<p>Every year someone comes up with the shotgun approach. Funny how they never return to inform us of their results. </p>
<p>Positives of this strategy: financially supports the CB, contributes to the lowering of admissions rates, keeps you busy. Successful admission? Not so much.</p>
<p>First of all, your junior GPA may be a problem for these top schools. I hope your expected grades in senior will turn out to be true but you will not see the grades from first semester on transcript until February.</p>
<p>Second, although the chance for admitting to top schools are almost as low as winning a lottery, it is definitely not a lucky draw. Simply applying to more schools would not really increase your chance, at least for most students. Particularly when you have weakness in certain area that all schools will see it. So it will not eliminate the need of safety school on the list.</p>
<p>Third, applying to more schools also mean more fees (application, score report, transcript, css profile, etc), filling up more forms (if not on CommonApp), and writing more essays. Even essays prompts are sometimes similar, you still need to modify them for each school. Particularly for an essay on “Why this school”, your chance would not be good if you use a generic one for several schools. Just think how many quality essays you can write within 2-3 months while you are taking 6 AP classes.</p>
<p>Last, applying to many schools also means you are lack of planning and not sure what school you are looking for. In my D’s school, there was a student applied to 23 schools and all got rejected. There was also a student applied to 17 schools and accepted by 16. Both are examples of poor preparation in establishing the list of school to apply. You should first sort through the schools that are affordable to you and think about your intended major. Visit some campus to get some idea what kind of school you like. Identify several matching schools and at least a safety before you put on all those reach schools. Spending time on these things will give you better success than writing extra essays.</p>
<p>Alright, sorry for not having posted back for so long (It was a bit of a crazy week) and thank you to everyone who replied. I will address everyone’s concerns individually:</p>
<p>Vibe: Not important. After I get into college(s), then I will start visiting and searching for my favorite campus. If I first find campuses that I love and then don’t get in, that will be annoying. Plus my family and I don’t have time to visit schools right now and I have no idea how everyone else manages to find time.</p>
<p>Low Acceptance Rates: The thing is, they logically DO even out, because most people who apply to these schools apply to several at once (most people who apply to an Ivy apply to more than one Ivy). When they only end up going to one of those colleges, a precious spot opens up for people like me. Sorry for this blasphemy but I don’t see where I’m going wrong here…</p>
<p>Essays: Yes, it will be very difficult, and maybe after some further research I will try to consider some parameters about some of those colleges that would absolutely deter me from going, so I can chop a few off the list. I still want to apply to all 8 Ivy’s.</p>
<p>It’s a Lottery: Not an applicable example, again because people apply to multiple good schools but only end up going to one, opening up spaces in random places. </p>
<p>Money/Budget: Not a problem in any situation.</p>
<p>Interested in Studying: Most likely something around investment banking/finance, but I might put down something else as my intended major if it helps me get in (my English/Spanish grades are pretty good so…) - doesn’t really matter at this point I think.</p>
<p>Safeties: Yes, I will definitely find safeties and apply to two or three. I’ll try to post back with some safeties soon.</p>
<p>Transcript Rigor: Um. 6 AP’s senior year? That’s as many as I could physically take…</p>
<p>It appears as if I -might- be able to get an internship over the summer, or I will try to do research and maybe get a paper published (I have to look into this - other people from my school did something similar last year). I hopefully will become an officer/president/vice president of one of my clubs in school. I won a stock trading competition with a group from my school recently, so that could help. Oh, and I completely forgot to mention that I will most likely be going to Boys State this summer so if I get elected governor or senator… I’m sure that would really be something. Overall, I think I have adequate time to sufficiently boost EC’s to maybe not a superb but certainly an acceptable level.</p>
