Applying to too many reach schools?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello all,</p>

<p>I'm currently a junior, and I've spent a lot of time figuring out where I want to apply. I have come up with a kind of odd strategy to college admissions. Basically, I am going to apply to 10 reach schools so that, if I play my cards right, I have a good chance of getting into at least one. This is done both because I would love to go to a great school, but also because my reach schools will probably give me way more money than most others.</p>

<p>I am also planning on applying to about 5 or 6 safety/match schools. </p>

<p>What are your thoughts on applying to so many reach schools? Should I really narrow it down more? I know the price tag for applying to so many schools is great, but my justification is that, the more I spend on apps, the greater chance that I have of paying less overall for college.</p>

<p>Just for reference, here are my schools that I am looking to apply to:</p>

<p>Reach:
Stanford
MIT
Princeton
Columbia
UChicago
Cornell
Johns Hopkins
Duke
Harvey Mudd
Pomona</p>

<p>Match:
UC Berkeley
NYU
Boston College
Carleton</p>

<p>Safety:
Boston U
Reed</p>

<p>Another trouble that I'm having is realizing that UC Berkeley and NYU probably won't be affordable. I really love both of them, but, based on their Net Price Calculators, they won't be anywhere near plausible. Should I switch them out with UNC and UVA, for example, where I would get much more money? </p>

<p>Thanks guys.</p>

<p>Edit: Also for reference, my stats:
4.0 GPA (UW), #1 class rank at small-ish public school in Idaho
2300 SAT (will retake)
35 ACT
Many extra-curriculars in areas that I'm passionate about (President of 3 clubs, community organizations, research, service trips, etc.)
Not many awards, other than school or regional things (not many opportunities)
My teacher recommendations will be stellar.</p>

2

<p>You aren’t applying to a single school that anyone can definitely for sure call a safety. BU and Reed are getting harder and harder to get into, with BU’s acceptance rate nearing 30%. Also, realize that even though a school like Reed has around a 36% acceptance rate, people self select to apply to those schools, so being a top scoring applicant only makes your chances somewhat better than the average applicant. Of course I have no idea what your stats are. If you are an IMO gold medalist, then your list is absolutely fine, but focus more on your financial situation, and definitely research some easier to get into but still great schools that are good at some academic subject that you like.</p>

3

<p>Each school’s application fee is anywhere from $50 to $75, not including the cost of sending your ACT or SAT scores. So, right now you’re looking at approximately $1500 in application fees for all of those schools. For that reason alone, I would shorten your list.</p>

<p>One of your safety school’s should be your flagship state school. Is that school on your list?</p>

4

<p>Yeah, I had UW as a safety, but, unfortunately, it will be not at all affordable. Ideas for good actual safeties? </p>

5

<p>With your stats, you could probably get merit scholarships at BU. What kind of academic areas are you interested in? Also, don’t retake your 2300. Just send your 35 ACT, or if you want the 2300 as well, because it is good enough for all of your schools and it might look bad if you retake it.</p>

6

<p>^^ If UW is not affordable, then your family probably can’t afford UC Berkley, Cornell, Columbia, NYU, Boston College or Boston U, as those schools do not have large endowments and give little money in financial aid. </p>

7

<p>My main interests are in biological sciences and environmental science, with a potential minor in linguistics or Chinese. </p>

8

<p>Retaking a 2300 SAT is kind of pointless. Focus more on your applications, you’re already going to get the “most qualified” classification academically from any school. Getting a higher score will not increase your chances anywhere, even the Ivies. You’ve conquered that part of your application, now concentrate on the rest of the app where your fate will really be decided.</p>

<p>What you really need to have is a set of EA (not SCEA or REA) and rolling admission schools that you will know the answer to before the Jan 1 deadline. That will set the floor for the rest of your apps. For example, if you apply to Case Western EA, you’ll know your status, with merit scholarship, by Dec. 15. If Case Western and the offer are acceptable to you, you have your safety in hand, feel free to apply only to schools you like better. Ohio State and Alabama might also fit the bill as well, and there are plenty of others that the CC experts will suggest. (And there are plenty of kids with 35/2300 scores at those schools.)</p>

9

<p>MrMom62, the reason I thought it would be beneficial to retake the SAT is because my math section score is only 750. This seems a bit too low for my reaches. What do you think?</p>

10

<p>Also, it seems as though none of my match or safety schools have normal EA… should I choose a few different ones? Edit: This may be wrong - the common app titles are misleading.</p>

11

<p>No one is going to sniff at a SAT math 750 - if you want to boost your application, take the SAT IIs for Math.</p>

<p>Yes, you need some schools that you find acceptable with regular EA or rolling admission - do not depend on sheer numbers getting you an acceptable school. That is a recipe for disaster. Have something in hand BEFORE the rest of the applications are due, or you may be sweating it out come next March.</p>

12

<p>You should narrow it down a bit. With 20 or so essays to write, it would be harder to have quality ones. </p>

13

<p>This seems like a really bad idea. I guess technically if you apply to each of the top 20 colleges, you are bound to get into one if you are a good/ above average student, but why take that risk? You are just wasting your time and your money. You don’t have any actual safeties on this list. I have seen scenarios where students think that they are these stellar and amazing kids, so they don’t apply to any safeties. This “bright” kid in my daughters school applied to all the Ivy League schools, MIT, Stanford, NYU, and Amherst. Guess what! With his 4.0 GPA and 2280 on the SAT, he got rejected to every single one. He’s going to CC next year because he wasn’t smart about applying. Don’t be that kid who gets embarrassed. Make sure to find academic AND financial safeties. </p>

14

<p>A safety is a school you know you’ll get into, can afford, and would like to go to. With your stats, take a look at these: <a href=“Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;. Period. None of the others on your list are safeties and you are in huge risk of getting shut out, no matter how you play your cards</p>

<p>Also, take a moment and look at your ‘reaches’-- you’re applying to MIT as well as Pomona, and UChicago as well as Duke. That’s a lot of variety, and while they’re all fantastic schools, to be sure, make sure you would really want to attend them all for what they have to offer, and not just their name.</p>