How do you measure your chances for admission at a given school?  This is based on several factors.  Some factors are more objectively measurable in the college applications process than others.  The easily measured factors include: 

• Your GPA 
• Your tests scores on ACT, SAT, Subject Tests and AP   

Less measurable, but also important to your college application are: 

• The quality (rigor) of your course schedule 
• Your resume of activities, work, and other experiences 
• Contributions you made to your community 
• Your love of learning 
• Your life’s experiences 

 Using Measurable Factors 

Check admissions data for each college on your list.  Look at the range of SAT or ACT scores, and GPA’s.  Your test scores will put you in one of three zones for the college: green, yellow or red. 

 What puts a school in your GREEN zone? 

• your test scores are in the top 25% of students 
• the college has acceptance rates of 60-100% 

 What puts a school in your YELLOW zone? 

• your test scores are in the mid 50% range, along with most other students 
• the college has an acceptance rate of 20-60% 

 What puts a school in your RED zone? 

• your test scores are lower than the average scores at the college 
• the college has a low acceptance rate (typically under 20%)  

 How many schools should you have in each zone? 

• 1-4 in the GREEN zone.  These are your SURE BETS or SAFETY colleges. For schools in this zone you can often expect to receive merit scholarship awards. 
• 2-5 in the YELLOW zone.  These are your EXPECTED or TARGET colleges.  A majority of your college list should be in this zone.  It is your sweet spot for college admissions. 
• 1-3 in the RED zone.  These are your REACH colleges.  This is where immeasurable factors can be very influential. 

Take Action 

Use My Chances to do a final check of your college list.  Note: My Chances is not a guarantee or a prediction of admission.  It is a comparison of data.  However, it’s a useful tool in gauging whether you have a balance of colleges from the different zones.    

Follow these steps to check your zones: 

1. Make sure your test scores are up to date in GuidedPath.  
2. View My Chances under Colleges.  
3. Change “Display All” to “My Colleges”.  
4. Count how many of your colleges are in the Red, Yellow and Green zones.  
5. Adjust your list if needed!