Organizing your college list into Reach, Target, and Safety categories helps ensure you have options you're excited about at every level of selectivity.
Use your school's Naviance or Scoir account to view scattergrams - these show where students from YOUR school with similar profiles were admitted.
| Category | What It Means | How Many? | |----------|---------------|-----------| | Reach | Acceptance rate under 25% OR your stats are below the 25th percentile | 4-6 schools | | Target | Your stats are within the middle 50% of admitted students | 4-6 schools | | Safety | Your stats are at or above the 75th percentile AND you'd genuinely love to attend | 2-3 schools |
For safety schools, ask yourself: "Could I name 3 things I love about this school beyond its acceptance rate?" If yes, it's a good safety. If not, keep looking!
10-15 schools total is the sweet spot - enough options without overwhelming yourself during application season.
BigFuture College Search - great for comparing admission statistics
No room for slipping
Junior Year
Continue intensive prep
Junior Year
Maintain grades through end
Junior Year
Use net price calculators
Junior Year
Document summer accomplishments
Junior Year