<p>-andover - reach
-cate - low reach
-choate - reach
-deerfield - reach
-exeter - reach
-hotchkiss - reach
-lawrenceville - reach
-st. Paul's - reach
-thacher - low match</p>
<p>Olivia, why is Andover a high reach when Choate is just a reach? Deerfield is in fact more competitive than Andover?</p>
<p>Also, how on earrth is St. Paul's a match?! It's nearly as competitive as Deerfield.</p>
<p>Guys, "reaches" are places where the GPA/SSAT averages are higher than the student who is applying. You can't say to someone with a 99 SSAT that Cate is a low reach, when it has an 80 SSAT.</p>
<p>I don't chance people based solely no their SSAT, but if I did, it would be a match at all places since her SSAT is higher than the average of all the schools she is applying to.</p>
<p>Deerfield may be more competitive, but its standards are lower than Andover's.</p>
<p>And Choate's average SSAT is lower, so I think it's a reach but not that high of a one, because shika's scores and GPA are extremely high. Read my last post. </p>
<p>Sorry about the SPS one. I'll make it low reach/reach.</p>
<p>Exactly. But SSATs are a factor, and her GPA was a 4.0. I don't think that Cate would be a reach.</p>
<p>Cate is a low reach...when a school rejects a majority of its candidate..nothing can be sure</p>
<p>Olivia, you're wrong. The piece your missing is that the hooked applicants can have considerably below average stats, which brings down averages. The unhooked must make up for them. That's why even with a 4.0/99, the top schools are a reach for the unhooked.</p>
<p>And Deerfield doesn't have lower standards than Andover. They simply let in more of the hooked.</p>
<p>Can someone explain to me what this reach stuff is?
is high reach like a nice way to say a long shot
and match is like a shoo-in?</p>
<p>Thanks, suze.</p>
<p>Sorry about that. I understand that people with 4.0/99s might not get in, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it a reach. Maybe a match.</p>
<p>I've always thought that match was a school that had an average of a student's grades (i.e. a student with an 83 SSAT, 3.8 GPA applpying to Choate) but compared to what other people are saying on here, a "match" is a "safety". I think a safety would be anything 15-20 points under one's SSAT average or about 1.0 GPA under one's GPA. That's the way I think of it. Like ... a match is something you won't necessarily get into, but you have a good chance. A safety is low.</p>
<p>olivia...that doesnt work...there are so many low hooked applicants that skew the data to the left</p>
<p>Olivia, I know all this is hard to imagine when you're just entering HS, but all of this is pretty complex and $$ and connections play a major role. More so at preps than at colleges.</p>
<p>You can read in the Vanity Faire article about St. Paul's alums who are *<strong><em>ed their kids and grand kids can't get in. This is more true at some schools than at others. Schools have to decide how much they depend on alum and how many they want to chance *</em></strong>ing off. Bottom line is that while at some school the generous donor's kid with a 60 won't get in, but the ones with 80s will. You still need a lot of 99s to achieve a 90 average, so it's unlikely that the unhooked with an 80 can get in. Then there's athletes, URMs, kids from thirld world countries......A Deerfield may decide they're willing to bend further for good athletes than ST. Paul's does and can end up with an SSAT average several points lower. It really doesn't mean they're less selective. Note they have the lowest acceptance rate.</p>
<p>Ah, I see. Thanks suze.</p>
<p>I'll add that schools like Thatcher and Cate are deceptively hard to get into. Talk about your self selected candidates! Movie star and political kids abound. Most from CA and they willingly keep it that way. The development staff go at it bigtime--a 6 figure donation on top of tuition is nothing for these people.</p>
<p>The biggest meritocracies have long been Andover and Exeter.</p>
<p>"The biggest meritocracies have long been Andover and Exeter."
but most schools are about to change for it..</p>
<p>I know Deerfield, Choate and Hotchkiss are all going needblind in coming years...</p>
<p>I personally think that SPS and Choate are the most generous schools in terms of financial aid to the low-income, unhooked candidates.</p>
<p>Good, then. I hope I get a lot of FA from Choate. :D</p>
<p>by that logic, a school with 78-83% SSAT and 3.0 average would be a safety for me?</p>
<p>then that would mean St. Georges (85%.. almost) and Lawrenceville (81%) are safeties for me...?</p>
<p>lawrenceville is safety for no one, and no.. i think you bettter check on their average SSAT, i m pretty sure it's higher</p>
<p>Yes, Blair. That's what I mean. If someone has an 85 SSAT and 3.5 GPA, their safety could be a 65 SSAT school and 2.5 GPA</p>