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It used to be, in my day, (the Dark Ages), that the top students with families that supported even the applications to anything other than local venues, applied to a reach, a match and a safety. We all pretty much focused on the match, hoping we would get accepted there, considered the reach a lottery ticket and did not discuss it or think much about it except as wishful thinking, and knew that the ol' safety was there if something went wrong with the match or the money did not work out for it. The safety was usually a commuter school that was dirt cheap and we knew was affordable.
Now these days, kids apply to a lot of reaches, and they and their families focus on them. Not only do they assume acceptance to one, they want to get into a list of them! Getting into a reach is winning a lottery. Yes, you can mathematically improve your odds by applying to a slew of them, but understand that getting into any one of them can still be an abysmally low chance, and due to the way it works in holistic admissions, you may well be overstating your chances.
That's why the most important schools on anyone's lists are the safeties. FInding a safety that fits your needs and that you like is the hardest part of the college search. Anyone can dream and loll off the names of the ivies and throw them on a list. Heck, the list is right there to cherry pick. It's finding the lesser known schools that are also affordable that have what the student wants and needs is where it is tough hunting and picking.
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