Anyone here been rejected from their safety?

[Anonymous]

No.

My kid's safeties were UMD, St John's College (Annapolis), George Washington and McGill. He was accepted to all 4 and is attending one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, there isn’t a stipulated definition on DCUM of what constitutes a safety.

Yeah, this board is full of folks who describe likelies and then call them "safeties."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Possible reasons are the "safety" was ranked too highly to be a real safety, or there was yield protection going on, or there was some problem with the application like something was not completed properly.

Can schools that consider demonstrated interest be true safety?

[Anonymous]

It’s 2024, kids need to apply to 3 or 4 safeties to ensure they don’t get shut out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, there isn’t a stipulated definition on DCUM of what constitutes a safety.

Yeah, this board is full of folks who describe likelies and then call them "safeties."

Aren’t likelies and safeties the same thing?

DD was deferred from a likely-kids with lower stats and less on their resume were admitted so think it was some sort of yield protection. Admitted to second and still waiting on third. Admitted to a target so unlikely she will attend any of the Likelies.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t heard of any kids who were denied by true safeties, especially if it’s defined by your own school’s previous-year Naviance data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, there isn’t a stipulated definition on DCUM of what constitutes a safety.

Yeah, this board is full of folks who describe likelies and then call them "safeties."

Aren’t likelies and safeties the same thing?

DD was deferred from a likely-kids with lower stats and less on their resume were admitted so think it was some sort of yield protection. Admitted to second and still waiting on third. Admitted to a target so unlikely she will attend any of the Likelies.

DP: I don't consider likelies and safeties the same thing. Safeties are schools that admit 80+% of applicants, and your child's stats are in the top 75%. A likely is a school with an overall admissions rate of 50-74% and your child is at or above 75%. However, a likely can become a target if your child is applying to a competitive major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard from a friend today that this happened to her son. Does this happen more often than we think? I remember some stories from last year, but I didn't come across any examples until today. Now her son thinks he won't get in anywhere.

Can you tell us the safety school?

If you do, we can give you other schools of similar quality that he has a chance of getting into that he may not have considered before.

I hate that he thinks he won't get in anywhere now... that's an awful feeling for a teenager. 🥺

Here's the thing - I know the school, but I don't know his stats (and didn't want to question her about it since its not my business and she was obviously upset). My friend just described the school as a safety for her son. So I don't know if the school was truly a safety. Still, I imagine that parents around here do some basic level of research to figure out safeties and targets (i.e. common data set); and this friend is someone who would be on top of those things. The school is Clemson.

I know one very qualified student that was denied at Clemson this year and several others that were offered summer start. Clemson is not a safety anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, there isn’t a stipulated definition on DCUM of what constitutes a safety.

Yeah, this board is full of folks who describe likelies and then call them "safeties."

Because DCUM is the new Lake Wobegon.

[Anonymous]

That is why you have more than one safety, target and reach.

This process is not entirely predictable!

[Anonymous]

My son has a 4.0 UW with a 1430 SAT. He applied and got into Clemson, but it was definitely not considered a safety. Clemson has an acceptance rate under 50%.


His safeties were JMU and Dayton.

[Anonymous]

Thankfully my child had gotten 2 yesses before she got a no from a school we were sure would accept her and I know was in her top 3. That one stung.

[Anonymous]

Of course kids are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, there isn’t a stipulated definition on DCUM of what constitutes a safety.

Yeah, this board is full of folks who describe likelies and then call them "safeties."

Aren’t likelies and safeties the same thing?

DD was deferred from a likely-kids with lower stats and less on their resume were admitted so think it was some sort of yield protection. Admitted to second and still waiting on third. Admitted to a target so unlikely she will attend any of the Likelies.

DP: I don't consider likelies and safeties the same thing. Safeties are schools that admit 80+% of applicants, and your child's stats are in the top 75%. A likely is a school with an overall admissions rate of 50-74% and your child is at or above 75%. However, a likely can become a target if your child is applying to a competitive major.

My definition of "safeties" is stricter. They're schools where either (1) you've already been accepted (usually an early rolling acceptance) or (2) acceptance decisions are made strictly "by the numbers" (e.g., Iowa/Iowa State, Kansas) and you have the necessary numbers. Anything less certain is a "likely."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, there isn’t a stipulated definition on DCUM of what constitutes a safety.

Yeah, this board is full of folks who describe likelies and then call them "safeties."

Because DCUM is the new Lake Wobegon.

It has been Lake Wobegone for some while now in various schools and kids fora.