<p>I have about 15 colleges on my list right now. 8 reaches,4 matches and 3 safeties. Before you start getting annoyed at my long list, i will probs not apply to all of these. So my question is simple... how many is too many.. and how do you define that. Aside from financial burdens, if there any other justification to not apply to 15 colleges or more. People on this site often say 12 is a good number. My question is why that is? Because apps take a long time? Or maybe colleges know about the number of places we are applying to? Anyway, how many would be too many and what is the reason for this.</p>
<p>What ever amount you feel good bout is the amount for you. But I would ask you too look at each college and ask, would I be 100% happy if I went here. If it's a no, drop it. But, if you keep all, keep on going. </p>
<p>^That depends, I think. If he is a strong applicant, then it might make sense. If your flagship state uni is a great one (and it is a clear safety), and you wouldn't mind going there, then maybe more stretch schools would be fine.</p>
<p>But 8 is actually huge. I would think 6, tops. Some people apply to all the Ivies or whatever, but I honestly don't think they've done their research (or are applying purely for prestige). If I asked you to describe everything about a particular school on your list, would you be able to tell me a lot about it? Schedule system? Residential system? Greek life? Strong programs? etc.,etc. If the answer is no, then you definitely need to do more research, which might actually narrow down the numbers significantly.</p>
<p>You want to apply to schools you know a lot about. It's easier to convince the adcoms through your essays and interviews that you want to attend their school if you know a lot about it, and know exactly why you want to go there. That's hard to do when you have 15 schools.</p>
<p>I'd say 10 is a good amount. You don't need more than two safeties at most, and if it's a true safety, you need only one. 4 matches can be lowered to 2 or 3, and 8 reaches can become 6 at most. I understand the need to want to try a few reaches, but applications will be stressful, and if you're not likely to be admitted to Stanford, don't apply to the entire Ivy League as well. Pick schools for which you are viable candidates.</p>
<p>I have 2 safeties (best main state schools, top 10% guaranteed admission), 1 match, and 6 reaches... considering at least one more reach, too.
I have so many reaches because I know for sure that I'm going to get in to a college I wouldn't mind attending, so I might as well aim high with all my other shots. I don't see anything wrong with doing so, and neither should you.</p>
<p>EDIT: I'm only applying to two Ivy Leagues, the others are just respected top tiers and in a few cases the biggest reach is actually the price. I would need to get a lot of aid to be able to afford some of the places I'm applying to, and I know a lot is often given, so I'm going to see what kind of offer is made.</p>
<p>If you do apply to all 15 colleges just make sure you spend most of your time on your 4 matches, and then on to the reaches and safeties. The one area of concern is the lack of time to complete these applications and you don't want that to ruin your chances of getting into the colleges you should have gotten into in the first place.</p>
<p>It depends. How many different essays do you have to write? I had to write 4 essays fore 5 schools (4 reaches, 1 match/safety; I got into 2 places EA, so I didn't have to worry), and that was enough for me. The whole college application process was a lot more stressful that I had thought it was going to be.</p>
<p>It depends on what kind of schools you are applying to. The LACs are small (incoming classess between 400-600), so you need to apply to more. If you are applying to large state universities with incoming classes of 5,000+, you don't need as many. (This assumes you have a good mix of reach, match and safety). </p>
<p>The real issue is making sure you have figured out 'the big picture' stuff: size, location, culture, areas of interest (personal and academic). If your list is too long, it's usually because you haven't worked out what you really want.</p>
<p>i applied to 8 schools. 7 reaches and 1 target.</p>
<p>...lol, btw, that's only because i got into one of my reaches early. I recommend applying early so that you don't have to apply to every school.</p>
<p>^definitely. If you can apply early to a non-binding college and get in, then you don't even have to worry about any colleges that rank below it on your personal list of where you want to go!</p>
<p>You might want to do a google search of this topic on CC -- lots of past discussions and lots of opinions. FWIW, my 's school limits the students to 6 applications. They'll let you do up to 8 if you have a good reason, but after that they charge for the extra paperwork. And every kid gets into a 4 yrs school and the students get millions (total) in scholarships.</p>
<p>i think 15 is fine
i would rather be stuck with a decision in the end among 15 colleges rather than 2
its better to have more options (of course you probably wont get into all 15 but you get the point)</p>