<p>Ive been making a college list and have selected several schools which I am interested in. The problem is finding safety schools. I am not completely sure how to determine if a certain school is a safety or how to find them. Are safety schools "not as good" academically? what would the schools on my list be considered (safety, match, reach)? going for mechanical engineering.</p>
<p>my stats:
Hispanic/ Dual Citizen,
GPA Unweight: 3.9
ACT: taking September
SAT: 1860--- Math 640, Writing 640, Reading 580
SAT II: debating on taking bio, math 1, and math 2
Nation Honors Society
Soccer </p>
<p>School List:</p>
<p>Michigan-Ann arbor
Lehigh
Penn State-
Rutgers
UT-austin
Drexel
U. Illinois
U. Wisconsin
U. Maryland
North Carolina State U
Northeastern
Texas A&M
U Minnesota Twin Cities
Ohio State
Virginia Tech
RPI
DUKE :P</p>
<p>You have an ambitious list. Your 1220 SAT is your achilles heel. Unless that changes, many of these schools will be reaches.</p>
<p>What is your state of residence?</p>
<p>safeties must be absolutely affordable, absolutely some place one will get into, absolutely some place one will attend if all else fails, and, of course, have one’s major.</p>
<p>Often, one looks first for a safety to one’s state flagship.</p>
<p>A safety is not necessarily “not as good” as a match but rather a school that is not as hard for someone with your stats to gain admission. The goodness of a school is important only as YOU find the school good. For instance, MIT would probably not be a good school for you, yet few would suggest that MIT is “not as good” as some other schools.</p>
<p>Some of the schools on your list will require or recommend SATIIs.</p>
<p>A safety school just means a school you will get in for sure. You know your gpa and SAT put you in top of the applicant pool, or there is a very high admit rate and your stats are comfortable. To be a real safety it should also be one that you can afford, because it it isn’t it doesn’t help you if you get in and can’t go. It doesn’t have anything to do with quality of academics. </p>
<p>Many people use some of their own state schools as a safety because they know for sure they will get in. People who are comfortable being full pay or who know they will get enough aid can use some privates as safeties. Public universities often accept a wide range of students because they are educating the state. But the top students can go far. Many people end up choosing their safety because it is the best price. Some because they reached too high with other schools or it was a tough year for acceptances. </p>
<p>State of Resident is New Jersey. Darn I thought my SAT’s would be good enough for some of those schools since i got them up from a 1500. I guess I’ll have to do really good on my ACTs.</p>
<p>For a safety in nj maybe NJIT or Rowan University? Yes definitely score high on your ACT because a lot of the schools on your list are reaches right now. Good luck</p>
<p>Look at <a href=“http://admissions.rutgers.edu/Academics/AdmissionsProfile.aspx”>http://admissions.rutgers.edu/Academics/AdmissionsProfile.aspx</a></p>
<p>Your SAT scores suggest that some of the colleges in the Newark or Camden Rutgers campuses are likely safeties. For New Brunswick you are likely to be a high match. Talk to you college counselor and, if your high school has Naviance, look at the past admissions record for your high school to the New Brunswick campus.</p>
<p>Has either your mother or father attended a four-year university? did either earn a bachelors degree?</p>
<p>A safety school isn’t necessarily a lower academic caliber, however sometimes it is. The important part is finding safety schools that you would be just as happy to go to as any of your matches and/or reaches. Make sure you can see yourself going there!
