Safety school your child ended up loving…?

[Anonymous]

Wittenberg

[Anonymous]

Clemson,

they picked it over the school they got into and thought they wanted to go to. Went on a visit fell in love with it and decided to go there.

[Anonymous]

Pitt!

[Anonymous]

UMD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child ends up having to attend their "safety" school, doesn't that by definition mean that it was in fact the most appropriate fit from the beginning?

Not at all:

We read and hear about students with amazing stats who were rejected to schools that they have the stats for, and thus end up going to a safety. That’s part of the arbitrariness. It also means that some kids go to safeties with amazing stats.

+1

Plus, many safety schools try to lure the top kids with merit money - the top schools do not give merit money.

I went to a LAC that has a high acceptance rate, but lured in a cohort of really strong kids with lots of merit, special research opportunities. So strong academic kids had a cohort, professors had some great RAs and it pulled the standards up all around. I actually got middling levels of merit aid because I had high SATs but so-so HS grades, but the presence of top students was inspiring to me and I benefitted from the culture of a high ceiling of expectations. I have encouraged my kids to look for schools that do the same. A little more flexible and freeing than a school where all the kids are in a very narrow band of achievement.

+1

There are really smart kids at most schools. So unless your kid selects a school where the avg SAT is 1050, your kid will easily find a great group of equally smart cohorts. Not to mention, nowhere in the real world do people work with everyone who had a 4.0UW and 1580+ in HS. It just does not happen. In the real world, you will be forced to coexist with others--some who are just as book smart as you and others who are very smart but didn't hit their stride until college, others who are very smart but don't give a shit about school but are amazing in the workforce. The difference between a 1300 and 1580 is not that much (86% vs 99%+) If your 99% kid cannot function in groups with a 86% kid they may have some other issues in life. Point is you learn alot in life from people who are different, so focus on getting a great education, o pen your eyes and you might be surprised how well you can do

[Anonymous]

I second the request for more UVM stories! It's DD's top pick right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child ends up having to attend their "safety" school, doesn't that by definition mean that it was in fact the most appropriate fit from the beginning?

Not at all:

We read and hear about students with amazing stats who were rejected to schools that they have the stats for, and thus end up going to a safety. That’s part of the arbitrariness. It also means that some kids go to safeties with amazing stats.

+1

Plus, many safety schools try to lure the top kids with merit money - the top schools do not give merit money.

I went to a LAC that has a high acceptance rate, but lured in a cohort of really strong kids with lots of merit, special research opportunities. So strong academic kids had a cohort, professors had some great RAs and it pulled the standards up all around. I actually got middling levels of merit aid because I had high SATs but so-so HS grades, but the presence of top students was inspiring to me and I benefitted from the culture of a high ceiling of expectations. I have encouraged my kids to look for schools that do the same. A little more flexible and freeing than a school where all the kids are in a very narrow band of achievement.

+1

There are really smart kids at most schools. So unless your kid selects a school where the avg SAT is 1050, your kid will easily find a great group of equally smart cohorts. Not to mention, nowhere in the real world do people work with everyone who had a 4.0UW and 1580+ in HS. It just does not happen. In the real world, you will be forced to coexist with others--some who are just as book smart as you and others who are very smart but didn't hit their stride until college, others who are very smart but don't give a shit about school but are amazing in the workforce. The difference between a 1300 and 1580 is not that much (86% vs 99%+) If your 99% kid cannot function in groups with a 86% kid they may have some other issues in life. Point is you learn alot in life from people who are different, so focus on getting a great education, o pen your eyes and you might be surprised how well you can do

+ 1 more, although the difference is even smaller between 1300 and 1500. It's 91st percentile vs. 99th. You were probably looking at the numbers for those who take the SAT, but you need to use the numbers for the entire population if you're going to compare to the real world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child ends up having to attend their "safety" school, doesn't that by definition mean that it was in fact the most appropriate fit from the beginning?

Not at all:

We read and hear about students with amazing stats who were rejected to schools that they have the stats for, and thus end up going to a safety. That’s part of the arbitrariness. It also means that some kids go to safeties with amazing stats.

+1

Plus, many safety schools try to lure the top kids with merit money - the top schools do not give merit money.

I went to a LAC that has a high acceptance rate, but lured in a cohort of really strong kids with lots of merit, special research opportunities. So strong academic kids had a cohort, professors had some great RAs and it pulled the standards up all around. I actually got middling levels of merit aid because I had high SATs but so-so HS grades, but the presence of top students was inspiring to me and I benefitted from the culture of a high ceiling of expectations. I have encouraged my kids to look for schools that do the same. A little more flexible and freeing than a school where all the kids are in a very narrow band of achievement.

