How Many Schools Should You Apply To?

Applying to College
1

<p>This question no doubt comes up a lot.</p>

<p>With the acceptance rates of the tip top schools so low 7%-25%, it is my general feeling that it makes sense to apply to a lot of schools.</p>

<p>Others, however, say that it makes more sense to apply to just a few targeted schools, and try to write really good essays for those schools.</p>

<p>In the "old days" (I am 50+), you would typically apply to 6-8 schools.</p>

<p>But in my son's case, I think he should apply to more (15 or even 20). </p>

<p>Here are his stats:</p>

<p>ACT-34</p>

<p>SATs
CR 800
writing 800
math 700</p>

<p>his unweighted gpa is about a 3.7. His weighted gpa is about a 4.3</p>

<p>He takes all AP classes (by the time he graduates, 14)</p>

<p>his 3.7, while seemingly low at first glance, puts him in the top 5% of his class (barely)</p>

<p>His main EC is debate, but other than that, not much else.</p>

<p>It is my feeling that he should apply to a lot of schools, because he wants to take at shot at the Ivies (which may be big reaches), he also wants to take a shot at schools ranked #10 through #20 (which I consider reaches), but he also needs to apply to schools in the #20 through #50 range (which are more like matches or semi-matches). </p>

<p>So he is essentially "competing" in three different competitions. I think that if he only applies to 2 or 3 schools in each of the first two categories, he runs a serious risk of getting rejected at all of them, while if he, in the perfect world, could magically apply to all of the top 20 schools simply by checking a box, he is likely to get into 1 or 2 of the 20.
If he had a 4.0 gpa, and super great ECs, then a lot of his reaches might be matches, which would allow him to apply to less schools, but he doesn't.</p>

<p>Is 8 enough, given the low acceptance rates at the top schools?. And as a related question, is it really that much work more applying to 15-20 schools than 8 schools?</p>

<p>Any thoughts would be appreciated.</p>

2

<p>15-20 is borderline pushing it. 12-15 is a good number nowadays. No matter how much work you’ll spend you will start running dry of ways to uniquely describe yourself to each school, spreading yourself thin over that many schools will definitely reduce your chances at each school you apply to based on the less time spent as well as the lack of direction and commitment is shows to some places (you won’t be able to write the “why I want to attend” paragraph). Is your son still trying to figure out the type, size, environment etc. of school he’s looking for? Because after he trims the list of top tier schools down after judging based on a few criteria, he will find there are not 15-20 schools for him to even apply. I’m capping at 12 which includes 4-5 schools with higher acceptance rates (traditional
safeties although I don’t like to call them that). That’d be my suggestion based on everything I’ve read
Another thing to consider is there is application fee per school but, based on what I’ve seen from your other posts (you’re quite an avid poster) that won’t be an issue for you(excuse me if I’m mistaken)
There are some high schools that only send AP scores, transcripts to a maximum number of schools so you might want to check if you have not already done so. </p>

<p>Good luck with with your sons’ applications and final list of choices! Common App is out and there are a few schools that only require that (e.g. Harvard) with no supplements but that is a rarity. Most top tier schools have significant unique supplements that much time and thought of their own.
Congratulations on your sons excellent academic and scholastic record, I’m sure he will get into a great school that will make him, you and your family proud and him happy over the course of his studies. Btw, just having one EC is not a bad thing if he’s really passionate, motivated and does a lot for it.</p>

<pre><code> This is all, of course, my own limited and humble opinion as I am a rising senior as well.
</code></pre>

<p>Would you mind <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1193700-chance-me.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1193700-chance-me.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>

</p>

<p>There are some ways around this, like using essays for multiple apps, etc.</p>

<p>However, I certainly do agree that the idea of completing 15-20 apps sounds very ambitious. Are there really that many schools that your son can seriously see himself at? I understand you are worried about where he will end up at, but if he won’t be happy at a school then an acceptance isn’t worth it.</p>

4

<p>Dad –</p>

<p>We faced this last year. The college counselor at my D’s HS was aghast when she saw D’s first cut list of 20 schools, and thought that was way too many. </p>

<p>This having been said – your S needs One True Safety School; a couple of low matches (i.e., schools with higher acceptance rates – to avoid admissions roulette); and as many of the schools with impossibly low acceptance rates as you want. FWIW, D did 10 applications all told, and would have done a couple more had she not had EA acceptances before 1/1.</p>

5

<p>That is a very valid point, I’m resuing/adapting essays for mine, but if you do ~20 you will inevitably run into the unique U Chicago, NYU, Stanford essays that cannot be adapted because of their detail and specificity.</p>

6

<p>What should really be done is first determine the safety schools where the student will be admitted, which will be definitely affordable, and which the student will be happy attending (good fit, offers courses and majors for academic goals, etc.).</p>

<p>Once the safeties are determined, all other application targets can be chosen. Of course, one should not apply to any school that is less desired than the safety schools. The number of additional schools depends on their desirability and how much time and money one is willing to spend on the applications.</p>

7

<p>Apply to the safety(ies) first. Then apply to the remaining 17 or 18 in order of preference. The order of HIS preference, not some guide book or magazine’s rank of prestige. Then, if he burns out after 12 apps, it’s OK to stop. Among the top schools, they’ll all provide a great education. It’s really splitting hairs to be concerned about whether he gets in to #8 or #18.</p>

8

<p>20 seems like a lot- does he really like all these schools? As long as you have a balanced list, a list of 7-12 should work pretty well. I’m applying to 10 schools- 4 reaches, 2 matches, and 4 safeties, and it seems like a reasonable number to me. He shouldn’t apply to the top schools just because they’re ranked highly- he should make sure that they offer what’s important to him and have the vibe that he’s looking for. he probably won’t find 20 schools that fully fit this description unless he doesn’t really know what he wants yet.</p>

9

<p>I think the only correct answer to “how many colleges should you apply to” is “as many as necessary.”</p>

<p>The general rule is to have some “top” choices, some so-so choices, and then some choices you’re pretty much guaranteed to get into. I’ve seen people apply to 12 universities, I’ve seen people apply to 3. It’s all about how confident you are in your application’s strength</p>

10

<p>Don’t forget that your son will also need letters of recommendation from his teachers and counselor, so will they mind if your son requests 20 letters from them? He will also need to send transcripts to each of the private school. One during the application process, one at mid-year, and then a final one after he graduates. It’s a big process. Think about it.</p>