Best of luck! </p>
<p>mom and dad did in a different country…step dad in the USA</p>
<p>Mom and dad did what in a different country? Did you stepdad adopt you legally? I’m sorry to get so personal.</p>
<p>NCSU, Drexel and Rutgers are the closest thing to matches on your list.</p>
<p>You need to find out how much your parents will pay. You have OOS publics on your list and those will expect your family to pay most/all costs. </p>
<p>Ok…your parents went to college in another country, so you are not first gen to college.</p>
<p>So even if I get into those schools I may not receive much aid?</p>
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<p>My family is middle class and we live comfortably…For all the handwork I’ve put in to getting good grades and extracurricular activities I thought I would be able to go to a private school…Rutgers it is then I guess
<<<<<</p>
<p>You said that your parents are middle class and wont pay.</p>
<p>Ok. yikes.</p>
<p>You asked this a few months ago. You were told that you would need your parents to help pay for college, and you said that you would now have to go to Rutgers.</p>
<p>Has something changed? If not, then why this list???</p>
<p>If your parents wont pay, then Rutgers probably wont be affordable either.</p>
<p>what school would you guys consider safeties for me then…?</p>
<p>Yes, parents budged and said they would help pay! They said they would do their best but I just need to make sure to get into the school (of my choice) and get the cost as low as possible</p>
<p>again, we cant tell you any safeties until you tell us how much your parents will pay. To say that they want the cost as low as possible does NOT bode well for safeties or for most schools that would accept someone into engineering with your stats. At most schools, your parents will be expected to pay all costs.</p>
<p>So, ask them…can you pay $20k per year? more? less? how much?</p>
<p>Your parents will pay SOME, whether they like it or not. They will also be required to co-sign for your loans to attend.</p>
<p>Don’t feel bad. You’re not alone. I told my kids from birth that their Daddy does not pay for (1) college, (2) weddings, or (3) bail bonds. Because I’ve seen what happens to those who do.</p>
<p>Son graduated with an engineering degree from an in-state school that provided 4-years of tuition and housing. Meal plans and some other costs belonged to me (with the cash I saved by him not living here). Got a job a couple weeks before graduation. Loves it. I helped him furnish his apartment.</p>
<p>Daughter is a junior at the same state U. Good student (top 10-15% of HS class, but not stellar SATs), so she got minimal help on academic-based aid. Mom & Dad are doing OK financially (middle class), so that means “need-based” money is not happening. She attends through loans.</p>
<p>Tell your parents to attend a FAFSA seminar. It’ll result in some cash to help you pay for college and let your parents know what their responsibility is (again, a percentage of housing & meals is to be expected). If they want you to pay that, too, draft a side-agreement. </p>
<p>I don’t think your parents are being chintzy - I think they want to keep you motivated, and respectful of what they do for you. Good luck!</p>
<p>“I told my kids from birth that their Daddy does not pay for (1) college, (2) weddings, or (3) bail bonds. Because I’ve seen what happens to those who do.”</p>
<p>Wow. </p>
<p>Alberto,
1° Don’t apply to OOS public universities. You will not receive financial aid and they will not be affordable, so you’d be wasting the application fee and your time.
2° Do apply to OOS private universities. However, your stats are pretty low for engineering. Schools you could check out may include Stevens (actually it’s in-state, but private), WPI, RIT, Southwestern (TX).
3° Rowan has improved its science/engineering offerings and is in a better area than NJIT, although NJIT would be good, too. Those two are likely to be the cheapest schools you can get into. Actually, South Dakota School of Mines is cheaper and terrific, but obviously it’s also far from home and very cold. See if Bloomsburg, in PA, has the engineering program you’re interested in since it’s also rather cheap even from OOS.
4° Your SAT score has grown tremendously, but most universities on your list would expect 2000- 2100… or more! Your new list is not realistic. Do apply to one or two “just to see”, but then forget about those.
5° Run the Net Price Calculators and show the results to your parents. What can they afford?
6° You, yourself, can only borrow $5,500 for freshman year through the federal loan program. You will be expected to work during the summer and during the year in order to add to that. Anything else would have to be either scholarships or your parents - either from income or from loans, but if your parents take on loans, it becomes part of their credit history and of course there’s interest added, so ultimately if your parents have the money to help pay, it’s better for them to pay out of pocket than through loans. If they don’t have the money or don’t want to pay, you have to find scholarships. However it means you’ll probably have to relocate to the South.</p>