<p>How do you evaluate reach schools that are worth applications -- ie, where you have a chance of getting in so it's worth the application fee, but where your chances aren't great? </p>
<p>If a school indicates that its 50% range for SATS is 600-650W/630-680 M (or 27-30 ACT), for example, would you consider it a reach or is it a match if your SATS were 610 V and 630 M (within the 50% range, but on the lower end)? Is any school under the 50% range a reach, by definition? And at what point do you decide a school is a far reach not worth the application fee, vs. a possible reach with odds of 25%-35%? </p>
<p>D easily identified reaches and matches where her SATs fell in the middle or higher than the schools' 50% scores. She hasn't looked at schools where her SATs fell either under or even at the lower end of the 50% reported scores. I'd like to encourage her to add some reaches to her college list. She's not sure how far to reach though!</p>
<p>You will get as many opinions on this as there are members of CC. In a nutshell it depends mostly on you, your scores, your recommendations, your essay, your gpa and classrank and what kind of professional advice you receive. </p>
<p>Some people regard reach schools like a lottery and just plunk down where they would dream to go but dont count on it. Others make a more discerned effort and focus on two or three where there is a chance, even if not very high. Not every college is the same in how they run admissions or how many they “reach down the ladder” for and why. Schools publish their 25th percentile figures and that is a good start. But many of those are athletes with low scores. </p>
<p>Most people who want to reach up, but be RATIONAL then focus on high match/low reach schools, where they are on the bubble of admitted stats, not far off or really on the edge. In those cases, having something unique or special about you, your background or perhaps even your major may help you get selected. </p>
<p>Its important to know that all college admissions are a bit of a crap shoot and even match schools can reject you for no particular reason. It happens every year. </p>
<p>There is nothing wrong with reach school applications, so long as you dont set your heart on them and don’t put your eggs in one basket. Do your best on their application and you can even convey to them if you get in that you will come. But DONT expect any money from them, except for the FAFSA financial aid and even that can be short changed. </p>
<p>Status and prestige are over-rated in my opinion. What is essential is that you pick colleges where your daughter will be happy and thrive, not just where she can get admitted. Because the prestige wears off quickly if she is unhappy, overworked, feels out of place or has issues with her school. Its much, much better to find a school where she fits in and can do very well. I would much rather be a top 5% student in a match school, than a bottom feeder in a reach school.</p>
<p>I would say that if your standardized test scores fall just above the 25% or below for a certain college, then that college is a reach. In determining how much of a reach, as the previous poster mentioned, you should look at colleges’ admission rubrics and play to your strengths. For example, if your scores were at the 25%, but you had strong essays, and that school stated that it put strong emphasis on its applicants’ essays, then it might not be as much of a reach.</p>
<p>Be careful when thinking about what is really a match. At our highly competitive, mostly white and asian public high school, kids get rejected from supposedly ‘match’ schools (defined as schools where their grades and test scores put them within that 50% band) all the time because so many kids are applying to the same schools. On the other hand, they are often accepted at match schools that are not on everyone’s radar. Every year, kids walk around shell-shocked in April because they got into none of their matches and can’t figure out how it happened.</p>
<p>Take a look at the scatter diagrams of your HS’s recent applicants. If you are at the lower edge of those accepted in the past with your statistics, it is a Reach. (Realize that this does not account for many factors such as URM, recruited athlete, etc.) </p>
<p>Also, if there is a school that you are really set on attending and you are not a Far Reach, then you have a better chance of being accepted if you apply Early Decision (if the school offers it).</p>
<p>If your HS does not have provide this information, you can get an idea from these sites (Enter as Guest):</p>