<p>typical ccer… top 2% out of 550, 2180 (probably will retake), 9 APs by senior year, solid, focused ec’s… etc</p>
<p>looking for safeties or low matches of any size, within at least an hour from a major urban area, preferably on either coast or near one. good bio/business programs… for reference, i’m looking at pomona, ucla, ucsd, emory, wake, brown, columbia</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>Generally speaking, and not counting your likability factor (which really is a big deal for Top 20 schools), your stats fit into USNWR 20-40 for Match. You can probably reach into 2-3 schools within the 10-20 range as well.</p>
<p>If your school is known to be high quality, then top 2% would propel you into a match for say 15-25, and a reach into 7-15 where you’d likely get a couple of offers. If your school is average at best, then match would be 25-35, and reach would be 15-25.</p>
<p>So based on your list, Pomona is a reach, as is Brown and Columbia.</p>
<p>UCLA, Emory, and Wake are matches (by match I mean 50-65% probability). UCSD is a wildcard because they use a strange formula which disadvantages upper middle class suburban applicants with two parents in the home (that is to say, gives lots and lots of extra points in the formula for single parent, lousy school, life challenges, etc…)</p>
<p>William and Mary is not an hour from a major metropolitan area, but it might be a good match, along with UNC.</p>
<p>USC fits the bill as a match/reach. Berkeley ditto. Rice in Houston is metropolitan but not either coast obviously. (well, Gulf Coast 
) . Throw in Northwestern which is Great Lakes Coast – and who needs a coast when you have Chicago?</p>
<p>my school is probably in between high quality and average - public hs in fairfield county, ct. thanks for all your help!</p>
<p>pomona, ucla, ucsd, emory, wake, brown, columbia</p>
<p>Pomona, Brown, and Columbia do not have business.</p>