A balanced college application strategy includes a thoughtful mix of "stretch," "sweet spot," and "safety" schools. Stretch schools are those where a student’s academic profile falls somewhat below the typical admitted student, offering exciting possibilities but lower admission odds. Sweet spot schools represent strong matches where the student’s qualifications align well with the institution’s typical admitted profile, providing good chances of acceptance at places they’d genuinely enjoy attending. Safety schools are those where admission is highly likely based on the student’s credentials, offering security and peace of mind throughout the process.
This three-tiered approach helps manage expectations while maximizing opportunities, ensuring students have excellent options regardless of how selective institutions make their decisions. The ideal application list includes schools in each category that the student would genuinely be happy to attend, avoiding the common mistake of selecting safety schools without authentic interest or stretch schools without realistic consideration of fit.
Based on what we know about Emerson, here are your top 10 schools. This may not be an exhaustive list, and you may want to add or subtract schools based on Emerson’s preferences, these are our recommendations:
*The 🔷 emoji next to colleges are your choices!Do you have any questions about your report?