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05-06-2008, 04:32 PM
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#1 | | Junior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Threads: 2
Posts: 42
| How many schools should I apply to?
I'm not quite sure what a good number is... 10? More? Less? Application fees are a pain, but I'm willing to pay. I'd also like to try my hand at a few Ivies, though they're far reaches for me, so I'd have to add those to colleges I'm more or less likely to get into...
Any advice is appreciated. | 
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05-06-2008, 04:42 PM
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#2 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Maryland Gender: Male
Threads: 11
Posts: 108
| It all depends...
For me, 10 was the right number.
Just get a good number of safeties, matches, and reaches. Make sure you are really interested in every school you apply to. And check to see which schools don't have application fees (Grinnell and Hamilton, to name a few). | 
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05-06-2008, 04:52 PM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA
Threads: 81
Posts: 1,493
| I would recommend you research research and research your schools. Don't just go by the rankings, or strength of program. Although important, it's much more important that the college offers an environment you can see yourself at. If you can't see yourself happy at your safety then you probably haven't found a good safety. Be aware that if you're depending on financial aid, and your parents look wealthy on paper ie more thank 125K a year, then your best bet is to apply to schools that also offer merit aid, just not need based aid. Don't stick yourself to research universities, explore LAC's you might find a better overall fit with some LACs.
One thing to also consider is that although you may think you know for a fact what you would want to major in, don't just pick a school because its strongest in that, make sure that the school is strong overall in most majors.
In general your list shouldn't go over 12, unless you're in a state like California and can just apply to all the UC's with one click. But please research. Don't just throw in Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown, Stanford in your list just because they're Ivies and Top Schools. They're all completely different and will have different feels to them.
Last edited by liek0806 : 05-06-2008 at 05:10 PM.
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05-06-2008, 05:02 PM
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#4 | | Member
Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Dayton OH
Threads: 2
Posts: 706
| DD1 applied to six - two reach, two matches and two safeties. It's important that you be willing to attend ALL your choices; otherwise why apply? If you're not willing to attend the school then it's not a safety. | |
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05-06-2008, 05:36 PM
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#5 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: ATL Gender: Male
Threads: 6
Posts: 163
| I think 2 reaches, 2 safeties, and anywhere from 3-6 matches is a good choice. | |
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05-06-2008, 05:38 PM
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#6 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Threads: 13
Posts: 132
| How many schools you apply to in part depends on how good your state's universities are. For instance, if you live in California, I would recommend that you only apply to the schools that are worth going to instead of getting in-state tuition at UC-Berkeley or UCLA. | |
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05-06-2008, 06:42 PM
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#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Threads: 68
Posts: 2,343
| I applied to 10 and regretted wasting the time and money.
I think 6 would have been a better number (2 safeties, 2 matches, 2 reaches).
I also agree with lgellar. If you live in a state with good publics, the rule of thumb is: don't apply to outside schools unless the quality is good enough to justify spending the extra money (this will ensure that the schools you do apply to are schools that are actually worth the investment). | |
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05-06-2008, 06:48 PM
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#8 | | Junior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Threads: 2
Posts: 42
| I live in MN, and the U is a decent school, but not one I want to go to. 50,000 is a little too big for me. | |
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05-06-2008, 06:53 PM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Threads: 68
Posts: 2,343
| Ahhh..understandable. | |
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05-06-2008, 06:59 PM
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#10 | | Junior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Threads: 7
Posts: 56
| I plan on applying to 10.
5 "reaches" 2 "matches" and 3 "safes"
though most of my reaches are like 50/50
and my safeties should be 95/5 | |
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05-06-2008, 07:03 PM
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#11 | | Junior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Threads: 2
Posts: 42
| See, my problem is that most of the schools I want to apply to happen to be reaches, but I want to add more matches, too, to make sure I at least get in *somewhere*. LOL. | |
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05-06-2008, 07:05 PM
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#12 | | Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Threads: 50
Posts: 410
| Apply to at least 6 schools: 2 reaches, 2 matches and 2 safeties. Try to find a school you think you will get in that has rolling admissions (ex. U. of Pittsburgh, U. of Michigan) because if you hear a yes response early, you will feel better while waiting for other responses. Really think about what you want to study and look for a close fit of program/interests. Look at the on-line applications and see how much time you want to put into these applications. Some are really quick and easy and others (Stanford, for ex.)
take a long time to complete. Start your essay this summer. | |
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05-06-2008, 07:11 PM
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#13 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Threads: 1
Posts: 1,882
| My son started with a big list but early action and rolling decisions cut things down tremendously. Once you have a safety and a match from there, you can just focus on the chance schools, and then it is up to you as to how many you can handle. | |
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05-06-2008, 07:13 PM
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#14 | | Junior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Threads: 2
Posts: 42
| >>Start your essay this summer.
Aren't the essays written in answer to certain prompts? | |
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05-06-2008, 07:15 PM
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#15 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA
Threads: 81
Posts: 1,493
| savs what is your list of schools now. we might be able to help you find schools that aren't all reaches based on your interests. | |
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