Which of these are safety and reach colleges?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am an incoming senior in August and I have begun to compile my college list. Please help me understand which ones are safeties, reaches, and more suggestions.</p>

<p>9th-11th grade GPA is 3.0.
10th-11th grade GPA is 3.4.</p>

<p>EC: California 2013 Boys State Delegate, philosophy club, Young Democrats of America, Model UN. </p>

<p>I'm interested in economics & philosophy at a private liberal arts colleges.</p>

<p>Here is my list:
Occidental
Pitzer
Claremont McKenna
Pomona
Stanford
USC
Pepperdine</p>

2

<p>Pomona, Stanford and CMC are beyond your reach. None are safeties.</p>

3

<p>What are your test scores? Any other hooks (legacy, under represented minority, etc.)?</p>

4

<p>A safety meets these four criteria:

  1. You are flat-out guaranteed admission based on your grades, test scores, or some other special talent/ability.
  2. You know for dead certain you can cover the Cost of Attendance with no more financial aid than what you are guaranteed by filing the FAFSA and/or what you are guaranteed by your home state and/or what you are guaranteed by the college/university itself because of your grades, test scores, or some other special talent/ability.
  3. Your major is offered.
  4. You will be happy to attend if you aren’t admitted anywhere else that you can afford.</p>

<p>If the places on your list do not post the minimum GPA and ACT/SAT scores that guarantee admission, then there is no way to be certain that they could be safeties. Speak with your HS guidance counselor about admissions trends from your HS. Some might be matches.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for replying. What are your suggestions for safety colleges?</p>

6

<p>Try Whittier, if you really want to stay in CA.</p>

7

<p>I will be taking my first SAT & ACT in September. I am a Filipino. I am relatively new to the lingo, what counts as a hook?</p>

8

<p>Occidental - low reach
Pitzer- reach
Claremont McKenna- not getting in
Pomona- not getting in
Stanford- not getting in
USC- not getting in
Pepperdine- reach</p>

9

<p>I will definitely look in to Whittier and add it to my list. Thanks!</p>

10

<p>Thanks! What do you suggest for safeties? I am very intent in attending college in SoCal.</p>

11

<p>I don’t believe anyone can say what your chances are without test scores… there is no way to tell without them. Did you take the PSAT?</p>

12

<p>@ happymomof1 I will also be definitely asking my counselor about this subject. But I also want outside opinion. So please keep adding to your suggestions & honest advice. Thanks!</p>

13

<p>I took the PSAT my sophomore with a terrible score. In all honesty, so much has changed between my freshman year of high school until now. I have moved to a different city, 2 different high schools, an online school, and these are the reasons why my GPA is where it is. But my positive note is an upward trend. Junior year 1st semester straight A’s & 2nd semester 2 B’s.</p>

14

<p>For a school to be a SAFETY, you have to know FOR SURE that you have all costs covered.</p>

<p>Whittier is NOT a safety unless you know that your parents will pay for it.</p>

<p>How much will your parents pay each year? </p>

<p>Right now, without test scores and without budget info (amount parents will pay), all we can say is a CC would be your safety.</p>

15

<p>Makes sense. There’s so much to be done within the next year to have a shot at any private college. It’s exciting & overwhelming!</p>

16

<p>Occidental, Pepperdine and Pitzer are reaches. The other schools you mentioned are extremely high reach.</p>

17

<p>Is cost an issue or are you full pay?</p>

<p>Look at the SAT-preparation forum, getting a good score can help you a lot.</p>

<p>Check out University of Redlands, a 3,000+ LAC style undergraduate program, and take a look at the Johnson program to see if it appeals.</p>

18

<p>Are you a California resident? If yes, then you should be looking at some of the non-Berkeley-non-UCLA ones, and the CSUs. I’m not from California, so my ideas of which fit best for what are a little vague, but those should already be on your list. Even if you’re not a resident, some of them (particularly CSUs? I don’t know…the main UC campuses are wicked expensive, but I don’t know how much that tails off) might still be affordable. Then Chapman’s been up and coming lately, while we’re thinking of schools in SoCal…They’re really good in film and strong in business, too. Mildly Christian-affiliated, but it doesn’t seem in a major way. Unless you’re really sure (direct conversation with parents, with numbers) you’re full-pay, spend a lot of time thinking about the finances of any of these, as someone said a few posts ago. A safety needs to be somewhere you know you can afford to attend.</p>

19

<p>I agree with above posters-- Whittier and Redlands would at least be matches and both give out quite a bit of scholarship money.</p>

20

<p>Sonoma State considers itself a (public) liberal arts college:
[COPLAC</a> | Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges](<a href=“http://www.coplac.org/students/admissions.php]COPLAC”>http://www.coplac.org/students/admissions.php)</p>

<p>It is larger than most liberal arts colleges, although not as large as USC that is on your list.</p>

<p>It is not impacted in economics or philosophy, so it looks fairly safe for admissions at your high school GPA, if you are a California resident:
[Impacted</a> Majors for First Time Freshmen : Sonoma State University](<a href=“http://sonoma.edu/admissions/ftf/freshmenhighdemand.html]Impacted”>http://sonoma.edu/admissions/ftf/freshmenhighdemand.html)</p>

<p>Of course, you need to check the cost and financial aid.</p>