<p>*By the way, if this makes any difference, my (Blue Ribbon by the way) school and teachers are a bit insane and I think/hope colleges know this. Case in point: we have about THREE kids (out of ~60) getting an A in APUSH; the top students skipped APUSH and did USH post-Civil war over the summer to keep their GPA high and avoid the notorious teacher…our physics curriculum and teacher are absolutely frightful but that is unfortunately balanced by an abundance of math-oriented Asians in our school, so there’s no excuse for a B there but… yeah</p>
<p>Thanks to all the people who were nice, and to everyone who was mean, I’m always picked on/considered a ■■■■■ on forums anyway so if you’re trying to hurt me I’m a bit desensitized to it now. Sorry for thinking differently from you.</p>
<p>By the way, adding on to my last post, random question: would having skipped an elementary school grade entirely and being 1-2 years younger than everyone else in my class be something to promote on an application?</p>
<p>Your logic is still way off. </p>
<p>Vibe: It is important to consider that before applying. Otherwise you may get accepted to two schools on your very selective list, and find that you do not like either of them, and be stuck. Better to apply to schools that you would actually want to attend.</p>
<p>Low acceptance rate: your reasoning would make sense if it is the same students accepted at all of the schools to which you are applying, so that each student left an opening for all of the other ten or so schools. This is not the case. There are not all that many people taken off the waitlists at any one school, and there are many, many people on those wait lists.</p>
<p>Lottery/chances: Again, not logical due to those limited waitlist spots. Your overall odds of acceptance do not change by increasing the number of highly selective schools. Look through the threads recently posted by students who were rejected by ALL of the schools to which they applied and are now in a panic. All of them were as qualified as you are, if not more qualified.</p>
<p>Lying about your intended major: can backfire because some schools, especially business programs, offer acceptances based on major, and changing into some programs can be difficult/impossible.</p>
<p>Senior rigor: the colleges make their decisions without a crystal ball to see into the future. Your B’s in your junior year will have a lot more impact than your rosy forecast of senior grades. </p>
<p>Being realistic is not being mean - we really are trying to help you avoid being in a desperate position of not being accepted anywhere, or to a school that you would hate. It REALLY is better to look at schools for fit and for enjoyment rather than simply at prestige. People can and do find excellent jobs after attending lesser ranked schools. </p>
<p>And, no, skipping a year of elementary school does not make you exceptional. </p>
<p>@baloney1011:
No, a Lot of People skip a year, especially at the level of schools you are applying to. Especially elementary school - you are 10 years older now. You should have some better things to emohasize 
</p>
<p>I don’t want to be mean, but you will get rejected from all the ivies most likely. You can just save yourself the application fees. Bs in junior year are not acceptable, period. Maybe if you have a good reason that your counselor explains in his reason (parents died in a car crash for example.) </p>
<p>You will look back at this and regret your approach. I applied to 14 colleges and in all honesty, 8 would have sufficed.</p>
<p>When you visit schools, you can write much better essays. You can cite people and describe your experiences. What do you want to write in all those “why school x” essays? “You have good academics, I’m ambitious, I Like mock trial, I looked up online that you have a mock trial club”. That’s not strong enough unfortunately. </p>
<p>The scenario that good students get accepted by multiple schools and only attend one is already accounted for. Colleges always admit more students that they need in order to fill their freshman class. If a college has a yield of 50% and a target freshman class of 1000, they will accept 2000 people.
So no, your chances don’t become better.
