I’m trying to choose one more safety school for my son. He is applying ED to American which he has a good shot at getting into, but we need a safety he likes.
4.5 weighted gpa (top 5%)
Challenging curriculum (AP calc, AP physics, AP bio, IB English 11/12, IB Spanish 4-6, IB philosophy, IB econ, IB history 11/12)
Not great sat and act scores … 1200 and 26
Good volunteer involvement, jobs, beta club, national Spanish honor society…
He wants to be in a city or in a town/suburb close to a decent size city. Wants to be in northeast (starting in D.C. and north), maybe Chicago or Michigan area as well. Mid size school. Does not have to be big party or football school. Thanks !!!
I would suggest University of Michigan but I’m not sure if they would accept him with those act/sat scores. He could get into MSU, but it doesn’t really have a “city” feel like chicago or new york would.
I would also suggest NYU, but the sat/act scores are low for it. Could he possibly take another act/sat test before he applies to have better chances with better schools? Because I know if he got around 1400/30 he could get into some good city schools.
The gap between the ED 1 AU decision and George Washington ED 2 deadline should be enough to submit our ED2. GW is test optional. Also this might be a strange suggestion but Furman’s EA rate is 79% with an ACT range of 25-31. It’s also test optional. Furman has a DC semester exchange program with AU, so he could do a semester at AU.
@sahmkc Gw might be another option. He was all set with applying to to American ed but does not like the binding piece, wants to have options even though he really likes American . Furman would be a good option but he really wants to be in the northeast . We had visited Boston University and he had liked it . It’s a reach for him because of his scores . They have a general studies program that is easier to get into .
BC, NYU, GW and BU will require better test scores. How about Dayton? Mid size, good academics, strong sense of community. Almost like a “BC or Notre Dame Lite”.
also, you may want to google test exempt schools. There is a growing list of really good schools that don’t require test scores. They feel four yrs of high school and academic rigor are far better indicators than 4 hours on a Saturday. Of course they’ll take your scores if you send them (and they will use them- so only send if good).
George Mason could make sense as a safety. He should get in, as his scores are still in their mid 50%, and his GPA is well above their average. He could apply to their Schar school of government, which has a Government and International Politics major.
And they’ve extended their Early Action deadline, so if he applies by midnight tonight the 15th (limited time offer!) he could get a response by mid-December. I’m sure he’d rather be at American or GW, but if those don’t work out at least he’d still have some access to DC opportunities. And Mason would cost at least $15K a year less than those two schools.