<p>Exactly what is considered a safety? I've always considered UMich my safety, although I think it would be a good match for me in terms of academics as well. Does safety have to mean a school that you won't enjoy and won't be challenged yet? I'm fairly certain that I'll get into UM, but that doesn't mean I won't love it there and it also doesn't mean I'll think it's too easy. Also, how many safeties should you apply to? My counselor keeps telling me to apply to a few, but I don't see the point when I know I'd be happy at the one.</p>
<p>What about match? Matches are supposed to be schools that you've got a fairly decent chance at getting in at. For me, I've basically considered schools matches for me when they're not over-the-top reaches. For me, I've thought of places like Duke/JHU as possible matches. Sure, they're still reaches, but not as much as my reaches. How many matches should one apply to? How many is too much? There's a balance that needs to be struck between applying to lots of colleges to keep your options open and applying to so many colleges that you don't care about over half of them.</p>
<p>And then there's the reach. All my top choices are reaches for me - HYM - but they're reaches for anyone. How many reaches do you think a person ought to apply to?</p>
<p>Last of all, how do you think an ideal college list is composed? Only schools the student loves and enjoys; X number of safeties, Y matches, Z reaches; mix and mash of both ways of looking at it; or another way?</p>
<p>I'm getting nervous about my list, because I'm worrying that maybe I'm not including as many schools as I could - for example, I might love some place like JHU, but I don't know a lot about its culture. I'm worried that I could be missing a lot of places that I might enjoy - but on the other hand, is there much point in applying to four schools that you'd love when you know you'd get into one specific school and love it there?</p>
<p>A safety is supposed to be a school that you’re reasonably sure that you can get into and that you would be happy to attend if you didn’t get into any of your other schools, or if they offered you better financial aid. The term “safety” doesn’t have to do with how much you want to go there or the ‘challenge’ level; it has to do with selectivity and how your stats match what they want. Some people apply to all or mostly safeties because those are the schools they really love. (If you are not a Michigan resident, I don’t think Michigan is a safety for you, btw.) You apply to more than one on the off-chance that you don’t get into your safety for whatever reason – although you have the reasonable expectation, things happen all the time.</p>
<p>Matches are schools that you have, like you said, fairly decent chances at – I’d say between 40-70% chance of admission. These are schools where your “stats” are at or only slightly above or below the average admitted student. You didn’t give us your stats at all, but Johns Hopkins and Duke are only matches for a very few students. I think you are overestimating what a safety and what a match are. If a school is a reach, it’s a reach, even if some schools are more reaches than others. Some people on CC define “low reach” and “high reach” for that reason – JHU and Duke may be “low reaches” (or possibly high matches), whereas Harvard, Yale, and MIT may be “high reaches”.</p>
<p>You should only apply to schools that you think you would enjoy attending. What is the purpose of wasting your money to apply somewhere that you don’t want to attend (unless your parents make you)? You should want to go to your safeties just like you want to go to your matches and reaches. Some people turn down reaches for matches; some people turn down both for safeties.</p>
<p>The way you construct your college list should rely more on places you really like and really want to go to, and there’s no magic formula. Some people apply to no reaches – I didn’t apply to any reaches. I didn’t have any interest in them, or I couldn’t afford them. It’s more a way to be aware of your list. For example, let’s say you’re OOS for Michigan and the schools you want to apply to are HYM, JHU and Duke, and Michigan. And let’s say you had a 1800 SAT score and a 3.4 GPA - decent, not excellent - with mediocre ECs. People will likely advise you to choose some matches and reaches not because of a “magic formula” but rather because you stand a great chance of getting rejected from all of those schools because they would all be reaches (with Michigan possibly as a high match/low reach).</p>
<p>I personally think you should pick at least 2-3 safeties (in case something happens – they often do!), and at least 2 match schools, but the rest of the list should be up to you. I applied to 4 safeties (one was sort of a low-match, I guess) and one match. My younger sister applied to ONE safety (our nearby regional state university) because she didn’t really care that much. Some people may pick 2 safeties, 2 matches, and the rest all reaches. It really depends more on you, but the important thing is to pick schools that you’d like to attend and be realistic about your chances of getting into these schools.</p>
<p>I only applied to one safety too, don’t worry.
