How do you define reach, match and safety?

Applying to College
1

<p>I saw on another thread that a poster defined safety as a school with greater than 50% acceptance rate. OK. Fine. That's one way. </p>

<p>I was thinking safety could = a school in which the student's standardized scored exceed the 75%. Does that work?</p>

<p>In my head, I'm thinking Son's reaches will be those in which he's not within the ranges for one of the various quantifiable data points. (SAT, ACT, GPA, etc.) He will be within for most, but he's just low on one. </p>

<p>Is there a % of acceptance that generally aligns to reaches? Like the 50% benchmark described above?</p>

<p>And what about matches? Is there a quantifiable way to define a match? Or is there more to it than just grades and scores? </p>

<p>In looking over Son's prelim list of schools, the ones we've guessed to be matches show him to be within the 25% - 75% range on everything. But, they all seem to have acceptance rates in the 35% - 45% range. That seems kinda iffy to be a good match.</p>

<p>Any insight from the veteran posters and experts?</p>

2

<p>A safety in my mind would be almost a sure bet -- ~90% likelihood of admission. Not 50%. Matches would be more 50% if I were advising my kids.</p>

<p>If the metrics are at about 75%, that's a good data point match for a "safety". I'd also make sure what the overall admit rate is however.</p>

3

<p>I'm no expert, but IMO a safety is a school for which the applicant is overqualified - I'm thinking at or above their 75th percentile for test scores, considerably higher than their average GPA, etc.</p>

<p>A match is a school where the applicant is within, say, the 50-70th percentile, about the average GPA, etc. The student has a good shot of admissions, but it's not 100% guaranteed.</p>

<p>A reach is any school where the applicant falls below the 50th percentile - meaning they are, basically, below the average student accepted at that school. The lower s/he falls, the more of a reach that school becomes.</p>

<p>Obviously acceptance rate plays a part in the equation - kids with perfect GPAs and test scores are turned away from HYPS every day because of those school's ~10% acceptance rates. I don't think anyone can call a top 20 school a safety, because admissions aren't a sure bet no matter how far you exceed expectations.</p>

<p>And of course there's more to it to grades and scores - essays play a part, as do recommendations, EC's, awards, and much more. Beyond the basic numerical considerations, one has to make sure his EC's are up to par, because that could make the difference between a rejection and an acceptance.</p>

<p>I guess what I'm trying to get it is, there are definitely ways to classify a school based on its percentiles, averages, and those kind of numbers. However, this isn't a definitive approach - you still might not get into one of your matches, and you might somehow get into your super-reach. Using the numbers is a good place to start, but there is much more to it than that.</p>

4

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A safety in my mind would be almost a sure bet -- ~90% likelihood of admission. Not 50%. Matches would be more 50% if I were advising my kids.

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<p>I'm not following. How do you determine/measure/calculate a 90% likelihood?</p>

<p>The 50% example I used in the OP was based on solid data reported by the school...the acceptance rate. But it's relative to the app pool overall. Not specific to my kid's likelihood.</p>

<p>Do you mean that if a schools acceptance rate is 50% then it's a match?</p>

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If the metrics are at about 75%, that's a good data point match for a "safety". I'd also make sure what the overall admit rate is however.

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<p>Do you mean that if my kid's scores are at or over the 75% range then that's a good safety? And, in regard to "making sure what the overall admit rate is," what threshold do you use?</p>

<p>I'm not challenging you. I'm sincerely trying to understand and gather perspective.</p>

5

<p>no probs DougBetsy: Let me clarify:</p>

<p>the ~90% admission would be most likely your local state school that has very broad standards. Most kids applying there are probably 3.0GPA kids who are trying to move ahead. That's my def'n of a safety -- one where if a "worse-case scenario" happened, come Sept, my kid is still enrolled somewhere.</p>

<p>A match might be one where kids of like stats are being admitted at a roughly 50% clip. If your kid has 2380SAT, 4.0 GPA and the school reports that 98% are offered admission, then that school certainly qualifies. However let's say kids of 2100SAT and 3.7 GPA are being offered slots at 55%. Then that seems to be a good match (IMHO) if this is your child.</p>

<p>To me (and I'm conservative here), anything lower than 50% is a reach -- with the ultra-selectives (HYPS, etc) being super-reaches for most everyone.</p>

<p>Looking back at my earlier statement, if your child's metrics are in the 75% quartile of admitted students, that definitely good but I'd still see what the admit rate for applicants of that group really is. I can imagine where even kids that match 75th quartile scores are only being admitted in the low 20% range -- (think HYPS). That's what I mean when one should still look at the overall admit rate. The HYPS schools are just so innundated w/great applicants that the admit nos. are painfully low -- even for those w/above avg (even in their applicant pool) scores.</p>

<p>While matching 75th quartile scores is good, it's not a guarantee and wouldn't meet "safety" or even "Match" definitions automatically, IMHO.</p>

6

<p>I define safety, match, and reach using dictionary.com</p>

<p>But in all seriousness, safety must be a school in which your standardized scores exceed at least 76%</p>

<p>Yes, there is a % acceptance for reaches and it is exactly the same for every school and never varies from year to year. </p>

<p>No, unfortunately there has not yet been a way to quantifiably define a 'match school'. Research has been conducted at major institutions, yet the answer has alluded even the greatest minds of our day including Steven Hawking and several nobel prize winners. </p>

<p>Oh you only want insight from the veteran posters, nvm disregard everything I just said.</p>

7

<p>No time to read posts. At my Ds top NE boarding school ... if I remember correctly this is how they define it.</p>

<p>First ...only apply to schools where your SAT CR/Math score combo exceeds or meets the median for the school.</p>

<p>Reaches are the schools where you have a 25% chance of acceptance
Possibles are where you have a 50% chance
Safeties ... 75% chance</p>

<p>The chances are based on fit and all of the other criteria.</p>

8

<p>Oh so safety school isn't one that has a low crime rate? Glad I got that squared away before I only applied to HPYSM</p>

9

<p>
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Oh you only want insight from the veteran posters, nvm disregard everything I just said.

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<p>Sorry to have offended you. I welcome feedback from everyone. I would edit my OP to say so, but the EDIT option is not available at this time.</p>

<p>Thanks for your feedback.</p>