reach/match/safety definitions

hiker
Mon, 10 Jul 2006 14:23:17 +0000

Sorry if this is repetitive for CC, but is there consensus on what odds people mean when they say “reach” “match” and “safety”?

I assume “match” means the applicant matches the stats and general EC caliber of the average admit from prior year(s). But I suspect not everyone with those creds gets in and you never know what that year’s applic pool will look like for a particular major/program, so what odds does “match” usually mean?

Reach: 20% or less?
Match: 50-60%?
Safety: 90-100%?

This is probably way too scientific an approach for a squishy thing. My left brain is just trying to get a sense of it.

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