There's no such thing as a "safety" school

How many of you have heard of a college list being referred to as safety, likely, and reach?

I want to challenge parents and counselors to start thinking about the way we talk to students about college, because these words are really important, and there actually is no such thing as a safety school.

That’s the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

I also don’t like to talk about schools like MIT and UPenn as a “reach,” because it’s not just right within their grasp for the majority of students applying. These are highly qualified candidates applying (See “High Flyers”) to highly selective schools. Highly selective schools routinely reject 75 percent of high school valedictorians.

In the industry, we call this list of schools “likely, target, and unlikely.” When working with students, explaining it to them in that way sets up a mindset for them that helps them to build a diversified list and put together a strategic plan that sets them up for success.