@ucbalumnus re: 16
Of course. I tell kids repeatedly that they need to be able to afford – without too much debt – each school to which they apply.
That way they won’t get stuck with the heartbreaking situation of being admitted to a school they’d really like to attend but cannot afford.
Regarding the 0% chance – I’m not sure there’s ever a 0% chance if a kid applies. Maybe 0.00001%, but miracles occasionally happen in admissions. Maybe I should change the “high reach” range from 0-5% to 0.00001% to 5%. 