+1

There are really smart kids at most schools. So unless your kid selects a school where the avg SAT is 1050, your kid will easily find a great group of equally smart cohorts. Not to mention, nowhere in the real world do people work with everyone who had a 4.0UW and 1580+ in HS. It just does not happen. In the real world, you will be forced to coexist with others--some who are just as book smart as you and others who are very smart but didn't hit their stride until college, others who are very smart but don't give a shit about school but are amazing in the workforce. The difference between a 1300 and 1580 is not that much (86% vs 99%+) If your 99% kid cannot function in groups with a 86% kid they may have some other issues in life. Point is you learn alot in life from people who are different, so focus on getting a great education, o pen your eyes and you might be surprised how well you can do

+2
Well said.

[Anonymous]

I know several kids who decided to attend UVM, including my niece who is doing environmental engineering. She loves hiking, camping, and backpacking and so it's a perfect fit in that regard. She also got enough merit to make it similar to in-state tuition (high in-state tuition state) and likes that it's a smaller public school. She came out as gay during college and found a lot of acceptance and a welcoming LGBTQ+ community on campus and in the area (ya know, Vermont). She's doing great, playing frisbee, hiking, camping, research.

A neighbor's daughter also ended up there for environmental science since full pay for Reed was too much for the family. She also did art history and met her future husband skiing, who comes from a well-to-do family, so that seems to have worked out. They live in NYC and she does museum and environmental education.

Twin daughters of a family friend are also there as first years. They come from a Jewish family and have found a nice pluralistic and interfaith community on campus for the holidays in the fall semester. They are on the club rowing team despite not loving athletics during high school, who has been pretty accessible. They chose UVM because they are interested in politics and they thought that access to the state's capital would make that easier. They are also in the honors program and like the community and academic benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elon

+100

Excellent science and pre-health instruction + guidance.

I’m glad to see all the call-outs for Elon. My kid is in there and no others yet (which is not what we expected) - like many we are still surprised by the reality of the college process there days).

[Anonymous]

UVM

Kid at the admitted student event said it was his safety. He loves it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UMD-CP! My child (soph) loves it

? UMDCP is a safety for most kids? I know a few magnet kids in MCPS who didn't get in.

UMD is not a safety for MCPS students. It could be a safety for students elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UMD-CP! My child (soph) loves it

? UMDCP is a safety for most kids? I know a few magnet kids in MCPS who didn't get in.

UMD is not a safety for MCPS students. It could be a safety for students elsewhere.

It was for mine- They were a national merit scholar and Banneker Key. They were accepting to Northwestern, Georgetown, W &L and William and Mary, No Rejections. So it was their safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know several kids who decided to attend UVM, including my niece who is doing environmental engineering. She loves hiking, camping, and backpacking and so it's a perfect fit in that regard. She also got enough merit to make it similar to in-state tuition (high in-state tuition state) and likes that it's a smaller public school. She came out as gay during college and found a lot of acceptance and a welcoming LGBTQ+ community on campus and in the area (ya know, Vermont). She's doing great, playing frisbee, hiking, camping, research.

A neighbor's daughter also ended up there for environmental science since full pay for Reed was too much for the family. She also did art history and met her future husband skiing, who comes from a well-to-do family, so that seems to have worked out. They live in NYC and she does museum and environmental education.

Twin daughters of a family friend are also there as first years. They come from a Jewish family and have found a nice pluralistic and interfaith community on campus for the holidays in the fall semester. They are on the club rowing team despite not loving athletics during high school, who has been pretty accessible. They chose UVM because they are interested in politics and they thought that access to the state's capital would make that easier. They are also in the honors program and like the community and academic benefits.

NP. Thanks for this. I have a daughter interested in engineering. How would your daughter rate the program? Does it have good professors? Contacts? Internships? Many girls in it? Mine wants to somewhere at least 1/3 female. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UMD-CP! My child (soph) loves it

? UMDCP is a safety for most kids? I know a few magnet kids in MCPS who didn't get in.

UMD is not a safety for MCPS students. It could be a safety for students elsewhere.

It was for mine- They were a national merit scholar and Banneker Key. They were accepting to Northwestern, Georgetown, W &L and William and Mary, No Rejections. So it was their safety.

I was about to say something similar. It is for some super high stats. But, generally, it is not considered a safety.