Do you need more than one true safety?

[Anonymous]

DS got into our easy-admission flagship through EA. Given that DS likes the flagship, it gave DS more freedom to be aggressive in seeking elite schools with elite financial aid in RD. This strategy worked out well in our particular circumstances because DS got into most of his reaches and likelies.

I think it's rarely a bad idea to apply to a few EA schools so that DC knows by mid December whether they already have 1-2 acceptable admissions. If so, great, DC can be more aggressive in RD. If not, DC should probably apply to more safeties/targets in RD.

[Anonymous]

I would have at least 2 real safeties which take into consideration your kid’s major. Take engineering, CU Boulder might look like a safety for a 3.7+ GPA, it’s not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS LOVES Pitt engineering. He is planning to apply in August. It’s a safety for him - he’ll also apply to Purdue, Michigan, GT. But he has mixed applying to Case, WPI, RPI, Rochester bc he prefers Pitt to any other place. I figure that we’ll know about $$ and honors college before he the deadlines for other safeties.

There really aren’t any safeties for engineering. Yes, you get the advantage of knowing early because of rolling admissions but Pitt Honors College decisions are March 1st.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS LOVES Pitt engineering. He is planning to apply in August. It’s a safety for him - he’ll also apply to Purdue, Michigan, GT. But he has mixed applying to Case, WPI, RPI, Rochester bc he prefers Pitt to any other place. I figure that we’ll know about $$ and honors college before he the deadlines for other safeties.

are those the usual safeties for engineering?

Some of these are part of a group of schools that are sort of like the LACs of engineering schools: they are small, mostly undergrad focused (some are only undergrad), engineering-only schools. Given that niche, they are self-selecting and so some, but not all, are a little easier to get into by percentages (but not by grades, etc.), than the big universities that also have engineering programs. Some of them include: Olin, RPI, WPI, Rose Hulman, Stevens, Colorado School of Mines, Harvey Mudd, Cooper Union.

[Anonymous]

If considering the "formal" definition, acceptance AND cost, last year my kid had ZERO. We had OOS publics that we felt comfortable with acceptance but we weren't willing to full pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If considering the "formal" definition, acceptance AND cost, last year my kid had ZERO. We had OOS publics that we felt comfortable with acceptance but we weren't willing to full pay.

Why apply then? Did you think you had a good chance of a merit discount?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If considering the "formal" definition, acceptance AND cost, last year my kid had ZERO. We had OOS publics that we felt comfortable with acceptance but we weren't willing to full pay.

Why apply then? Did you think you had a good chance of a merit discount?

Yes. VA resident acceptance but no merit from Pitt. Did receive from UMD, Ohio St and UMN. As a CS major, not sure what if any could really be considered "safeties". Also some merit from BU, CWRU and Lehigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, definitely.

This might change as more schools go back to SAT required (Yay!)

But many kids this year were waitlisted or outright rejected from what should have been safeties based on stats, with lower stat kids getting accepted test optional.

Apply for severral safeties until the test optional stupidity comes to an end.

You have no idea what the stats or other aspects of those kids' applications were. Your kid is not entitled to admission to *any* school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dc guidance counselor is suggesting:
2 “reachable” reaches
5 targets
3 safeties

This is what the counselor told my teen, as well.

[Anonymous]

***The problem is yield protection***

I know some high-achieving students who were waitlisted or deferred, or outright REJECTED, from their safeties. My friend's kid with outstanding stats and extremely strong extra-curriculars, who got into Harvard this cycle, was rejected from a few mid-tier universities. Colleges make the assumption (incorrectly, in some cases) that some students are merely ticking off the safety box.

To counteract this, students need to find 2-3 reasonable safeties, and write convincing essays about what they like about each school.

What is a reasonable safety?

It depends entirely on the student's profile. It's NOT always a college with an 80% acceptance rate. It could be one with a 50% acceptance rate in the case of a high-achiever - because that application will probably look more convincing than someone who's clearly Ivy Material but applying to Morgan State University. BUT - some quirky colleges that have high acceptance rates DO legitimately attract highly-intelligent students. Ex: St John's College (Annapolis and Santa Fe, I believe) is such a one. It has a Great Books curriculum where kids learn to read philosophers in the original Greek and French.

Bottom line - kids and supporting family members really need to do their research, find good fits and submit convincing essays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS got into our easy-admission flagship through EA. Given that DS likes the flagship, it gave DS more freedom to be aggressive in seeking elite schools with elite financial aid in RD. This strategy worked out well in our particular circumstances because DS got into most of his reaches and likelies.

I think it's rarely a bad idea to apply to a few EA schools so that DC knows by mid December whether they already have 1-2 acceptable admissions. If so, great, DC can be more aggressive in RD. If not, DC should probably apply to more safeties/targets in RD.

What do you mean, "be more aggressive in RD"?
Isn't the thinking that kids need to SCEA to an Ivy (or ED to a very selective school), if they're of that caliber?

[Anonymous]

If they want options, then yes! Can't hurt, plus safety apps often require less info than schools that require a lot of essays.

[Anonymous]

Also, make sure it's one that they are actually excited about attending and would actually consider! DD was in-state for Pitt a few years ago and had really high stats, plus she heard back within two weeks in September, so that was pretty much one-and-done, but Pitt was also a school that she wanted to attend!

[Anonymous]

Yes, have two. You never know if yield projection or some strange quota they were trying to achieve will work against your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS LOVES Pitt engineering. He is planning to apply in August. It’s a safety for him - he’ll also apply to Purdue, Michigan, GT. But he has mixed applying to Case, WPI, RPI, Rochester bc he prefers Pitt to any other place. I figure that we’ll know about $$ and honors college before he the deadlines for other safeties.

are those the usual safeties for engineering?

Some of these are part of a group of schools that are sort of like the LACs of engineering schools: they are small, mostly undergrad focused (some are only undergrad), engineering-only schools. Given that niche, they are self-selecting and so some, but not all, are a little easier to get into by percentages (but not by grades, etc.), than the big universities that also have engineering programs. Some of them include: Olin, RPI, WPI, Rose Hulman, Stevens, Colorado School of Mines, Harvey Mudd, Cooper Union.

ok thanks-this really makes sense, my DD is getting tons of mail from these schools based on Ap comp princ she took as a freshman--which ones would you consider the better in the group?