Follow the rules to target other schools in case your dream doesn’t come true.

By Noura Elsayed, St. Petersburg High

Here’s the reality: Each year, thousands of worthy students don’t get into their “dream schools.” That’s why it’s great to have at least one other school on your list, a safety school. If the college admissions process doesn’t go as planned, or if the financial aid doesn’t come through, safety schools are the best bet.

High school students put an average of five to seven colleges on their lists, said Cathy O’Kelley Rome, former St. Petersburg High guidance counselor and queen of all things related to safety schools. “About 10 percent of students end up at their safety schools,” she said. “It’s important that safety schools are chosen just as carefully as your first pick.”

O’Kelley Rome offers three rules for making good safety school choices:
Rule 1: Make sure the school is one you can afford.
Rule 2: Be confident that you can get into this school. Do your research about admissions.
Rule 3: This one is hardest to follow. “Make sure you wouldn’t die” if you had to attend your safety school, O’Kelley Rome said. “Look at your safety school in a number of ways and embrace it,” she said. It’s important to see the positive and “find a way to be excited about your safety school.”
It might turn into your dream school after all.