What generally deters people from applying to far reaches?

Applying to College
1

<p>I doubt it’s the application fee, especially with fee waivers’ availability.
Effort in completing the application?</p>

2

<p>I imagine it’s a combination of admissions requirements and fear of rejection. If a school is a far reach for someone, that probably means the other schools they’re applying to are of a significantly lower caliber, which in turns probably means that there are fewer admissions requirements like SAT Subject Tests or supplemental essays. Elite college admissions and, say, in-state schools admissions are often totally different ball games. </p>

<p>And some people just don’t want to be rejected anywhere they apply. Several people at my school only applied to those schools they were near-certain of being admitted to.</p>

3

<p>I know I got tired of writing all the extra essays. Pretty weak, I know, but it’s the truth. I’m busy and I don’t feel like spending a lot of my valuable time writing essays for a university that probably won’t accept me. I applied to a few top choices and then matches. Some of my friends told me they started application essays in the summer–wow, I had better things to do (I’m sure I’m a loser). How many colleges did most people apply to?</p>

4

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This, from what I’ve seen.</p>

<p>My school is a testing center for the entire county. Each month, hundreds of people take the SAT and ~4-6 take subject tests. Of those, who know how many do well?</p>

5

<p>“What generally deters people from applying to far reaches?”</p>

<p>I hope the most common reason is realism. By definition, a “far reach” is very unlikely. Why waste the time, effort, money, or anxiety?</p>

6

<p>I actually hope its the money. My view is: where you apply will affect the next 4 years of your life, and <em>potentially</em> the rest of your life. If you are really passionate about a far reach school, then go for it. A lot of the emphasis by these schools is placed on essays, so if you can write a killer essay that’s different from the rest, there’s no reason not to apply.</p>

7

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<p>So inability to write a differentiatingly good essay deters a lot of people? That’s what I was thinking too–if someone happens to stumble upon an essay he perceives as good, the rest of the application seems a whole lot easier.</p>

8

<p>Not everyone relishes the idea of attending a school where their credentials put them in the bottom quartile of the student population in terms of abilities and accomplishments. </p>

<p>That’s why they don’t apply. Because they wouldn’t be happy going there.</p>