Is this a valid definition of safety, target, and reach?

[Anonymous]

Rising sophomore DD came home at the end of last year and told me her school's counselors consider a school a safety, target, or reach based on the student's individual chances of getting in (mostly GPA and SAT/ACT-based). E.g., a target is where you have between a 25-75 chance of getting in. I've never heard anyone phrase it this, and it feels off to me, because, for example, MIT is a reach for everyone no matter how high their scores, yes? I feel like it it'll give her and her classmates a too-optimistic view of where they might be admitted?

[Anonymous]

Main difference at safety and target. Super reaches like HYPNS are reaches for all. Emory or Michigan could be a target or safety for top students.

Our CCO advised different levels kids ED to different levels schools. So, yes, it is differentiated.

[Anonymous]

Collegevine has something similar but it is kind of crazy. For example, Penn RD is a target for my rising senior, but we have categorized it as a reach (and a high reach at that!)

[Anonymous]

It should be mostly personalized, as JMU could be a safety for one student and a reach for another.

The exception of the T10-T20, which are unlikely for all.

[Anonymous]

Ok, thanks, that makes sense. Our oldest is at a service academy, and I actually I did wonder about their acceptance rates the other way around...i.e., if they're between 10-20% depending on the academy, sure that includes lots of students who had no chance, academically or physically?

[Anonymous]

Yes, MIT is a reach for everyone.

My super high stats kid thought their super high stats (like perfect SAT score and almost a 5.0 weighted) would help them get into MIT, CMU, GATech etc.. Nope.

[Anonymous]

This article / graphic might help it make a bit more sense. https://support.collegekickstart.com/hc/en-us/articles/217485088-Differences-Between-Likely-Target-Reach-and-Unlikely-Schools

You don't need to use College Kickstart; I used the general idea and made my own version in Google Sheets.

You would populate the "cells" based on your kid's school list and where your kid's stats have them in relation to the school's Common Data Set info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Collegevine has something similar but it is kind of crazy. For example, Penn RD is a target for my rising senior, but we have categorized it as a reach (and a high reach at that!)

A really high GPA like 4.37 could set Penn RD as a target. But collegevine does not consider school context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This article / graphic might help it make a bit more sense. https://support.collegekickstart.com/hc/en-us/articles/217485088-Differences-Between-Likely-Target-Reach-and-Unlikely-Schools

You don't need to use College Kickstart; I used the general idea and made my own version in Google Sheets.

You would populate the "cells" based on your kid's school list and where your kid's stats have them in relation to the school's Common Data Set info.

Really helpful, thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, MIT is a reach for everyone.

My super high stats kid thought their super high stats (like perfect SAT score and almost a 5.0 weighted) would help them get into MIT, CMU, GATech etc.. Nope.

Not really. If you won IMO gold, MIT is actually a target (not safety).

[Anonymous]

Any t20 should be seem as Target no matter how great kiddo is.

After that it is really kid dependent. Safety should be anywhere where your stats/ec/etc give you 90% Chance of admissions. And target is everything in betweem

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, MIT is a reach for everyone.

My super high stats kid thought their super high stats (like perfect SAT score and almost a 5.0 weighted) would help them get into MIT, CMU, GATech etc.. Nope.

Not really. If you won IMO gold, MIT is actually a target (not safety).

Yep. My kid was a 1600 SAT (one seating), maxed out GPA, valedictorian, private school in Texas. White, no hook, wealthy background, speaks 3 languages fluently. Was denied admission straight up to 5 of the 7 top 25 schools he applied to. 1 waitlist that never materialized.
So no, there are no targets in the Top25. He is going to the UK.

[Anonymous]

It makes sense, OP, for most colleges. For the tippy-top schools, no one has anything but a lottery chance of getting in, so they're in a category apart.

My kid with high stats was a shoe-in for McGill and GWU and UMD (EA only). Georgetown and Swarthmore and others were reaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, thanks, that makes sense. Our oldest is at a service academy, and I actually I did wonder about their acceptance rates the other way around...i.e., if they're between 10-20% depending on the academy, sure that includes lots of students who had no chance, academically or physically?

Yes, I believe service academies include even those that started their application but never followed through or completed it in those percentages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, MIT is a reach for everyone.

My super high stats kid thought their super high stats (like perfect SAT score and almost a 5.0 weighted) would help them get into MIT, CMU, GATech etc.. Nope.

Not really. If you won IMO gold, MIT is actually a target (not safety).

Yep. My kid was a 1600 SAT (one seating), maxed out GPA, valedictorian, private school in Texas. White, no hook, wealthy background, speaks 3 languages fluently. Was denied admission straight up to 5 of the 7 top 25 schools he applied to. 1 waitlist that never materialized.
So no, there are no targets in the Top25. He is going to the UK.

UK?