For any parents of boys or boys themselves that may look in on this thread, please don’t take the comments about males to mean it will be easy. Some of S’s friends did not have a successful audition season. I watched in agony as several boys bought into the it’s easy for boys and found themselves with nowhere to go in May. I believe @mom4bwayboy said it best, preparation is key.
I’d also like to echo whoever said results here aren’t typical. In my very robust theater community, most students had 1-2 choices, some 1, and some (including boys) none.
Lastly, be careful on taking advice from those who are a few years removed from college auditions or who did not have a good audition season. I’ve heard both groups tossing around very erroneous information. I don’t think it is intentional, but it led to disaster for one young person I know. Honestly, do your own research on everything told to you.
@IfYouOnlyKnew - I think “do your own research” is the most important advice out there, and it CANNOT be emphasized too many times. Those of us who have been through the process are genuinely trying to help - but things change so quickly, and even the best information is only true for one person and one time etc… Every school is different- every year is different- every kid is different. CC was more helpful than I can possibly express (really did save my sanity audition year) but you still have to do your HW 
I agree with @toowonderful. This is a public message board and it should not replace gathering information directly and first hand from schools and such. Nonetheless, CC’s MT discussion forum is a wealth of information, and some of that information can’t be gleaned from a school’s website and so on. Thus, this forum can be a GREAT deal of help to people going through this process. There are peers for support who are going through it at the same time. There are old timers who have participated here for numerous years who have a lot to share and pass onto others. There are some school reps participating. There are other professionals in the field contributing such as coaches, college counselors, theater personnel, teachers, etc. CC cannot replace doing your own homework, but it sure can be an enormous resource and help to those pursuing this specialized college process. But as nothing on this board can be checked for accuracy, always view it through that lens.
That said, I know some have commented that my own daughter went through this process ten years ago. I just want to clarify that while that is quite true (some things are the same and some have changed!), this is my 13th year advising students going through the MT college selection and admission/audition process as an independent college counselor and so I have had to keep current and observe the process each year with students whom I am advising. I think CC’s MT Forum is the best free online resource for the MT college applicant and can enhance one’s experience while navigating this challenging process.
I also agree that the overall results we often read on CC’s MT Forum are a bit skewed and reflect overall better results than in the general population. This makes sense because those who participate on CC, by its nature,tend to be those who are seeking to be better informed and likely have a better idea overall going into this process. Further, by its nature, people tend to share positive results on a forum like this more often than sharing negative or less successful results. So, CC doesn’t represent the overall picture of results and experiences by those applying to college MT programs.
@theatrework, You can think of the question of “how many” like gambling. You can take the same bank with you and play nickel slots all day long or double down on a few hands. In reality, you only need to apply to 1 school and win that bet. Betting in more places will not at all change the odds of your getting into a specific school. Those odds are always like a coin toss. You will get in, or you won’t. It doesn’t even matter if you are the next great talent that is #1 on the waitlist for the school that doesn’t turn to the waitlist vs. somebody who never had a chance because of lack of talent. Out is out.
Betting in more places increases the odds of winning the bet in some school. Since the stakes are awfully high in any specific school, that seems to be a good strategy provided that the schools on the list are all schools that you’d be willing to go to or at least settle for. But in the end it boil down to how good a player you are (talent, training) and how much time and effort do you really want to put into it and yes, luck. More schools mean more applications to fill out. More auditions. Possibly more places to fly to etc. There is no magic number. There is just what makes sense for you.
@vvnstar, absolutely brilliant post!
The college audition process is so weird in terms of numbers because there are a lot of gray areas–schools you changed your mind about and didn’t send your scores to, withdrawn applications after not passing prescreens, walk-in auditions, academic acceptances with artistic rejections, etc. I’m not sure how many of the schools I thought about during the process I would count as “applied to.” I guess if you only count completed applications/auditions it was around 15…but there were several other schools in those gray areas. 8 auditions is on the lower end, but I wasn’t dead set on a BFA. Don’t stress about numbers and apply somewhere you wouldn’t be happy.
@theaterwork, if your daughter is going to be a junior, it is not too early to get connected with a coach. My daughter started working with MTCA during the Fall of her junior year. You can do as much or as little as you want, and better early than late. At this point coaching would help to clarify your list, which IMHO should be pretty firmly in place by the summer before senior year.