Reach Schools: Unlike a match, reach schools are colleges where your academic qualifications are below the average accepted student. When considering a reach school, it’s still important to be realistic. It’s quite unlikely you would gain entry to an Ivy League university with a 1.5 GPA.

Similarly, What counts as a reach school?

A reach school is a college or university that you may have difficulty getting into due to your current resume, or due to sheer acceptance rates. Reach schools are typically more prestigious institutions with acceptance rates at or under 30 or 20 percent.

Additionally, Is Harvard a reach school for everyone? No matter who you are or what your various connections to the school may be, Harvard is a reach for almost everyone. A reach school is a school where a student falls towards the lower end of the indicated range, or any school that admits less than 20% of applicants who apply.

What is the difference between a safety school and a reach school?

Reach Schools – Your test scores, GPA, and/or class rank are below those of the majority of accepted students at these schools. … Safety Schools – Your test scores, GPA, and/or class rank typically fall above the 75th percentile of admitted students and the school usually accepts more than 50% of its applicants.

Is 50% a safety school?

To be conservative, make sure a school has an acceptance rate at or above 50% to consider it a true safety school. Note that schools with admission rates below 20% are highly selective and should not be considered safety schools for anyone regardless of how impressive your GPA and standardized test scores may be.

What kind of students does Harvard accept?

Generally, Harvard prefers hard-working, exceptional students who exhibit a potential for success in future. They admit students who are passionate, well-rounded and can get used to the immense study load at Harvard.

Can an average student get into Harvard?

Harvard prefers all rounded students, who exhibit passion, hard-work, extraordinary achievements or potential for success. … So they won’t take all A students. Since doing so would make all the students in every class too similar, and Harvard’s goal is to put students together who can learn from each other.

What are the odds of getting into a reach school?

Reach schools are colleges where you have less than a 25% chance of admission (this is your personal chance of acceptance, not the school’s acceptance rate). Keep in mind that schools with less than a 20% acceptance rate are reaches for everyone.

What is considered a safety school?

Safety schools are colleges where admission is likely based on a student’s academic profile. … Typically known as safety schools, these are colleges where admission is more likely because of a student’s academic profile.

How do you determine safety and reach schools?


How to determine safety, target and reach schools

  1. Your child’s most recent high school transcript.
  2. Their SAT or ACT scores (if applicable) or PSAT score with a PSAT to SAT conversion table at hand.
  3. College admissions websites—for the most accurate statistics like admissions rate, average GPA, and average test scores.

How is reach target and safety schools determined?

If, according to the admissions calculator, you have between a 30% and 80% chance of gaining admission, you should categorize the college as on target. If the school has less than a 15% acceptance rate, you should categorize the school as a reach regardless of your GPA and standardized test scores.

What does it take to be a Harvard student?

Average GPA: 4.18

With a GPA of 4.18, Harvard requires you to be at the top of your class. You’ll need nearly straight A’s in all your classes to compete with other applicants. Furthermore, you should be taking hard classes – AP or IB courses – to show that college-level academics is a breeze.

What are students at Harvard like?

Harvard students are generally intellectual, diligent, goal-driven individuals who are not afraid to go up to professors to ask questions or to just chat. My classmates tend to be extremely bright, engaged, analytical, and hard-working, and they have an incredibly wide variety of experiences and interests.

What is required to get into Harvard?

Admissions Overview

Harvard admissions is extremely selective with an acceptance rate of 5%. Students that get into Harvard have an average SAT score between 1460-1570 or an average ACT score of 33-35. The regular admissions application deadline for Harvard is January 1.

Can an average Indian student get into Harvard?

Well, the simple answer is – because it’s Harvard! There are many posts around this topic from a general perspective. Here we have tried to answer this question from an Indian applicant’s perspective. With a thin acceptance rate of around 5%, not every student gets a chance to be at Harvard.

Is it really that hard to get into Harvard?

With an admission rate of 4.0%, Harvard ranks as the third most difficult school to get into. This rate reflects admission into Harvard’s undergraduate school, Harvard College. Some schools at Harvard are even more competitive, such as Harvard Medical School.

Do Ivy Leagues accept average students?

With an average acceptance rate of just above 9%, the Ivy Leagues are among the most selective schools in the World. With that in mind, it makes sense that there are only three types of students who find admission to the Ivy’s: elite students.

Are reach schools worth applying to?

“Applying to a reach school could provide a huge win, or a huge disappointment, but what is important is that it is an opportunity for growth,” he says. Bigham believes students have nothing to lose by giving admissions committees the chance to read their applications.

What is a target school acceptance rate?

A target school puts you in the 40-60% range of acceptance, so like a reach school you can’t count on being admitted, but unlike a reach school, you shouldn’t be surprised if you do.

Should I go to my reach school?

A reach school isn’t necessarily an elite school, but it should be a stretch for you to get in, since it’s at the upper limits of your academic abilities. That being said, admittance to a reach school should still be within the scope of possibility, meaning there’s a real chance you could get in.

Is Harvard a safety school?

Harvard University reported 178 safety-related incidents involving students while on campus in 2019. … Based on a student body of 31,565 that works out to about 5.64 reports per thousand students. In 2019, 2,441 colleges and universities reported fewer incidents per thousand students than did Harvard.

How many safety schools should you have?

Usually, you will want to apply to at least 2 safeties, 4 targets, and 2 reaches. A safety school is a school that you are likely to get into. This generally means that your statistics place you in the top 25% of admitted students. A target school is a college that you have a reasonable chance of attending.

What are safety matches and reaches?

Reach – these are colleges that offer exactly what you are looking for. But, they may be a little difficult to get into, with a 15% to 40% chance of admission. Match – colleges that offer some but not all of what you are looking for would fit into this category.

What does safe fit and reach mean when researching colleges?

Defining match, safety, and reach schools

A safety school is one where you’re almost positive you would be admitted based on your academic profile. … A reach school (or dream school) is one where your academic profile puts you at the lower end of the admitted student spectrum—or perhaps even below.