<p>Hey everyone! This is my first post in the “College Search & Selection” forum (I’m usually only found in the “SAT Prep” forum). How are you all?</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m starting to gather up information on college applications and all so I can start applying. However, I have two problems blocking my way:</p>
<li><p>I want to apply to as much schools as possible, but I don’t want to overdo it. I don’t really know how many I should apply to…I have three colleges on my list so far. How many colleges do you guys usually apply to (at a max.)? I don’t want to apply to too little and I don’t want to apply to too much. What’s everyone’s take on this?</p></li>
<li><p>It’s a bit hard for me to look up colleges and select ones to apply for because I’m not exactly sure what my major is going to be yet. All I know is that I want my second major to be in art, since this is something that I love to do. However, I want my first major to be something important, like accounting, international business, etc. - things like that. But whenever I look over a list of majors, I find everything to be so boring! I want to do something meaningful and important but I always find everything so dull and tenuous. My dad wants me to become a doctor, but I’m not so sure about that since it requires so much work and studying before you can actually land in your own doctors office. This deficiancy really brings me down when I’m looking for colleges to apply to, since I don’t know what my major will be. I don’t want to land into a college that I don’t like! What should I do?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The colleges that I’m going to apply to so far are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Rutgers University</li>
<li>Princeton University</li>
<li>The College of New Jersey</li>
</ul>
<p>I’d really appreciate the help. Let me know if you need more information.</p>
<p>I would recommend applying to 5-8 colleges maximum. 2-3 reaches, 2-3 matches and 1-2 safeties. </p>
<p>But, it all depends on your stats, how much money you want to spend in application fees, and how much time you want to devote to filling out applications and writing essays.</p>
<p>You can apply to the colleges as undeclared/undecided, then take some college courses and figure out what you’d like to do. You will likely find that when you are on a college campus, opportunities will become available that you never thought about.</p>
<p>From your list, I assume you want to remain in New Jersey, correct?</p>
<p>There is no set number for what is the “maximum”. Apply only to those that you know you’d be happy to attend- if that happens to be a lot of schools (as for me- 15), then so be it. If you have the time and patience to put enough effort into each application, and are ok with spending all the money for application fees, sending test scores, stamps, etc. then don’t restrict yourself to applying to only so-and-so number of schools because more is “too many”.</p>
<p>should be adequate, unless you are one of those students who is hung up on wanting to attend a HYPS and needs to play the odds.</p>
<p>I’m curious, however, as to why your parents want you to stay in New Jersey? There are a lot of great schools in the New York and Philadelphia metro areas that are not in New Jersey, but might be closer to where you live depending upon where that is.</p>
<p>I’m also curious as to why you would rate Rutgers a reach if the College of New Jersey is a safety?</p>
<p>Many students do not know what they will major in as freshmen or they change their minds several times. Choose colleges with strong art departments as well as those that offer business courses but keep an open mind. Moving a little bit beyond New Jersey, Muhlenberg, Allegheny, Skidmore, Franklin and Marshall, Gettsyburg might be worth considering. Apply to at least 5 and not more than 10 colleges.</p>
This is my first post in the “College Search & Selection” forum (I’m usually only found in the “SAT Prep” forum). How are you all?</p>