<p>I've heard people say time after time that places like MIT and Princeton are not matches for anyone - they're always reach schools, and I believe them. However, that begs the question, what makes a school a match for someone whose test scores correspond to the ranges for these elite schools?</p>
<p>To more personalize the question, I have perfect ACT scores, some solid ECs, and a whole lot of naivety about where to apply. What schools are considered matches for the types of people in my position?</p>
<p>Students with very high stats generally have no match schools because the schools for which their stats are a match have low %age admitted. The schools tend to be reach and safeties. Sometimes a highly selective flagship U will be a match.</p>
<p>I think it’s a tiered down, like U of Michigan, USC, UCLA, UCB are probably matches for MIT and Princeton candidates. I only know state schools, so there are privates like maybe Cornell.</p>
<p>On a similar note, how does one ever go about narrowing down the safety schools. It seems pretty silly to apply to more than two or so safety schools, but there are seemingly hundreds of comparable schools I could count as safeties. I definitely cannot visit them all, so are there any more general techniques for choosing among the clones?</p>
<p>It depends on which area you prefer to go to colleges/what is going to be your major. I presume it’s the Northeast since you have MIT and Princeton. If you are NMSF, I think Pitts is good for premed and Northeastern is good for engineering. U of Alabama if you don’t mind the heat. There is a list already on CC, if you Google for it. </p>
<p>My opinion is that once your scores are high enough that everything is within range, the acceptance rate really starts to matter. Schools like MIT and Princeton aren’t reaches for everyone because the average SAT scores are so high, they’re reaches because admission is so random when only 5-10% get accepted. The higher the acceptance rate, the more predictability. A match for a really high stats candidate may be Emory. Instead of a less than 10% acceptance rate, its acceptance rate is about 27%. </p>
<p>Also can be put this way: say there are two schools, both with average ACT of 32 (let’s say your ACT is 34), but one has an acceptance rate of 10% and the other is 35%. Even though the average is the same for both schools, the first one would be a reach and the second one would be a match. There’s no way you can predict an acceptance at a school with an acceptance rate as low as 10%, but at 35%, you can say that if your above the average than you have a pretty decent chance.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that match does not mean safety. Just because people on CC tell you that a school is a match does not mean that you are guaranteed to get in, it means that you have similar stats as accepted students and have a good chance of being accepted, but you also have a chance of being rejected.</p>
<p>@DrGoogle
I don’t really put too much weight on location, personally, but I definitely want to major in math. I think I found the list you’re mentioning - does a school have to guarantee admission in order for it to be a safety school, or is there another way of safely calling a school a safety? For instance, can someone with strong ECs and scores for an Ivy call colleges with ~75% acceptance rates and significantly lower average scores a safety? If so, where is the line conventionally drawn? Thanks for the help so far - I know I have a lot of questions, but I really have very little clue about what to do with this whole college thing.</p>
<p>For people like you, the safeties might be where you spend a great deal of time doing your research because you could get shut out of each reach. I know of one case like that. I’m sure there are others.</p>
<p>Remember, safeties must be absolutely affordable, absolutely some place one will get into, absolutely some place one will attend if all else fails, and, of course, have one’s major.</p>
<p>I think >75% acceptance rate is a good safety, but also if you apply EA that is a good way to get a safety early. I also think a safety should also be a financial safety. My philosophy is why pay lots of money to go to a safety but your philosophy might be different from mine. Usually good public state schools are good financial safeties.