If you are absolultely certain you’d enjoy attending the one, then go for it!</p>
<p>I applied to one safety, one match, and three reaches.
Accepted to Safety and Match, Waitlisted to two reaches and then rejected from one.</p>
<p>and i’m going to my safety!
the moral is, pick somewhere you like, somewhere that you wouldn’t be heartbroken to attend if the college admissions game doesn’t work out the way you want it to. :)</p>
<p>Most state universities publish information about test score and GPA ranges that will guarantee admission for state residents. Check your home-state public U websites for this information. Chances are one of them will be an “academic safety”: you have those grades, you are in.</p>
<p>The other issue is affordability. If you can’t afford that state U with no financial aid other than federally determined (FAFSA) financial aid, you are going to have to find a “financial safety” that is even cheaper. Most community colleges are open admission (you’ve graduated from HS or you have a GED, you are in), and many are affordable enough for you to work your way through the first two years if necessary.</p>
<p>It is truly important that you identify a place that guarantees you admission, that you can afford, and that has a program that you can be happy with. This “true safety” is your back up in case all else fails. And, unfortunately as demonstrated by countless threads here at CC, all else fails much more often than most of us expected.</p>
<p>The bulk of your list should be in the “match” area. I suggest including two safeties, just in case one of those safeties decides that you probably wouldn’t attend anyway so they will put you on the waitlist. (That happened to my daughter, but fortunately, she got into all her matches and one safety.)</p>
<p>Rather than posting a “Chance Me” thread, I suggest that you look at this past spring’s decisions threads to see what type of students the schools are accepting/denying/waitlisting. Although the approach is imperfect, it might help you determine where you stand. For instance, if you see a lot of people being rejected from JHU with your stats, then you know that it could be a match at best, but most likely a reach. </p>
<p>Your list should include only schools that you would attend. Every spring, we get threads of “rejected everywhere” (because the students did not have a realistic idea of what matches and safeties were) and “desperately don’t want to go to my safety” (because it wasn’t selected with care.) </p>
<p>Duke and JHU are not anyone’s matches. U. Mich also can’t be your safety. If you shift your list one tier up then you may have it right, which means you are still missing safeties.</p>
<p>If you were accepted to U. Mich in fall, assuming you were happy to attend, then you could focus on your reaches and high reaches.</p>
<p>Any schools that do holistic admission is much harder to predict the outcome. Statistically, you may consider Bucknell a match for you, but adcom may not admit you because of the fit or they may think it’s a backup school for you.</p>
<p>I will echo oldfort. UMich is a match for very few students. If you are in-state and at the top of your class, then it might be a match. If you are out of state, even if you are at the top of your class, it will be a reach.</p>
<p>My son got into all his safetys and matches (honors program in all but one) and none of his reaches (Duke, UNC, UVa, William & Mary-wait listed, UMich-waitlisted)</p>
<p>Whatever you do, make sure you heed the College Confidential mantra:</p>
<p>Love Thy Safety</p>
<p>We’ve seen time and time again students who have applied to a safety, reaches and matches, and were accepted only at their safety. And then the whining begins: “I don’t want to go there.”</p>
<p>When you apply to safeties, you should think about them carefully and ask yourself “would I be delighted to attend this school?” If you can’t answer ‘yes’, there’s no point in applying, even if it’s a safety.</p>
<p>I agree w/Katy’s assessment about UM being a safety. Follow her advice and apply as soon as it’s open. That’s what I did. I got admitted in late October/early November before I really got started with my “reaches”. Regardless, it was a very stress free admissions for me. Even if I got dinged by my reaches, I was going to UM (ended up declining them form my 1st choice – although I worked there years afterward).</p>
<p>If your safety is truly a safety (you’re sure you can get in and afford it) you don’t need any other schools on your list. You certainly don’t need more than one safety if it is a real safety.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who advised/replied. I think I’ll stick with the one safety then, unless I’m deferred, in which case I’ll apply to some other schools. As for those who say that UMich is not a safety/match, I’ll take that into consideration when I’m applying. Thank you!</p>
I think I’ll stick with the one safety then, unless I’m deferred, in which case I’ll apply to some other schools. As for those who say that UMich is not a safety/match, I’ll take that into consideration when I’m applying. Thank you!</p>