<p>Maybe the problem is trying to cram a complex problem into three categories, and even the definitions of the categories are not universally agreed upon.</p>
<p>My son is high stat (2360, 36, 4.0). We really have two pools of schools he applied to. He applied to 4 uber elites, and we think he might get admitted to one (and have no idea which one it would be). He applied to a spectrum of LACs, ranging from #1 to #40 on the US News list. We think he will get into 75% of them (and have no idea which ones it will be.) I will not be surprised if he gets rejected from schools less selective than some he gets into; I saw that happen with his older brother.</p>
<p>In the current climate, with application numbers climbing, notions that presume certainty (like “match” and “safety”) are fraught with peril.</p>