<p>@boardingjunkie You weren’t disrespectful at all - I realize now that I have heard of “A better chance” and should have put two and two together. I just hadn’t heard it referred to by that ABC acronym before. It is a great program - they identify talented kids who SHOULD be at these schools - I agree with you that they don’t “get them in” - Kids in that program deserve to get in. Every young teenager needs an advocate as well as talent.</p>
<p>@mrnephew Not many people do this but some do. I have a friend who applied to Hotchkiss, Deerfield and Loomis Chaffee. She was accepted at Hotchkiss and Deerfield but wait listed at Loomis. You can be obvious that a school is a safety without actually saying it. A lot of schools have a limit on who they can accept, so they decline people who are “over qualified”. </p>
<p>Well, they’re going into it the wrong way. Loomis isn’t a safety. Not even close. </p>
<p>Of course they have a limit on who they accept. And if people choose not to go to that school, that’s when they utilize the waitlist.</p>
<p>Any school can be a safety for someone, to some extent.</p>
<p>@mrnephew, I had been referencing your comment</p>
<p>: “If you do this, that probably indicates that you’re a snobby, fed up imbecile. Not very many people do this, either.” </p>
<p>I felt it was a bit snarky.</p>
<p>If you read it in context, it’s completely justified.</p>
<p>@mrnephew @grandscheme:
I feel like only the applicant himself can determine which school he considers a safety school.</p>
<p>Not all applicants judge and rank their schools based on factors such as matriculation or SAT scores. When I applied, my safety schools were schools that I believed I had a higher chance of getting into; schools that weren’t necessarily my first choice. “First-tier” schools can still be some applicants’ safety schools. We shouldn’t make generalizations.</p>
<p>Yeah, my parents considered Loomis as my safety.</p>
<p>It’s not a generalization. The only people who can consider Loomis as a safety are the ones who know without doubt that they would get accepted to any school. And what your definition of a safety school was to you is the actual definition of a safety school. </p>
<p>Yeah, safety schools are different for everyone. I had a few obvious safeties, then some schools that I thought I would most likely get into, then my reach schools. For someone, loomis could be a reach school, and for someone else, that could be a no-brainer safety.
It’s all relative to what the person thinks they can handle 
</p>
<p>I still don’t think a school with < 30% school can be considered a safety. Saying Loomis is. Safety is like saying Berkeley is a safety. </p>
<p>On M10 I saw one kid lamenting over being waitlisted at their “safety,” Concord, which has an admit rate of 30%. (<a href=“http://www.concordacademy.org/about/facts/index.aspx”>http://www.concordacademy.org/about/facts/index.aspx</a>)</p>
<p>For those of us exploring colleges, it is tame here compared to what students are listing as their safeties on the college forums.</p>
<p>@skieurope I think I found the thread you’re referring to. Neil deGrasse Tyson? :-S B-) </p>
<p>@Stargirl3 That was one of many, yes. 8-| </p>
<p>I have a running list of names that I’m going to see if they post their actual acceptances come December and March. >:) </p>
<p>This prep school forum is nice compared to the college ones. So much more civilized, no insulting people without justification. </p>
<p>@mrnephew I wouldn’t say there’s none… :p</p>
<p>Well, there are exceptions to every rule.</p>
<p>@mrnephew: Actually, my parents consider BOTH Loomis and Berkeley safeties, which is slightly weird. :P</p>
<p>I still think it depends on the student and what kind of credentials they have. Some people can’t even hope to get into state colleges, and for some, state colleges could almost be beneath what they are able to handle. Of course Loomis is an incredible school and anyone should be lucky to go there, but even If I say UofM is my safety (which it is), I still respect the school and would be delighted to get accepted there. :)</p>