When applying to study in the United States, choosing a school is very important, very core and crucial. The U.S. school selection is the same as the domestic application, and applicants are selected according to their own conditions to select three types of colleges as application targets: sprint colleges, matching colleges and guaranteed colleges.
However, with the surge in the number of overseas students, the improvement of the quality of school education and the impact of many aspects, many schools that feel that they are "guaranteed" have become "spare tires" that cannot be climbed.
Why should I apply for a guaranteed school?
As the name suggests, a guaranteed school is a school that combines the conditions of students and has a relatively high probability of admission. First of all, the guaranteed school is not a bad school, it is the school that the applicant is the most suitable and confident to apply to. Applying for a guaranteed school is because the sprint school is not necessarily reliable, and the matching school is not necessarily insured, so we have to list the guaranteed school on the list, so that students have several reliable options when applying.
How to choose a guaranteed school?
First of all, applicants should delineate the list of schools to apply for according to their standardized scores and comprehensive ability, and then if they want to estimate the admission estimate more accurately, they must look up the admission information and data on the university website, especially the statistics of the students admitted in the previous year, to evaluate their probability of being admitted, so as to determine the guaranteed schools, matching colleges and sprint colleges.
Sprint schools generally refer to schools that are highly ranked, famous, and demanding, and there is still a gap between them and their own strength, and they may be admitted if they are lucky, while matching schools refer to those schools whose admission requirements are flat or slightly higher in previous years, and they may be admitted if they work hard and are lucky. To determine whether a school is right for you, you can compare your own conditions with the average admission data of the previous year. If your academic qualifications and comprehensive ability are much higher than that range, then the chances of admission are relatively high.
If your school grades and standardized scores are higher than 50% of the students admitted in the previous year, and the acceptance rate of the college or university is not low, then this school is more suitable to be a "guaranteed school". Of course, factors such as class rank, academic experience, internships, competition experience, volunteer activities, extracurricular activities, etc., are also important evaluation criteria.
There are many factors that need to be considered when choosing a university in the United States. Based on 14 years of experience in applying to study in the United States, we have summarized the following points for your reference.
1. The number is not much, it is really "guaranteed"
The first criterion for choosing a guaranteed school is to ensure that it is really "guaranteed". Applicants should make scientific choices based on their comprehensive ability, the major they are applying for, the SAT, GPA, and acceptance rate of the school in previous years. We generally recommend that students apply to 8 to 10 colleges, 2 to 3 of which are guaranteed school options, and the others are sprint or match schools.
2. Matakiji
To choose a school that I feel is only a little regretful, but I will never regret it. Note that although you can't have it both ways, the "guaranteed school" must have advantages and characteristics that suit and attract you, otherwise even if you are admitted, you will have regrets when you go.
The guaranteed school should also be a school that you are very fond of. Therefore, the guaranteed school is by no means improvised, but in the fierce competition, give yourself a reassurance, and the guarantee is not a lowering of the standard.
3. Light Ranking, Heavy Matching
Nowadays, various rankings are flying, and the rankings "quantify" the quality of higher education that is difficult to measure, and can help quickly screen university information and build awareness, which is its more positive side. However, in many cases, rankings also interfere with normal school selection judgments, and many families who do not know about American universities often miss out on many "treasure" universities because of rankings.
We would like to remind students who are going to study in the United States that they should pay attention to the school selection strategy, and each school has different advantages, as well as different admission preferences and standards for students, so you should not underestimate the difficulty of applying for a "guaranteed school". Do your school research before applying, and consult with a professional if necessary.