Safety/Match Recommendations?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi! I’m currently a senior in the process of finishing up my college applications - just a couple of essays left to write over the weekend - but I’m worried that I do not have enough safety/match schools. I’ve been having some trouble finding safety/match schools that meet the following criteria (in order of importance):
1. Affordable - family income is ~$45,000 for a family of five and I have no college fund, so I’m hoping to find some merit and/or need-based aid.
2. Has a strong physics program - I love physics and I definitely want to pursue a major in physics.
3. Location - I’m looking for schools in the northeast and northwest (though I will consider schools in other regions as well).
4. Liberal arts education - while I love physics, I’m not too excited about going to a school that focuses on just STEM and nothing else. While I’m planning to apply to a more research-oriented university for grad school, I’d like to have a “well-rounded” undergrad education. That said, I’m not entirely averse to applying to schools like RPI.

I’ve already applied to my top state school (which is a strong university and one that I wouldn’t mind attending if I had no other options, though the physics program is not as good as their other offerings), and I’m finishing up my applications for the following reach schools: Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Reed, Whitman, Williams, and Boston University. I have fairly strong stats, so I would love it if I could get some advice as to where else I could apply.

SAT: 2400 (single sitting)
ACT: 36 (36W/35M/36R/36S, 33 essay)
SAT II: (I took Math II, Physics, and Chemistry last week so I do not have these scores yet).
Unweighted GPA: 3.993 (9/425)
Weighted GPA: 4.513 (5/425)
AP: U.S History (5), English Literature (5), Calculus AB (5), Calculus BC (5), Biology (5), Chemistry (5), Physics C: Mechanics (5)
IB: World History SL (6), French SL (7)

Senior Year Courses: AP Statistics, IB Theory of Knowledge, IB English Literature HL, IB Chemistry HL, IB Physics HL, IB Mathematics HL.

Extracurriculars:
Piano (13 years)
Figure skating (4 years)
Science Fair (participated and won regional awards in 7th-9th grade; currently co-president of school’s science fair club)
MUN (9th-10th grade)
Paid internship at my state university’s chemistry department last summer.
Some volunteering (couple of hours a week at my library; occasional volunteering opportunities at my figure skating club or at local arts festivals)

Other: White female; fluent in Russian (double citizenship as well); intended major is physics.

2

What are your current safeties? You can submit an app to Alabama which would give you free tuition + but it’s due on the 15th of this month. Apply now. http://gobama.ua.edu/apply/ Some other options: http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/

3

@“Erin’s Dad” thank you for the link - I will be sure to check out those schools, as well as the University of Alabama. Currently my only safety is my state school, which is why I’m looking for a few others.

4

My son is at RPI for Chem E - loves it… From what he’s said they are fairly generous with merit money especially for women so if money is an issue you should take that into consideration. You have very strong credentials so best of luck I’m sure you 'll have some good options to choose from!

5

Are your state universities affordable, based on their net price calculator results?

Realistically, if your family income is $45,000, your options need to be either schools with good financial aid (most of which are highly selective and cannot be anyone’s safety, though some may be match for you; check net price calculators), or schools with large merit scholarships.

The big merit scholarship lists are here:
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/ (safety candidates)
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/ (match/reach candidates)
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/ (if National Merit)

6

@ecurrer I’ve been considering RPI for a while and I think I might apply - I will check out their merit aid. Thanks!

@ucbalumnus My state school offers automatic full tuition to qualified in-state students, so it will definitely be affordable. Thank you for the links!

7

“Ice skating resources / collegiate figure skating clubs” will provide you with information on skating clubs, should you want to consider this factor in your college decision.

8

Your academics -curriculum rigor, achievement - are superb. Your EC’s are going to be a bit problematic for the tippy top schools unless you skipped mentioning distinctions. Your essays and recommendations may make up for it, considering you’re lower-income, but you definitely need matches and safeties.
Whitman and Reed would be matches, and apparently your state university’s honors college would be your safety. So you need a few more affordable matches and one more affordable safety.

have you run the Net Price Calculator
I would definitely recommend Lawrence and St Olaf. (Demonstrate interest, ie., email them to ask questions, fill out the
“Request info” forms.
Play up the Russian bilingual part, indicate in your email you’d be interested in taking advanced Russian classes or study Physics abroad in Russia and so ask about it in your email.

Lawrence is excellent for Physics and with your stats would likely offer you excellent financial aid.
St Olaf meets 100% need and is excellent in the sciences overall, and has a strong study-abroad/foreign language program and music.

Many LACs on this list, provided you express interest now, would be matches/safeties.
http://www.thecollegesolution.com/schools-that-meet-100-of-financial-need-2/

9

@MYOS1634 thank you so much - your advice is very helpful! I will email Lawrence and St. Olaf and I will definitely look over the LAC list.

10

Seems to me that you are a strong candidate for all or any of the schools with need blind admissions who promise ot meet need, Also, do explain the figure skating and what it demands-then the ECs should not be a issue at all. so any Ivy League Plus school, etc. They will provide excellent financial support if they accept you.

11

Boston University is NOT a reach school. It is a low match.

