Anonymous wrote:How is anyone defining a "hidden gem"?

To me, it is a school that punches above its weight with jobs and recruiting and is not necessarily well known.

Rose Hulman seems to fit this description.

Honestly, I don't care if Dayton or Scranton have solid academics if the career outcomes suck.

OP asks:

"What's your favorite safety or low target?

A place you think is underrated, or an easier admit from here because of geography. A place with new and exciting growth, or an old reliable that doesn't get the ink. A school that blew you away during a tour, or you think will be impossible to get into in 10 years."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All UC schools ranked below UCLA and Cal.

Really? UC Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Davis would be a "safety" for an out of state student?

I suppose there’s some self-selection, but 90% of kids who apply to Davis from our east coast high school get in. UCSB and UCSD are somewhat harder, but much easier than Cal/UCLA. I think everyone gets into UCSC. They’re all far away and expensive, as state schools go, and they don’t have football and you don’t get an answer until March. But if you don’t mind all that, they’re highly ranked and the weather is gorgeous.

SD and Davis do---Div. 1 FCS

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All UC schools ranked below UCLA and Cal.

Really? UC Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Davis would be a "safety" for an out of state student?

I suppose there’s some self-selection, but 90% of kids who apply to Davis from our east coast high school get in. UCSB and UCSD are somewhat harder, but much easier than Cal/UCLA. I think everyone gets into UCSC. They’re all far away and expensive, as state schools go, and they don’t have football and you don’t get an answer until March. But if you don’t mind all that, they’re highly ranked and the weather is gorgeous.

Anonymous wrote:Can confirm, Scranton, St. Joe's, Dayton, all Jesuit (or maybe Catholic) schools that have happy kids and very solid academics. My kids go to Catholic school and these are popular picks. So is Fairfield, but that is a little more selective.

Dayton is Marianist, not Jesuit.
But I can confirm it's a gem.

Anonymous wrote:All UC schools ranked below UCLA and Cal.

Really? UC Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Davis would be a "safety" for an out of state student?

Kalamazoo

How is anyone defining a "hidden gem"?

To me, it is a school that punches above its weight with jobs and recruiting and is not necessarily well known.

Rose Hulman seems to fit this description.

Honestly, I don't care if Dayton or Scranton have solid academics if the career outcomes suck.

Fordham University was a gem when we were touring schools. School in the Bronx and lovely campus and kids.

I was also shocked by the nice factor of Colorado State. (Have one kid considering it for a sport and it was really nice).

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like it's mostly slacs

Are you responding to a specific post?

(Mid-size universities like the Jesuit ones are not LACs)

Sounds like it's mostly slacs

Can confirm, Scranton, St. Joe's, Dayton, all Jesuit (or maybe Catholic) schools that have happy kids and very solid academics. My kids go to Catholic school and these are popular picks. So is Fairfield, but that is a little more selective.

Ohio University

Dickinson

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the risk of raising the hater... we looked at a LOT of LACs for DD who was set on environmental science. She liked Juniata best. It's really a gem for environmental science.

Agree. Hidden gem for sure. I’ve heard the same about Dickinson, though I think it may be a harder admit (not sure?)

Yes, she applied there too but they weren't as generous with merit (probably because they are test blind and her test scores were a lot stronger than GPA) but also didn't have the kind of off-campus ES immersion experience Juniata has. Closest competitor for her, and also a hidden gem, was Washington College in MD.

I was going to suggest WC. Definitely not an everything school, but lovely experience for the right kid.