How to identify a reach college?

I'm working on my college list and I've heard about reach, match, and safety schools. What exactly is a reach college and how do I know which colleges would be considered reach schools for me?

A reach college is a school where your academic profile and extracurricular achievements are below or at the lower end of the range of admitted students, making it more challenging for you to gain admission. Identifying reach schools for your college list requires a comparison of your academic profile with the average profile of admitted students at each college you're considering.

Here's a step-by-step process for identifying reach schools:

1. Gather your academic information: Gather details about your GPA, class rank (if available), SAT/ACT scores, and the rigor of your coursework (e.g., the number of AP or IB courses you've taken).

2. Research colleges of interest: Begin researching colleges that you may be interested in and find statistics on their admitted student profiles. This information can generally be found on the college's website or on college search platforms.

3. Compare your stats: Compare your academic profile to the published ranges of admitted students at the schools you're interested in. Pay attention to the 25th and 75th percentiles for GPA and test scores, if available.

4. Evaluate extracurricular activities: Consider the competitiveness of your extracurricular activities based on the 4 Tiers of Extracurriculars (https://blog.collegevine.com/breaking-down-the-4-tiers-of-extracurricular-activities/). Many selective colleges look for students with outstanding achievements in a chosen area or "spike" alongside their strong academic profile.

5. Determine if a school is a reach: If your academic profile or extracurricular achievements are below or at the lower end of the published ranges of admitted students, or if the overall acceptance rate is very low, the college would likely be considered a reach school for you.

Keep in mind that reach schools aren't impossible to get into; they just present a more significant challenge. It's advisable to include a balanced mix of reach, match, and safety schools in your college list to increase your chances of getting into a college that's a good fit for you. Ensure that you're not limiting your application options to only reach schools, but also not underestimating your potential by only applying to safety schools.