<p>I have 3 colleges that I really could see myself going to but they are all slightly above safety for me and I have a 50/50 shot of getting in.</p>
<p>How many colleges are you all applying to?</p>
<p>Me? I’ll apply to 18-20. :D</p>
<p>I applied to two, and got into both. They were both sure things, though.</p>
<p>I think the rule of thumb is something like 2:2:2 – 2 reaches, 2 matches, and 2 safeties, all of which you’ll be happy to attend and able to afford.</p>
<p>I’m looking at around 12, but even that much is a lot. Plus there are many high reaches among those.
Best advice is to pick around 6-8 colleges that you can really see yourself at, with an equal mix of around 2-3 reaches, 2-3 safeties, and 3-4 matches</p>
<p>OregonNerd -</p>
<p>Provided at least one place on your list is a dead-on safety (you know for certain that you can pay for it, and you know for certain that you will be admitted), everything else is gravy.</p>
<p>Sit down with your parents and run the Net Price Calculator at the website of each of the places on your list. If any of them will be unaffordable, drop them and move on. Find out now what your family is truly ready, willing, and able to pay. Please don’t be another “Didn’t get in anywhere affordable what do I do now?” poster next April.</p>
<p>TitoMorito and NBAHeat are exactly right on a good amount. Find colleges that you really like, and could see yourself at. Ones that you visit (if possible) and love. I wouldn’t go over 10 people. Those people say they want “options” but all they’re doing is prolonging narrowing down their choices. Eventually you have to know what you want, and it’s better to narrow it down first so you don’t waste money applying to 20 colleges, and waste time doing all of the applications.</p>
<p>I think a good ratio to apply to reach, target, and safety schools is 3:3:1, respectively.</p>
<p>A reach school is one where getting in would be quite difficult for you, but is still a possibility. Obviously, don’t throw an application to Oxford or Harvard or whatever else “just for the heck of it,” unless you actually think there’s at least a slight chance of you getting in.</p>
<p>A target school would be one where acceptance is probable, but not garunteed.</p>
<p>A safety school is one where you’re sure that you can get in no matter what. Don’t just pick some easy to get in to school that you don’t like though, a safety school should still be one where you would enjoy being there.</p>
<p>Don’t ask how many applications to submit. A better approach is to determine what strategy will work best for you.</p>
<p>As an analogy, a basketball coach who is asked how many points his team will need to score in order to win a game should respond, “More than the other team”.</p>
<p>Your objective is to apply to enough schools to gain admission to at least one college that will satisfy your requirements as well as be affordable.</p>
<p>If your state flagship university appeals to you and offers rolling admission, apply in August and you might be finished with the process in early October with only one application.</p>
<p>If you want to compare FA offers, you might use a strategy suggested by previous posters that combines Reaches, Matches and Safeties.</p>
<p>Based on OP, it sounds like you have three choices that appeal to you but leave you slightly nervous. It might be prudent to simply add one more school where you are confident that you will earn admission and will be affordable.</p>
<p>By the way, while I realize that “50/50 shot” can mean a variety of things, speaking strictly statistically I would consider this to be a Reach. High school students notoriously overestimate their chances. Also, three 50/50 shots means that 12.5% of the time you will be rejected from all schools. I would suggest that you find a Safety that offers 90% or better chances.</p>
<p>I’d say about 5</p>
<p>I want to apply to Harvard even though I know I won’t get in. I want to frame the rejection letter.</p>
<p>^^ lol. not really 18-20. I’m cutting down to 12 at most.</p>
<p>I applied to 2. They were my only options because I can’t move, need to commute, and the only other one close by would not accept my application. I got into one - my first choice and the more selective of the two, and never heard from the other one way or another - as of June 21.</p>