates, especially after you get past Bucknell filling a sizable portion of their class with D-I athletes.</p>