Trying to help DS come up with list of reaches and matches. I’m pushing for more matches and he’s looking at more reaches and now we’re arguing about what a match is exactly. So what do you think about a school where he is around the 25th percentile for UW gpa but above the 75th percentile for test scores. Decent ECs, all honors/AP courses So is that a match or a reach? And we’re talking mostly non-HYPSM Top 50 schools so I know they are kind of a reach for everyone.
I would consider a school a safety if:
a) I were easily over the 75% of grades all across the board (including but not limited to GPA, SAT/ACT, SATII etc)
b) I have ECs that are considered “competitive” for that school
c) I can say “I think I have a better shot” after looking at the accepted students’ profiles on CC’s individual college’s results thread.
**The caveat is to always consider your weakest link (whether that may be grades, ECs etc) and evaluate whether that will hinder you from being “competitive” at a school of your choice.
What is important is the admission rate. For many top schools, having 75%+ may still be a reach or high match.
A true safety is also financially affordable and you are willing to attend besides a high chance for admission.
I would weight GPA more than test scores to determine if a school is a safety/match/reach. Mainly because that’s what the schools seem to do. Regardless, i usually say that for most schools with acceptance rates above say 30% (below this number admissions can get very unpredictable) if you’re between the 25 and 75 percentiles it’s usually a match.
Probably best to make most reach/match/safety assessments based on the weaker of GPA/rank or SAT/ACT scores, except for schools that state specific admission methodology that can be more favorable (e.g. test optional, or automatic admission criteria that the student meets). Of course, affordability must be considered, particularly for safeties.