Define Safety...

[CAPoliSciPhD]

Hi Everyone - the other thread gave me an idea...I'm curious how everyone is defining their safety school? If you applied to a so-called safety - what makes it that for you??

[Tonights]

What defines mine as such is "I have a significantly higher chance of getting into these than the other six on my list." I'll explain.

One is my alma mater - small department, I'm known there, my supervisor/recommendation writer in the department is familiar with the quality of my work, it's a good school and a good fit - I'd be happy there and I feel good about my chances. I did a lot of excellent work in that department, including serving on the academic search committee.

The other is a third-tier institution with requirements far below my qualifications, but which still has a very good department with some very good folks and it's in a place that I enjoy, so I would not be sad there either. I do not especially DESIRE to go there, but I would definitely not be sad there.

So. Those are my safeties. They may not pan out as such, but I still feel like I'm far more likely to be admitted to these when compared to my chances at the Ivy and the Top Ten on my list. How bout everybody else?

[Tinyboss]

To me, it's two things:

1) Close to 100% chance to get in

2) Willing to go there if the others say no

Edit: Tonights, it's amazing how similar our situations are! My undergrad institution is one safety, for all the reasons you gave. I have another "double-safety", in my home state, which is also where First Choice is. If FC says no, and something happens where my family really needs to move to Home State, then I'll attend Double Safety, which is substantially less selective than my qualifications, but has a nice department with good people.

[gadhelyn]

Safety school for me might be defined as the school that highly values family connections and also happens to be the school my mom got her Bach and 1st Master's from, my dad got his Bach and his MD from, 3 of my uncles and I think 4 of my aunts got their Bach from, one of my grandfathers got his Bach from, and have 2 cousins currently in attendance.

So, I guess, Go Jayhawks? Heh.

[MAN]

I applied to 2 schools that I considered safeties:

1) My alma mater - I figured that I would easily get in and could get funding if everything else fell through

2) An in-state school - I figured if I couldn't get in anywhere else with funding, at least I could get in-state tuition.

Oddly, the in-state school rejected me within a week of me submitting my application. They said it was some sort of technicality about the grade in one of my math courses. I'll tell you what, getting rejected by one of your "safeties" that quickly makes you completely re-think your admission chances. From that point until I got my first acceptance, I was freak-out central.

[t_ruth]

I don't have any safety schools nor can I imagine what school would be a safety for me. You hear all the time on here that people are rejected from their "safeties," so I don't think they really exist for Ph.D. programs the way they do for undergrad.

[limeinthecoconut]

I suppose I do have a real safety. I could simply upgrade my candidature at my current graduate school. But nah.

[Tonights]

Tinyboss, that is extremely weird. My "double-safety school" (great term!) is also in my home state! It's only an hour away from my and my partner's families, so if I have to go there, we'll have all kinds of shiny silver linings.

I know safety schools are far from being a guarantee when you're playing this hellish game we call doctoral admissions, but it sure does make me feel better - especially since I have my days when I feel that the other six schools are totally and completely out of my reach. (That's on the days when I don't feel all eight are out of my reach, of course. Heh.)

[linden]

Safety for me was a school with significantly lower stats (GRE scores, undergrad GPA, and number of years of work experience) than my own. I've already gotten into one of my two "safeties," although it is a well-ranked program and one that I would really like to attend.

[t_ruth]

I guess if your application is more traditional, it is easier to define safety. My GRE scores are significantly above most programs to which I am applying and my GPA below pretty much everyone's average (around 3.4). It would be very nice to know that I was guaranteed acceptance at least somewhere. I'd like to hear from at least one school to get an idea where I stand and what this is going to be like...I bet a school could make a fortune in application fees if they guaranteed the earliest decision

[Tritonetelephone]

I'll tell you what, getting rejected by one of your "safeties" that quickly makes you completely re-think your admission chances.

Actually, rejections from safety schools happen all the time, to people that get into the top programs: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=13768

I would think that if you're stats are too much higher than your safety and your SoP doesn't indicate that it's a really good match for you, they can probably see right through that. So don't be discouraged right away if the safeties reject you!

As for me, one of my safety schools admits 76% of applicants and the other, 43%. Their avg scores are significantly lower than mine, too, and two of my recommenders have worked with faculty members at one of my safeties. But both schools have programs that would be a really good fit for me, and I would be happy at either one of them.

[CAPoliSciPhD]

Ha. Thanks for the replies guys. Those of you who just said places where you have a 100 percent chance of getting in....well, clearly that's safe but I meant what makes you think that you have that 100 percent shot?

For me - I don't have a single safety school. Myy record is a little complicated but on top of that all of the schools I applied to have 3% to 10% acceptance rates...

[drpsych]

Hmm for me my safety schools are:

1. A school that is not that highly ranked (I know this matters less in PhD programs but it matters a tiny bit at least, perhaps in terms of competition), that I have a pretty good research fit with, that I'd be ok with going with but definitely isn't my favorite program and I think I have a very very strong shot of getting into

2. A school I did not actually apply to, but my boss, a prof, pretty much said that if I didn't get into programs, we could talk about working with each other (but also, I don't think the prof thinks I won't get in anywhere?)

[Astaroth]

The head of department at one of the schools I applied to has collaborated closely with my main recommender, and they are good friends. Also, it's not a very highly ranked program (although still good, or else I wouldn't have applied). I think these two things make it very likely that I'll be invited for an interview there. If I don't even get that... I will really have to re-evaluate my options. I currently have no Plan B.

[Tritonetelephone]

I currently have no Plan B.

Me neither. :?

But I have a 99% safety.

[miratrix]

There's nowhere I'm positive I'll get in, but I think my chances at the MA programs are pretty good....

[saritapie]

One is my alma mater - small department, I'm known there, my supervisor/recommendation writer in the department is familiar with the quality of my work, it's a good school and a good fit - I'd be happy there and I feel good about my chances. I did a lot of excellent work in that department, including serving on the academic search committee.

Oh, I am glad to know someone else did this!! My undergrad dept. is excellent, they know and like me, I know and like them, and it's a good place for me to do what I'd like to do. I really actually want to go back, and my advisers in my master's program don't think it would be career death-- esp. since I went someplace else for that second degree... Still, I worry. If I am fortunate enough to get into that program and another with full funding, I have no idea what I'll do. I guess it's a good position to be in, though, since getting rejected can easily be reframed as dodging the necessity of having to make a really tough choice. Right?

[sabana15]

There's nowhere I'm positive I'll get in, but I think my chances at the MA programs are pretty good....

I applied to three sorts of safeties: one was a school where i couldn't find a clear ranking on them, but the faculty's interests were similar to mine, the funding is good, and the university is decent, the other is to a program with a low rank where I've heard the general grad school dept is good (maxwell @ syracuse), and the third is one where I've heard the not-quite-as-qualified applicants are bumped to the masters program with funding, rather than flat-out rejected (CMU). This way, if i just make it to one of the latter two schools, I'll still be able to progress toward a master and then reapply so I won't have any more breaks in my ed

...of course, there's always plan b as well

[adaptations]

Although I have tempered confidence that I will get in somewhere, I cannot say any of my schools are a safety. I am even reapplying to a school that admitted me last year, which seams like a very safe bet. However, the only acceptance that matters to me is one that comes with a funding package. In this economy and given the general competetive nature of admissions, I cannot say with confidence that I will receive a fully funded offer anywhere - certainly not with the confidence that I would call any school a safety.