<p>I know a safety is a school that you will "definitely" get into, but does that mean you need to lower your standards a tier or two, choose a school where your SATs exceed the bracket, or just choose a school that accepts more than 80% of the applicants? The truth is, I can't seem to fall in love with any safety schools. All the schools I applied to are matches/reaches and although I applied EA to Pitzer "my safety", I'm really starting to question just how "safe" it is. Its hard when you have your heart set on so many other schools, to think you would have to settle for less and choose a "4th or 5th choice school" on your dream college list. But like I said, I can't see myself attending/being happy at any of the safety schools presented to me. I also know a safety school should still be a school you wouldnt mind going to just incase you <em>GASP</em> get rejected from all your favorite schools! It seems I am choosing safeties just because I have to or because it is "instate" or "everyone else's safety example: State school Rutgers (great school but I dont want to go to school instate). I am not picking them because I am truly in love with any of them. I also dont want to choose a safety school where i feel like I am under my caliber of learning ability. I guess maybe I have high standards, and who doesnt have dream schools? I just need a safety that I would feel okay with attending if worst comes to worst. Any help?</p>
<p>College of New Jersey.</p>
<p>It's hard to make suggestions without knowing your approximate stats. Also, it would help if you could let us know what other schools you already are applying to, what you're interested in studying, and any preferences you have in terms of size, location, cost, etc..</p>
<p>If you like Pitzer well enough, you might like similar schools such as Lewis & Clark, Earlham, Beloit, Goucher, Knox, Lawrence U, Wheaton College (Mass.) as potential safeties. But, again, without knowing more I don't know if these really would be safeties for you or not.</p>
<p>thanks carolyn - sorry for the lack of info</p>
<p>South Jersey Resident
1240 SAT M610,V630
SAT IIs Writing IC 630, MathIC 620, SpanishL 510<~i know :(
UW GPA 3.62, WGPA 5.5/6.9
Extremely Competitive highschool, only taken two APs throughout highschool (Pysch with Animal Lab AP, Spanish 5AP) and two honors (Western Humanities H and Spanish 3H) The rest were accelerated classes which are still considered competitive at my school.
170/528 RANK <em>32%</em></p>
<p>I play womens ice hockey (club sport), involved in spanish club, exchange program, business academy and DECA (regional,state,national finalist) I have worked part time all through high school.</p>
<p>applied
ED2:Scripps <em>Reach</em>
EA: Pitzer <em>Safety?</em>
EE: Wellesley <em>Reaching with all I got haha, geez my arms hurt! <~sorry I guess my humor isnt working for me either lol</em>
Occidental RD: Reach* I think*
Bucknell RD: Match/Reach <em>had alumni interview,open house visit, etc.</em>
Tulane RD: Match/Reach <em>recieved that personal application</em> <~Tulane is the biggest school I applied to, a little different in comparison to the others.</p>
<p>Prefer Liberal Arts, cost I dont care because no matter where I go I am having a bill after college, I love foreign language, study abroad, poli science, humanities, cultural studies, etc. <em>my mentor is joseph campbell!</em> prefer small class size, semi urban/suburban area, dont really want a school too rural <em>bucknell is the exception</em> and I like it a little warm, <em>WI isnt too bad but is cold enough</em></p>
<p>I am not really looking for lists of schools, but more like schools that have a lot to offer abroad, a little known by possibly graduate schools/surrounding states etc. I am more than familiar with schools but weeding them out to find the best one is difficult, let alone really loving it and accepting that if I get rejected from all my dream schools, I would enjoy attending.</p>
<p>Know anyone that went to their safety school and loved it?</p>
<p>I think you need to restructure your thinking. Your safety should be a school you would be HAPPY to attend. Not O.K. or If I have to, I'll go. You'll hate it and be resentful. Look for a safety that brings something different to the table, not a Whataburger Junior (a lesser version of school 1) - how about the best fish taco instead? D wants a prestigious LAC BUT her safety is the Honor's College at a state flagship university with all that one of those colleges have to offer. I've suggested safeties in California or Florida or Colorado or even Hawaii. Oh crap I didn't get in at Williams or Wash and Lee, but I have a serious scholarship spot at Cal Poly SLO or Pepperdine on the beach, and I'll have 80K for med school.Try to think "outside the box" a little. Florida State and the Circus. Rhodes and an internship at St. Jude's. Earlham and a year in Japan wth the tuition differential. Don't get discouraged. Find something that thrills you as much as choice 1 or 2, just that the appeal is different. Not less . Different. Then it is a "safety" as I understand "safety". That other thing you're talking about just sounds like four years of Hell.</p>
