Reach, Target, Likely
Last week we wrote about decision rounds. This week we’re keeping the vocabulary lesson going by talking about the terms we use in list-building. It’s still a little dry... and still super important.
When we build a list for a student, we break schools into three categories: Reach (2-3 schools), Target (2-3 schools), and Likely (2-3 schools). For some students we add a fourth category: Wild Card. The single most important thing to note for these categories is that the schools in them will be different for every student. What determines this? Mostly academic fit. Translation: a student’s grades, overall GPA, and test scores. (We know, does the SAT still matter?! The short answer is it’s complicated. The longer answer is that it still matters when we’re building a list.)
So how do we define Reach, Target, Likely, and Wild Card? It starts by looking at a school’s statistics and asking, can this student get in? Or as admissions officers put it, is this student viable? And not only does GPA matter for this, but GPA in the specific high school’s curriculum matters… admissions officers know the difference between a 3.4 in all honors and AP classes at your high school and a 3.4 in general.
For a Reach school, we say a student has a chance of getting in, i.e. is viable, if her GPA is at the bottom of the average range for admitted students. The important thing here is that her GPA is still in the range of those of accepted students. Someone with a 3.2 GPA probably won’t be offered admission to a school where the average GPA of accepted students is a 3.89.
A Target school is one where a student’s GPA falls right in range with the average of recently admitted students. That same student with a 3.2 GPA is much more likely to be admitted to a school where the average GPA for accepted students is between 3.1 and 3.3.
A Likely school is one where a student’s GPA is at the very top or above the average of the most recently admitted class. A student with a 3.7 GPA has a high likelihood of admission to a school where the average GPA of admitted students is a 3.0.
The last category, Wild Card, is what we term Ivies and other uber-competitive elite schools; pretty much anything with an acceptance rate of under 15-20%. These are schools that could fill their incoming classes five times over with students boasting 4.0 GPAs, amazing activities, and brilliant personal statements. (Did you know that in 2019 50% of high school students graduated with a 4.0 GPA?!)
So where do test scores come in? Even though most schools are staying test optional for this admissions cycle, it can still be helpful to look at their average test scores when assessing a student’s viability. Again, looking to see where a student’s scores fall within a college’s range will help evaluate viability, even if that student chooses not to submit those scores. If I scored a 1060 on my SAT and the average SAT score for my dream school is 1400, well… that’s an indication that my chances of getting in are on the slimmer end. If my transcript (not just my grades but my grades in a challenging curriculum) and activities are outstanding, my letters of recommendation amazing, and my personal statement is well written, compelling, and tells a great story then admission is possible. And this is where we come in...
We love building lists for our clients and we love helping them put together their strongest applications possible. The best time to get started is in the fall of junior year... Send an email to info@yourmayfirst.com or call (617.447.0186) and let’s chat.
