BS/MD Admissions by College Admissions Partners

Making Medical School Dreams a Reality

  • Home
  • Testimonials
  • 11 Steps to Become the Strongest BS/MD Candidate.
  • Contact College Admissions Partners
  • Resources
  • Services
  • BS/MD Admissions
  • Parents
  • Student
  • Meet the College Admission Consultant
  • Free Consultation
  • Blog
  • Campaigns
  • Sitemap
  • #6868 (no title)

Making Medical School Dreams a Reality

  • Home
  • BS/MD
    Admissions
  • Resources
    • Admissions
    • Application Process
    • College of the Month
    • College Rankings
    • Info to Know
    • Services
    • Admissions Timeline
    • Transfer Help
    • Weekly Resource
  • Free
    Consultation
  • About Us
    • Todd Johnson
    • Kelley Anne Johnson
    • Do You Need Help?
    • How Do We Help Your Student?
    • College Admissions Partners in the Media
    • Testimonials
  • Blog

Posted on 05.29.14 by Todd Johnson 0 Comment

What Does Reach, Match and Safety Mean

3431203874_d0ec158204_mReach, match and safety are terms often used in the college admissions world to describe a student’s chances of acceptance into a college. What do these terms actually mean?

A reach college is one in which it is unlikely that you will be admitted. This might be because your grades and test scores are in the bottom 25% of scores typically accepted by that college. A college might also be a reach because it accepts so few students. In general terms, I tell students that if a college accepts less than 30% of the students who apply, it should be considered a reach for everyone.  A college might also be a reach even if you have good grades and test scores if you don’t have strong extracurricular activities.

A match college is one in which your grades and test scores are consistent with the middle 50% of grades and test scores typically accepted by that college. This is particularly true for those colleges that commonly accept between 30 and 60% of the students who apply.

A safety college is one in which you are quite confident that you will be admitted because your grades and test scores are in the top 25% of that colleges typical grades and test scores. These colleges will commonly have greater than 70% acceptance rates.

All of these are broad generalizations and what is a reach school for one student might be a safety for another. The important thing to understand is that in applying to colleges, you MUST make sure that you are applying to some colleges that for you are a pretty sure thing. Otherwise you may be scrambling in May of your senior year trying to find colleges that are still accepting students.

And trust me, you don’t want to be that kid.

You can trust us to help you find the best college for your needs. We offer a FREE 1/2 hour consultation to discuss your needs for college admissions counseling. Give us a call now at 888-970-BSMD(2763) or drop us an email.

Categories: College Admissions Counseling, College Selection Tags: College Selection

Todd Johnson's avatar

Todd Johnson

Todd Johnson is the founder of College Admissions Partners. Todd regularly teaches other independent college admissions counselors and is the country's leading expert in BS/MD admissions. He is also the author of a best selling book on BS/MD admissions.

Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

02.21.23

2023 Edition of the Book is Now Available

07.07.22

Do You Need A Competitive Research Program?

07.05.22

Do You Need To Start A Club?

06.30.22

Does It Matter Who You Shadow?

Categories

  • Accelerated Medical Program
  • Activities
  • Admissions
  • Applications
  • BS/MD Programs
  • College Admissions Counseling
  • College Application
  • College Financial Aid
  • College of the Month
  • College Planning
  • College Selection
  • College Testing
  • Doctor Shadowing
  • Essays
  • General Information
  • Interviews
  • Medical School
  • Pre-med
  • Research
  • Specific Programs

Email Sign-up

Get the latest updates delivered straight to your inbox.

Contact Us

32039 Danbury Ave.
Northfield, Minnesota 55057
888-970-BSMD(2763)
Email: todd@collegeadmissionspartners.com or
collegeadmitguy@gmail.

Resources

  • Admissions
  • Application Process
  • College Rankings
  • Info to Know
  • Admissions Timeline

About Us

  • Meet Todd Johnson
  • Meet Kelley Johnson
  • Do You Need Help?
  • How Do We Help Your Student?
  • College Admissions Partners in the Media
  • Testimonials

Sitemap | Website by Web Savvy Marketing

© 2006 – 2018 College Admissions Counseling