Safety School Ideas

College Search & Selection
1

GPA: Unweighted-4.0 Weighted-4.14—I think this will be up to about a 4.3 by the end of my junior year.

Test Scores: I predict I will get around a 30-32 on the ACT.
7 AP Tests- One 3, probably the rest 4’s and 5’s (three courses would be self-study)
SAT II Subject Tests in World History,Biology, Math I (can’t take Math II because I am taking Pre Calculus senior year)

Intended Study: CAS Major in Biochemistry and Some Minor—>Pre Med

Rigor of High School Courses: AP US Government and Politics, AP World History, AP Language and Composition, AP Biology, AP United States History, AP Physics A, AP Statistics, AP Comparative Government, AP European History, AP Chemistry, AP Literature and Composition, AP Chemistry, Honors Algebra 1, Honors Biology, Honors English I, Honors French II, Honors Geometry, Honors Chemistry, Honors British Literature, Honors Algebra II /Trigonometry, Honors French III, Advanced Journalism, and Honors Pre Calculus.

I got to a Catholic high school.

Extracurricular Activities:JV Cross Country, JV Track, Link Crew, Arrupe Club, Campus Ministry, Future Medical Professionals Club, Student Media Reporter

Volunteer Work: I have volunteered at nursing homes, food banks, homeless shelters, and the Ronald McDonald House (my personal favorite volunteer work) as a part of Arrupe Club on a regular basis.
I also will begin volunteering at Children’s Hospital Colorado 3 hours per week.

Leadership: Link Crew- we mentor a group of freshman students throughout the year, I will most likely be the co-president of Campus Ministry senior year, and will also lead school retreats.

Awards: French Honor Society, National Honor Society

Essay: Very good

I plan on applying to UPenn, Northwestern, JHU, Boston College, and Tufts all of which I consider reach schools. I will apply to Villanova as a match school, but I need ideas for safety schools to apply to.

I really like large, private research universities in big cities, mostly on the East Coast in cities like Boston and Philadelphia. I would like to go to a Catholic school possibly but am very open to secular schools if they match my preferences elsewhere like many of the schools on my list.

I would say Fordham but I am not allowed to go to school in the Bronx.

I plan on studying biochemistry as a part of pre med.

2

So no financial constraints, right?

Take a look at Georgetown - match or reach depending on your test scores. It meets your criteria - It’s catholic, east coat, strong sciences, has a medical school where medical-related research is done, and DC is a nice city for students - decent weather, good public transportation, lots of free activities (museums, parks, etc…), not as expensive as NY or SF, the campus is pretty and it is located adjacent to the C&O Canal National Park (a 180 mile hiking/biking/running/camping/kayaking treasure). And they get so many potential IR/Poly Sci majors that you will be competing against a smaller pool than you might expect.

As for safeties, how’s your state U? Does it have an honors program?

3

How much can you afford? What is your home state?

Here are some suggestions for larger universities, mostly on the East Coast urban areas, which are ideally Catholic but not necessarily.
-Catholic University of America (Washington DC)
-Saint Louis University (Saint Louis, MO)
-Providence College (Providence, RI)
-Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI)
-Loyola University Maryland (Baltimore, MD)
-University of Denver (Denver, CO)

4

Boston University seems like a good choice for you.

5

I can afford a university that is upwards of 50,000 a year. I live in Colorado but I really do not like it here and I am very eager to get out. Georgetown seems like it would be just be another reach school. Also, I have heard that it is very political which is not really my thing. I only ever get involved if I feel that someone’s opinion is genuinely offensive to an individual or a group of people. How political is the Catholic University of America?

Saint Louis and Marquette aren’t that I really like, Providence is too small, Loyola University Maryland seems to have an alcohol problem from what I have heard, and I love the campus of the University of Denver but I live really close to there and I feel that I would miss out on the excitement of going away to college.

