I applied to 13 schools – I’m gonna list them because I’m not sure to rank them.The first one was EA while the rest are rolling or regular decision.
EA – Drexel University (Accepted)
University of Pittsburgh – Johnstown (Accepted)
Lycoming College (Accepted)
Ithaca College
University of Scranton (Deferred)
West Chester University of PA
Penn State
Rosemont College
Temple University
Albright College
Goucher College
Juniata College
Saint Joseph’s University
I applied to eighteen.
1 public in-state flagship (surefire safety)
1 private women’s LAC
1 private liberal arts university
2 public research universities
3 Ivies
3 private LACs with engineering
2 private LACs (without engineering)
5 private research universities
right now, the list is about 20:
7 high reaches for anyone
7 low reach to high matches
5 matches
1 safety
We will not apply for any financial aid and sending scores and extra applications costs are no big deal.
I applied to 15.
One Ivy
Twelve Privates
Two In-State Publics
Nine.
Two reaches, three matches, four safeties.
One in-state public school, three out-of-state public schools, five non-Ivy private schools.
I applied to ten.
6 UCs, 4 privates
8 in-state, 2 OOS
3 high matches, 3 matches, 4 safeties
7
UChicago EA - Accepted
UMich EA - Accepted
UIUC EA - Accepted
UC Berkeley
UC LA
Cornell
MIT
16
1 Ivy
2 Top-Tier Privates (already rejected by one of them)
1 Respected LAC
4 Second-tier Privates (ranging between matches and safeties)
2 Safety LACs, but I am no longer considering either
2 Lower privates with full scholarships (already accepted to one of them)
4 Flagship state universities with full scholarships at 3 of them (already accepted to three of the four)
12 Private
4 Public
12 Out-of-State
4 In-State (but no in-state publics)
12 Southern
4 Mid-Atlantic
2 Reach
2 Low Reach/High Match
3 Match/Low Match
9 Safeties
14 D-1 (9 FBS, 8 from major conferences)
2 D-3
21:
7 Reaches
10 Low Reaches
2 Mids
1 Low Mid
2 Safties
20 Out-of-state private, one in-state private
Most of them are research universities, but I have 4 true LACs and two schools that call themselves research universities but have more in common with a LAC.
Financial aid was never a factor for me, and I had the time to fill out all the apps, so I decided to just go with it. In retrospect, I would have applied to a couple fewer, but it helped that a few of my CA schools had no/an extremely small supplement.
S-2 applied to 9:
1 super high reach private
1 reach private
1 reach in-state public (UC)
3 match privates
2 safety OOS public flagships
1 safety in-state public (Cal State)
The super reach was the only school that rejected him. The surprise to us was that, with merit awards, the privates cost the same as the UC. He chose the reach private. Our rule was that he could only apply to schools he would actually be happy to attend. He has a friend who applied to 21 schools, including several she said she would rather die than attend. Seems like a big waste of application fees, her time, the schools’ time.
2 in-state public (accepted to main campus of both; honors colleges)
1 out-of-state private
1 Ivy
I applied to 11:
I applied to 5.
Two public in-state safeties .
Three public out-of-state (Two safeties, one match [I think])
Been accepted to four of them. Waiting on the last. University of Washington which sends out decisions March 15-31st
I applied to 14, in hindsight probably more than I needed to
5 ivies
2 ivy-equivalents
5 UCs
2 private safeties
Knowing what I know now (acceptance already to one of my top choice reaches) I wouldn’t have applied to that many, but because all of my really “reach” schools were hyper reaches I overapplied to safeties (4 by numbers, and then another 3 low matches). I would probably do the same thing again just for the reassurance
UPDATE
1 Ivy (Wharton)
2 Top-Tier Privates (Duke- rejected ED, Vanderbilt)
1 Respected LAC (Davidson)
4 Second-tier Privates (ranging between matches and safeties) (Tulane- accepted, Richmond, Bucknell, Miami-accepted)
2 Safety LACs, but I am no longer considering either (F&M, Rhodes)
2 Lower privates with full scholarships (already accepted to one of them) (Baylor-accepted, Drexel-accepted)
4 Flagship state universities with full scholarships at 3 of them (Alabama-accepted, Oklahoma-accepted, Kentucky-accepted, South Carolina-accepted)
12 Private
4 Public
12 Out-of-State
4 In-State (but no in-state publics)
12 Southern
4 Mid-Atlantic
2 Reach
2 Low Reach/High Match
3 Match/Low Match
9 Safeties
14 D-1 (9 FBS, 8 from major conferences)
2 D-3
10
5 Ivies (EA from 1, 3 acceptances RD, I revoked my application for the other)
4 State Schools (3 UCs & Stanford, 4 acceptances RD)
1 Midwest (revoked my application)
8 total
2 Ivies (waiting to hear back)
1 top LAC (waiting to hear back)
2 research universities (accepted to one, waiting to hear back from the other)
3 engineering-focused schools (accepted to all)
8 northeast/mid-Atlantic
8 private
3 reach
2 low match
3 safeties
If I could reapply, I’d apply to all LACs and Ivies and have some actual good, solid match/low reach schools.
I should have applied to more matches, considering I got waitlisted at my only one. 
I should have applied to more reaches. I over-safetied my list with 10 safety schools (so far- 9 acceptances and 1 TBD). I then applied to 2 low match/match schools (TBD), 2 low reach schools (TBD), and 2 reaches (one rejection ED despite double legacy and one TBD).
My son has applied to 23. It’s too many. We knew it was too many but he was up against deadlines with not enough time to narrow down and research things.