I qualify for fee waivers and also I am a Questbridge finalist so I can apply to all partner schools for free and also on top of that I have extra fee waivers for being low income which I’ll use for nonpartner schools. I read stuff on CC that advises not to apply to all ivy league schools or not to apply to too many schools for various reasons. But since I can apply for free, should I just apply to all the ivy leagues and top ranked schools? I would for sure spend more time on the applications for schools I really want to go to but I was just planning on just copy and pasting for other schools and not spending much time on those.
You have to realize the amount of work with each application. Are you ready to write so many application and essays? And don’t forget about supplemental essays.
QB finalist here- I’m doing the exact same thing. I’ve copied and pasted all my essays fromy QB app since all the prompts overlap. I’ve edited a few. Can colleges see our QB app?
Isn’t QB NCM a ranked ED process? Only apply to schools that you are willing to commit to attending if admitted.
For other schools, only apply if you could choose them to attend. Do not bother if you like your affordable safety better under all circumstances.
@ucbalumnus It’s only ED if you rank binding schools. I only did the nonbinding ones because my parents wanted me to keep my options open. And besides, the ranking part of the College Match has already passed. OP was referring to the Regular Decision part of the College Match.
It is a hassle to do financial aid paperwork for tons of schools. Every school has their own due dates, there are variations in the forms and paperwork the want, and variations in how it is sent. I don’t know if you get a waiver on the cost of sending the CSS profile, but it does cost to send it to each school (and I bet pretty much all the Questbridge schools require it). Unless QB has some way of sending the profile or getting you fee waivers (not sure, not familiar with all the QB details). I assume you can send scores for free? Because if not, that is something you would need waivers for, too.
@intparent Questbridge gives you waiver codes for the CSS profile.
@cardinalsin Yes. Colleges do see your Questbridge application.
I would not. Free/more is not going to produce a better result. Cast your bet as wide as you need, but don’t go crazy bc your apps with “cut and paste” will probably look a bit rushed/haphazard.
Only apply to what you are interested in. Otherwise you are wasting someone else’s time, money and resources.
You’re talking next year, right? Because there is no way you can put in the kind of time you need to on that level of application at this point. The Common App opened Aug 1, so just about all of the competition is way ahead of you.
Only if you want to increase the rejection rate of these schools. Why bother? It sounds like a waste of your time if you’re not going to put the effort into it and a waste of the colleges’ time to go through your application.
For high-need applicants, it’s often a good use of their time to apply to as many 100% schools and close-to as they can, simply because if they don’t score a full ride somewhere, they’re not going to college.
http://www.thecollegesolution.com/schools-that-meet-100-of-financial-need-2/
However, it doesn’t mean you should apply to every school under the sun just because you can.
Have someone double check every “copy/paste essay” because another college’s name will always finds it way in.
Be strategic: do your safeties first, then your matches, all by Novemebr 30, then use the mistakes you made or things you thought to add your reaches. Each school you apply to should have been carefully considered for fit.
BTW, CommonApp has a limit on 20 applications.
Select a range of schools where your profile fits theirs (ie;, one of those “why we’re made for each other” essays should be really strong); they offer sufficient need-based and/or merit; you like it and can picture yourself there.
QB Finalist here- I AM applying to more schools, but I’m not just going nilly-willy, I added 2 schools and I’m ranking each schools on my application list according to priority, which will determine the order I work on each application, that way if I finish early and I have time for one more application, there’s no harm in opening it, but I won’t lose track of the really important one. Be weary of copying and pasting, prompts may appear similar but subtle differences can change the tone you may want to work into an essay, or the specific diction you use!