Safety School

Safety School May 27 Students of Ivy Coach do not end up at their safety school (photo credit: Yeungb). Did you end up at your safety school? Theres a piece up on The Huffington Post today entitled So Youre Going to Your Safety SchoolNow What? written by Joe Gu, a freshman at UCLA. In the piece, Gu makes the argument that many students end up going to what was initially their safety school. In fact, he writes: The sad truth of the college application process is that few students are actually admitted to the school of their dreams. Virtually all applicants receive rejection letters and ultimately end up compromising in one way or another when they matriculate. Thus, inevitably, many students each year are left with the terrifying prospect of enrolling in one of their safety schools.' Well, Joe, this isnt the case for the students of Ivy Coach. Our students dont end up at their safety schools. Our students end up at dream schools. But youre not incorrect in asserting this point in reference to other college applicants. Many do end up at their safety schoolsand they make the best of it. Or they dont and seek to transfer. For students who did not work with us as high schoolers who are intent on transferring next year, now is the perfect time to begin  working on your transfer applications. Does that mean that you shouldnt enjoy this next year of your life at your safety school and make the best of friends? Absolutely not. Do enjoy it. Do make great friends. Do have the time of your life, as Green Day would say. And thats precisely why now is a great time to work on your transfer applicationsbefore college begins. Before classes start and youre inundated with work. Before youre busy making new, great friends. Do it this summer when you have the time so that when it comes time to consider transferring, doing the applications doesnt factor into the decision. One person commented to a previous post on our site that its wrong of us to recommend transferring so early in the game, before students have experienced their safety school. We completely disagree. We strongly urge students to enjoy their year at their safety school and to do this effectively, we just happen to recommend writing all transfer essays in advance during the summer months.