<p>If she’s not looking for merit or FA, as OP stated,</p>
<p>I don’t think that is what the OP stated… </p>
<p>The OP stated… “I **think **her parents can pay all expenses.” That is not the same as not looking for merit or FA. </p>
<p>Many outsiders may **think **a family can “pay all expenses,” when in reality the family may not be able or willing to pay all expenses. Also, many parents think they can pay all expenses UNTIL they learn how expensive colleges are these days. Many have no idea that the COAs of privates can be over $50k per year or that the COAs of publics can be $20-30k+ if instate or a lot more if out of state. :(</p>
<p>Until the OP get firm confirmation that the family can pay $55k per year, then that question kind of remains open.</p>
<p>I’d have to agree that a student of this caliber does not need a safety with 50% plus admission rate. If she is looking for merit money, it’s a different question.</p>
<p>In addition to her other criteria, she should look for a safety with EA or rolling admissions. Getting an acceptance in December of senior year is a great way to alleviate stress, and it tends to pull other factors into focus. If your state flagship offers EA/Rolling, she should go for it, or do a search on collegeboard for potential schools.</p>
<p>In terms of “Hispanic Studies,” it sounds like the Spanish departments of most schools would suffice. If she is looking for study abroad, she should know that few schools have exclusive programs. Many colleges use an established program run by a third party; she won’t be shut out by attending a smaller school.</p>
<p><a href=“%5Burl=http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1064098787-post19.html]#19[/url]”>quote</a> …For schools like Bucknell, American, and the others mentioned there, if the student has stats at or above the top 10-20% of students that have been admitted in the past, the odds of the applicant getting admitted are extremely high and therefore it is a safety. Because life has weird little surprises, an applicant would apply to 3-5 of these safeties just to be sure…
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<p>Colleges that may offer the “weird little surprises” are probably better categorized as [matches[/url</a>] instead of safeties:</p>
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<p>The “no guarantees” (or “weird little surprises”) qualification is inversely influenced by lower acceptance rates; thus the recommendation to factor in acceptance rate when considering a ‘slam dunk’ safety.</p>
That is patently untrue. How would you even know such a thing? There is no data supporting such a contention. For example, if that school accepts 99% of people with SAT scores over 2000, and your scores are 2100, but their overall admit rate is 40%, it is still a safety for you.</p>
<p>Actually, what I meant by “weird little surprises” is that schools misfile things, make mistakes and the like, not that a person is likely to get turned down because of merit by a school where they would rank in the top 10% based on the schools history of student stats.</p>
<p>Let me put it this way. If people with a certain set of stats get accepted at a school 95+% of the time, wouldn’t you call that a safety? What percentage get accepted overall is completely irrelevant, what matters is what percent get accepted with that applicants qualifications.</p>
<p>I was wrong about the citation thing, I didn’t realize that “safety school” at the beginning of your post was a link. However, it doesn’t support what you say anyway, as I pointed out. The very first line says
The exact same thing I am saying, really. Not that the school has to accept over 50% overall (which it says nowhere), but that “you will almost certainly get into (the school)” because you are at the top of their range. Really not that difficult.</p>
<p>You have all been extremely helpful. I have sent off a list for consideration to my friend’s D. Could not have done it without you. Thank you so much!</p>