How do you know when a school is "safety" enough?

Applying to College
15

<p>FYI, this thread may be helpful:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/881237-ivy-caliber-safeties-matches-condensed-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/881237-ivy-caliber-safeties-matches-condensed-advice.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Agree with others upthread that Georgetown and Northwestern can’t be considered safeties for anyone. Matches perhaps, depending on the stats. If you doubt that, look at some scattergrams. Many students with very high stats are rejected, while others with similar or worse stats are accepted. </p>

<p>If you are a senior, it is too late for you, but otherwise Georgetown has EA, so maybe a good choice to apply to. If you are accepted early, than it would be a safety, and you could apply to only reach schools. If you aren’t accepted early, you will have to find some less selective schools to apply to.</p>