Safety School Help~~

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So....here's some of my stats and so I want to look for a safety (but can't find one I really like yet)</p>

<p>Major: Biochem, biology/chemistry fields (with a little interest in business)</p>

<p>Stats:
GPA: 3.99/4 (1 A-, all others are As or A+'s)
SAT I: 790 M, 770 V, 800 W (11 essay)
SAT II: Bio M: 750, US History 780, Math IIC 800
APs: US History - 5, Calc BC - 5 (sub 5), Physics C:Mechanics - 5
No Class Rank</p>

<p>ECs:
Science Team - B Captain, 1st at Nationals 06,
Speech and Debate - founder of Debate, captain (2 years), Debate Captain (4 years) - numerous awards
Math Team - Captain (2 years) - our team does well, top tier but not the best
Qualed for AIME 2 years
AHSIMC - top 50
Purple comet math competition - top 10
amnesty international - president
Jhamtse international - started junior year, support kids in India
French Grand Concours: 5th freshman year, 10th junior year
finalist at school's Language Declamation freshman year
Civic Orchestra - 4 years
Science Olympiad - senior year (to help with the PHysics event)
Volunteer at the Library during summer
Counselor for Preschool Kids summer of freshman year
Working at the Brigham & Women's as a research assistant
Science Book Award (junior)
Harvard Book Award (junior)</p>

<p>So....I'll list schools that are my reaches and then I have only 1 safety, which isn't even a good safety...for sure, so please help me find some safeties because I know my reach schools...</p>

<p>reach: Harvard (EA), MIT, UPenn, Columbia, Duke, Stanford, Princeton?</p>

<p>Safety: UMich (rolling)</p>

<p>Now, I'd like my safety to be in the top-mid Tier II schools that would also give me merit money.</p>

<p>I'm thinking Harvey Mudd? They give automatic money for SAT scores if you are accepted, but they are quite competitive aren't they?</p>

<p>Thanks so much for helping me find safety schools :)</p>

2

<p>Case Western
CMU
RPI</p>

3

<p>Tokaicarbon has some good ideas. How about U of Rochester and Worchester Polytechnic, also. You are a good applicant, but Harvey Mudd is not a true safety for anybody. If you have any financial concerns at all, throw in a state school for an absolute safety.</p>

4

<p>Check out Washington University. Not really a safety, but candidates with your credentials are usually accepted with a full-ride scholarship.</p>

5

<p>add brandeis</p>

6

<p>Oh, ok, right I should mention, I live in MA since that'll probably help a little</p>

<p>I was thinking UMass Amherst, but that is ranked SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LOW on the national scale that I don't think I'd really like to go there... (not that it's a bad school, I just don't feel happy there)</p>

<p>but I guess that'd give me a lot of financial aid.</p>

7

<p>Don't look at rankings. They are artifical. If Harvard were ranked in the last tier, would you still want to go?</p>

8

<p>do NOT apply to Umass</p>

9

<p>yeah rankings are right in this case UMass Amherst is not a stand-out school. You've got an awesome GPA and test scores...I agree that Brandeis, Case Western, and Washington University would be safeties. Your scores are good enough to make even a state school like WU a safety. Boston University is also a safety for someone with your stats. Northeastern supposedly gives out a lot of money, and they're a safety. For you, I'd say most schools ranked 50+ can be a safety. I dunno...it's pretty tough to call a tier II school a safety for most anyone. Good luck.</p>

10

<p>Northwestern</p>

<p>Yale</p>

<p>UCONN</p>

<p>Boston College</p>

<p>Penn State</p>

<p>Umass</p>

<p>UCLA</p>

11

<p>Hmm...which schools would most likely give me like half-to-full scholarships?</p>

12

<p>Northwestern doesn't give any merit aid, FYI.</p>

13

<p>If you are in-state, I would definitely still apply to UMassAmherst, simply b/c you have too high a chance of getting a full-ride scholarship. </p>

<p>Note that Washington University is not a state school, University of Washington is though.</p>

<p>Boston University and Northeastern are both academic merit award winners.</p>

14

<p>Case Western gives a good number of half tuition+ scholarships. With your SAT's, grades, activities you'd likely get 3/4 tuition or more. I also received about half tuition at the University of Rochester with similar grades and slightly lower SAT's.</p>

15

<p>I think I'll consider</p>

<p>Uof Rochester
UMass (just because I live in MA)</p>

<p>But I'm assuming Case Western has a good bio program?</p>

16

<p>The bio program is pretty good sized & strong program and there are a lot of research opportunities with the Cleveland Clinic within biking distance of campus or a 15 minute walk and University Hospitals practically on campus. I'm a rising junior biochemistry major in the combined med program - automatic non-binding admission to medical school that's MCAT free. I can't tell if you're interested in medicine or not but if you are it's a pretty neat program. There are also summer research programs on campus in Bio, Pharmacology and a number of other fields.</p>

17

<p>Wait, hold up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

<p>Who in God's name said University of Rochester was a safety school for anyone? Really, how anyone puts a 1st tier university as a safety unless it's an in-state public, is startling to me. To put this in a Massachusetts perspective for you, University of Rochester is on the same level as Tufts and Boston College and more selective than BU, would you put any of those schools as a safety?</p>

18

<p>I agree that University of Rochester should not be considered a safety for most people -- it's a great school (especially for the sciences and optics). Also, I should mention that Tufts is generally considered to be much better than Boston College.</p>

19

<p>Tufts better than BC? Since when? Used to be hard to get into, and incredibly UN-demanding once you're there. Something's changed.</p>

20

<p>tufts
georgetown
georgewashington
nyu
colgate
hamilton</p>

<p>i don't think wash u is really a safety for anyone.</p>