<p>What would be considered a safety school for a kid who has 2300+ on SATs, 750+ on two SAT IIs, a 3.7/4.0 UW GPA, and decent, focused ECs? I mean, what would be considered "safe" in today's admissions world?</p>
<p>Look at Colleges in the 25 or 30 to 50's. Penn State is an example, Wake Forrest, etc.</p>
<p>I would go higher and say these schools would be matches ^^those would be very safe and with say 3-4 matches you will not need any "safe safe" schools. My friend with slightly worse credentials did something similar to this.
U Penn
Hopkins
Emory
Dartmouth
Wash U in st louis
Emory
Vanderbilt
Michigan</p>
<p>For you here are some:</p>
<p>Tufts/BC/Michigan/Emory for good chance/matches and Georgetown/Hopkins could be for slightly higher matches as well.</p>
<p>I'm definitely not close to being an expert on this, but I'd put in a few of the following schools as good candidates:</p>
<p>Georgia Tech, Boston College, University of Rochester, New York University, Tulane University</p>
<p>Of course, these are just a few and they are still selective schools, but these would be safeties for someone who wants to still have a good school if they don't get into their top choices.</p>
<p>State schools, obviously make good safeties, for the most part.
Liberal Arts colleges that are less selective (i'm not really familiar with the numbering system that other people are using?) and perhaps smaller schools, make great safeties, because you may be able to qualify for their merit scholarships as well. I had similar credentials and Ithaca College and Mills College made great safety liberal arts colleges for me.</p>
<p>EDIT: I just read your thread a few down on the forums, and Mills would definitely not be for you. However, maybe another womens LAC would be. Definitely limits the greek life, and tends to be highly intellectual.</p>
<p>I think this all depends where you live and what you would like to study. All your numbers seem really good (and let's be honest/rational, that's what really matters), therefore it is easy to rattle off 50 or more good safety schools across the country for you...I know when I was applying my senior year in high school my safety schools were UNC and Wake Forest (I'm from NC). I got into both but, I ended up at the college of William & Mary in Virginia -- close enough to home and a smaller school with great professors.</p>
<p>Maybe some more info about what you're looking for in terms of location, size, public/private, in-state, possible major, etc. would be beneficial for those who post on this thread.</p>
<p>The trick part about Safety schools is that some schools will try to detect that you are using them as a safety and reject you. Tufts was known for originating this tactic since so many Ivy Leaguers used Tufts for a safety.</p>
<p>What do you mean by "a safety school"? My definition of that term is a college that </p>
<p>1) is pretty much certain to admit the applicant, based on its known behavior in acting on recent admission applications,</p>
<p>2) has a strong program in an area the applicant is interested in,</p>
<p>3) is affordable based on its known behavior in acting on financial aid applications,</p>
<p>and</p>
<p>4) is likeable to the applicant. </p>
<p>Criterion number 1 is the crucial criterion, and number 3 is very important also. Someone building a college application list should have no reasonable doubt about getting into one of the colleges on that list, the college that applicant has lined up as a safety college. Different students have different safety colleges, which is surely the point of this thread. </p>
<p>Below is a link to a previous thread on this subject. </p>
<p>Also, check to see if your proposed safety school is need-blind in admission if you are applying for FA. It seems to me a lot of very strong candidates don't make it into some schools because the school can't afford to admit them.</p>
<p>I only need tokenadult's 1, 2, and 4...my family will be paying fullprice wherever I go, no way we'd EVER qualify with a $350-400k combined income between my parents. But yes, I'm looking for a college certain to admit me because my "matches" like Hamilton College, Bates College, and Trinity College that I like are not considered "safeties" by my school's GC.</p>
<p>what about union, and safer yet, fordham or providence</p>
<p>Denison (and if you're NMF you'd get a nice full tuition scholarship). And I think Kenyon and Oberlin despite the 30% acceptance rate.</p>
<p>It's true that the stats quoted are impressive, but beware. The Valedictorian at my daughter's school is going to Providence as is she - not sure it is the "safety" it once was even three years ago. The valedictorian got wait-listed at the schools many people are mentioning as nice safeties and this extremely talented young man had higher scores and grades than what you list. I know I interviewed him for a small ivy in New England that is my alma mater and they wait-listed him - that school's loss and Providence's gain. I also know of an applicant to Providence who had 2100 and 3.7 UW gpa and good activities who was wait-listed.</p>
<p>Some of those mentioned as safeties (eg BC, Tufts, Vandy, Emory, Hopkins, Michigan) often reject people with your qualifications. God knows why. The best thing would be to apply to several of these--certainly at least half at this level will be sure to admit you.</p>
<p>How about wisconsin and UT at Austin? THese excellent state schools have great reps and attract great students, but admit them more easily than a private school might.Austin also has an honors college. Wisconsin is a rolling admissions school so DONT WAIT. As far as northeastern LAC's how about Skidmore in NYS. Great humanities and dance depts! And Kenyon, with great writing. Also Colby in Maine.</p>
<p>UT Austin took very few OOS students this year. It is not a safety school except for in state students that qualify for admission under the 10% rule.</p>
<p>That's what I've discovered too 1990 Dad. Aside from the fact that I shudder at attending a large public university (I was in private school K-8 and I have felt my 350-kid-a-grade HS way too large), many of them even the rolling Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan, UT-Austin have cut down on OOS students. Michigan actually rejects many kids from my school because they think we're using them as a safety by applying early in the rolling cycle.</p>
<p>You are ridiculous to say those are even safeties. What are you? 2400 SAT Valedictorian Westinghouse winner? gosh</p>
<p>
[quote]
UT Austin took very few OOS students this year. It is not a safety school except for in state students that qualify for admission under the 10% rule.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I second this. I myself got into UT-Austin as an OOS student (into McCombs and Plan II Honors). I originally treated UT-Austin as a safety (did not know about top 10% rule, just that it is a great public school and Austin is a great college town) and was quite surprised to learn afterwards how hard it was to get in OOS.</p>
<p>It is only a safety if you're a TX resident and in top 10%--in which case, UT is required by law to admit you, specific review of GPA and SAT scores aside. Class rank probably singlehandedly determines the majority of UT's admissions decisions.</p>
<p>I think UT is as hard or harder to get into than UC schools for OOS students, and esp. MUCH, much harder to get into OOS than Michigan, UVA, or UNC-Chapel Hill. I've heard the OOS acceptance rate for UT is comparable to that of Cornell (what theloneranger has said) so, yeah. If you're applying to UT, definitely keep that in mind.</p>
<p>I did know about UT Austin getting more competitive, but kids in my school with your stats did get into Wisconsin, especially if they applied early in the year--like Oct. And kids with considerably lower stats then you post got into Skidmore and Kenyon, and they used them as safety schools. Same with Colby. Also, I just thought of another one--U Mass Amherst. I think these would be safeties for you. I truly do. Just telling you the facts about my friends. I'm from New England.You? Anyway, Id still apply to UT. Maybe you wouldn't get into the honors college, but with your profile I think they'd like you tons, even if its not a safety, as an admit.</p>