12

…and if you’ve shown them sufficient interest, I’d also be very surprised if you didn’t get into Whitman, which is a terrific school. What about Carleton? It’s very selective, but I think it’s fair to call it a match given your excellent stats, and their sciences are among the strongest at any LAC. Very similar vibe to Whitman as well (though not in one of your preferred geographies). They meet full need. Wesleyan also has a strong physics department with lots of cool undergraduate research going on, and I’d consider it a match as well. They, too, are a full need school.

There are some on these boards who refuse to call schools like Carleton and Wesleyan “matches” for anyone, and I don’t use that term to suggest you’re a lock to get in, just that I think you’ve got a very solid shot. If you applied to several such schools I’d be astonished if you got shut out of all of them with your essentially perfect grades and scores.

Finally @MYOS1634, I regularly see people touting the Lawrence physics department, but when I go to the http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ site, I only see three physics majors graduated last year. That seems like a pretty paltry number for a school with an allegedly strong department. That’s compared to 15 each at Carleton and Wesleyan, and 18 at St. Olaf, for instance. Am I missing something? Was last year just a down year for majors?

13

Before applying to the schools, watch one or two videos on YouTube about them, visit their websites, and request more information about them. Not only will this demonstrate interest, something often important when looking for safeties, but it will help your “why college x” essays better.

I second Myos, play up the Russian bit. Explore your heritage in the essays. It’s a unique feature, and many schools are desperate for undergrads interested in studying Russian.

@rayrick according to the [American Institute of Physics’ undergraduate enrollment data](https://www.aip.org/statistics/reports/roster-physics-2014), Lawrence had 14 senior physics majors in 2014. OP, look at this link as well. The pdf of undergraduate enrollment by college may help you identify unusually robust physics programs. Remember to factor in total size of the university. Imo, it’s very impressive if a small, rigorous LAC generates half the number of physics majors as the state flagship.

You may be interested in the University of Rochester which meets all of the criteria you’re looking for. Unfortunately it is still quite selective.

Other suggestions:
-Oberlin College
-Brandeis
-Bryn Mawr College (based on your username, I’m assuming you’re female)

14

The following are national liberal arts colleges that have produced at least one Apker Award recipient (for undergraduate research in physics):

Bucknell
Colgate
Franklin & Marshall
Hamilton
Haverford
HMC
Middlebury
Mt. Holyoke
Oberlin
Swarthmore
Wesleyan
Williams

(Augustana College (SD) deserves a mention, though it is typically classified differently.)

Of the above, the following schools have had graduates who have won a Nobel Prize in a science field (check for possible omissions):

Hamilton
Haverford
Oberlin
Swarthmore

(Source for AA information: the American Physical Society.)

15

Interesting data, @whenhen. Frustrating when different data sources that you think ought to be telling you the same thing have very different numbers. For instance on that pdf, Carleton is way up at 27 Sr physics majors, and Wesleyan is up to 21. Whitman goes from 7 up to 17. St. Olaf’s numbers, on the other hand, are unchanged. sigh. Anyway, great data for the OP. Looks like he was right on track with Reed. They appear to be a powerhouse (by this metric, which is only one way to look at department strength) with 27 Sr majors in the AIP table.

16

With respect to universities, Cornell is very strong in physics and definitely should not be overlooked. RPI, mentioned in the original post, is also very strong, but as acknowledged is, reputationally at least, more tech focused.

17

@MYOS1634 & @whenhen again, thank you for your help. I am definitely trying to emphasize (in a tactful manner, considering all the controversy concerning Russia at the moment) the Russian aspect of my application - it’s the focus of my general common app essay. I am also interested in taking some Russian classes in college in order to tighten up my writing abilities, so I definitely think it would be worth writing to these colleges to ask them about these opportunities.

@rayrick thank you for the suggestions! I will be sure to investigate Carleton and Wesleyan.

@merc81 thank you for the data - it seems like at least one good way to gauge the strength of a school’s physics department.

18

@Sonya97: That’s it, it’s just one indicator, but perhaps enough to provide additional validation for your selection of Williams, for example. After researching on a different site, I was able to follow the Apker Award back to its inception. Students from the liberal arts colleges Amherst, Macalester and Reed have also been honored as recipients. From this group, Amherst graduates have been recognized through two Nobel Prizes in science.

19

RPI is very strong in undergraduate research opportunities, and is extremely generous with aid. divorced friend’s daughter got a great package that enabled her to go. I would suggest Cornell as well, think you would have a great shot (but dk about aid) Lawrence offered my DD $10K/year merit aid (only school to do so) but she didn’t think level of classes she sampled were same high caliber as her high school. You have many great options, good luck!

20

Not a LAC, but I’d recommend Rice. Great program, smaller than big state schools, and importantly for you, very generous aid – tuition waved if your family income under $80K.

Others have mentioned RPI. Not as “famous” as the others, but undergraduate academics are as solid and it has a great reputation in the industry. My daughter is a freshmen engineer there (on a very generous aid package), and very happy there. [It is more tech focused, and a “nerdy” school – depends if you like that.]

For “all around education”, Reed is one of the best. Not as highly ranked by USNews as they refuse to participate, but it has the third highest % of undergraduates who go on to earn a PhD (behind CalTech and Harvey Mudd). Since you plan to go to grad school, could be an excellent place to start.

Another great place for an “all around education” to prepare you for grad school is U.Chicago. Yeah, definitely a reach, but no more so than Princeton or Yale.

Also: Pomona. As good as the LACs in the northeast, plus California weather! :slight_smile: