<p>I have a very different take on the whole thing. </p>
<p>Cornell CAN be definitely be a match for some tippy top students. To me match means that there is a probability of 40-90% of getting in. It is certainly reasonable that there are applicants for which the probability of getting into Cornell is 50%. </p>
<p>I also think that for the same tippy top student, Northwestern can have a probability of getting in at 90%. That is one school that doesn’t play a lot of games. For my D who had tippy top stats, according to our Naviance that would have been a safety. She didn’t want to apply, and I wouldn’t have allowed her to consider it a safety, but the data suggested that it was. That doesn’t make it a true safety. However, in a world where the applicant is only allowed to apply to 5 schools (which is unconscionable btw) , maybe it’s worth taking the gamble. Do you feel lucky? </p>
<p>I assume that come April 1, if you get in nowhere, they would allow you to fill out more applications. There are always some decent schools that still have openings. Clemson’s actual application deadline is May 1. </p>
<p>If it were me, I’d probably use one of the 5 for a definite safety, but I don’t think your GC’s advice is as unreasonable as people are making it out to be,.</p>