Are these schools reaches, matches or safeties?

College Search & Selection
1

hey everyone,

I’m a current junior trying to create a balanced college list…and I am very indecisive and have researched so many schools…and my list is currently quite long. Before I meet with my counselor about colleges in January (the scheduled session), I just want some additional voices and affirmations regarding the definitions of reach/match/safety. I’ve read many threads regarding the issue as well as articles from prep websites…but the definitions vary so much!

Basically, I’d just like your help classifying these schools! This information will help me classify future colleges as well.

My Basic Stats:
ACT: 35
Current GPA: 97/100
Most Rigorous Courseload
Asian female from NJ
Prospective Major: Molecular Bio/Clinical Lab Studies/Genetics…varies per school but along the lies of this. Pre-Med track but high interest in research as well.

Good EC’s with leadership in almost everything, biochem research w/ possible paper publication in the works, most of my EC’s are community service related so I have 400 hours + already at the beginning of junior year.

Income high enough that I will not receive aid and I am not applying for financial aid unless it’s needed for merit money.

Family has sufficient savings for around $60K per year if needed…but they say that they are only willing to pay that much for an “amazing” school. Merit $ is good, but not necessary. Will only play into decision, not applications.

Naviance data included in available, though my schools is kinda small and high achieving so the data may not be 100% correct for match/safeties…mainly helpful for reach schools.

Colleges:

  1. UNC Chapel Hill (OOS) - unsure because the data available is not adjusted for competitive OOS…Naviance: 93.5 GPA, 2066 SAT (no ACT data available)
  2. Lehigh - 50/75 is 29/32…is this a low reach or a match? Naviance: 92 GPA, 32 ACT
  3. Northeastern - MOST CONFUSED…low reach or match? 50/75: 31/33 Naviance: 91.7 GPA, 32 ACT
  4. Hunter College (OOS) - not sure if they are different for OOS? I know this school does not look at ECs…
  5. RPI - match or safety? is there an advantage here for being female? 50/75 is 29/31… Naviance: 92.5/32
  6. Stony Brook (OOS) - safety? 50/75: 28/30…Naviance: 91/31

Thank you so much in advance!

2

You have a great profile and I for one appreciate the time and thought you have put into creating a list- it is obviously important to you.

(1) 6 schools doesn’t make a “long” list. Are there others?

(2) have you thought about applying early anywhere?

(3) will you be National Merit SF?

(4) I’m surprised with the Naviance data for UNC. Must just be small sample size. It’s a reach just because you are OOS.

(5) Lehigh, NE, and RPI are matches. You need to interview at Lehigh and show lots of interest. Don’t submit financials; you should be considered for merit.

(6) why NE and not BC, BU or Tufts?

3

No NJ public schools on your list?

4

First of all, congrats on being very successful in high school so far! It sounds like you’re thoughtful and hardworking, which will translate well no matter where you end up for college. Your high school sounds a lot like mine, so try not to get swept up in the college obsession that can get unhealthy, and coming from a competitive school, you already have a leg up! I’m currently a senior, so I’m farther along in this process than you but certainly not an expert, so take my opinions with a grain of salt :slight_smile: A lot of schools offer their course catalogues and the Class of 2020 profile, with ethnicity, GPA, and testing stats so be sure to check that out as well!

UNC isn’t a safety for anyone out of state, unfortunately. You have the stats to get in, though!
Lehigh is a low target, meaning that you would probably get in.
Northeastern is a target, but it’s the fastest rising school in the country in terms of prestige, and with that, they’re getting more applications from awesome students every year. You seem diligent, so apply EA (non-binding early action) to increase your chances! Awesome school, I’m applying there :slight_smile:
Hunter College is a safety.
RPI is a low target.
Stony Brook is a safety.

Make sure you show interest, colleges say they hate the stealth applicant! Also look into what type of scene you want at a school. For example, UNC and Lehigh are known to be big on sports and school spirit, and Northeastern is definitely spirited but it doesn’t dominate the social life there.