<p>I agree with you all the way. I really like your perspective on choosing colleges and pinpointing what they have to offer and falling in love with that instead. I am not sure if pepperdine is a safety for me (by the way the beach wouldnt hurt :) ), but the concept is all the same. Thanx for the honesty!</p>
<p>Most of you kids have worked very very hard to get to where you are. Don't settle. Get creative . Use that big ol' brain .</p>
<p>hey! i know what you are going through... i'm from the midwest and my top choice school was carleton, my match school lawrence U, and my safety was u of m. i visited carleton and i was very impressed, then late this summer i went to lawrence U with my dad and i thought it was absolutely amazing. it is a nice smallish campus, some neat looking buildings, and all of the professors i talked to were very nice and helpful. I had been planning on applying ED to carleton, but i didn't really think my stats were high enough to get decent fin aid, but after visiting lawrence and on the ride home i felt more and more that lawrence, my good match school was more fitting for me than carleton. and here i am now.. i just took the dive, and i applied ED to lawrence. A couple days ago i got a huge letter in the mail, in the letter is a big folder and in the folder on one side are a bunch of papers. the first one is the acceptance letter and on the bottom of it the dean of admissions joked about this funny picture i sent of myself, on the second page i saw that i got the 7500/year merit scholarship which was pretty cool... so yep. here i am now, waiting for the fin aid office to contact me and then find out what the damage is... but my message to you is just keep searching and broaden the search itself, don't limit yourself geographically. wisconsin is pretty decent, most of the people are pretty laid back and easygoing here...</p>
<p>Value - Thanks, that helps. Curmudgeon and Zach have given you a good starting point. I'd also suggest that you think a bit about why you like the schools you already have on your list and look for similar schools. For instance, I see similarities between Wellesley, Scripps, Occidental and even Pitzer --- they tend to attract very independent students and have what I think of as "feminine" characteristics. I'm not talking about the fact that two are all female but rather the overall culture of these schools tends to be more liberal, creative, march to your own drummer type of places. The other schools on your list kind of go to the opposite extreme (I can't think of two more different places than Pitzer and Bucknell!) So, you need to decide what it is you really like first.</p>
<p>Now, I'm also not sure that Pitzer can be considered a safety for you - it is more of a match based on your stats. Since you are open to all-female schools, have you taken a look at Mills in the San Francisco Bay area? It's a little more liberal than Wellesley but quite a great little school. It would be a definite safety for you. Assuming we're going with the "feminine" culture schools, I'd also suggest you look at Goucher in Maryland as a safety. </p>
<p>Hope this helps a bit.</p>
<p>Zach, Congratulations on the news about Lawrence. It is one school that is a big favorite of mine. I have had the opportunity to interview several faculty and administration members over the years and have always come away very impressed with how friendly, helpful and just plain nice they are. The kids that I know who have gone to Lawrence have all been pretty happy with the choice as well. Congrats again - Lawrence is a wonderful school.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses! Carolyn you have been a great help. I will look more into Mills. Do you know much about San Fran Bay area, the social life at Mills <em>like is it isolated from other schools? nearby San Fran I am assuming</em> etc? Any idea is foreign language there is strong?</p>
<p>I'd say if a school takes over 70% of its applicants and you are above the SAT midpoint, with a solid GPA. . .that is darn close to a safety. Two like that may equal a safety. Earlham, Allegheny; Goucher?</p>
<p>Mills is just on the other side of the bay from SF and it would be very easy to hop on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) high speed underground train and get into the City in about 20 minutes. 10 min from BART stop to BART stop. SF is a wonderful town to explore. And Mills has shuttles to the Berkeley campus, the schedule is on their website, that's about 20 minutes. You can go to campus or walk around the area for entertainment. Mills is more isolated and surrounded by residential area.</p>