<p>A lot of people select a safety with little thought or concern. Their time is spent dreaming of what it would be like to get into a reach, or at least a satisfying anticipation of those thick envelopes from their matches.</p>
<p>And yet next spring, just like the in the past, there will be anguished posts on the board saying "I only got into my safety, and I don't even want to go there!!" This isn't common, to be true, but it does happen. Applying for reaches is not like entering a lottery. They don't pull 12% of their admits out of a hopper, they evaluate them. Some are sure admits, some are on the borderline and can go either way (in which case the lottery analogy applies), and many just don't have the scores or ECs to get in no matter how many they apply to.</p>
<p>While willing to discount the reaches, a lot of kids are expecting to get into their matches. They have misunderstood what "match" means. It means that the students that are accepted have similar grades and scores. But matches do not admit everyone who meets the profile. Losing sight of this is dangerous. The way to think about matches is "they take many kids like me" rather than "I've got what they expect, so I'm in".</p>
<p>Which brings us to the safety. Its the school where you're all but guaranteed to get in. And yet many people choose this as an afterthought. Here's a way to think about the safety to get in the right frame of mind. Suppose the day you're mailing off your apps your GC tears up all of them except the safety and tells you due to a new rule thats the only school you're going to apply to. Still happy with that school? Or do you wish you'd spent more time researching and selecting it? Now nobody's going to tear up all your other apps, but if you get turned down by the rest the outcome is the same.</p>
<p>There's still time left to pick a good safety. You need to think about what you're looking for in a college -- location, size of school, size of classes, type of students it attracts, where students live (on-campus / apartments / commute), social life, and the dozens of other factors that go into making a good fit. Prospects of attending your safety may not bring the same sense of joy to you that the reaches and matches do, but it has to be a school you can envision enjoying for 4 years. Going to a school with the intent of transferring to somewhere "better" is a sure way to be miserable while you're there, and transfer admission is no more guaranteed than was admission as a frosh. </p>
<p>And if you can put aside the prestige issue you might find that your safety is a top choice! If your criteria for a college is based on fit and not name, you might find a great fit at a school not on everyone's lips. Furthermore as a good student you may find that the safety is happy to enroll someone like you and will offer honors courses, early enrollment each term, and generous financial aid.</p>
<p>So take a good look at the school you're using as your safety. Have you REALLY thought it thru? Could you be happy there for 4 years? If not, there's still time to pick a school that's right for you.</p>