<p>Hey just wondering about how many safety schools, maybe schools, and definite schools should I apply to for each. I don't want to apply to to many safety schools and I don't want to apply to too many difficult schools. What is the right balance?</p>
<p>It’s specific to you. How are your finances? Will you qualify for financial aid, do you need somewhere that meets full need? Or are you not that great on finances but still won’t get need-based aid, so you’ll need scholarships? Do you have a match school you really like, or do you really prefer your reaches?</p>
<p>I’m not going to need financial aid. The best school that I really am in love with is NYU, which I know is very competitive. I have a 3.6 GPA and a 2110 on the SAT. I take a lot of extracurricular activities, so I am hoping that it is a match and not a reach. I am thinking of applying early decision.</p>
<p>Only apply ED to NYU if you have the money. By have the money, I mean you are able to pay $50,000 a year for four years. They have the worst financial aid in the country, and not a great merit aid system.</p>
<p>Do you just want to go to school in NYC? If so, you can just apply to a couple others there. It’s a lot easier if you’re able to full pay and have your mind made up.</p>
<p>Factoring the fin aid advice, my suggestion is 2 safeties, 4 match, 2 reach and 1 lottery ticket (Harvard, Stanford etc) - 9 total. If you do in-depth research and get a chance to visit all your schools you may find that the list needs more matches or, if you truly love your safety, you may consider dropping some of the match schools and adding a reach or two.</p>
<p>There are students who apply to 12 - 15+ schools. But, unless you’re applying to a lot of no-essay schools I just find it hard to believe that anyone can do a truly stellar job on more than a handful of applications.</p>
<p>Again I don’t need financial aid in any way. We’ll be able to pay the full tuition for 4 years. I am looking for schools in all of the major cities (New York, Philly, Boston, D.C., Chicago, etc.) because I love the feel of it. If you have any suggestions for which in these areas would be good for mathematics and economics please feel free to tell me some;)</p>
<p>You should certainly ED to NYU if you have the money and interest! :)</p>