@izrk02 I applied to more reaches because I go to a competitive HS where applying to these schools is pretty common to do. I assumed that UCSC, CSULB, NEU, and CSPLO were safeties. Many people in my school had higher stats than I did, so I had to apply more to raise my chances. But, in hindsight, applying to too many could have also severely diminished the quality of my essays.