<p>4,5,6,7 or more?</p>
<p>More… 9-15</p>
<p>I only applied to 3, and I ended up fine.
I’d recommend doing 2-3 ‘safety’ schools, 2-3 ‘match’ schools, and 2-3 ‘reach’ schools. It really depends where you can see yourself. Don’t apply to schools you haven’t done your research about, that’s just a waste. Get to know the schools, and only apply to the ones you feel a connection with.</p>
<p>@Kmad: How were you so confident? Or did you get into UChicago EA?</p>
<p>Anyway, OP, it all depends on what colleges you are applying to. The more selective, the more colleges you should apply to. Find a great safety.</p>
<p>I’m applying to like 15 schools.</p>
<p>I applied to 5 and that worked out fine, I was accepted to all of them. But here’s the thing, and this is going to sound stupid, but kids do it. DON’T APPLY TO SCHOOLS YOU DON’T ACTUALLY WANT TO GO TO! =)</p>
<p>^ Wow, I could never be so confident in myself. I do agree though with your last point. Many people apply to every single UC. Believe me, they are very different!</p>
<p>I can’t really figure out why anyone needs to apply to more than eight, but if you must, do it. Don’t apply to all the UCs or all the Ivies. That’s stupid. They’re all VERY different. Find out what you like and what you need in a college, narrow down your list, and apply. I say 1-2 safeties, 2-3 matches, and 1-2 reaches. You can add a couple more schools, to make a total of say, eight, if you have more reaches or matches that fit you very well. If you have a rolling admissions safety, you will only need one.</p>
<p>I’m applying to 11, but I really don’t see how only applying to 3-5 is a matter of confidence. If one of them is a strong state school where you know you’ll be accepted, get good aid, and would be willing to go, then you don’t need to apply anywhere else to know you’ll get into college.</p>
<p>I’d say around 8. You really don’t need that many safeties, maybe only 2 or 3
Matches and reaches could have around 3-4 each. Do research in your tentative school list, and if you can’t imagine yourself at that university (really think about it and consider all the factors) there’d be no point in applying.</p>
<p>I’m applying to 12-13.</p>
<p>I’m applying to 8: 2 Reaches, 4 Matches, and 2 Safeties…</p>
<p>Anything more than 10 I feel is just a waste of time/money.</p>
<p>IMO </p>
<p>1 TRUE safety
max 2 matches</p>
<p>and as many reaches as you’d like</p>
<p>Pretty similar to username:</p>
<p>1 true safety that you would be happy to attend, and that hopefully you can get a decision from by mid-December (either by EA or rolling)</p>
<p>Any other schools you’d prefer over your safety, as long as you’re okay with paying the application fees.</p>
<p>6-10 colleges but 10 is the best:
-3 reach
-4 match
-3 safeties</p>
<p>I’m planning on going for about 10
2-3 safeties, 3-4 matches, 3-4 reaches</p>
<p>Its weird because you can only apply to five colleges- and spend really a lot of time on your essays and get in most of them. You can also apply to twelve and end up accepted at only a few. Or the other way around. Its complicated because what schools are really “safeties” or “matches” nowadays?</p>
<p>If you need to apply to three safeties - not because you want options but because you need them - they are not safeties. As long as you have at least one safety, it doesn’t matter how many matches or reaches you have. Are the schools you like the most and that fit you the most matches or reaches? If they’re ALL reaches, why - is it the prestige factor, or do you really like other aspects of the school?</p>
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<p>Well, it helps that two of them guaranteed my acceptance and one of those was my #1 choice. I ended up not going there, but those were the 5 places I would really want to go to and I felt like I would get into all of them. So no reason to apply to more.</p>
<p>Try applying to at least 9-13. If you have excellent grades, and can narrow your search well you may only need to apply to 5-9.</p>