Some questions re: safety schools, etc.

Parents Forum
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Hi parents,
I’ve read many of your posts and thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide. My daughter is a 2018 from a decent public school in western PA. 4.0 unweighted, will have 8 APs by graduation, 1470 SAT, 5s on all AP tests. Very strong leadership at school and in the community, a lot of policy-related extracurriculars (model UN, debate team, internship), varsity sports. Interest in Public Policy/International.

We are starting to finalize her list of schools. Like many of you, we have found that discovering her reach/dream schools are easy, but finding safety schools that she loves is the tricky part. She’s a strong student all around, but we are realistic and the top schools are reaches for everyone - and her SAT is on the lower side for most of them. Any recommendations you have are welcome, and I will try to return the favor one day!

She wants a medium-large campus, at least 4K-5K students and doesn’t care if it’s very big, so LAC are for the most part out. Will probably apply EA to schools that offer it, and Regular decision to the others. Would like to weigh merit aid from the (very few) schools that might offer it, so ED is probably not a good idea.

Her list so far - the top will eventually be narrowed down. I’d love her to add one more median and one or two safety schools. You will see I have very formal terms like “reach reach” and “also reachy.”

Reach Reach: Chicago, Brown, UVA, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Columbia, UNC (will be narrowed down to 3 or 4)
Also reachy but a little more attainable: BC, BU, American, Tulane (will be narrowed down to 2 or 3)
Median: JMU (want to add one)
Safety: ?? (one to add one or two)

Also, she is not interested in Pitt or Penn State - too close to home. Suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.
HR

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How much can you afford to pay per year?

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Is merit and FA a significant consideration? Have you got a solid number you will pay per year?

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William and Mary would be a great match/reach given her area of interest.

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We’ll be able to consider both public and private schools, although we would like to factor merit aid (for the schools that offer it) as part of the decision and will prob have some loans depending on the school.

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She’s talked about W&M. Thanks Studious.

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The problem with safety schools is they usually aren’t desirable, at least to your daughter so it has to be a bit of a sell job on your part. IOW, you need to sell Pitt and PSU as safeties since they are truly safeties and at a very good price. It will also motivate her to get into a more desirable school and complete the effort that it takes to do so. I was in a similar situation last year and my DD ended up getting into UChicago with the alternative being the local state school which she was accepted early on rolling admission. Her stats were only slightly better than your D’s. She literally spent months on the essays.

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Safeties: University of Delaware, Loyola Maryland, SUNY Binghamton

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I’d swap Albany for Bing given her policy interests… see if Rutgers would be affordable- great Poli Sci there.

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Good suggestions. We hadn’t thought about the SUNY schools. Thanks Blossom, Tom, CU. Much appreciated.

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I believe Fordham, Loyola-MD, UScranton, St. Joes have non-binding EA and offer merit aid since she seems to be OK with Jesuit schools.

I see she said no to Pitt and Penn State – did she consider Temple?

Agree that SUNY schools have good rates even for OOS. Binghamton and Albany are solid and Buffalo and New Paltz should be true safeties.

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@HugoRose , forgive me if you know this but very few of the schools on your original list offer any Merit. A few of them have a few big “presidential” type of scholarships (BC) but those are VERY limited. I think only American and Tulane offer Merit. BU maybe a little…the others are pretty much Need Based Aid. That includes W& M. I will give it some thought in terms of safeties. Having the same issue with my D18…hard to come up with safeties that she would love.

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I would think American is more of a match than a reach. How about GW? Villanova?

I would try to get her to at least visit and apply to Pitt. It’s a great school with rolling admissions. You can apply early and have a possible acceptance in the bag way before others are even due.

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Ohio State, Miami (OH)? Merit possibilities, not too far, right size, programs of interest. Matches, most likely.

Temple might work as a safety

American U, George Washington? Not safeties but matches I’d say.

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SMU could be a safety and offers merit

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University of Denver

She may not need a ‘safety’ if she can work the EA into an answer before the submission deadline (Jan 1, Jan 15) for regular decision at some of what would be her safety schools. If she finds out on Dec 15 that she’s in at BC or BU, no need for that safety, and no need to send in RD apps not due until Jan 1

I think she may want to apply to one EA safety (Alabama, Temple, or even the dreaded Pitt) just to have an acceptance. Everyone I know has been very relieved to just get that ONE acceptance very early.

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Students from our NE HS with lower scores and a lower GPA get into the honors program at JMU…you may want to move JMU over to the “safety” column… Or at least to the “very likely” column - as nothing is guaranteed. I also think that Tulane is a solid acceptance with some possible merit… if… and only if… you show them considerable interest. Kids from our HS with lower stats than your D who show interest often get some merit, while kids with stats like your D who may use them as a safety ( incorrectly) often get rejected - this is based on observations from our HS ( friends) and may not be true for everybody.

I agree that the SUNYs are a good option. I think your D will get into Binghamton although I hesitate to call it a true safety ( I will call it “very likely”) and I think Buffalo is a solid safety with an acceptance into honors. What about Ohio State? Your D may get considerable merit if she is OK with the size. I also love the U of Delaware.

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I don’t think American is a reach…more of a match.

University of Delaware is good…but what about University of Maryland? Or University of Mary Washington?

Just curious…how both Pitt and Penn State can be too close to home…when they are practically on opposite sides of PA?

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So to clarify, which loans would you access? Just staffords? You are happy to pay full pay if there is no merit? You have no financial need and have looked at NPCs?

It is good to put this abstract notion into a budget figure, at least for you and your kid.

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Another suggestion…Drew in NJ. She might get merit there.