<p>There are safeties and there are safeties. My S has the state flagship as a financial and academic safety based on its automatic admission formula, which should make his admission automatic unless something catastrophic happens to his GPA. So for him, there is absolutely no reason to find another safety, though I can see how others’ situations would differ. With a good state flagship safety, he does not even have any interest in thinking about match schools. It is all reaches for him, and that is fine, as all of us (S + parents) would be perfectly happy if he goes to the flagship.</p>