How many schools to apply?

targetwalmart
Fri, 29 May 2009 15:59:55 +0000

The ideal number might vary. It depends on:
a) how much time you have
b) your stats
c) research focus
d) your values (e.g. location, prestige, etc)
e) many more

Examples:
Someone with a lot of time and without a specific research topic in mind could apply to 10+ schools. Conversely, an applicant who has a defined research project and currently working non-stop/in school should concentrate in applying to selected programs with PIs in your chosen topic.

On the other hand, applicants with top notch GPA, GRE, Pubs and LOR have the luxury to apply only to 4-5 schools. For most of us, it’s safe to apply to (at least) 1 ‘maybe accepted - well qualified’, 4-5 ‘most likely accepted’, 1-2 ‘very likely to be the top applicant.’

To comment on previous posts regarding ‘only apply to school where you would be happy’ - I partially agree. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to predict your future happiness. Your values might change. Your expectations might not be met. Things might be different from your initial impression during the interview/visit. Your dream school could turn to be a nightmare or just a mediocre experience. My point is: an excellent program in “an absolute NO-NO location to you” might be worth trying for; a mediocre program with amazing PIs whom you would be interested to work with can also be a great option; a program with diverse research and great environment could also be a winner… and many other possible combination.

GL!