Also, your chances don’t add up. 5% at 20 colleges don’t add up to 20*5=100%. </p>
<p>You are setting yourself up for some major disappointment. </p>
<p>In complete agreement with @KKmama and @AmericanHopee </p>
<p>This has a lot of potential to end ugly. People aren’t being mean, they’re trying to help you. You asked if it was a good strategy, and I think the answer is clear.</p>
<p>A quick search: <a href=“Qualified Applicant Rejected from All Schools - Applying to College - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1367133-qualified-applicant-rejected-from-all-schools.html</a></p>
<p>I have seen at least 4 threads like that in the past few months, some with 2300 test score types.</p>
<p>Now, a 2400 may get you into some of the lower ranked / selective ones on your list, but as others have mentioned, you may find you don’t like any of them and then get stuck. If you focused more on the low-mid match schools, I think you could find some very safe colleges (with your stats) that are ranked well, and spend some time finding ones you would be happy at.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks everybody. If it’s not going to be one of the Ivies then I will try my hardest with Cambridge or Oxford to get a conditional (I know it’s all standardized tests and interview so there’s still hope there…) - even though I don’t know if I really want to live in England, but I’ll see. I still will apply to all 8 Ivies and one will be ED (Cornell or Columbia probably). I believe in miracles and maintain that something will happen somewhere along the road to get me in SOMEWHERE prestigious. Of course I will apply to safeties and if I don’t get into any good colleges then screw it, it’s not like applying to more will hurt me (stress is okay). </p>
<p>I know how much everyone here disagrees with me and I will consider everyone’s words. If anyone has any additional tips or advice then please post.</p>
<p>Thanks again :)</p>
<p>Unfortunately, applying to them all doesn’t mean you’ll get accepted to one. You have a 5% chance of getting into each of them. That doesn’t go up just because you apply to more of them.</p>
<p>You don’t have to visit all of them but you should get a feel of the schools. It’s not that hard. Dartmouth has a strong fraternity contingent and is in a small, rural town. Does that appeal to you? Columbia has a core curriculum everyone takes and is in the biggest city in the country. Does that appeal to you? Etc.</p>
<p>@americanhopee actually, applying to 20 schools with a 5 percent acceptance rate yields a 64 percent chance of getting in to at least one. I applied to 17 this year with 15 being reach schools. I was accepted at 4 and wait listed at 9. Truth is, I would be happy at almost any school seeing as the students are all so diverse. I had to write tons of supplements and did about one essay per weekend. I worked on my common app for months though since that went to all the schools. The Shotgun approach DOES work as long as you put the time into the essays. You can pick which fits you the best once you get in.</p>
<p>What a terrible idea…Those B’s are going to be a problem, and your lack of significant EC’s will be as well. You should apply to some state schools as backups in the very real event that things don’t work out. Because you’re younger than your peers, you could consider taking a postgraduate year somewhere to help increase your chances and mature a little before college. Are your parents pressuring you to apply to so many colleges? I’m not sure what your background is, but I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you’re an ORM. </p>
<p>But hey, we’re not you. And somebody has to make that “I got rejected everywhere” thread each spring, so way to take one for the team! </p>
<p>If you are going to apply to all these schools, please add some safeties. Also what was your strategy in getting a 2400.</p>
<p>@spuding102
The op doesn’t have a hook as you did though and could be an ORM.</p>
<p>@2018dad thats even more of a reason to apply to more schools. He should obviously add some safeties but not more than a few. NYU could be a safety in this case</p>
<p>@spuding102:
You are right.
But reality is: as an unhooked, below-average applicant faces more if a 1% chance at Harvard Etc.</p>
<p>And let me just tell you - it’s unfair if you take lower other people’s chances if admission Jus because you didn’t put the effort into researching colleges beforehand they are rejecting someone else (or 5 other people) because you are getting in. So actually it’s fairer for everyone if you have a <em>sincere</em> interest in attending the college you are applying to. </p>
<p>@baloney1011: </p>
<p>It’s your money flushing down the drain are you asking for financial aid by the way? </p>
<p>I got rejected after my interview at Cambridge (which wasn’t surprising since I had just come back from America and asked the professors questions about “professor accessibility” and “student research opportunities”).
Don’t count on that as an option the higher acceptance rate is misleading. In fact, I would say it’s harder to get Ino Cambridge or Oxford (you can only apply to one.) </p>
<p>Also, just wondering. Why so you want to apply to ivies so bad? Do you specifically like their athletics or the conference logo or what is so appealing to you about this specific athletic conference?
