<p>I am trying to reconcile my college list... I'll be a senior in the fall. Let's say I apply only to schools on the Common App. I will only need 2 teacher recs, one counselor rec, and the single application, which will be "submit-able" to as many schools as I wish. Also, my grandparents are willing to pay for as many fees as I like (which I am grateful for).</p>
<p>At this point I see little burden to applying to many common app schools... and I can deal with each school's supplement. What else should I consider before applying to many schools?</p>
<p>(for example, do I still have to submit individual financial aid forms for each school, or does the common app take care of that as well)</p>
<p>Financial aid is completely separate from the Common App. From what I remember you fill out the FAFSA and send it to 10 schools at a time. The PROFILE you send to private schools and requires a fee for each school. I don’t see any big drawbacks in applying to a lot of schools really, it is actually kind of fun. It’s not even that hard to apply to schools outside the Common App (such as Columbia) because they ask for the same information anyway.</p>
<p>Stress level? This depends on the person and your supplements, though. And just how sure are you that you don’t want to apply to any non-common app schools?</p>
<p>Keep in mind that most public universities aren’t common app. Actually, there are more non-common app universities than common app universities, so if you’re only willing to use common app, make sure to read their list of universities/colleges.<br>
Besides filling out all the supplements (they’re not as short as they seem; some may even ask for another essay), and paying lots of fees, I guess there are no real personal downside for you. But really, don’t apply everywhere just for the sake of it. Yes, the universities took your money and all, but it’s a waste of their time and your time to apply to places that you wouldn’t even go. And you could be taking the place, or at least waitlisting someone who really wanted to go.</p>
<p>Do you know where you want to go? If you do and you know you’ll get in and you know that you can afford it then you can apply to that school only. If you’re not sure where you want to go then you need to apply to several schools that are possibilities. If they are schools that you’re not sure if you’ll be accepted at them then you need to apply to even more. If you need financial aid then you need to apply to more still in case one school gives you a better offer than another. The more unknowns the more schools that need to be in your application pool. Also, if you’re applying for financial aid then be warned that the FAFSA and the CSS Profile are not easy to fill out.</p>
<p>There are about 3 schools I will definitely apply to, outside of the Common App. (Columbia, Georgetown, USC). I am also going to fill out the UC app and apply to Cal, UCLA, UCSB, UCD. However, there are many schools with the Common App, to which I would love to attend. Most of them happen to be very competitive, and I also need all the Financial Aid options I can get. </p>
<p>I have looked at the supplements for my Common App schools and I think they are manageable and worth the trouble when decisions come around.</p>
<p>Now about the FAFSA and CSS Profile… I only need to fill these out once, and copy them for several schools, right? Because if that is so, then I will definitely apply to all of the schools that I like on my “common app list”.</p>
<p>So you’re smart. You have a shot at a school like Columbia or Georgetown, good for you. Now we’re getting somewhere.</p>
<p>My opinion is that you should cast a wide net. I know it is a lot of work but with schools like the ones you listed you just don’t know what is going to happen. My daughter applied to 10 schools this year and I thought she was overdoing it. But then she was only admitted to 4 of them and in the end only 1 that met all of our criteria, being she really wanted to go there, she was accepted and we could afford it. I think it was just really competitive to get into schools this year and the word on the street is that it will be the same next year.</p>
<p>Yes, you only fill out the FAFSA and CSS Profile once, they are really a drag and your parents will probably have to do it.</p>
<p>Well, by applying to many schools, only I will have to do most of the extra work. Teacher/counselor rec’s are reusable with the common app, and my parents would have to fill out the CSS/FAFSA anyway. So, since I am not bestowing any extra work on others (besides my grandparents who are supporting the payment of many fees, and the admissions officers who are getting paid for this), I think that I will “cast a wide net” as you said. It just seems necessary when applying to competitive schools from a low-income background.</p>
<p>so basically, thanks for all the replies! my questions has pretty much been answered.</p>
<p>If you have so many schools on your lists (I’m guessing >15?), I would suggest doing a little more research on all of them. Visit as many as you can, and try to talk to former students of the universities. I’m sure there many people with around the same stats and financial background who got accepted this year, and asking them about the FA they received will give you an idea of what to expect from each school. If a school doesn’t seem to give out a lot of aid in general, and has a low acceptance rate, I’d just cross it off. Low chance of you getting in, low chance of you affording it. Try comparing your stats to people who have been admitted. Admission may be a crapshot, but if all your stats are below the 25th percentile of the admitted, and that university’s FA policies aren’t generous, I’d scratch it off.
Try to find what you really like about an university other than academics. Location, culture/atmosphere, size etc. It’s better to go into application season with a clear idea of what you want. Say for size, if you just apply for a mixture of sizes, and in the end only the medium and small sized colleges accepted you and you realized that you preferred large universities, you’d regret not focusing on large universities in the first place. I always advise people who have 10+ application to research more about their universities, and narrow it down a little.</p>
<p>moosey, thanks. i’ve been doing a lot of what you said… and in the end, there are still 10 Common App schools which I like a lot, and which are viable schools in terms of acceptance, student-life, financial aid, etc.</p>
<p>so with 4 UC schools and 3 non-common-app schools, I’ll be put up for consideration at a total of 17 schools! haha, I guess it sounds like a ridiculous amount… oh well, it can only help me in the end.</p>
<p>Also Keep in mind each app means “pieces” you will have to stay on top of. Did school A get transcripts? Did school B get SAT scores? Does school C need a midyear report? How to schedule interviews for school D. Letters of rec didn’t get to school E!! My D did common app, UC’s, and a few others.</p>
<p>Supplements!! thay’ll kill ya if nothing else does. in my case there were at least two other essays i had to write per school not counting common app essay. and are you sure common app is all your using? no colleges outside the common app. fin aid can kill too. many schools require tax returns mailed and other forms, and if you apply to 20 schools you have to keep track of all those deadlines and what you sent where. after a certain point you may be sacrificing quality</p>
<p>Basically, the only downside was…actually, I honestly can’t think of anything. I only filled out 7 applications (I applied to 4 SUNYs so they were all one app), only paid for 5 or 6 of the applications, only wrote 2 essays (and used 1 I had already written), used my counselor for recs…The only things I can think of that might be considered as downsides at all are that there was no way for me to visit all 11 schools, and I had to do a lot of research and compare all the schools in various categories and that took up a lot of time.</p>
<p>If you’re a California resident, the UCs make sense. But then, out of all the rest of the schools all over the country, why Columbia, Georgetown, and USC?</p>
<p>Well, I either want to major in Business (and eventually, maybe get involved with the entertainment industry?), International Relations, or Economics. My goal is to go to an excellent business school. I also want something next to / inside a major city. A strong foundation in academics and the liberal arts is very important, but I don’t want to go to a small liberal arts college.</p>
<p>Columbia, Georgetown, and USC each fit at least one these things. Also, USC is the school most of my father’s side has gone to, and in a sense, I am already a “Trojan”. I have also already eliminated schools like NYU and GWU for various important reasons. I’m also applying to Brown because I would love an open curriculum. Any suggestions are, of course, always appreciated.</p>
<p>So as of now I’m applying to those 4 schools, plus 4 UCs, plus 7 Questbridge schools, most of which use the Common App / Questbridge App. I doubt that my list will shorten very much, since the UC app and the Common app are reusable.</p>
I have also already eliminated schools like NYU and GWU for various important reasons. I’m also applying to Brown because I would love an open curriculum. Any suggestions are, of course, always appreciated.</p>