<p>and sometimes i see 'match' </p>
<p>can someone explain those terminologies to me? im new :P</p>
<p>reach is like a school where it would be a stretch for you to get accepted to
like me (ACT 31, gpa 4.23) a reach would be georgetown
match is a school where your stats meet at the top of or above the middle 50% of applicants</p>
<p>what other ones are there?
near reach?</p>
<p>This is basically the scale:</p>
<p>Safety: You're pretty much in.
Slight Safety/Match: Again, a bit easier to get into, you are above the average 50%.
Match: This is a good fit for you, you have a good chance to get in, but it is still competitive.
Match/Slight Reach: A bit more difficult to get in, you are somewhere in the average 50% of the school's profile, but it is more competitive.
Reach: Like gonzo lux said, it'd be a stretch for you to get in. You are lower or are in the lower part of the average 50%, and the school is extremely competitive. Schools like HYP cornell, brown, dartmouth, stanford, upenn, columbia, georgetown, etc would all be reaches for about 99% of the population.</p>
<p>The terms are used very loosely and there is no strict definition. When someone says Huge reach then your chances are minimal whereas a safety you can expect to be accepted.</p>
<p>Assuming you have good stats, a reach is any school with an acceptance rate of 25 or lower, especially if your stats do not exceed the 75th percentile. However, it still may be a reach even if your stats do exceed the 75th percentile.</p>
<p>so a 97th percentile on the SAT would still be a reach? damn! and only a 99th percentile is good enough huh......</p>
<p>99th percentile isnt good enough sometimes..</p>
<p>only 99+ is good</p>
<p>^ Sometimes even that's not good enough...</p>
<p>It all depends on the school. Some school's are reaches for everyone, while others may be a safety for some and a reach for others.</p>