<p>My son is making quite a big deal about the number of essays he has to write for all of his college applications, and is using this as a reason not to apply to a lot of schools. I would prefer that he apply to as many top schools as practical, because of their very low acceptance rates.</p>
<p>Are there are any highly ranked colleges that use the common application that do not require essays?</p>
<p>Going by the US News Rankings, he would probably be applying to national universities in the range from about #12 to #50.</p>
<p>I know that the fact that a school does not require an essay is not exactly a good reason to apply to that school, but I am interested in an answer anyway. Obviously, he is going to write essays for the schools he is most interested in, but I think applying to additional schools would be prudent, because while he has a shot at just about any top school, he is a shoe-in at none of them.</p>