Safeties for a strong student

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid's safety, according to college vine or wise (can't remember) for CS is U of Chicago - Urbana, GA Tech, UMD.

Hard target is CMU and U of Michigan.

Reach: Cal, UCLA, MIT

800 on SAT
Taking MVC right now
5 on AP Calc test

Several 5s on other AP tests.

U Chicago and Georgia Tech are safeties for no one.

My kid just graduated Blair magnet. These are tough admits even if stats suggest otherwise. I would place as targets if all the other app aspects (honors, essays, recs ECs) are stellar. U of Chicago is heavy on ED, so stats may be misleading if intending to apply RD.

U Mich hard target, CMU reach maybe

UMD could stay at safety.

My kid got into 3 T15 but friend who was super high flyer got shut out.

It's a wild, wild world!

[Anonymous]

The wild card may be the schools assuming your kid sees them only as a safety, which could result in a reject or wait list decision--for yield protection.

So, be sure to show interest, which should not be hard, since your kid should visit to be sure that he/she really would be happy there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid's safety, according to college vine or wise (can't remember) for CS is U of Chicago - Urbana, GA Tech, UMD.

Hard target is CMU and U of Michigan.

Reach: Cal, UCLA, MIT

800 on SAT
Taking MVC right now
5 on AP Calc test

Several 5s on other AP tests.

Is that an error under safety? Do you mean Univ of Illinois @ Urbana?

yes, sorry, I keep getting the two mixed up -- U of I and U of C.

OMG, so many Illinoisans and Chicagoans mix up Illinois-Chicago and U of Chicago, don’t apologize

UIUC has several restricted-entry high bar majors, just be aware

[Anonymous]

CS is one

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid's safety, according to college vine or wise (can't remember) for CS is U of Chicago - Urbana, GA Tech, UMD.

Hard target is CMU and U of Michigan.

Reach: Cal, UCLA, MIT

800 on SAT
Taking MVC right now
5 on AP Calc test

Several 5s on other AP tests.

You need to know your student's class rank / high school GPA before looking for safeties. Again, Georgia Tech CS is not a safety--especially not even a 50/50 shot for a non-resident.

4.0 UW GPA; weighted is 4.6+ Not sure exactly what.
1580 SAT

No class ranking.

My child w similar stats last year used Syracuse, U Delaware and U of Vermont as safeties

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A safety is a place where (1) your stats are >75%ile, (2) the admission rate is >60%, and (3) your kid would be happy to go there. This is the hardest part of building your list. Focus on the happy element. Have your kid do the work of finding them. My kid spent about 4-5 hours last year finding 2! She’s at a top 10 school now, but she would have been happy at her safeties. Those were 2 LACs in California that offered great programs in her field of interest.

+1,000 !!!

[Anonymous]

GA Tech is not a safety for anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 4.62 GPA, 1590 SAT DS who applied as a CS major

Safeties:
Penn State
UMN (I think this is an extremely underrated school)
GMU

Agree 100%. Very happy it's on DS's radar considering an urban school is a "requirenent". Cold, but so are Boston, Cleveland and Chicago.

Your kid has been talking to my kid

[Anonymous]

Having just gone through this last year, thinking any school is a safety is foolish. Some of the safe schools won't pick your kid because they know he/she will not go there. Those stats are great, but it's a crazy world now. I hope your child has some way of differentiating themselves other than with numbers. That does not cut it anymore.

[Anonymous]

4.0 uw/1540. Safeties: GW, Conn College, UW Madison

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having just gone through this last year, thinking any school is a safety is foolish. Some of the safe schools won't pick your kid because they know he/she will not go there. Those stats are great, but it's a crazy world now. I hope your child has some way of differentiating themselves other than with numbers. That does not cut it anymore.

But the kid has many more appealing options that most kids, so spare me the hardship post.

(i.e., no one has ever died from attending a school ranked higher than 20 on the USNWR list!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having just gone through this last year, thinking any school is a safety is foolish. Some of the safe schools won't pick your kid because they know he/she will not go there. Those stats are great, but it's a crazy world now. I hope your child has some way of differentiating themselves other than with numbers. That does not cut it anymore.

Based on this, then admit rate doesn't matter even if your kid has high stats. So, why bother with safeties?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 4.62 GPA, 1590 SAT DS who applied as a CS major

Safeties:
Penn State
UMN (I think this is an extremely underrated school)
GMU

Agree 100%. Very happy it's on DS's radar considering an urban school is a "requirenent". Cold, but so are Boston, Cleveland and Chicago.

You will likely get in honors and merit aid there with these stats.

[Anonymous]

Get real people. For my STEM kid with 4.7 UW, 4.0 W, 1500 SAT, his safety is UMBC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having just gone through this last year, thinking any school is a safety is foolish. Some of the safe schools won't pick your kid because they know he/she will not go there. Those stats are great, but it's a crazy world now. I hope your child has some way of differentiating themselves other than with numbers. That does not cut it anymore.

Based on this, then admit rate doesn't matter even if your kid has high stats. So, why bother with safeties?

Because no recent HS grad applying to college wants to look up from the table in mid-September and see their parent peering at them over their coffee cup...because the kid didn't "bother with safeties."