My daughter applied to 6, but four had secondary program/honors apps to do as well, so it felt like 10 (9 actually as she ended up not doing the special program app for one of them).
Dd took a gamble and only applied to 1 ED. Accepted.
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We were not able to visit any schools due to covid, so my daughter applied to more than probably necessary. She applied to 12; two are reaches, one is a financial reach so need to see if there is merit, 5 were safeties. The four that are matches can sometimes seem to reject some that seem to fit the profile, so being a white female with no hooks and average ECs, it seemed better to throw a wider net. She has narrowed it down to one she has heard from and 2 that she will hear from in March, and we are hoping to visit over spring break.
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ED already rejected. 8 other reaches submitted. 2 in-state safeties. 1 already accepted and eligible for 50% tuition scholarship. Another in-state which is a reach because it’s a very competitive full scholarship program. 11 total. Just got the credit card bill. Ouch.
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21 total. Rejected ED. STEM kid with great ACT and ECs but A- type GPA. Need lots of $$$ so applied to 1 true affordable safety (should hear next week) and the rest are either known for great financial aid or solid merit.
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Five. In-state flagship plus an OOS flagship (had to get apps in early to be considered for merit aid), a private T30 school with good music school in city he wanted, that he had to get app in early to be considered for merit aid, and a premier conservatory with an early application deadline, in anticipation of doing dual degree with the Ivy in that city. And early action to a T3 Ivy. He was planning on also putting in apps at McGill and two other Ivy’s, but he got into the first Ivy early action. But if he hadn’t, it would have been a total of 8.
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My S21 is similar as re scores, ECs, and GPA. But what I found with older sibling is that schools very much consider the GPA in the context of the school profile. And I really think the essays and LORs are very important, despite always hearing they don’t matter so much. The feedback older kid got was all about those more subjective aspects of the apps. And this is why I encouraged S21 to go big with reaches. It’s always such a suspense show during application season and this year feels even more so!
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My son had a list of 9, applied to 5, was accepted at 2, rejected at 2 and is waiting to hear from one. Got into his fc so will not be applying to the remaining four.
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I don’t think you are horrible at all! You apparently just have a clear understanding of your own level as an applicant.
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Hey everyone - new poster here. I’m looking for info on specific programs but saw this thread. My son applied to 10 schools vs my older son who applied to 6, 3 years ago. We couldn’t get any visits in and that has made the decision making process harder so he applied to more. And yes, that meant A LOT MORE essays. Wow, glad that editing is done. He’s looking into Acting/Theatre/Film majors so the added pre-screen application and submission was a whole other layer.
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Applied to 10 —- deferred from ED
Son applied for 21 schools. He spent 3 months on essays, very stressful.
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My D21 applied to 16. Accepted to instate safety… deferred from early action super reach…
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My D21 applied to 12. Heard from a viable rolling decision school early on and received significant merit aid so withdrew her application from 3 of her lower choice schools. She is a dance major applicant so there were a lot of pre-screens and has 2 scheduled Zoom auditions and is waiting to hear about callbacks from several others. She has been accepted to one of the 8 for the BFA Dance program, but we are still waiting on an academic admissions decision from that school. Lots of hours writing essays and spent in the dance studio recording - anxious to see where she will spend the next few years.
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D21 had 15 on her list. She submitted 7 EA and was accepted at her ED, so the other 8 were not submitted.
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This is same for my S. We hope to see the NE schools in April.
D21 applied to 11 total. Deferred from her ED school.
D21 applied to 15:
1 ED rejected
4 reaches
6 matches
4 safeties
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well, I think this thread is proving that, in general, applying during Covid didn’t change how many schools kids applied to. These look pretty similar to years before and there’s lots of variation. Like most things, it’s personal and it depends on the student. Some families hunkered down and had their kids only apply to schools nearby and some flung apps far and wide.
D applied to 13 schools. I don’t think that number would have been different prior to the pandemic and I also think the list would have looked the same.
The better question might be “how did Covid affect your students’ list?”
My son did add a few more than what he would have done if it were a regular cycle. There are just so many uncertainties. His ED school had a drop of acceptance rate by 30%. We supported him to take more shots, although it’s not so pleasant to see the credit card bill 
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