Safety schools for W&M?

[Anonymous]

My DD also has W&M as first choice. She's interested in sciences, particularly ecology. Also on her list are Wooster, St. Mary's of Maryland, Mt. Holyoke, Juniata. In state she'll apply to Mary Washington and VT. VT of course not at all like the others but it has a very strong natural resources school and that particular program is not big. So, at least considering it as an option.. She didn't like CNU.

[Anonymous]

My WM kid also applied

Kenyon
Oberlin
Wooster
St.Olaf
Macalaster
Grinnell

Accepted to all. Merit aid at all but one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA

UVA is a safety for W&M? Ok

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My WM kid also applied

Kenyon
Oberlin
Wooster
St.Olaf
Macalaster
Grinnell

Accepted to all. Merit aid at all but one.

Getting in doesn’t retroactively make a school a safety.

[Anonymous]

I'd say pick a lower tier VA school for a definite safety. Radford, JMU, GMU, etc, just to have at least one lock. Worse case scenario, she can go for a year and transfer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD with a 4.53 and SAT in mid-1400s has her sights set on W&M.

I told her she has the stats but one never knows so she needs to look at other schools as well.

Schools that have come courting with invitations to apply with no application fee include Hofstra, College of Wooster, Fordham and UC Boulder.

Are these reasonable targets?

I also suggested she look at Rice, Brown, Columbia and Penn, but I imagine those are all more competitive than “safety” schools for her with her stats.

Boulder is crazy expensive! Beautiful but expensive. I'd avoid Fordham for no other reason than its campus. And don't go to Hoftsra unless you know it's a fit. Bottom line, safety schools need to be a good fit too in all the areas you are looking at. Why? It just may be the school she goes to. Have her do her research now, OP. Don't get complacent.

[Anonymous]

Mine Applied as a CS Major with similar stats

Safety:
GMU
ASU
Iowa

Target:
VT
UVA
W&M

Reach:
CWRU
Olin (ECE)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD also has W&M as first choice. She's interested in sciences, particularly ecology. Also on her list are Wooster, St. Mary's of Maryland, Mt. Holyoke, Juniata. In state she'll apply to Mary Washington and VT. VT of course not at all like the others but it has a very strong natural resources school and that particular program is not big. So, at least considering it as an option.. She didn't like CNU.

This is a very good list for a kid who wants to study Biology at a SLAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say pick a lower tier VA school for a definite safety. Radford, JMU, GMU, etc, just to have at least one lock. Worse case scenario, she can go for a year and transfer.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD also has W&M as first choice. She's interested in sciences, particularly ecology. Also on her list are Wooster, St. Mary's of Maryland, Mt. Holyoke, Juniata. In state she'll apply to Mary Washington and VT. VT of course not at all like the others but it has a very strong natural resources school and that particular program is not big. So, at least considering it as an option.. She didn't like CNU.

My dd with a 1310 sat was offered $36k/yr in merit aid from Juniata for Bio.

[Anonymous]

In state the somewhat similar schools that are less selective would be CNU and MWU. I say somewhat similar because these are both smaller, more regional, and less of a research university than W&M.

If in state, she would get the Virginia tuition assistance grant (I assume) for schools like Richmond or W&L. If they were generous on aid, cost could be closer than you might imagine.

Out of state, the most similar schools would be schools like Wake Forest. Not sure it makes any sense to pay more for a school like Wake.

[Anonymous]

If W&M is kid's first choice they should absolutely do ED.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:W & M focuses more on the the right kind of student than the grades. So, once she hits the minimum grades, then essays are recommendations become critically important.

As for safeties from W & M, the one that jumps out -- but it is a huge step down -- is Mary Washington. W & M is pretty unique in that it has aspects of a research school and a SLAC (more of a midsized LAC).

DD did not apply to any other schools "like" W & M (maybe Miami of Ohio). She just started her freshman year.

My advice is to apply ED.

Also, backup schools, in no particular order:

Binghamton (good school, ugly architecture, horrible town), Miami of OH (more of a party vibe), Elon, UMW

OP here. I graduated from Miami and there is absolutely no way I would send a daughter there given the culture. I will tell her to check out the others

[Anonymous]

That list of safeties really sucks. Aim higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD also has W&M as first choice. She's interested in sciences, particularly ecology. Also on her list are Wooster, St. Mary's of Maryland, Mt. Holyoke, Juniata. In state she'll apply to Mary Washington and VT. VT of course not at all like the others but it has a very strong natural resources school and that particular program is not big. So, at least considering it as an option.. She didn't like CNU.

My DD is a WM grad in graduate school for biology/ecology/envir science. Similar colleges of friends she's picked up along the way during internships, study abroad and grad school are Vassar, Denison, St Olaf, and Lawrence.