<p>When I came on CC for the longest time I had no idea what these terms meant! </p>
<p>For any newbies, please describe your understanding of what these terms mean. For anyone who (often because they don't know any better) is planning on applying to only one school, it might be really good to hear definition(s).</p>
<p>not a newbie…but i remember first coming to cc and reading threads…i believe I had never heard the terms…reach, match, safety…</p>
<p>Hope this link help,
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/770751-when-does-reach-become-match-become-safety.html?highlight=match+school[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/770751-when-does-reach-become-match-become-safety.html?highlight=match+school</a></p>
<p>My definitions:</p>
<p>Reach schools are ones that are not as likely for you based on your stats, though are not out of the question either. Reach schools should be thought of as long shots but not impossible to get in. If you look at the stats of admitted students and the percentage of admitted kids who had those stats, you will see that your odds are less likely at these schools but you surely can go for it if you wish but know what you are getting into here. Your test scores, GPA, and/or class rank (or percentile) are below those of the majority of accepted students at these schools and it would take something compelling on your application to override those odds. I am just being realistic about your odds, even though you are surely worthy of admission at these schools. Ideally, you will not have too many schools in this category, maybe something like three to five. These are possibilities to shoot for but cannot be counted on.</p>
<p>**However, in the case of the most selective colleges of all (such as those that accept less than 20% of applicants), reach also can mean that these schools are a reach for ANYONE who applies due to their very low admit rate and so while in that instance, you may be in the ballpark of the stats of admitted students, even highly qualified applicants are denied due to the limited slots available. So, for those schools, they must be considered a reach due to the unpredictable odds of admission. Another example is BFA in Musical Theater or Acting programs or BM in Music (or other highly selective specialized degree programs) that have very low admit rates into the programs themselves and so the overall admissions chances at those schools must also be called reaches even without the academic odds factored in. </p>
<p>***Please note: I rate a school as a Far Reach, if it is very unrealistic for you and an admission is quite unlikely, because the college is not inclined to accept applicants with your academic profile. I would not encourage applying to Far Reaches that are out of reach for you.</p>
<p>Match (ballpark/target/realistic) schools are those that are in your ballpark, ones where you have a decent chance of being admitted but are not a sure thing. In these instances, your stats more closely fit the ones of accepted students or at least fall within a REALISTIC range, and there is a decent chance you may get in. These schools also dont have as low of an admit rate as the reach schools. You cannot count on these schools, but shooting for these is reasonable and often is where most kids end up. Sometimes match schools are thought of in terms of a 50-50 chance. Make sure to find some fits for you that match both your college criteria, as well as your stats. These schools will be important. You may want about 4 in this category. </p>
<p>Safety (or sure bets) schools are the ones where I believe you will have little problem being admitted academically. Your safety schools are still very good schools and are safe only in terms of your chances. Everyone needs these schools on their list. You want to make sure that your safety schools are ones you would be happy to attend. Put energy into finding ones you truly like. These “likely” schools are ones where your stats fall above the 75th%tile of admitted students to that school, while also not having a low acceptance rate. </p>
<p>Sometimes, I rate academic chances as borderline between two categories (i.e., match/safety, reach/match). I think of a reach/match school as not as far out of reach, so to speak, for you, but still chancy or is a harder match. A match/safety is a very good chance, but not a sure bet. </p>
<p>In building a college list, for most situations, it should be balanced with about 40% reaches, 40% match/ballpark schools, and 20% safety/sure bet schools. For most students, a list of 8-12 schools that is balanced in this fashion would be appropriate. Other factors would be considered in building a list or how long it is for certain situations (ie, needing merit aid, applying to specialized degree programs, etc.)</p>
<p>This is a general idea but individual situations vary.</p>
<p>Reach- might get in, but chances not high. This applies to all of the most elite schools and any schools where one’s stats (gpa/test scores) are not well above the school’s average.</p>
<p>Match- stats are at least around average for the school, probably will get in, but never any guarantees.</p>
<p>Safety- most likely will get accepted because stats are well above the 25-75 %iles and other factors fit.</p>
<p>Note the approach is the chances of being admitted, they are all relative to the individual student’s profile.</p>
<p>Crossposted, I see this is the short version of others’ definitions.</p>
<p>So, while these explanations clearly define these terms in terms of admittance, wouldn’t you also say that perhaps after you are admitted but before fin aid packages, they can also be financial safeties, matches and reaches?</p>
<p>Yes, there are financial reaches, matches, and safeties, but that is not a criteria for ALL applicants and their parents. For those where that is a factor in college selection, then that is another consideration in balancing the college list. That is why I said that my answer was general and that there are specific situations that alter the building of the college list.</p>
<p>The problem I have with determining if a school is a reach, match or safety is how to weigh the admissions factors of GPA, rank, class rigor and standardized tests. In the case of my D, she does not do well on the SAT so she is generally in the bottom 25% of the average test scores for the schools she is looking at. However, her GPA is stronger than the average of the same schools. As a result, I am not sure whether that school should be a reach or a safety.</p>
<p>I guess if I was uncertain, I would vote for moving up - in other words, if not sure if something is a safety or match, I would go with match. If not sure if match or reach, I would consider a reach.</p>
<p>^ Uh-oh, if I do that, and move everything up, she has no safety schools left. If I was to judge solely by the SAT mid range scores, and ignore her GPA, etc., she would have few choices. Hopefully these schools will follow the “hollistic” approach that they say they practice, measuring all the factors.</p>
<p>You can’t just look at GPA and test scores in isolation. Also, with GPA, make sure you are comparing your child’s UNweighted GPA with the GPA of admitted students to that college. Even then, you should not examine GPA alone because a 3.5 at one high school is not like a 3.5 at another. You have to compare your child’s rank or percentile in the class with those of admitted students. As well, the rigor of the HS curriculum matters in the context of what that HS offered. More selective colleges will expect a student to have taken a more demanding curriculum, for example. Further, I should have mentioned more in my first post that just examining the stats alone is not good but you have to also factor in the acceptance rate to that college and that is part of assessing reach, match, safety.</p>
<p>I agree with financial safety matches. Do you have a selective college with a best value rating? I noticed that USNWR has a financial sort up on the front web page in the college rankings. Finding a college that is in the 25K range and is still selective with good programs in majors and minors is important in today’s economy. There are even good colleges in the 15K range.</p>
<p>BobbyCT, if the admissions reps at every single info session we have attended can be trusted, then your daughter’s GPA will carry a great deal more weight than her test scores, assuming she has been taking a reasonably rigorous curriculum. This has been bad news for us as parents of a high-SAT/meh-GPA kid, but unless the admissions folks are being thoroughly disingenuous about it, that’s the deal.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any knowledge/experience of how test-optional schools should be rated wrt reach-match-safety?</p>
<p>BobbyCT: I think you also have to factor in the admissions rate. Where your daughter’s stats fall at a school with a 30% admit rate would be ranked differently than at a school with a 70% admit rate. The admit rate always gets talked about with the uber elites and the 9% admit rates, but you need to look at that for the lower ranked schools too.</p>
<p>^ great point, RobD. Unfortunately, my D’s top choices are all highly self selective, which gives the impression of a high admit rate. As an example, Case Western has a very high admit rate for a top school, I believe close to 70% as of 2 years ago(don’t quote me on the exact percentage but it was high). However, the standards for admission are still very high for that school. I have seen a number of top schools that have a similar deceptively high admit rate. It is the exception rather than the norm but my D seems to find them all. It is a good rule, however, for the majority of colleges. Thanks for the feeback</p>