Ive heard people say match, safety and reach.
I know safetly means a no brainer in getting in, a match means you have a very good chance of getting in, but what exactly does “reach” mean?
Some of my friends, i hate to say have not-so-great stats but say they are applying to harvard “just for the heck of it”. Probably because they hear stories of random kids with really bad stats get in (ethnicity, exception, legacy, whatever).
So what exactly do people mean when they say “reach”?
<p>Reach is a term used to express that more than likely you won't get in, or your chances aren't really that great, but you could if you raise your stats, or are just lucky.</p>
<p>Reach means that you're not a shoo-in but you're not a definite no either since you fall within the school's range in what they want from a student. It means that a lot of people applying to that school have as good as or better stats/ec's than you do. It means that you shouldn't be too upset if a rejection comes your way but not to give up all hope since it's possible to still get accepted there.</p>
<p>or HYP, MIT, Stanford and some top-teir schools are reaches for all, except a few</p>