<p>How do you determine which schools are safeties, matches, & reaches? I mean looking to see if your test scores fall below, in between, or above the middle 50% may help, but they're basically useless when it comes to the Ivys and other selective colleges. What criteria did you personally use?</p>
<p>SATs and high school grades and rank are still major factors at selective schools. It is important to take difficult courses and do well in them. Good recommendations help. Beyond that, it is important to excel at some activity or project. It is better to commit to and do really well in pursuit of your true passion than to present a smorgasboard of superficial involvements. Do something that distinguishes you from others. Selective colleges are trying to build a class that is diverse in talents, interests, backgrounds, geography, ethnicity, etc. It might help if you fill a niche in their class profile. Its pretty hard to predict outcomes at the most select colleges. I think excellence must come straight from your heart and head. I don't think you can "market" yourself into a top school, although some students pay for consultants.</p>
<p>see if you can find info not only about the stats for the entering freshman or those admitted but about those REJECTED -- the fact that a certain SAT score is the 50% percentile doesn't tell you how many with that score were rejected. If you dig around, some schools have data by SAT/gpa catgories as to how many applied and how many were rejected. If those rejected have just as impressive stats as those accepted, its not a safety or a match if you have those stats.</p>
<p>Unbelievablem, Brown is the only college so far that I've found that has those stats on its website and there's a general trend that occurs as the groups with the higher scores have higher admission rates, but even the 750-800 verbal group only have a 26.9% admissions rate and 26.1% for the 750-800 math group.</p>
<p>The top 10 or so colleges are initially reaches for everyone - mainly because its so unpredictable</p>
<p>After that SAT scores should be a good gauge of chances</p>
<p>Test scores and GPA are not the way to choose your safety and match schools. You are trying to determine what percent of applicants are accepted which may or may not be related to the STATS of an applicant. If a school accepts single digits it is a reach to everyone and if it accepts double digits it can be either. Look at U Chicago as an example.</p>
<p>how does/did everyone else here on the forum choose their safeties, matches, reaches?</p>
<p>primarily SAT scores and the percent in the top ten % of class
using SAT, for example, if your SAT is:
over the college 75th percentile = safety
25-50th percentile = match
below 25th percentile = reach</p>
<p>collegehelp, how do you factor in the percent in the top ten % of class</p>
<p>"Unbelievablem, Brown is the only college so far that I've found that has those stats on its website and there's a general trend that occurs as the groups with the higher scores have higher admission rates, but even the 750-800 verbal group only have a 26.9% admissions rate and 26.1% for the 750-800 math group."</p>
<p>Even though this info may not always be readily available it is something to ask about - I've often seen that people say if you are above the 75 percentile in stats, consider the school a safety - that just doesnt' work unless you know what percentage of people with those stats get rejected.</p>
<p>I recall Tufts having a chart showing this info in the brochure they handed out at the info sessions a couple of years ago - which is what really brought the point home to me. I also think I once found the info at Princeton's website, but I wasn't able to find it again. And what you say is exactly my point - people will look at Brown or Princeton and say, "yes I know they only accept X%, but my stats are above their 75 percentile, so I have a good shot." And of course what they often fail to realize is that even though they have a better shot than those with poorer stats, their chance may still relatively small. Even at lower tier colleges this can be true - your stats can be well above the 75 percentile, but unless you ask the follow up question - "how many applicants with those stats are rejected" - you don't really know.</p>
<p>On the other hand - another factor one can look at is merit aid awards. Some schools have predefined cutoffs that people with certain SAT's and gpas get certain merit aid. I would think that is a pretty good initial indication that people with those scores might consider that school a safety BUT I would still recommend following up that assumption with a question to the admissions office as to what percentage of those with those qualifying scores are nonetheless rejected for admissions.</p>
<p>The "percent in top ten % of class" factor is more subjective. Say you are in the 10th percentile of your class (say ranked 30th out of 300). At Boston College, 73% are also in the top 10%. Boston College would barely be a match for you. At Penn State only 43% are in the top 10% of your class (and you are a Penn resident). Penn would be a safety. At Stanford, 90 % are in the top 10%. Stanford would be a reach.</p>