<p>Last year my child applied to 6 of the more selective schools. Got into 3 (2 with FA offers) and was waitlisted at 3. Each school knew all the schools to which child was applying. One AO called the list “the usual suspects.” These schools don’t expect you to apply to only one, so having others will not hurt you. However, I have heard of something called the Tufts Effect. That it when you apply to a number of the most selective schools and then throw in a safety that doesn’t really line up with the rest of the list. The safety school will assume that you really would rather be at one of the more selective schools and will waitlist you in favor of a candidate who genuinely wants to come to that school. So while it might be a good idea to cast a broad net, be careful how you do it. And don’t apply to any school that you would not be happy to attend.</p>
<p>son applied to 3. all were hades. worked out fine.</p>
<p>I only applied for two, but that was because BS wasn’t the only option available for me. One suggestion though, don’t apply for more than 4. Most interviewers will ask if you are applying to more than one school, and to make sure the legacy of a low acceptance rate (for HADES school), they will only accept kids who are SURE they will attend their school. if you tell them you applied for many schools, AO’s will think you may not be interested in the school, and that they’re just another option on your list</p>
<p>Take in mind you can only go to one school at the end of the day 
I applied to two schools (both late, and didnt interview at one) and got into one school and denied at the other. I don’t think you can go wrong applying to multiple schools though.</p>
<p>btw, i would have to disagree that milton is more of a second tier school compare to deerfield, i agree though andover is a different animal all together than other elite schools</p>
<p>I think I’m applying to 2 or 3 top schools and 1 safety school</p>
<p>This year I apllied to 4…all in the top ten. I got into my 1st choice (DA)!</p>
<p>Do they always ask you what others schools you are applying to in the interview? I just don’t see why they would have to know that. I personally would love to only apply to 2 or 3 schools, but I have to have financial aid so I think I will need to apply to several more than that. How does one answer that questions without hurting their chances.</p>
<p>They never asked me. They asked what schools I had interviewed at beforehand. Luckily, it was none, so I was safe. They want to know which schools so that they can see if you have a genuine interest in the school, or if it is just a safety. It would look a bit out of place if you apply to your local private high school, and then the other “acronyms”. To not hurt your chances, you could either a) Lie, or b) Brightly say that this is the only school. It’s a bad situation to be in… And if you are worried about the FA factor, apply to a school with a large endowment. Those tend to be the schools with the most funds allocated for financial aid.</p>
<p>my parents said no more than three because if i dont get into a top school, then there’s no point in me going, and also it is really expensive</p>
<p>During the college search, my son’s college counselor divided the schools into 3 categories: 1. reach 2. match 3. likely
He also explained that reaches were reaches for everyone. I already knew that, but I think it’s important to keep that in mind. So many applicants are qualified based stats.
My advice to parents & applicants is to pay special attention to the matches because it is likely that you will gain admission to some of them. It seems that likely schools will admit you, but it is uncertain.</p>
<p>If you need fa, then you should pay more attention to your likely schools, and generally you should apply to more schools.</p>
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<p>I am sorry, but I most politely disagree.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be to explain that you are visiting a number of schools and will then narrow down your list of where you want to apply. </p>
<p>For each school, have a specific reason of why you want to go there. Follow up your answer with something like “I am already quite certain I will apply to St. Yourschool - I just love underwater basketweaving and your national championship team really inspires me.”</p>
<p>Don’t worry too much about the question, as they know everyone is looking/applying at a lot of schools. Just be very aware of where you are at that moment and WHY you would like to go to school there.</p>
<p>Good luck - I hope you enjoy the process. Yes, it can be stressful - but it is also a lot of fun. Take all the great advice about a broad range of schools and you should be very happy this time next year.</p>
<p>Excuse me, but what are reach and safety schools?</p>
<p>my public school isnt that bad, and my parents arent prepared to pay the extensive amounts of money on a school that isnt that much better than my current school.</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat as Alix, except it was my international school that wasn’t bad. I applied to 3 Hades schools.</p>