<p>Gadad-- Yes, we did look in Philly. And, she loved the two small LACs that we visited there (and my questions about safeties is part of my effort to make sure that she does not get her heart set on either of those two small, higly competitive schools!). I had not thought about Pitt, but that is an interesting possibility, especially if the size is not TOO overwhelming. I will look further.</p>
<p>As far as UMich goes, I must admit that I have a bit of sticker shock on the 50K/OOS price tag. And I appreciate Rodney’s view that it is a very competitive school and not a real “safety.” But, if she were to apply early in the process, might UMich serve as a good bell weather (especialy with its rolling admissions) to see if she stands a chance elsewhere, or to determine whether we should panic and start adding more schools to the list? </p>
<p>Marmaduke: UMich is not a bell weather; there are kids that we know and all over CC that were deferred in EA to Umich (and eventually waitlisted) that were subsequently admitted to other top 20 schools…</p>
<p>If you aren’t certain yet about the financial aspects, run your family’s numbers through the FAFSA formula at <a href=“http://ifap.ed.gov/efcformulaguide/attachments/101310EFCFormulaGuide1112.pdf[/url]”>http://ifap.ed.gov/efcformulaguide/attachments/101310EFCFormulaGuide1112.pdf</a> Your FAFSA EFC should be taken as the very least amount that the colleges and universities will expect you to pay (most will expect more, and if it is a CSS Profile school it is very hard to predict). Then sit down with your daughter and talk about just exactly how much you really do have available. I know people who have been able to pay full freight for the 50k+ type institutions, and I know people who had to push their kids to get merit aid just to attend a community college. Only you and your family know what your situation is like. Your daughter needs to be able to go into this process with a clear understanding of her financial limits.</p>
<p>Good luck with everything!</p>
<p>P.S. Gotta ask because she looked at Haverford and Swarthmore: Did she check out Bryn Mawr?</p>
<p>BTW Marmaduke - I have a D who had the same stats as your D’s and was applying to Ivies as reaches. She applied at UMich (out of state) in September of her senior year, got accepted early, and around December was offered $20,000 x 4 years merit aid. Of course that would have still been about $25,000 a year remaining and it became moot when one of her reaches came through. And though UMich is a very cool place, it’s also enormous.</p>
<p>^^and my daughter had a higher GPA and a higher SAT/ACT with all honors and AP’s and national awards for EC’s and was deferred and subsequently waitlisted in 2008…</p>
<p>Even with high stats, I would not count on any college with less than 50% acceptance rate as a safety. At that point (or some point), the college will have a major emphasis on the essays and reject students who do not show that they want to go there or otherwise do not appear to fit, no matter what their stats are.</p>
<p>No school with an admit rate under 35% or so is a safety for anyone, even someone who cured cancer over the summer. There’s no school in the top 30 university list that I would ever consider a safety, with the possible exception of a state u or two.</p>