Are the stories true?

I think you are overreacting to what your counselor and others are telling you. With those stats, you have a pretty good shot to get into OSU, but by no means do you, or anyone else, have a 100% chance of getting accepted. With that said, your counselor just wants you to look into safety schools if by chance you don’t get accepted. Look at this thread for seniors applying to OSU: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ohio-state-university-columbus/2107811-admissions-decisions-class-of-2023-p1.html