How Many Schools Did You Apply To?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello fellow CC members! Many of you have finished the dreaded college application process, and I was hoping you could weigh in to help us rising seniors. Thanks ;)</p>

<ul>
<li>How many colleges did you apply to? (Describe, if you have time, how many were reaches/safeties etc..)</li>
</ul>

<p>-Did you feel it was too many or not enough? Would having your application fees waived caused you to apply to a different amount?</p>

<p>-Did early action change your plans? </p>

<p>Disclaimer: I am not asking how many I should apply to, I know generally the number is around 8, if not less. I am wondering how many schools people really applied to.</p>

2

<ol>
<li>I applied to 12. (2 reaches, 5 matches, 5 safeties)</li>
<li>I thought that was way too many, but my mom keeps telling me “just in case.” I didn’t waive my app fees, but I don’t think I’d apply to more even if I did; I think I covered all the potential schools in my area.</li>
<li>I didn’t apply early action.</li>
</ol>

3

<p>I applied to 18
6 safeties, 12 reaches, </p>

<p>Got accepted at all safeties, got into 4 reaches, waitlisted at 2, and rejected at 6</p>

4

<ol>
<li><p>I applied to 8. I would probably consider 3 safeties and the other 5 targets.</p></li>
<li><p>I wish I had applied to more reaches, but at the same time I am still having a difficult time deciding between three schools and that would make it even more complicated. </p></li>
<li><p>I applied to one school EA but it was a safety so I never really factored it into my decision.</p></li>
</ol>

5

<p>I applied to 10 schools.
My parents let me get away with it because some of them didn’t have an application few.
In the end, I think I had three reaches, five matches, and two safeties. I got into both safeties, one of my reaches. I was rejected by two reaches an one match/target school.</p>

6

<p>whoops i meant to say fee not few…</p>

7

<p>@karategirl - reason you applied early to a safety instead of a reach?</p>

8

<p>I only applied EA because they had that option available…and after looking at a few of the reach schools I was considering I didn’t like them enough to write additional essays and spend more money on the application process.</p>

9

<ol>
<li><p>Nine</p></li>
<li><p>Too many. I got into my second-choice school and was waitlisted at my first choice, so technically the other seven applications were unnecessary. But everything looks obvious in hindsight.</p></li>
<li><p>I had hoped it would, but the two schools I applied to deferred me. I considered them both safeties, inasmuch as such a thing could be said to exist for an aid-seeking international, but one of them went on to reject me.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>The distribution of my results was actually quite weird:</p>

<p>Safeties/low matches: 1 rejection, 2 acceptances</p>

<p>High matches: 1 rejection, 1 waitlist, 1 acceptance</p>

<p>Reaches: 1 rejection, 1 acceptance</p>

<p>Extreme reaches: 1 waitlist</p>

10

<p>14 schools</p>

<p>Reaches - 3
High Matches - 4
Matches - 1
Low Matches - 2
Safeties - 4 </p>

<p>I applied to way too many schools. Half of these schools were early action (they were the less selective half).</p>

11

<p>9: 4 reaches (HYPS), 4 matches (G-town, Columbia, Dartmouth, UMICH) and one safety.
I got into all my reaches, the first two matches and my safety of Rutgers.
Admissions is a crapshoot.</p>

12

<p>Thanks for the interesting responses. Congrats to all of you on your acceptances. </p>

<p>Continue to contribute please!</p>

13

<p>13, and far too many. Ideally, I would have applied to only 6-8 of those. Most all were reaches or “high matches,” except for my state flagship, but I was lucky enough to have some EA acceptances that made my RD gamble much less risky.</p>

14

<ol>
<li>I applied to 6 colleges in total. I had two safeties, two matches (or so, I thought were my matches …) and two reaches (or so I thought again!) The funny thing is, I got into both of my reaches, and rejected/waitlisted from my matches. Hahahaha. It’s kind of funny now that I think about it, but I was pretty upset that I didn’t get into one of my matches since it was the school I wanted to go to. However, everything all worked out for the best and I’m so glad that I’m going to my reach! Beautiful campus, close-knit community, top liberal arts school, acceptance into a highly regarded pre-med program, what more could I ask for? :] Life works in mysterious ways.</li>
</ol>

