What do I do if my chances are pretty low for a lot of schools on my list?
Answered
5 answers
Assuming your schools are competitive, a 40% chance of getting in is actually pretty good. Like if the average acceptance rate for a school is 10%, then 40% is actually 4x higher than average.
Although, you definitely should have a balance of reach, target, and safety schools on your list. Anything below 40% is basically reach category. You could try to add some target schools (maybe 2-4) where you have 40-70%, and also a few safety schools where you have close to a 100% chance of getting accepted. This way you don’t end up in a situation where you get into literally no schools, which happened to a girl in the grade above me. The school list thing here is pretty good at showing you schools based on your chances that you can add to your school list.
I really agree with trackmaster82. Remember that you're applying to a bunch of schools and so those probabilities across like 8 schools can yield a few acceptances (statistics ftw!). Also remember that there is some randomness in the decision (like if an AO is having a bad day or just doesn't like your essay) -- you'll never see over like 60% chances for very competitive schools individually for that reason (but again, across a few schools that randomness can cancel out). Good luck!!!
Have a good mix of competetive schools, and maybe choose around 3 safety schools that you'd feel comfortable applying to. I'm using myself as an example. So I would apply to
Reach schools:
UC Berkeley
Brown
Target Schools
UCLA
UCSB
UCD
UCI
Safety Schools:
SJSU
UCSC
Make sure you actually would want to go to your safety school picks. They don't have to be your top 5, but just make sure you're comfortable with them.
Here is the thing to remember: If you apply to a bunch of schools and chances like 40%, then like @trackmaster82 said, you can probably have a very good chance of getting in.
I am applying to a range of safety schools, target schools, and two very unlikely schools (USC and Duke University). It is nearly impossible for me to get into those two schools, but I figure that I'll try to get in. What do I have to lose? (Besides $80 dollars an application, some of my remaining sanity, and several hours of my time...)