DS doesn’t take the ACT until April, so we’re going on just his mediocre grades for now. We have a big trip planned for the 2nd week of spring break (he’s going to England with the school for the first week). We’re visiting 7 schools in 8 days. I’m exhausted already. Most are in our home state (though mostly private schools), except for one which requires a plane flight. Hoping that in addition to getting him thinking about preferences, it will also light a fire under him for the remainder of 11th grade. His counselor has been brutally honest about the schools in his “range”, and it’s a bit disappointing, if not realistic. DH and I have accepted it; DS still has pie-in-the-sky dreams. Ah well.
We did a big trip in June (saw 13 schools, of all shapes and sizes) and now I’m on strike. Until DD takes her ACT in April, I feel as if any further visits would be a waste of time. She has a good idea of what she’s looking for based on the June visits, so now we are waiting for some hard data to narrow down the search. I will say that MUN has been a huge help, because she has toured the schools that she’s visited for conferences. That alone has accounted for 5 visits as well as some quality-time with actual students.
@hellomaisy , I feel like the kids talk up the big name schools too much among themselves. I’m astounded at how prestige-driven my own kids are right now. It’s hard to talk them down. That’s something I honestly didn’t expect to be part of the school culture, but perhaps it’s unavoidable.
^ congrats on 1000 twinsmama
=D> :o3 :-c
I’m blushing.
And you got there with style, @twinsmama !
^^ #120 and 122. Am going back to the good old days of my initiation to CC, but doesn’t the mantra heard then then still apply? To wit, that it’s all about the “balanced list”. And that if you have the luxury of applying to more than five or six schools, then throwing in a real reach is not so problematic. One is able throw a bone to the desire for a “big-name, prestige” school, but keep the discussion grounded in reality.
“the luxury of applying to more than five or six schools”
These days, I think most students should apply to more than 5-6 schools.
How many do folks apply to?
If your kid is at a prep school, then the college application process should be pretty well established. Not every school will be exactly the same, but if you deviate from the usual process at your school, you might be asking for trouble. After all, this college prep thing is the reason for the season.
With a balanced, well-crafted list, 6 - 8 is often suggested by the college counselors… (and then there is an international student we know, who attends a Mid-Atlantic prep school, and has reportedly applied to THIRTY. (That would be all the Ivy schools followed by the next 20 or so, ranked in order of prestige. WOW.) @-)
My kids’ school was pretty flexible on how many a student could apply to. No trouble. I think the suggested range was 7-8 and not more than 10. But both my kids had more like 12-13 on their final lists. It wasn’t a problem. One wound up applying to most of the list but dropped a few once getting into an EA school that was preferred over some others on the list, one applied to a few ED/EA and was done. 30 would be a problem.
I think 5-6 used to be recommended but given the increased competitiveness, the suggested number seems to be higher these days. That said, if you have an early choice that trumps some others, and you hear back early with a yes, you can cut back.
I thought 9 was the “new” target number…3 in the “reach/lottery” range, 3 in the “match” range, and 3 in the “safe” range.
Looking back to 7D1’s process…I think she applied to 9? 3 in that top range, and the rest somewhere between match and safe — depending on whether you factor in honors college into selectivity of a given school.
There’s no hard-and-fast rule on this. For kids who are looking for merit scholarships, it may make sense to apply to more schools simply to see what the offers are. (Of the schools frequently touted on CC for merit, Ds got offers from $0 to $25,000 per year. At some public schools, the criteria are set out in a cut and dry way, but at many privates, the only way to know is to apply.) For kids who are applying to schools that have smaller classes (i.e., LACs with about 500 freshmen ) who do not have hooks, as was the case for the ds, it may make sense to apply to more schools simply because it’s not clear whether what you offer is what they will be looking for in a given year. You may be one of three harpists from your state at one, and the only harpist and one of 10 from your state at another. Also, kids who are "lopsided " - high scores, less impressive GPA, --may not be as easy to predict as ones who exceed the stats for their chosen schools on all fronts. And of course, if the list includes many single digit admissions types, getting rejected by all is a very real possibility.
We found the guidance from the CC assigned to DS to be spot on for his situation. Other kids, with different stats and different target schools, got different guidance. This was one of the things we felt was worth a chunk of tuition dollars - the ability to get individualized attention throughout the process.
My S’17 applied to 11 colleges. 3 were in the safety range (including our state school which is at the bottom of his list). His college counselor rocommends 8-12.
GG applied to an even dozen; however several were conservatory dual-degree programs (the rest were all non-con schools w strong music). She agonized for a bit but is happily ensconced at the only Ivy she applied to, and we are happy with the FA. No merit aid, per Ivy policy. Of the schools that awarded merit, the FA was surprisingly consistent, in that, no matter the top dollar, the bottom line was within shouting distance — whether from a conservatory program, LAC or larger Uni. The worst offer she got was from the state flagship, who admitted her into their honors college off the bat. Go figure.
I must say I don’t understand why anyone applies to all the Ivies. They are VERY different from each other. Interestingly, GG’s CC did not think, at the time, that her Ivy of choice was as much of a crapshoot as GG feared. Any of the Ivies, with the possible exception of Cornell for NY residents, is a “far reach” for everyone, because they receive so few “unqualified” applications. As one Ivy AO commented, they “could” take more students than they “can” take.
@girlgeekmom: Can you PM me GG’s final apply to list? In all seriousness, asking for a friend.
@girlgeekmom I agree - the ivies are different and don’t understand those who apply to all. Interesting comment about so few unqualified. I was under the impression that some number of people apply to the ivies who are not qualified. Maybe it is small. Sort of shoot for the stars - with Common App it is pretty easy. They still have many more qualified applicants than they can accept.
“I must say I don’t understand why anyone applies to all the Ivies.”
Prestige whores. That is all.