<p>Is it better to have a lot of matches + safties (but only one or two reaches, etc) when applying to colleges/uni... </p>
<p>or having more REACHES (3+) and match schools?</p>
<p>I guess the question is really should you risk getting into a reach school that you may not have gotten in otherwise without TRYING... or go with the saftey and never have known if you could've gotten in or not?</p>
<p>If you want to apply to 10 schools...I would say 2 safeties, 2-3 matches should be fine.</p>
<p>One SCEA or several EA, then, if you get in, maybe two or three reaches. If not, have some safeties in mind.</p>
<p>I wish i would have applied to more reach schools. I ended up applying to 3 safeties, 2 reaches and 2 matches. But then, I got into UChicago early and it's easy to say now that I should have gone for more selective schools. But definitely apply somewhere early, and with an acceptance under your belt you'll be freed to apply to more reaches.</p>
<p>Well if it's a safety, don't you only need one?</p>
<p>I think it's good to have 2 or 3 safeties, just in case something goes wrong and you get rejected from one. Plus, in case you get rejected from all of your reaches and matches, you still have some element of choice.</p>
<p>Don't forget that money comes into play for many people. If you're hoping for merit money, you may want to apply to many safety schools. </p>
<p>2-3 each for safeties, matches, and reaches generally constitutes a good list. No matter what, you need at least two safeties, preferably one of which has rolling admissions. Just because a school is your safety doesn't mean it doesn't fit you as well (or better!) than one of your reaches. </p>
<p>Hint: If you get rejected from at least one college, you know you didn't aim too low. :p</p>
<p>I'm applying to 2-3 safeties to compare scholarships. Then about 5-7 matches (most of which I'm expecting to get into) and 3-4 reaches.</p>
<p>Apply to more than one safety, but not more than 3 (unless if finances is an issue). After all, they ARE safeties.</p>
<p>There are both financial safeties and academic safeties. In addition to having a college that your are reasonably sure will accept you, also have a worst case scenario for the finan aid.</p>