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What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:19 pm
by lalalawya
What is considered a "reach?"
There are a couple of schools where I am slightly above the 25%, but LSACs ABA-predictor has my chance for admittance between 44-54%. Is this a reach? The chance for admissions seems a little high for it to be a true reach, but I am below both medians so I don't know...

Safety?
I am above 75% for LSAT and at median for GPA. ABA predictor has my chance for admissions as 90%

Target?
A school that I am at the median for LSAT but below median for GPA has the prediction of about 65-73%...a chance of 65% seems a little low for it to be a "true" target...

Thoughts?

Thank ya!

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:21 pm
by whymeohgodno
Below both medians = Reach

Hit both medians = Target

Hit both 75th = Safety

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:22 pm
by Barbie
I've been accepted to my targets, which had my only at 55% or so for acceptance. I don't read much into LSP though. If you're @ the medians it's a target. If you're below one median its a reach, if you're below both medians (or way below one) its a huge reach, and if you're above both medians, then I would call it a safety.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:28 pm
by lalalawya
Barbie wrote:I've been accepted to my targets, which had my only at 55% or so for acceptance. I don't read much into LSP though. If you're @ the medians it's a target. If you're below one median its a reach, if you're below both medians (or way below one) its a huge reach, and if you're above both medians, then I would call it a safety.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. The predictor through LSAC confused me though, which is why I was wanting to hear opinions. I was confused as to why they had me at a 50% chance for a school I am below both medians for. Thanks for your input!

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:29 pm
by Grizz
Barbie wrote:I've been accepted to my targets, which had my only at 55% or so for acceptance. I don't read much into LSP though. If you're @ the medians it's a target. If you're below one median its a reach, if you're below both medians (or way below one) its a huge reach, and if you're above both medians, then I would call it a safety.
This.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:29 pm
by whymeohgodno
lalalawya wrote:
Barbie wrote:I've been accepted to my targets, which had my only at 55% or so for acceptance. I don't read much into LSP though. If you're @ the medians it's a target. If you're below one median its a reach, if you're below both medians (or way below one) its a huge reach, and if you're above both medians, then I would call it a safety.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. The predictor through LSAC confused me though, which is why I was wanting to hear opinions. I was confused as to why they had me at a 50% chance for a school I am below both medians for. Thanks for your input!
ABA predictor hasn't updated its medians.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:56 pm
by dissonance1848
If you are above the LSAT 75% and below the 25% GPA of a school, is that like being around both of the school's medians?

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:57 pm
by whymeohgodno
dissonance1848 wrote:If you are above the LSAT 75% and below the 25% GPA of a school, is that like being around both of the school's medians?
No, it means you are a splitter and depending on the school it could mean you stand a good shot or you should expect an auto reject.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:57 pm
by glitter178
dissonance1848 wrote:If you are above the LSAT 75% and below the 25% GPA of a school, is that like being around both of the school's medians?
no. that makes you a splitter. some schools like splitters and others don't.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:00 pm
by beachbum
dissonance1848 wrote:If you are above the LSAT 75% and below the 25% GPA of a school, is that like being around both of the school's medians?
Depends on the school. For splitters, use LSN to determine reaches/targets/safeties. For example, I'm way below WUSTL's GPA median, but I still consider it a (relative) safety.

Lots of green around your numbers = safety
Mix of green/yellow = target
Mostly yellow/red = reach

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:07 pm
by dissonance1848
I guess then that the schools I am applying to are targets/reaches.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:50 pm
by Gotti
this sucks. i'm a reverse splitter (3.95/164) and all my schools are reaches. fail.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 7:04 pm
by Grizz
Gotti wrote:this sucks. i'm a reverse splitter (3.95/164) and all my schools are reaches. fail.
For reverse splitters, TCR is almost always retake.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 7:05 pm
by Ragged
whymeohgodno wrote:Below both medians = Reach

Hit both medians = Target

Hit both 75th = Safety
That's a good rule of thumb.

Also, for being above/below its somewhere between a target and a reach. It depends on what and by how much. Seems like schools put more weight on the LSAT so being below LSAT median is tougher to overcome (more of a reach) than being below GPA (more of a target).

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 7:46 pm
by Gotti
rad law wrote:
Gotti wrote:this sucks. i'm a reverse splitter (3.95/164) and all my schools are reaches. fail.
For reverse splitters, TCR is almost always retake.

that's my 2nd retake from 163

PS what's TCR?

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 7:58 pm
by Ragged
Gotti wrote:
rad law wrote:
Gotti wrote:this sucks. i'm a reverse splitter (3.95/164) and all my schools are reaches. fail.
For reverse splitters, TCR is almost always retake.

that's my 2nd retake from 163

PS what's TCR?
The Credited Response. Its often preceeded by This Is, so you might also see TITCR.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 7:59 pm
by Grizz
Gotti wrote:
rad law wrote:
Gotti wrote:this sucks. i'm a reverse splitter (3.95/164) and all my schools are reaches. fail.
For reverse splitters, TCR is almost always retake.

that's my 2nd retake from 163

PS what's TCR?
The correct response.

Retake again or ED to UVA yesterday.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:02 pm
by egeffin
What would being below the median but above the 25% in GPA and at or above the 75% in LSAT?

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:07 pm
by Ragged
egeffin wrote:What would being below the median but above the 25% in GPA and at or above the 75% in LSAT?
Target.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:36 am
by JJDancer
This might be silly but how precisely does one need to hit the median for targets?

Ex: LS's median is 3.67. Is having a 3.6x "hitting the median" or does it literally need to be 3.67 or higher?

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:38 am
by edubs003
The Kaplan book I have says "reach is below 40% chance, target is 40-80%, and safety is 80%" chance of admission. I'm guessing that they're getting those from the applicant profiles.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:39 am
by Ragged
JJDancer wrote:This might be silly but how precisely does one need to hit the median for targets?

Ex: LS's median is 3.67. Is having a 3.6x "hitting the median" or does it literally need to be 3.67 or higher?
Its the latter.

Re: What is a reach? a safety? a target?

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:39 am
by whymeohgodno
JJDancer wrote:This might be silly but how precisely does one need to hit the median for targets?

Ex: LS's median is 3.67. Is having a 3.6x "hitting the median" or does it literally need to be 3.67 or higher?
You need to hit it.