<p>Reading the other thread makes me wonder what schools people have as safeties, what makes you confident that you'll get in (e.g. how far above were your scores, were there other things that made you confident) and what do you like about them.</p>
<p>It might also be helpful to know a little about the student. What's a safety for a kid with a 4.0 UW and a 2330 SAT might not work for a kid with a 2.5 and a 1190.</p>
<p>28 ACT, 2.9 GPA at a selective high school known for grade deflation. Safeties were St. Louis University, Wittenberg, Evansville, Truman State, the latter the financial safety. We knew they were safeties from the school’s Naviance plots. Admitted all four; not admitted to either of two matches or two reaches. Wittenberg would have been affordable, Evansville would have been a reach, SLU out of the question. Will attend Truman State for a net of about $12K a year plus books & incidentals - and graduate with no debt.</p>
<p>2260 SAT, 3.6 uw/3.9 w</p>
<p>Safeties U Oregon- beautiful campus, but wanted to be closer to home. Offered merit to match UC tuition and room/board cheaper than UC
UC Santa Cruz- A little too “out there” in more ways than one, but glad they accepted me</p>
<p>Going to UC Santa Barbara and pretty happy about it now. Probably should have applied to more private schools. I got in Occidental, Reed, NYU but they were too expensive. Less selective LACs might have offered me more aid (we’re full pay, so no need based aid).</p>
<p>My son was very lucky to have UT Austin as his safety school. At that time, a student who was a Texas resident had to be in the top 8% of their class and they were guarenteed a spot there (or at Texas A&M.) Having such a fantastic safety made the whole process far less stressful than it might have been.</p>
<p>He wound up leaving Texas to attend Northeastern in Boston but I’m sure he would have done just as well at UT Austin if he’d had to go there.</p>
<p>D1: 4.0/2370
UMichigan w/merit aid making the cost equivalent to our IS public. This was back in the old days when UM was strictly rolling and had different merit awards. She got in early enough and with enough merit to make it a safety. Not sure this is possible for an OOS applicant any more.</p>
<p>D2: 4.0/2220
IS public.</p>
<p>Safety in Massachusetts, for any 3.0+ kid, is any in-state University (but not for Nursing or Umass). The state publishes very clear standards (but one needs to apply on time). </p>
<p>Look at your state’s admission standards…</p>
<p>For both of my kids Bama was their safety and they attended with large scholarships.</p>
<p>Older son was NMF and had the near full ride plus NMF corporate of 2500 per year. Our remaining costs were very, very low. He’s graduated and now in grad school elsewhere.</p>
<p>The younger son had an ACT 33 (and a bit higher SAT), a 4.6 GPA, and received Free tuition, 2500/yr engineering, and 2000/yr National Merit scecial scholarship. So, full tuition plus 4500 per year. Our remaining costs are low.</p>
<p>The younger son’s school scholarships could have been had with lower stats. </p>
<p>They both love their undergrad.</p>
<p>Older son, top one percent of class top scores (790 CR/760M all 800s on subject tests), 8-9 APs and a post AP math course, comp sci nerd. RPI was his safety. They had some sort of Priority Application that they sent him (not EA, but better), that involved a shorter essay, less work and the promise they’d let you know within 3 weeks of getting the first quarter’s grades. He knew by Thanksgiving that he was in and that he’d be getting some sort of merit award.</p>
<p>Younger son B+/A- student, but top 6% of class, similar number of APs, somewhat lopsided scores (790 CR/690M), had originally planned to have American and Syracuse as safeties. He loved American, but was worried that if he didn’t major in IR he’d be less happy with it. Syracuse wasn’t really a great fit, but it’s popular in our area, and it was clear he’d get in from Naviance. In the end though, he didn’t apply to Syracuse, because U. of Chicago became his safety when he got into it EA. He also dropped a match that he didn’t really think he’d like. He kept American, because he liked it, and they did offer merit money.</p>
<p>My kids had no interest in the SUNYs.</p>
<p>3.7-3.8 GPA, 33 ACT. 10 AP tests, well over 1,000 hours of community service and numerous leadership positions. </p>
<p>Michigan State University was my safety. Realistically, UMich was a safety too but I get pounced on here when I say that soooooo…</p>
<p>I go to MSU. My safety was also my dream school.</p>
<p>S1’s safety was UCSB. He was ELC so he had guaranteed admission there. It was nice to have the knowledge that even if every other school rejected him he had a good place to go. He ended up out of state at a private college.</p>
<p>For S2 who is a high school junior it’s not going to be so easy. He’ll apply to some Cal States but there won’t be any guarantees.</p>
<p>For both my kids, the state flagship (UNM) was their safety. Because of the Legislative-Lottery Scholarship each would have had 100% of their tuition (but not fees) paid for. (Also since we live about 20 minutes from campus, they could have even lived at home and saved even more $$.)</p>
<p>Both kiddos had ACTs in the Top 5% and GPAs in the top 5-10% of all admitted students.</p>
<p>D2 was offered the Presidential Scholarship (100% tuition & fees, plus $6000/year.) But she wanted to go OOS. She received a big scholarship to a Top 35 uni–and went there.</p>
<p>D1 took UNM’s money and we allowed her to live in the dorms since we weren’t paying tuition. (We also paid for her car insurance and parking sticker.)</p>
<p>My son’s safeties were Goucher and Lewis & Clark. He really liked both schools and had really high test scores, GPA, great ECs, LORs. He did get into both EA with merit $$ and would have been happy at either.</p>
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<p>ELC only guarantees admission to a UC, not the one of choice. An ELC student may get shut out of the UCs that s/he applies to, then get a fat packet from UC Merced.</p>
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</p>
<p>If he is a California resident who meets baseline CSU eligibility as described here:
[CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - Eligibility Index - California Residents](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>GPA Calculator | CSU)
[CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - GPA Calculator](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU)
he should be able to get into an unimpacted major at an unimpacted CSU campus:
[Impaction</a> | Student Academic Support | CSU](<a href=“http://www.calstate.edu/sas/impactioninfo.shtml]Impaction”>http://www.calstate.edu/sas/impactioninfo.shtml)
Note that there are also preferences in CSU admissions for local service area students.</p>
<p>Of course, if his desired major is impacted at all CSU campuses that offer it, then he may not be able to find an obvious CSU safety.</p>
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<p>Same situation for D2, only it was UC Irvine. Irvine sent a letter that basically said, if you will fill out the application, we will accept you. She had spent part of the summer at UCI as part of the Cosmos program.</p>
<p>For D1, safety was UC Davis. She spent a good part of one summer doing research as part of the YSP Program.</p>
<p>Both kids had first hand experience with their respective safety campuses, so it made them a more “safe” safety, a school that they could see themselves attending if push came to shove.</p>
<p>What is an ELC?</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>[Eligibility</a> in the Local Context (ELC)](<a href=“http://www.ucop.edu/sas/elc/]Eligibility”>http://www.ucop.edu/sas/elc/)</p>
<p>Note the following in the ELC web page:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The “if space is available” may make ELC less valuable (i.e. if every campus including Merced is full, it won’t help). In any case, it is not a guarantee of admission to a specific UC campus.</p>
<p>ELC <em>was</em> a guarantee of admission to several of the UC campuses in 2010. They’ve changed how it works since then.</p>
<p>Mine was UCI which is my local uc. 2300 sat, 4.4 weighted, 8 ap’s, etc</p>
<p>Mathmom, if you don’t mind, why weren’t your kids interested in SUNYs? We are thinking of 2 SUNYs as safeties (sight unseen at this point), but any and all perspectives are welcome.</p>