Other schools to look at: Syracuse, Michigan, Rutgers, Bucknell, Colgate, Vanderbilt, UPenn, Boston College…the list goes on and on! There are so many amazing schools out there, so pay attention to fit as well as academic qualification. And remember that admissions is really a crapshoot at the end of the day!

5

Not looking at UNCW anymore? :stuck_out_tongue:

6

@Oregon2016

My list is muchhhh longer than this! I was pretty sure about the category for the other schools…but thank you so much for all of your suggestions! My current list has 19 schools…8 or so reaches, 3 safeties, 7 matches. I’m still working to shorten it, but I think that will only come from lots of research and visits :slight_smile:

As of right now, I’m considering UPenn ED or Princeton SCEA simply because these are my top choices and the acceptance rates for early decision/action tend to be higher!

I haven’t taken the PSAT yet ! I’m taking it in October with my school. I have been studying for NM though…I don’t think it will help me get in at all, but I hope to be able to receive some merit money!

Thank you for helping me group the schools! Tufts and BU are on my list actually! BU and NE are about the same in regards to general stats, so I decided not to ask about both. I’m not considering BC because I’m not considering any religiously affiliated schools!

7

@ucbalumnus haha this isn’t the complete list, just a few schools I had trouble grouping ! The only NJ public I put on was Rutgers New Brunswick…it’s a very affordable option and since my high school is a feeder, I think it fits the safety definition well!

I mostly prefer urban schools, and there aren’t urban schools in NJ…and there aren’t too many options…I guess TCNJ, but I just don’t see myself ever enrolling there…just not the right fit!

8

@elenaclaire828 thank you for your kind words! I have looked at 1-2 course catalogues when researching if a school had a suitable major, but I definitely will check out more common data sets! Though most of those factors are less important than major, location, research-focus, size etc.

I think I will just leave UNC as a reach then! I loved Northeastern and am super surprised at how competitive it got! I toured in the summer after freshman year, which was only about a year ago, and the acceptance rate for 2014 was around 35%…now it’s dropped to like 28%! I guess I will put both Northeastern and Lehigh as matches…and since Northeastern and BU are similar in stats, do you think I could leave BU as a match too?

Thank you for the info on the other schools! I just need another perspective, since it’s really hard looking at your own stats objectively…

I have heard a decent amount about “show interest!” I have signed up for a lot of the college visits at my school since my parents don’t feel like driving to some of the schools…

About the sports thing, I’m really undecided if it’s a huge factor for me. I’m not really into sports, but I do think I’d have tons of school spirit…I just don’t want the sports players to be treated like the “gods” of the campus…I am a little afraid that UNC-CH would be a little bit like that. Not too sure about Lehigh’s sports…but I have a visit next week and will definitely find out more!

Thank you for the additional schools! I have Rutgers and UPenn on my list actually. As I stated above, I have 19 schools on my list instead of 6 haha…just some of them were fairly obvious to categorize (ie UPenn=high reach, Rutgers=safety)

Good luck with your applications!

9

BU is a low match or in “likely” territory. NU is much more selective re ACT/SAT and probably GPA.

10

Why not MIT? Your stats seem right on par, and being a female is actually a pretty big hook at MIT. I’d say all the colleges you listed are between high and low matches. UNC would be the biggest stretch, but with those stats, I’d say you have a very good chance of getting in!

11

@Dunboyne thank you for the response! However, correct me if I’m wrong…I looked up the 50/75 for both BU and NEU and they were the same for ACT?

12

@AmherstClass2020

This isn’t the full list, don’t worry! I actually toured MIT…I don’t think I would get in haha and I just felt like it wasn’t a good fit. Plus it’s the dream school for most of my classmates (who are interested in engineering), so I think the female advantage would just go out the door.

13

Here is the full college list with edits!! I guess please let me know if you think any of these schools are categorized incorrectly; that would be so helpful! And of course, this list may grow or diminish with research and time…I’m looking to apply to 10-12 schools in the end…this list includes 19.

