My D23 is building her list of schools, and we are trying to determine how many should be on that list. My daughter is looking for a strong school in both art and physics, which narrows the list tremendously. Add to the requirements that she doesn’t want to consider the west coast (we are in Maryland), and the list narrows even further. On top of those requirements, due to some complicated situations with my ex-husband, the net cost calculators do not align with what we can honestly pay, even though we will have three in college during her freshman year, and two in college until her senior year. Therefore, we also need to add likelihood of merit aid on top of her very narrow requirements list.
She has great stats (4.0 UW, 1560 SAT) and a strong art portfolio, along with some regional and national honors, so we are hopeful that her hard work will count toward receiving merit at the increasingly shorter list of schools that provide it. While our state university is a great option for price and also for the physics major, it does not appear to have the depth of art options that she is seeking.
D22 just lived through the crazy roller coaster ride that was the Class of 2026 admissions cycle, and we were happy in the end that she applied to 11 schools, since a few that we thought were slam dunks for admissions and merit (based on her stats) didn’t materialize (although in the end she is very happy with the merit package where she ended up).
With all that said, in your opinion, how many schools should be on that list, given the current environment of record-high applications and therefore lower admission rates? Does the traditional advice of 2 reach, 4 target, 2 safety really make sense anymore?
This doesn’t really apply if you are seeking merit. What is her budget, and how much greater are the NPC estimates (assuming you entered your Ex’s financials at schools that require NCP info)? She needs at least one affordable safety school…start there.
My D applied to 12, but I wish she had done 20! Get them mostly done before September, and it will not be rushed. People will say it’s too many, but these days the chances are so against you.
After the American reach schools, she also applied to schools in our base country (all her safeties). Those results aren’t out until mid June to mid July, but probably going to the US anyhow.
I thin the number of colleges applied to depends on which ones. If your daughter applies to places with auto merit for her fine stats, she will have a couple of likely affordable sure things in the bag. If she really likes those schools (and she should if she applies), then add others to your list. BUT…
Please advise your daughter what her annual college budget actually is. IOW, how much can you spend on her each year.
Keep in mind that for FAFSA purposes, multiples in college won’t be considered at some point. I think this has been pushed to the 2023-2024 academic year. @kelsmom ? No idea what Profile schools will do.
What kind of studio art does your student want to continue to pursue? I would reach out to the departments at schools of interest and find out whether she can take classes as a non-major.
What IS your annual college budget for her? Folks here can advise you better with a ballpark figure.
Whether you apply to schools EA matters to figuring out the total you need. If you get some great merit packages early, you can pare down your RD list.
That’s what happened to us, anyway. We had a couple of great merit offers in the EA round, which shrunk the total list down significantly. I think kiddo applied to 5 EA private schools of varying competitiveness, plus in-state schools. The only schools he applied to RD were schools he would attend over his favorite EA acceptance.
Add to that rolling admission schools. Places like Alabama, Pitt, and Arizona have rolling admissions. Alabama and Arizona have guaranteed merit aid based on stats. I think University of New Mexico does as well. Pitt awards merit aid with or shortly after acceptances.
Agree, early acceptances with merit defined can really determine if and how many RD applications will be sent…if any.
There’s merit and there’s merit. I know a bunch of kids whose packages fell FAR short of what they needed- looking at the statistics of how many kids get merit aid is NOT helpful. Lots of schools are handing out “honors college scholar” awards of 5K and 8K which is so lovely- but barely puts a dent in a college which started out unaffordable and where the family cannot afford the “family contribution” even after loans are factored in.
So the answer IMHO is to put MUCH more time into the research, come out with a well curated list of colleges which will most likely be affordable and will want your D, rather than investing the time, money and aggravation in applying to two dozen schools which will only offer token merit awards.
Have you gone through all the other public options in Maryland? Would your D consider living at home if any of the colleges in commuting range have what she’s looking at? Do the financials work at any of the public U’s along the east coast (Delaware, some of the SUNY’s, U Conn, Virginia) and do they have the right mix of physics and art?
And just a suggestion to lessen the psychological tension- try to avoid coupling “her hard work” and her admissions results. Colleges aren’t building a class based on who worked the hardest in HS, and I’m seeing that it’s such a blow to kids who frame admissions in that fashion. One kid busted her butt and ended up-- very sadly- at her “in case of emergency break glass” college while the classmate who had a robust social life and sailed through HS is at her top choice. If you can stop- even in your head- thinking of her admissions as a “reward” for hard work you are going to be in a much better place come April.
My kids chased merit, and went into it knowing they were looking for a bribe, not an award. In the northeast, some of the most generous offers came from UDel, UMASS, UCONN, URI, Temple, SUNY Bing, Scraton, Quinnipiac and Saint Joe’s. None of my kids had any art interest.
