• Target Test Prep 20% Off Flash Sale is on! Code: FLASH20

    Redeem

Safety Schools 101

by , Nov 20, 2009

Here is a Q&A guide to answer your burning questions on applying to a safety school.

Q: What is a "safety school"?

A: A safety school is one where you are highly competitive and that is strong in your area of interest, but it not as highly regarded overall.Your goals are clearly supported by this school.

Q: How do you determine if a school supports your particular goals?

A: For admissions purposes, you can divide your goals into three categories: professional, educational, and personal. To see if your safety school matches up with your goals, you'll need to answer these questions:

For professional goals: Does this program support what you plan to do after you graduate? Are graduates hired in good numbers for the positions you would like to obtain? Do companies that you'd be interested in working for recruit at this campus? Is the alumni network strong in your field?

For educational goals: Do the educational methods (case, lecture, project, or a mixture) appeal to you? Do the courses offered cover your fields of interest? Are there prominent professors in your area of interest?

For personal goals: Does this program meet your personal preferences? Will you be happy at this location and in this environment?

Q: Why would someone apply to a safety school rather than focus wholly on the more competitive schools?

A: If your application profile is less than perfect, you may not get into the competitive, Ivy League school of your dreams. If, however, you can find a school that matches your needs and that may be less discerning when it comes to GMAT scores or GPA, then applying to that safety school could protect you from an acceptance-less application season.

Q: Should anyone NOT apply to a safety school?

A: If you are an all-or-nothing sort of person, where it's HBS or bust, then it may not be worth your while to apply to a safety school. If you'd rather forego the MBA experience (this year at least) than go to a second-tier school, there's really no reason to apply to anything less than your first tier. In other words, if you would never consider attending a school, then there's no reason to apply to it.

Q: Should I apply to a safety school?

A: There's no clear-cut answer here. If you're worried about acceptance to your top choice schools and you've got the time and money to spend on yet another application, AND if your heart is set on going to business school next term, then applying to a safety school is probably a good idea. If, on the other hand, you'd rather wait out another year and reapply to your dream school (if you don't get in the first time around), then you'd have little reason to spend the time and money on filling out a safety school app.

For more information on safety schools, please see:

Previous Article
Next Article