I think anything less than 10% is definitely in the reach category, it depends on a lot of things, from 10-50% are matches and anything between 50-75% are safeties. But there is no real guarantee on anything. Have a few in each categories if you are unsure. For my daughter, she had 3 safeties, 4-6 matches and 2 reaches(MIT and Princeton) like you. </p>
<p>Acceptance rate is not a reliable way of telling reach/match/safety, since the strength of the applicant pool varies between colleges. In some cases, different admission buckets (e.g. major or division, in-state versus out-of-state at state universities, etc.) can have very different admission selectivity.</p>
<p>Safeties must be affordable. An acceptance that you cannot afford is equivalent to a rejection.</p>
<p>I agree with all the earlier posts. Even though you have great academics, you must seriously consider several safeties (3-5), where you would be happy to attend. My son had a classmate, who had two perfect ACT scores, one perfect SAT score, 800’s on all SAT II’s and a similar amount of AP classes with nearly all 5’s (I think two 4’s). But he lacked in community service work, or something unique to him that he was passionate about and was heavily lopsided academically versus meaningful EC’s. He was certain he would go to MIT or Cal Tech, and spoke as if his admittance was certain. He did not get in to either (or the several Ivies he applied to) and will be attending an excellent state school, but certainly not where he anticipated attending. He was crushed at first, but he will do well there. He will actually get credit for most of his AP classes (most highly selective schools now only allow credit for 2 AP classes, which my son is extremely bummed about). Admission is never guaranteed, and nearly every application to the top schools is similar. Make sure you stress the items that are unique to you on all of your applications.</p>
<p>I disagree about UCB- Cal is hardly a match for top students (it is very possible and has happened on CC that someone gets into MIT, but not Cal). Of course, it depends on the program, but Cal is a top tier school (I think it might be considered better than half the ivies where I live). Of course, HYPMS will probably be considered more prestigious. </p>
<p>I would say that Tulane is probably pretty safe for you, and you will probably qualify for a nice merit scholarship from them. They have a free application (or they did last year, at least), with non-binding Early Action. You will probably be notified by Thanksgiving. With perfect scores, I’d be inclined to view Vanderbilt and Washington U as high-matches (not guaranteed, but excellent odds). They have very high acceptance rates for top-scoring applicants, presuming your GPA is respectable. </p>
<p>Selectivity varies by division and/or major. Some (maybe most?) College of Engineering majors at Berkeley are evidently extremely selective, since 4.0 UW HS GPA / 2300+ SAT applicants have reported rejection. But the College of Letters and Science appears to be less selective, so it may be considered to be other than a reach for top-end stats applicants.</p>
<p>The same applies to other schools (public or private) where selectivity varies by division and/or major.</p>
<p>Tulane is big on showing interest, so be sure to do that if you apply there. Also, Tulane offers both EA and SCEA, with the latter being a way to show interest (by giving up other EA/ED applications, you show that Tulane is a high choice for you, rather than a low choice “safety”).</p>
<p>In my area a lot of students with stats similar to yours apply to U Michigan in early fall. They have rolling admissions so you are likely to hear from them pretty quickly. Michigan is a great school. If you get in (and you probably will) then you can eliminate having to apply to a lot of other safeties that you’d find less appealling. Also: I second what another poster said about Tulane. They will cast a wary eye on an applicant with perfect scores so be sure to write the optional “why Tulane?” essay and apply early action. They will understand that they are a safety school for you, but figure the odds of your matriculating are higher if you’ve jumped through the hoops that show you’d actually consider attending. If you can visit…all the better.</p>
<p>Top public schools are worth consideration like they said: Michigan. Or Texas at Austin, NC Chapel Hill, Virginia, William & Mary, Miami (OH), Wisconson, Illionios UC, Maryland, or Minnesota, there’s a few others like Florida, Georgia Tech, etc… But a lot of times kids with those stats go to schools like these and join honors programs, I’d look into some!</p>
<p>Agreed, on the public flagship, with Honors programs, as good safety/matches for top stat kids. These are especially good options for kids who do not qualify for financial aid but can’t just write $60,000 checks with ease. Tuition at some (but not all) is often less than full pay at the big privates – for instance, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois. Tuition is higher, but still not quite as high as full pay at privates, at William & Mary, Michigan and some others. </p>
<p>I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to demonstrate interest in Tulane before (if possible) and after you turn in the app. They want to hear from you. They want a chance to persuade you to come there. I wouldn’t be too sure that even with a reasonable amount of demonstrated interest you wouldn’t get turned down by Tulane if your scores and gpa are that good.</p>