-I admit I’m being provocative but I have a heard time understanding your reasoning behind your list of schools. </p>
<p>If money is no object, then why aren’t you taking the trouble to visit colleges? That would immediately raise my hackles if I were an admissions officer. Saying you just don’t have enough time sets sirens blasting. You are obviously very bright, with terrific test scores, but the most selective colleges have the luxury of looking at a bigger picture. What are you bringing to the table? Their admitted student profiles will be outstanding, with or without you. The fact that you did not care enough to visit a school, when you have the resources to do so, will seem a little arrogant. That 2400 will take you far, but maybe not to Harvard, Yale, or Princeton. They take pride in saying that they reject numerous candidates with perfect scores every year. Here’s one strategy: find a strong, selective college like Tulane, that has a free application for non-binding Early Action. They will notify you before Thanksgiving. You will almost certainly be accepted. You will probably get a nice merit scholarship offer, as well. That will eliminate the need to apply to more safe schools, and you can focus on all the “reaches” you want. If your school is renowned, there are undoubtedly other highly-qualified students looking at all the same colleges you are. Will your college counselor and teachers decide to expend extra energy on your behalf, or will they try to push specific students for specific schools? Will they tell Harvard that you are really a better candidate than the classmate who “only” scored 2350? More realistically, will they tell Princeton that you are better, when your rival fell madly in love with Princeton and isn’t just applying there to “run the table?”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>With that logic, a C- student with no extracurriculars and who was held back a grade has a 64% chance of being admitted to an Ivy… There are so many variables involved that the actual statistical probability cannot be so quickly and easily calculated.</p>
<p>As for thinking that OP could get a wait listed spot due to other students choosing other schools - there are so many straight-A students with excellent EC’s that this logic is not sound either. Is it possible? Absolutely. But not highly probable. If you have unlimited financial resources then go for it, but applying to so many unlikely schools really is burning your money (or your parents’ money). Especially since you probably wouldn’t even like the atmosphere of some of the schools you don’t have time to visit. It sounds as though you don’t want to put the time into researching the schools to make a reasonable decision. You can learn a lot online without visiting the campus. </p>
<p>You refer to some of the comments here as “mean,” when in reality they are…reality. These are honest opinions (which you asked for), that are not in your favor. While I encourage you to still apply to top schools, I suggest you take the time to figure out which ones you <em>really</em> want to go to, add a few safeties, and save some money. </p>
<p>Prestige is not everything. Drive, creativity, focus, and personality go a long, long way despite what school or program you attend. Some of our greatest innovators dropped out of college. </p>
<p>I would attack your list with practical considerations. If STEM disciplines aren’t your foremost interest, then why apply to CalTech or MIT? For a “match,” I’d add Vanderbilt - they supposedly accept 100% of candidates with perfect scores. How about McGill? I’d cut some of the Ivies that you aren’t interested in, especially if you have high-powered classmates who are committing themselves enthusiastically to applying early there. Dartmouth might not give you a lot of consideration if they have already taken two kids from your school under Early Decision. You are a formidable candidate - why not decide where you want to go, and pursue accordingly. If you really want Harvard, apply Early Decision, instead of applying ED to Columbia or Cornell and always wondering whether you could have gotten into Harvard? I still say, if money is no object, find the time to visit campuses - you might be able to whittle your list that way. I’d also add Pomona or Claremont-McKenna as matches, if you’re trying to insert a little variety into your list.</p>
<p>I am Armenian. Speaking of which, I can’t get away with putting anything else on the app right? Just white…</p>
<p>I will visit colleges over the summer if it really is such a big deal. I didn’t realize admissions officers actually cared about that kind of stuff… I mean, I can’t visit ALL those colleges anyway so how the hell would an admission officer know if their specific college was just one of the ones I didn’t have a chance to visit? It doesn’t make sense… will I really be penalized for not visiting a college??</p>
<p>If anyone’s interested, I think I would prefer a quiet, serene, picturesque suburban-style campus, preferably with a rich history and old buildings. No parties, but I don’t want geeky either. Just… normal, mature people. So that’s Cambridge/Oxford all the way (I think?), as well as Harvard/Princeton/Yale and some of the other Ivies. I’ve also been looking at Notre Dame and I think I would like it there very much (I know it’s not on my original list) - it’s religious so that’s a plus, because hopefully that will mean the students are more grown-up. I just want a calm school without crazy frat parties and drugs/alcohol. </p>
<p>Also, there still might be a shred of hope getting the B+'s to A-'s - in Gov and precalculus - MAYBE.</p>