How many schools to apply?

Momwaitingfornew
Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:14:18 +0000

I think that there’s a huge fear factor before applying to grad school, which is why so many of the above applied to 7-10 programs. Only in retrospect did those individuals feel it was too many. I’m sure that everyone on the applying side is wondering how many people thought, “Thank God I applied to 10 programs!” They don’t want to be the students who applied to five programs and didn’t get in anywhere. I don’t think there’s any way of tempering that anxiety.

And unlike in undergraduate admissions, I think it’s more difficult to determine the reach-match-safety levels. Yes, applicants probably know the top programs in their field, but they don’t know what it takes to get in. And the next tier is often more fuzzy.

I’m watching my daughter go through this now. She has not a clue what is within her reach and what is not. All she knows is what she wants to study.