<p>Safeties: UNH & MCPHS
Matches: Northeastern & Uconn
Reaches: Boston University & College of the Holy Cross</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I felt that I applied to too little. I should’ve applied to a lot more schools that offered 0-6 pharmacy programs, but at the time I thought 6 was enough. Maybe 8 would’ve been better.</p></li>
<li><p>I only applied to all regular decision pools.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I agree with the person above me. Admissions really is a crapshoot and I feel so lucky.</p>

15

<p>17 Schools</p>

<p>8 Reaches (2 Acceptances; 3 Waitlists {incl. top choice}; 3 Rejections)</p>

<p>4 High Matches/Low Reaches (4 Acceptances {incl. other top choice)</p>

<p>2 Matches (2 Acceptances)</p>

<p>3 Safeties (3 Acceptances)</p>

<p>My top 4 were: Dartmouth (Waitlisted); Vassar (Accepted); Pomona (Accepted); Columbia (Rejected).</p>

<p>Wish I had applied to more places with merit aid. For some reason, colleges seem to think that middle class families with 2 mortgages and a life in a place with a high cost of living can pay $60,000/year… <em>sigh</em></p>

<p>Sent from my SPH-D700 using CC App</p>

16

<p>7 schools-- 2 safety, 1 match, 4 reaches. Didn’t need financial aid. I got into one of my reaches (Georgetown) and one safety (Boston College) early action and decided that, even though I didn’t know exactly what my order of preference was, enough was enough and wound up scrapping about half of my list (1 safety, 2 match, 4 reaches). In retrospect, this was the best thing I could have done. As it is, I am overwhelmed by the choices in front of me (accepted to 6, waitlisted at one of the reaches) and couldn’t imagine even having one more that I had to contemplate. </p>

<p>Advice:
Early action can be the best Christmas present in the world. </p>

<p>Don’t focus too much on the safety / match / reach part of the equation. Yes, it is important to have a balanced list. But at a certain point, you are going to get the same education at your reach school that you are at your match school. I am down to three schools-- 2 reach, one match. I love the match just as much as I do the reach. Don’t apply to schools solely for their value in creating a balanced list. It is only a balanced list if you would be happy to go there!</p>

17

<p>Applied to 12</p>

<p>3 Reaches
3 Matches
6 Safeties</p>

<p>Got into all but top 3. In retospect I’d apply to less safeties, more low reaches as I knew my reaches would be rejections no doubt.</p>

18

<p>16 American(paid for 10), 5 British(21 pound fee)</p>

<p>I have gone 4/16 American, 4/5(conditional)British</p>

<p>Probably will firm UCL insure Nottingham and deposit at SLU.</p>

19

<p>I applied to 22. (15 reaches 2 safeties 5 targets)</p>

<p>Accepted:
Seton Hall
Saint Mary’s College of Cali
Southern Methodist
Santa Clara
University of Texas- Austin
Miami University
CU- Boulder</p>

<p>Waitlisted:
Fordham</p>

<p>Enroll in Spring or Fall 2012 Semester:
Cornell
U of Miami
Pepperdine</p>

<p>Denied:
Chicago
Stanford
Washington
Villanova
Vanderbilt
UNC- Chapel Hill
UCSB
UCLA
UC Davis
Lehigh
Notre Dame</p>

20

<p>I applied to 20, with one safety (guaranteed admission), four matches, and 15 semi-reaches extending from possibly attainable to highly unlikely.</p>

<p>Really, I’m incredibly glad that I applied to so many schools despite the amount of effort and money it took. For me, knowing that I extended my options as broadly as possible has given me a lot of closure in the admissions process. Granted, it made deciding where to go extremely difficult, but if I had to do it all again, I definitely would.</p>

<p>Here was my breakdown:</p>

<p>9 acceptances (top 4 UC’s, USC, Hopkins, Cornell, Boston College, a top LAC)</p>

<p>3 waitlists (an Ivy, a top LAC, other top 10 school)</p>

<p>8 rejections (Ivy’s, an LAC, other top 10 school)</p>

<p>I’ll never wonder “what if” because I tried at so many places. I won’t falsely assume that I could get accepted to a certain school or rejected from another, because I tried at all schools I felt I could succeed at and enjoy. For me, the knowledge of the application process and the options I explored were worth the cost.</p>

<p>But I agree that applying to some place early or getting news of admission early is the best gift in the world. No matter how talented the student, there is always the worry that “Maybe I won’t get accepted anywhere! OMG.” and knowing that no matter what happens you’re going to college is priceless for peace of mind in those months leading up to March.</p>