Ah, I forgot that the FAFSA no longer considers multiples. Thanks for that reminder.
I have shared with her that her budget is no higher than $50K/year, including the $15K that XH is obligated to contribute (but he won’t go over that number, despite owning two homes and a bunch of expensive toys). I was lucky to have invested a lump sum years ago that grew to the point where I can contribute another $35K. Not too long ago, $50K/year seemed like it would cover full price! Clearly our state school falls nicely in this budget, but at this point all private schools do not.
She is lined up to be named to the College Board National Hispanic Recognition Program, for which some schools like Northeastern and BU have rewarded nice merit for some students who receive this honor (not guaranteed). ASU clearly provides a full ride for this honor, but the across-the-country thing isn’t going to work for her.
As of now, our list includes:
RIT (love their opportunities to combine STEM and art!)
BU
Northeastern
UMich (have seen here that some exceptional OOS art students are offered in state tuition)
UMD
Marist (which has a program in Florence that interests her)
WashU (hail Mary - won’t qualify for need based aid, but hopeful for a shot at the very few art merit scholarships)
That’s 7 schools, of which only one which is guaranteed below budget (UMD).
She currently attends an art magnet high school, so a strong, well developed art program is super important to her. She is certain that she does not want to attend an art-only school.
My ex may likely contribute 0 even though he makes more than double my salary and is considered high income in our area. This sadly very much affects s23.
Your d23 has great stats so she should be in luck!
If your child is truly willing to go anywhere in the country, the list may be longer. If, when all is said and done, she won’t want to go more than X hours from home no matter what, better to know that now before getting a good acceptance that you will just turn down.
Because you need merit and not just “meets need” schools, I would not bother with more than one reach school. All the reach schools for your daughter will be highly selective schools that might be generous in meeting need, but give no significant merit aid.
Focus on schools with greater than 50% admission rates. I think there are lots of ways to pursue art outside of going to a school with a “good” art program, so don’t rule out schools that are strong in physics and not so strong in art, particularly if located in an area with a strong art community.
In your situation, I would not be surprised if the final list included 8-13 “safety” or “highly likely” schools, 2 targets, and 1 reach. I don’t think it is a good idea to aim to apply to more than 16 schools. Especially if you are interested in merit scholarships and honors colleges, the essay burden is just too great.
Her ultimate major is up in the air right now. Her high school specialty is painting and sculpture, for which she has developed a very cool portfolio. She can’t imagine not having a very strong focus on art while in college, but she also recognizes that she needs to major is something that will result in a self-sustaining income (and health insurance!) after college. She also recognizes that there are more ways to capitalize on her creative skills than just painting and sculpture, so she’d like to be in a program that explores how to expand those skills beyond what she learned in her high school magnet program.
At the same time, she is a STEM girl, and loves physics and calculus (I’m still trying to figure out how she shares my genes). She wants to leave open the possibility that exposure to higher level STEM in college may sway her in that direction - or even better, that she may find a way to combine her STEM interests with her creative skills in some new direction entirely.
Bottom line is that she wants to leave her options open, and get more exposure to both paths, for as long as she can before she has to decide on which direction she will ultimately take for a major - which is why she doesn’t want to go to an art-only college. Fortunately she will be going into college with about a year’s worth of AP and community college credits, which, if accepted by her college, will give her some breathing room on taking classes in both disciplines (or even better, graduate early and not have to pay for 4 years!).
Was going to suggest SMU where she could easily double major; however, I see all the schools are in colder climates. If your daughter is a leader, her stats would put her in contention for a full ride (Presidential) or nearly full tuition (Hunt). Many students come for the Meadows School of the Arts. They also offer a PhD in physics. Maybe consider a program like Creative Computing. Meadows also gives separate college scholarships.
We did 17 (very carefully selected). One was a safety that guaranteed a full tuition scholarship that DD loved. The others were all reaches due to competitive full rides and full tuition scholarships. Strategy worked really well for us and DD ended up with some very nice free options and some low cost options.
When you say “reach” based on competitive full ride — does that include schools with high admission rates? For example, aiming for a Stamps Scholarship at University of Oregon (where 80% are admitted, but only five students receive Stamps each year)?
I am not sure we are all using “reach” in the same way. I was thinking in terms of selective admissions, not selective merit.
I think she needs to get one or two ‘sure things’ in early (UMd, Delaware, St Mary’s Maryland?) and then the ones she’d really like but that may not offer the money needed.
Goucher? Some physics course could be taken at Towson or JHU if the Goucher program is too small.
I’d also ask the school she’s attending for good programs for her art, and then see if they would work for the STEM part. Smith, Mt. Holyoke might surprise you with generous aid. They might consider that the $15k from the father is the max he will pay by court order and accept that (having seen it many times in the past).
anyhow.