<p>6 Safeties, 5 Matches, 9 Reaches</p>
<p>Anyone else as crazy as me? Thank God for the Common App (17/20 of them are common app)</p>
<p>Why do you need that many safeties?</p>
<p>lol, 20x$60=$1200....</p>
<p>OP, you sir, are a fool. An idiot. A nincompoop. A good-for-nothing. An absolute pinhead.</p>
<p>et cetera.</p>
<p>hell, i'm applying to 10 or so, so ur not that crazy. but yeah, the application fees r goign to be big</p>
<p>bad choice. You'll regret it.</p>
<p>knock off some safeties...</p>
<p>The probhlem is 6 safeties..You are suppose to have like 2 safeties,4 matches and 3 reaches IMO)</p>
<p>Why are you applying to so many? In the end you can only go to one.</p>
<p>Very dumb idea</p>
<p>If you have the money, the resources, and the time... then you have the right.</p>
<p>All I know is that I managed to get into the best LAC in the country by applying to only eight schools, so I don't care anymore what you kids do to destroy yourselves.</p>
<p>Hope you're comfortable with all of your safeties, though.</p>
<p>I personally guarantee you that whatever those 20 colleges are, you're a bad fit at half of them. Just by doing some more research on the campus, etc, through sites like Princeton Review and/or visiting some of them, you could drop that half off your list. No one is a good match for 20 colleges. No one. A university's unique blend of academics and atmosphere needs to match yours.</p>
<p>hookem .. you are missing the point... i am pretty sure he is applying to so many in fear that he may not get into any of them ... so hes applying to more just to make sure.</p>
<p>Just for the record, do not listen to the people who say that you are an idiot. You have every right to apply to as many colleges as you want although your money can be better spent. But, it is your choice. </p>
<p>Also, as a suggestion .. knock of some safeties and add some matches if you are determined to apply to 20... because you will probably get into 6 safeties and that will be pointless. Again, you cannot always find colleges you will like perfectly because those may all be reaches or something like that. So, it is good to apply to a variety and select from there. Like i said, only think holding every one who called you an idiot on CC is money.</p>
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<p>knock off 3 safeties and 1-2 reaches and you'll save yourself quite a lot.</p>
<p>Geez, I'm having trouble with finding two schools to apply to..</p>
<p>You can apply to as many as you want, but you should definitely look at your schools and see if there are ones you would rather go to. Do you honestly like all your colleges on your reach list more than the ones on your match? What reaches do you have a legit shot at getting into? Out of those reaches, which ones would you most likely want to attend? If you were not accepted to any match/reach, what safeties would you be most happy at?</p>
<p>I wonder if these schools have anything in common? A counselor I know said that each common app school you send your app to can see who else you sent your app to. If you're all over the map, they'll know that you have no idea what you're doing. I would also assume they'd be able to know the number of schools you're applying to. May not bode too well.</p>
<p>If you have 20 schools on your list, I assume you probably have not gone on many, if any, college visits. You may want to at least take the virtual tours on websites or visit during Sept/Oct. They made me question what I wanted in a college more than anything..</p>
<p>The idea that a $60 fee should deter someone from applying to a college is the epitome of penny wise, pound foolish.</p>
<p>College costs something like $50K per year! This is the second biggest investment you will ever make, after your house. For some, the biggest investment. I wouldn't worry about $60. If necessary, go for a fee waiver.</p>
<p>But if your safeties are actually safeties, meaning that you are certain you will get in and certain that you can afford to go, there is no reason to apply to 6 of them. It's a waste of your time and everyone else's. I wouldn't apply to more than 2, and that only if they are very different or the FA picture is iffy.</p>
<p>Re the reach/match schools: it depends what you're talking about. For the unhooked high-statted kid who is in the top 25% at a bunch of schools that accept less than 20% of applicants...a "match" is hard to distinguish from a "reach." In that case, a student more or less has to apply to a number of schools because every application is to some degree a crapshoot. (Unless s/he would truly be happy to go to his/her safety.) </p>
<p>I disagree with the idea that no one is a fit at 20 schools. In fact, I think that <em>most</em> students would have a perfectly good time and get a perfectly suitable education at at least that many schools, and sometimes more.</p>
<p>That said, 6 matches and 9 reaches really sounds excessive. Perhaps if you apply to a couple of early or rolling admissions schools, some early acceptances could help you cut it down.</p>
<p>@ Shad:</p>
<p>I completely stand by everything I said. What happens if he applies to 10 extra schools that he doesn't actually like (just to "make sure" he has somewhere to go") and then only gets accepted to those? So, at that point, he's stuck with a school that doesn't fit him, that he doesn't like, but he has to endure it (and pay for it!) anyway for at least a year MINIMUM (providing that he gets good grades and can transfer out)</p>
<p>Truly a stupid idea. You don't even need more matches, just cut out at least 3 of those safeties. Pointless.</p>
<p>Many (most?) schools waive the app fee if you apply online. I agree with Consolation. Dismissing the OP's plans on the basis of application costs is shortsighted.</p>
<p>There may be other reasons 20 schools aren't necessary. But, app fees is not one of them.</p>
<p>Interesting responses. Just as a side note, I'm a person who thinks through the decisions he makes, so I did not make this list whimsically. I visited about half of them, and all of them are centered around urban areas in Northeast. </p>
<p>The main reasons why I'm applying to so many though:</p>
<ul>
<li>Due to one negative factor in my profile, some schools may or may not take that as major, thus making my chances riskier.</li>
<li>For safeties and matches, I'd like to compare scholarship money. Spending $2000 on application fees and test fowarding to me and my family seems reasonable when it could result in choosing a place that offers a great scholarship deal.</li>
<li>Reaches, including ivies, are so unpredictable that in general for reaches one ought to apply to a bunch.</li>
</ul>
<p>I made sure that the programs, settings, and fit for each one of them was good for me before deciding to keep them on my list. And as a side note, a few of them waived my app fee, so it's actually not $2000</p>
<p>S and I had this discussion just last night. He had not factored in the cost of the apps. The list of schools that he really wants to go to are among the very best and most selective. His odds are as good as anyone's but obviously it's a crapshoot for anyone. There are schools that are less desirable to him, but to which his odds of acceptance are higher. Obviously these are safety schools - if they were his first choice there would be no need to apply to more selective ones, right? </p>
<p>His current total of schools to which to apply is 15. We decided that the best compromise approach is to apply early at his favorite, which doesn't require him to commit if accepted. If he gets in early, then he sends out applications only to those few schools that he would like to have the option of choosing as an alternative. If he does not get in early, we bite the bullet and he sends out 14 more applications in late December. I agree with previous post that says that saving $300 in application fees by arbitrarily cutting off five of your schools makes poor economic sense in an admissions environment that is gearing up to be as competitive as any in recent history.</p>