HIGH REACH

  1. Columbia
  2. Princeton
  3. UPenn
  4. Northwestern
  5. Tufts

LOW REACH

  1. UNC-Chapel Hill
  2. WUSTL (not sure yet about this one)
  3. Carnegie Mellon (not sure yet about this one)

MATCH

  1. Lehigh
  2. Northeastern
  3. Boston University
  4. URochester (not sure yet about this one)
  5. UMiami (not sure yet about this one)
  6. RPI
  7. Case Western

SAFETY

  1. SUNY Stony Brook
  2. CUNY Hunter College (also applying for Macaulay probably even though I’m OOS…do you think that’s a high or low reach?)
  3. U Pitt
  4. Rutgers-New Brunswick

I am open to adding colleges and deleting ! I am talking to my counselor in January about this…but I have a ton of schools already…I am going to info sessions for Emory and Vanderbilt next week…will see what I think of them!

14

I’d wait and see how you do on the PSAT. If you are in the NMF range you can get full scholarships or significant tuition discounts if you are a full pay student - $5K @ Vanderbilt, 50% at USC, 100% at Alabama etc. That may shape your list. Pitt also has good merit.

I’d add Michigan and Hopkins to your low match category because of their strength in life sciences. I’d drop Tufts and CMU. I’d also try to visit some campuses and get a ‘feel’ about where you’d like to be for 4 years. How close do you want to stay to home?

You don’t have any west coast or southern schools on your list. Is that deliberate?

15

For 2015-16… mid 50% ACT at BU is 27-31 and NU is 31-34.

16

UNC Chapel Hill might be a high reach just because of how difficult it is for out of state students. The only other suggestion is that Tufts should be a low reach with your stats or even a match

17

@TooOld4School thank you for your response! I guess NM will be a factor…the only school I knew that gave money for it was Northeastern and Case Western, but I’m pretty sure it was just $1,000 a year.

Thank you for the suggestions as well! I’ve heard a ton about Michigan…it just seems too far and too cold for me personally though. Hopkins as a match?! I did tour, but was not interested due to the location and the fact that there are sooo many pre-med students, creating an environment that was a little too competitive.

Could you suggest some reasons why I should cross off Tufts or CMU? I did tour Tufts and liked it a lot except for the fact that the dorms we went in were not in good shape and the location is not as great as the schools actually inside Boston. I haven’t looked into CMU much yet…but I did figure it was an engineering school and may not be the best fit.

I want an urban/good college town school that’s not too far from NJ…yes, I am not looking at West Coast schools. I have not been to any places in the South besides North Carolina, but I am attending some info sessions at my school for Emory and Vanderbilt next week! I mean, UNC-CH and UMiami are Southern schools…and I have NW and WUSTL for Midwest. I don’t want to apply to TOO many plane-away schools, simply because I’m not 100% sure I’m okay with being that far yet. So as of right now, I would only consider “reach” or “low reach” schools that are a plane away…

18

@Dunboyne oh wow, the info I looked at must have been outdated! I will change Northeastern to a low reach.

@Wje9164be thank you for your help! I will change the categories! Even though Tufts is a 14% acceptance? Somehow, the ACT range is lower than Northeastern I think…weird.

19

Michigan’s weather is about the same as Mass or New Hampshire and is #2 after Hopkins in research spending (mostly in life sciences) . I definitely understand the distance from home being a factor at Michigan and the vibe in Baltimore being a concern… I suggested dropping Tufts because of its somewhat low ranking in biology, and CMU is more of a CS and engineering school.

20

@TooOld4School hm, I guess I really know nothing about Michigan! Or, maybe, I just know nothing about weather in Boston…

Michigan apparently is only 9-10 hours drive away from me, which is a whole lot closer than UMiami and even Northwestern? Is Ann Arbor an urban environment though? And it must be difficult to get in OOS …

I’ve read some more forums and it appears that CMU has a good pre-med track…though it’s apparently super challenging. I think I will try to tour or attend an info session before crossing it out!