My son applied REA to Stanford and EA to Michigan (in state). Got in to Stanford and withdrew from Michigan
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My daughter '21 has a pretty clear idea of what she is looking for (and not looking for) at universities… She originally had 7-8 schools (one was always a maybe), applied to 5 and so far has been accepted into 4 (3 have offered her a space in her first choice major and one will likely bump her up once they get mid year transcript). Just waiting to hear from the final school and all final scholarship offers.
@MrRobot2018 I was about to suggest changing your avatar to protect your identity, but then I realized it was Rami Malek. 
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My S21 has applied to 12 colleges. For comparison, my D18 applied to 10 (plus some UK schools but that was more of a whim)
Agree @MrRobot2018… Karma will be served…
Maybe it’s Rami Malek himself. Who knows 
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I don’t think that it affected my son’s list at all. He chose based upon the academic offerings and the teacher for his instrument. That really narrowed his list. Covid didn’t make any difference. It’s not in our playbook to, before getting in, make grand tours of tons of schools to see which one the kids like. And as it turns out, he’d already seen 3 of the 7 schools on his list, because he’d had activities there.
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I have always felt that 7 was the right number - 2 dream, 3 just right and 2 no problem. My daughter did that and then added 3 when colleges reached out allowing her to apply for free by clicking a button.
DS21 planned to apply to 12, 8 reaches, 3 targets (according to hs counselor, but were T20 schools), 1 safety (state public).
Accepted at reach SCEA after completing and submitting 7 applications, abandoned the rest. Had we researched more and realized that applications would be up so much because of TO and other factors at most of these schools, there probably would have been more than 12. But as it turned out COVID did not affect his strategy.
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@NJ08809 that thought crossed my mind, too! #bigfan
Two reasons: Cuts down on work for the college counselors and maintains good relationships with admissions officers who know kids from our school are genuinely interested in the schools they apply to and not just carpet-bombing to up their odds. Colleges who are worried about yield like to know an applicant applied to fewer than 10 colleges total and our school can assure them of that.
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@hillybean – That’s interesting explanation about why some private schools limit number of applications. I’d never heard this before. Tks for sharing!
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D applied to 18.
Edit: I just realized that we just spent over $1,000 on application fees.
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@hillybean It is a logical approach and a good way to encourage a well thought-out list from each senior. Things don’t always work out as planned, however. I get it, but I wouldn’t like it.
Exactly. It doesn’t leave any room for add-on schools if a kid decides they want a different major and needs a different school, or they visit a different school and love it or talk to someone about a school and want to try for it or they applied for nursing and didn’t get into the program at several schools and wanted to add a couple more. Encouraging kids to keep their list under control is one thing but a hard cut off is another.
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Yes. Totally agree. Especially in a year like this where everything is up in the air. EA/ED applications are up at all top schools. And most by a huge amount. It is scary.
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sounds like trolling, if not it’s selfish.
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My kid submitted his first app in August. As he has spent the last 4 months doing even more research and attending many virtual events, he has grown a lot. And his interests and priorities have changed a little. (Sort of a “You don’t know what you don’t know until you do”.) A friend told me she advised her second child against applying anywhere ED after her first one did and ended up with very different “wants” by the time he graduated. Granted, these apps are mostly due in January, but it does make sense to me to have options and a good range unless applicant is exceedingly sure. I think it also makes sense to add more competitive schools once hearing back from acceptances.
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Just to be clear, my son also previously visited 4 additional schools pre Covid and 3 virtual to go along with the other 7 he had visited for a total of 14. From that he was able to whittle it down to the 7 schools where he eventually applied as he knew he couldn’t see himself at the other schools, even if accepted.
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@Solstice155 – yes, in a normal year with ability to visit campuses and take standardized tests, it makes more sense. I would hope they’d offer flexibility to add colleges in such an unusual year.
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