Ah the dreaded “safety school.”

The school(s) that you toss aside and take your acceptance for granted. I think getting into college is a lot like getting a boyfriend or girlfriend. You go after “reach” schools just like you would the most attractive and popular significant other.

Your “safety school” is a lot like that guy (or girl) friend you string along that’s been in love with you this whole time and is waiting for all the other candidates to fall through. You enjoy the chase...whether it be after a boy or girl or a top tier school...and you want the one you’ve been chasing. When really you should pick the one that’s chasing you. Go to your safety school. “Why?” you may ask.

1. They want you! This shouldn’t be something you glance over. By accepting you they have acknowledged your hard work, stellar test scores, and killer essay.
2. On your tour of the school you probably overlooked all of the good things and focused on the negative because it was your safety school (you wouldn’t be going there of course!). You will probably find that it is just as good, if not better than any of your other options.
3. Just because they’re not an Ivy or extremely prestigious doesn’t mean you can’t get an excellent education and a job waiting for you when you graduate if you work hard.
4. You will stand out amongst your peers because you will most likely perform better in your classes. You and your resume will certainly stand out when you graduate with latin honors. Not to say that you won’t be able to find classes or other students that will challenge you, but your chances of succeeding academically are much greater at your safety school.
5. An easier course load means more time to find other things to put on your resume such as a campus job, extracurriculars, and internships.
6. Your safety school is likely less expensive, which may mean that you can afford bringing your car or living off campus in the future (and you can graduate with less or no debt!)
7. Instead of having your school’s reputation stand out to future employers, going to your safety school allows your reputation to stand out!
8. The opportunity to graduate early, or go abroad and not have to work as hard.
9. The more and more people that decide to go to the safety schools will bring up the average scores, shortly your safety school may be someone else’s reach school (where you can brag that you graduated from).
10. If it doesn’t work out, you can always transfer. You will most likely have an awesome GPA so transferring to what in high school was your reach school shouldn’t be out of reach now.