<p>I would really be curious to read the applications of all the people who are listing Amherst, Duke, Georgetown, Northwestern, and UPenn as their safeties.</p>
<p>I agree, I mean all three of those schools are definately in the top %1 of college in the colleges in the nation</p>
<p>yeah people, safeties are school that you are SURE you'll get into. penn, duke, georgetown and amherst are right up there with "hyps," just a 10% higher admissions rate. I'm not applying to Princeton (yale ea), but my i guess my "safeties" ar penn state, boston u, and sort of gw. even tho these schools are fine institutions as well.</p>
<p>Safety means "70-80% chance" not "99%." I'm doing Berkeley (albeit as out of state) and am checking off UCLA, UCSD and whatever the No. 4 UC is just to be sure.</p>
<p>Berkeley is pretty tough for out-of-staters as well, is it not?</p>
<p>My safety is Hampshire College. I have to pick one more, not sure where. Ideally, I will be accepted EA to Yale and not need to apply to any safeties but errrrrrrr yeahhhhhhhh, not likely.</p>
<p>A senior from last year at my school has yale and harvard as his matches, it's not that he was arrogant, it's his college counselor that grouped his choices and put harvard and yale on his match list. he did yale SCEA and got in. He did have one reach school though, which is oxford which he didn't really want to go but was just curious to know his prospect.
BTW, he doesn't really have any stellar EC's except for being quite active on the school's debate team, foreign policy association. His only leadership role is editor of my school's newspaper. He did, however, have absolutely perfect grades and SAT scores, when I say perfect, i mean all A+ and all 800. He had 6 AP classes which are considered a LOT at my school. </p>
<p>My school is a very competitive prep school in New England, no rank, no weighted gpa, so I don't really understand why so many people on this website with so many stellar stats still consider HYPS as their reach. Having HYPS as reach is POSSIBLE.</p>
<p>sorry, I mean having HYPS as match is possible, and thus having upeen, duke..as safe is possible as well</p>
<p>oxford is actually very easy to get in if you're the typical CC 1550+SAT, 6+ 5 AP type. UK college admissions are based almost entirely on standardized tests (that and the interview).</p>
<p>gav, Berkeley is hard but since publics tend to be formulaic and I have really high numbers I'm not too concerend.</p>
<p>When a college is said to be selective, does that carry with it a 50+% chance of admission?</p>
<p>Berkeley is not a safety school for anyone, I don't care what your stats are.</p>
<p>oxford is easy to get into??! whaaa...?</p>
<p>Yes, sew, it is. 14 people applied to Berkeley from my school last year. Of the nine applicants with a 92 average or higher, eight got in. I'd call that a safety. Not that it isn't a great school, but its admissions are much more straightfoward, and therefore more reliable than the Ivies. </p>
<p>Staryy, it's not EASY to get into but its MUCH EASIER than HYPSM. UK students applying to UK schools take a small number of A-levels, roughly equivalent to APs, and the more promising candidates either go through (often quite brutal) interviews or take subject tests. It is almost entirely number-based, at least in the first round. American students with great numbers (1500+ SAT, several 5's on APs, decent GPA) don't have a hard time of getting in. Of course a lot of it depends on what subject and (for Oxford anyway) what college you're applying to, but the point is that sheer numbers can get you into Oxbridge but will not alone suffice for Harvard or Princeton.</p>
<p>pyro, do u live in california? because if so, that defitely changes the perspective of what is a safety school. for example, i live in philadelphia and approximately 20 kids (out of around 100) go to penn every year. granted, we are a competitive magnet school, but the geography definitely plays a role. that said, while it may be a tad easier to go to penn from my school, i dont think anyone could consider it a "safety."</p>
<p>I find it interesting that UK schools are stats-based. I might look into Oxford/Cambridge, just for the heck of it. It would be cool to study overseas....</p>
<p>Would a degree from those colleges enable me to get a good job in the US? And what are the main differences about studying in the UK instead of the US? Does anyone know anything about UK schools?</p>
<p>I know that at Oxford you pick a major the minute you get there and only have classes in that subject until you graduate. I was loking into Oxford as well until I found this out.</p>
<p>Its like with the system in Australia- they look more so at your stats more than anything else. Also for OXCAM you have to apply to a college rather than the university in general and I hear tha changing majors is quite a pickle there...</p>
<p>Howwever- a degree from Ox, Cam, or London school of economics for economics and engineering of Imperial College is on par with the best in the world. BUt then you have to live in the British weather- lots of cloudy and rainy days I hear!</p>
<p>But the pound is considered two dollars so maybe it is worth it.</p>
<p>Lol...maybe that isn't for me....I'm too fickle to pick my major and stick with it. I know I very well may end up changing it at least once.</p>
<p>Don't forget that means living expenses are also twice as expensive :P</p>
<p>There's a British counterpart to collegeconfidential called the student room or something similar. Google it if you're interested in UK universities.</p>
<p>Basically, there's a central system called UCAS that's like a simpler, more convenient version of the commonapp. You choose six schools to apply to, write one personal statement, fill in all the blanks with GPA, test scores, biographical info and what not, obtain a counsellor reference, and that's basically your app. HOWEVER, those interested in Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge) have to apply by October 15, which is an earlier deadline than for the others, so your entire app has to be completed and sent off to all six universities by then. And you can't apply to both Oxford and Cambridge. Pick one. Many applicants to Oxbridge then get offered an interview, which, unlike in the States, is meant to assess academic skills and plays a considerable role in determining admission. That's the UK admissions process encapsulated within a paragraph.</p>