6

I like Fordham as a safety for you especially since they have non-binding EA,- see if you can convince your parents to visit the school with you – I think they would be pleasantly surprised (I know I was – for full disclosure my S went there and had a great experience). If you can’t visit, maybe thrown in an application and if you need your safety it can be another option you can visit later on. If your parents can’t get over the Bronx and you want to be on the east coast, perhaps Fairfield in CT. I’d also go through the list of Jesuit Colleges and see if anything else appeals to you – many are located in cities across the country.

7

Georgetown is a reach if you are doing IR or poly sci, but not biochem. Then it’s a match. Is it political? You mean do students talk politics all the time? Many do but certainly not all. (Nephew attended and wasn’t engaged in politics at all - he was interested in economics.) Because it’s DC, you tend to get more political discussion - but also a wider range on the political spectrum of opinions than you would at your typical liberal LAC. But if it’s not for you, consider Catholic University in DC. Clearly a safety but also quite conservative by DC standards. Would that be more of a fit?

8

Why does the Catholic University of America have a low graduation rate? (69% in SIX years) Also, why the 85% retention rate?

9

I actually consider myself to be very liberal, I just don’t like to engage in discussion about it.

10

Loyola - Chicago (has a med school)
Santa Clara Univ in Calif
U San Diego in Calif
Creighton - Nebraska (has a med school)

Are you a rising junior?

11

If your parents object to Fordham’s location, may we presume that they will object to St. Joe’s in Philly, DePaul in Chicago, Loyola in Baltimore, et al? That can narrow the field considerably. Marquette, Stonehill, St. Bonaventure’s, LeMoyne, Duquesne . . .

12

If you’re premed, then you might want to consider a state that will give you some priority for admissions to their med schools if you attend a univ in their state.

Stonehill (Jesuit) is in Mobile and the med school in Mobile often accepts OOS students (particularly females) that attend undergrad in that state.

I’m pretty sure that Stonehill will accept you, plus give you a nice merit award.

13

@mom2collegekids Stonehill College is in MA and is run by the Congregation of the Holy Cross (which also run Notre Dame). There is a Jesuit College in Mobile called Spring Hill. Is that the school you mean to suggest?

14

lol…yes…sorry for the mix-up

15

Are there schools with 5,000+ undergraduate students that are private research universities and not liberal arts college in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, or Chicago that accept between 50 and 80%? Because honestly, I just need to be somewhere that moves very quickly. Some kind of trendy, urban, and fashionable school.

16

<<<
I just need to be somewhere that moves very quickly. Some kind of trendy, urban, and fashionable school.
<<<

Loyola Chicago has a 65% acceptance rate

LMU has about a 50% acceptance rate

U San Francisco has a 58% acceptance rate

17

Is there any reason why you’re not willing to consider cities like Minneapolis, Seattle, or really any large Midwestern, Western, or Southern city, excepting Chicago? It’s not as though a city like Denver (chosen because it’s likely quite familiar to you and I live there) lacks access to many of the same urban amenities as Baltimore or DC.

Regardless, here are some suggestions
-Depaul University
-George Washington University (accepted 45% of applicants last year, biochem acceptance rate likely higher than IR one)
-Loyola University Chicago
-Duquesne University
-La Salle University
-Suffolk University
-Howard University (HBCU)
-Loyola University Maryland

You may be interested in St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX

18

**Fall 2013 Admit Rate … School **
32% Northeastern
34% George Washington
37% Boston University
43% American
47% Maryland
49% Villanova
55% Pittsburgh
58% Loyola MD
59% Hofstra
60% Catholic
63% Delaware
82% Drexel

These are all in the Mid-Atlantic or New England.

19

Until you actually get test scores it is impossible to determine “reach, match, safety”

20

Leave enough time in your first semester schedule to apply yourself to ‘testing’. Can raise ACT score with test taking skills/tutoring. Since you have taken SAT subject testing, perhaps you haven’t taken the SAT more than one time? Some kids do better on one test than another. Cannot ‘predict’ what your testing will be until you do it; agree with @csdad about this!

Sounds like you want to have a high enough score for admission versus scholarship.

Just make sure your parents have budgeted for the schools you are shooting for - running the NPC etc. Your game plan absolutely can change on your ‘desired’ list based on this.