Safety School Help

College Search & Selection
1

I’m a senior looking to add some safety schools to my list, preferably ones that would award me merit scholarships to go there.

I have a 4.496 GPA, 33 ACT, and 1480 SAT. I am in my school’s National Honor Society, National Math Honor Society, and I am president of my school’s Science National Honor Society. I also play three sports for my school.

I am looking to study engineering, and I would like to stay in the Northeast (I wouldn’t want to go further south than Washington D.C.).

I like medium/large schools, and it is important that they have a campus feel (I don’t like NYU for this reason).

Any ideas for schools I can definitely get into and hopefully get money from?

Thanks!

2

Ohio State, University of Pittsburgh, apply soon!

3

What’s your home state? Rutgers and Rowan in NJ have good engineering; Rowan is especially generous with merit. not sure how much they give if you’re out of state.

4

Clarkson.

5

What is your home state? What is your budget? What is your unweighted GPA (and do you have all A’s in high school)?

6

University of Delaware has merit possibilities.

You’re at the lower end for Pitt merit but it’s rolling Admissions so you can apply now and here back relatively soon. Does your school rank and what is your rank as Pitt seems to look at rank.

7

Pitt, Clarkson, U of Cincinnati, U of Akron.

8

Rochester Institute of Technology – 34% of students get merit – your stats are high enough that you prob would.
Stevens Institute of Technology – 96% of students get merit – a short ferry ride from NYC – cute town.

9

Safety Schools should have these properties;

  1. Your scores are way above average
  2. THey are affordable
  3. You want to go there

I would look at your State U’s or colleges and see which make sense.

10

I’d just add to that list…
4) Acceptance rates that are above 40% or so.

Your stats are excellent and will put you at or near the upper quartile for some great schools with acceptance rates lower than 40% (like CWR or Rochester, for instance), but I would hesitate to see such schools as true “safeties.” Instead, think of them as good “matches.”

11

Union, Clarkson, SUNY Buffalo would all admit you with a scholarship.

12

I always recommend applying to a few match/safety schools will rolling admission or non-binding EA so you (hopefully) have an acceptance in hand by December.
Be sure a safety school is one you would be happy to attend and appears affordable (run net price calculator).
Do you have your state flagship on your list? That might fit the bill.

13

I am applying for the early November priority applications at UMD, UCONN, and UMass Amherst right now. Are these appropriate safeties that I can definitely count on getting into?

For those who asked, my school does not do unweighted GPA, but I have all A’s every year except for one class where I had a B, am ranked 6th in my class and have taken 8 AP’s in total between junior and senior year.

UCONN is in my home state, so I am hoping to get scholarships from there in addition to in-state tuition.

14

Thank you for all of the suggestions so far!

15

I think you’re fine for UConn…may even get invite to Honors College. Would assume an acceptance to UMass as well. Did you look at UMaine? I was very impressed with their engineering facilities/program/professors, more so than UConn.

16

I echo U Maine Orono – I think that their engineering dept. has coops too. ABET accredited program. The coop earnings (and experience) make it super cheap. UMaine has in-state flagship matching currently.

17

Worcester Polytechnic Institute?

It’s now test optional and you have a very good ACT score. Possible merit?

18

OSU has a new requirement that engineering majors must apply by 11/1, and it’s very competitive.