Reach / Target / Likely Assignment Sheet

Assign a tier here. Definitions and profile mixes live in reach, target, and likely college lists. Ivy Ready uses Likely, not Safety, because no school is truly safe. The starter dump and the research scorecard are sibling worksheets. Reach: GPA or test at or below the 25th percentile, or acceptance under 15%. Target: both stats in the middle 50% and acceptance about 20-50%. Likely: both stats above the 75th percentile and acceptance above 50%.

Pick your Blog profile (then copy that mix)

There is no single 2-4 / 4-6 / 2-4 rule. Use the row that matches you from the linked Blog.

• Highly selective primary goals (Ivy/T20), strong stats: 3-5 Reach / 3-5 Target / 2-3 Likely (8-13 total)
• Merit-aid dependent: 1-2 Reach / 4-5 Target (strong merit at your stats) / 3-4 Likely with a real merit award (8-11 total)
• Stats still developing (GPA trending up, test TBD): 1-2 Reach / 3-4 Target / 3-4 Likely (7-10 total)
• First-generation, limited research/visit capacity: 0-1 Reach / 3-4 Target / 3-4 Likely (6-9 total)
• Strong profile with clear target schools: 2-3 Reach / 3-4 Target / 2 Likely (7-9 total)

• Recommended Reach / Target / Likely counts for the row I picked:

Assign one tier per school

Use names from your starter list. One radio per row.

Mix check

• Reach count:
• Target count:
• Likely count:

• My counts sit inside the Blog row I picked, or I wrote why they do not
• I have at least one Likely (no list with zero Likelies)
• I would attend every Likely
• This is not an all-Reach list
• I did not call a school Likely without checking Common Data Set 25th / 75th percentiles

First names live on the starter worksheet. For help, work with an Ivy Ready expert.

Book a consult →