What do you guys think? 15 schools=too much? Most are reach schools, and I hope to get into at least one
<p>Most people will say its not, but I think it's perfectly acceptable. If you're willing to fill out 15 applications/supplements, the more power to you and good luck.</p>
<p>Definately not. You will be able to get better financial aid deals that way.</p>
<p>I started out with 15 too, and here's the disclaimer- too many schools equals too little attention on each school=BAD. I narrowed my list until I had 10 schools (most of them still reaches). You do get a nicer selection in Spring when you apply to more colleges, but i found the hassle to be too significant.</p>
<p>Do you have to pay the application fee st all these schools? At an average of say $35 per school, thats about $525 just for filling out the app!! Consult with your parents before you do this. I guess on the other hand $525 is chump change compared to tuition at some places. Good luck!</p>
<p>I'm applying to 14, so I'm in the same boat. As long as you're efficient in doing apps and can get everything done, it's fine. Yeah, it'll cost a lot, but it can be worth it to have more options. Good luck with all your apps.</p>
<p>Consider this: you get into all 15 schools in April, or even 10 schools. How will you decide which school to go to in just a few short weeks? What's that you say? You already know which schools are your "top picks?" and which ones you wouldn't want to go to? Well, seems to me you could probably eliminate a few on the list right now if that's the case. Ideally, you want to end up with 5 or six great choices, not 10 or 12. If you need to apply to 15 schools to get 5 or six great choices then you are either seriously over-reaching or have not really given a lot of thought as to what you really want and need in a college or BOTH. And, that's bound to show up as a negative on your applications. But that's just my opinion - do with it what you will. :)</p>
<p>$35 a school? - try $60! That is close to a thousand dollars... not to mention getting all of the test scores sent, etc.</p>
<p>I'm applying to 9 and I think thats even alot. If many of your schools are reaches than it is more okay but like someone else said, in April when you've gotten into nearly all of your schools how will you choose? You should know already what school(s) you really want to go to and the others are just safeties. I can't imagine that you have 10 schools that you truely love.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>my friend is applying to like 31 schools...</p>
<p>Now 31 IS too much!</p>
<p>Applying to 15 schools is OK if a high quality of the application essays and short answers can be maintained. The problem with a number of the reach schools is that they often have at least one essay question that requires something other than a lightly remodeled stock essay. That can get brutal on an applicant who is trying to keep up good grades in school, get some sleep and have a life.</p>
<p>15 is OK. Slightly on the high side, but OK. 12 would be a nice number (methinks anyway)</p>
<p>LAgal...Yes, 15 is too much. 9 - 10 is the maximum number of schools you really need. Concentrate on doing a sterling job on each application. Remember, it's quality, not quantity. I would like encourage you to add 3 matches and 3 safeties to your list, just in case.</p>
<p>It depends on the student and yes if you are looking for finaid it is worth a few hundred dollars to get a better chance -schools can be so variable with aid and merit as we discovered with my son. Also you change a lot through this whole process. My S ended up at a school which was not on his initial list and was a school he didn't think he would get into. A coach from a different school recommended it as he said the coach was a great guy. There are also many schools that offer free app to certain students and some schools which are free for online apps. 15 will be too many for some students but not too many for others. If one school offers a free ride then the choice may not be so difficult after all! Good luck! Another thought, my D eliminated 2 schools that sounded great in brochures but her visit changed her mind.</p>
<p>look towards common apps for such large amounts of schools. For example, I applied to around 15 schools. 4 of them were in CA which uses the CA common form. four more use the Common App form. The rest use their own. However, Filling out apps aren't the bad part of the process. Writing probably five to six essays is probably enough to use for all your schools. I have used one particular essay on almost 10 schools! So it really depends on how well you plan ahead and if you are willing to pay for the fee. There are fee waivers, you know.</p>
<p>While applying to 15 schools is a lot, not to mention money, the time and effort writing essays, getting copies of teacher recommendations, etc., the choice is totally up to you. Consider this: If 14 of those schools reject you, would you be more than willing to go to the last school? If not, take it off your list. Now consider if you were rejected from 13 of those 14 schools. Would you be happy going to the last school? Get the picture? I would personally limit the number down to 10 max (although some might argue even that is a lot). I hope that helps.</p>
<p>thanks to all for your help so far...here's the deal: if i had my choice, i'd only apply to one school...but i have a very low chance of acceptance, so i'd only apply to 2 schools, but i have a very low chance of acceptance at both...that's how my top 6 choices are, and i'd really love to go to any of them if i could get in; 2 are safety schools, and the rest are match schools but mostly on the reach side...i actually don't have any perfect match schools...pretty much all are reach or safety</p>
<p>Makes sense to me. Apply to as many schools as you want.</p>
<p>seriously...why 15? what makes them so different that you need that kind of choice? where do you want to live for the next four years? most schools are actually pretty similar (the evil dark secret in academia) so start focusing on the obvious differences (location, cost, housing availability etc.) and NARROW THAT LIST!
-signed- a former admissions guy</p>
<p>oh yeah, like one of the other posts said -- visit! visit! visit! it's always worth the trip, because coming back home after you've moved into your dorm room at a school you HATE is ALWAYS more expensive.
also, narrow the reaches. it's fine to reach, important even. but why are you reaching for so many? just because they have a name everyone's heard of? why are they so special to you that you'd torture yourself that way?</p>
<p>My friend is applying to 15. He says that if he gets into any of the top 14, he'd be happy. So it's okay to apply to many.</p>