So I shotgunned.. what's the big deal?

Applying to College
1

Refusing to heed CC’s advice against it, I decided to shotgun. And looking back, I don’t really understand what the big deal was. Yes, all the application fees could pose a problem for some - but assuming that isn’t the case, I really see no reason to not do it. Maybe if you hate writing supplements. I mean, while I am a really good writer, I managed to churn out about 50 of them in a week. And they were good, too, or so I think. Not spectacular and cathartic, maybe, but good nonetheless. If I can do that in a week, most everyone should be able to do it in at least a little longer.

Of course, I may be proven wrong when results come in and I’m rejected from all but my safeties and low matches because I didn’t put enough thought into my high matches and reaches, but something tells me that won’t be the case.

Here’s the full list by the way: Amherst, BC, Brown, Colorado School of Mines, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Fordham, Georgetown, George Washington, Harvard, Indiana Bloomington, Lehigh, Northwestern, Notre Dame, NYU Stern, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, U Chicago, U Mich, U Penn, U Pitt, UNC Chapel Hill, UVA, Vanderbilt, Villanova, William and Mary, Williams, and Yale.

So, CC, why do you hate shotgunners so much? :stuck_out_tongue:

2

31 schools x $75 (approx. avg) = $2325
31 schools x $12 (SAT or ACT) = $372 + X (SAT IIs)

I’m going to assume you don’t need any FA – so you easily spent over $2500…

Your biggest problem after getting rejected to all of them will be choosing which school to attend.

3

I’m sure there’s any number of families that can afford to pay $2,500 for admissions but not $250,000 for tuition…
so financial aid is a separate matter.

Also I would rather get accepted first and then choose, as opposed to “choosing” schools that I might not get into in the first place.

4

There are many good schools and if you applied where you are willing to go and have the record for it, I see no issue. I am betting that if you are in the ball park for the tough schools, you will have a good number of options. If though you have weak test scores and no good reason for them, then I think the approach makes no sense.

5

Self-proclaimed “good writer” really likes using the word “good!”

This is obviously just a humblebrag post trying to piggyback off of a thread made a few days ago; scurry along, your incomplete personal anecdote brings nothing until we hear the results.

6

Was just going to say something like that, @foolish, … tell us when you get results and maybe your story will be relevant.

7

What’s the point in starting this thread when it would only garner the same 52 responses on your last one? You haven’t anything new to contribute except that you did, in fact, going against the majority of the advice previously presented.

It would have made more sense to update the last thread when you had all your admissions decision. This, like your shotgunning, makes little sense.

8

No hate from me. More power to you.

@viphan‌ Ouch. This came off as petty.

@foolish‌ Same with this, only with a touch of pretension.

No need to hate on OP.

9

There’s no hate. But you do reveal yourself as someone who does not know what college is for or why you are going. Is this the method you you will use for finding a job/career (50 random applications)? Is this how you will find a spouse (50 random proposals)? This is superficial, narcissistic, and ignorant.

10

Honestly, I don’t see why some of the earlier posters are so bitter about this post. I didn’t see anything wrong with what OP asked. I’m not criticizing the earlier posters. Just failing to comprehend what the problem is here.

11

Thank you for the support, @Victory.

@foolish, if you have finished there with your patronization and false accusations, perhaps you might want to reconsider. The last (and only) thread I had made on this topic was in April.

The purpose of this thread is to present a counterargument to the CC establishment. Shotgunning is not an irrational college spree, but rather a reasoned approach for those who aren’t necessarily blissfully in love with a few specific schools, or for those who do not have the time, energy, or money to tour the nations visiting colleges.

12

@iamthegoat – because the OP wants to resurrect his prior argument and thumb his nose publicly at those who disagreed earlier. Note that his final question is purposefully provocative. The tone of the post isn’t to inquire but to goad.

13

It would be very interesting to do a valid study of the “shotgun” approach to see if it yielded any substantial fruit. Unfortunately, the easy way is going to incorporate a lot of self-reporting.

Maybe one of you bright young things should apply for funds from your university to do Summer research with the Common App files.

14

@T26E4 The final question was not provocative. It was meant to be whimsical and humorous and I did not realize this thread would spiral into such antagonism within the half-hour. Perhaps, as JustOneDad suggests, it would be better to have a reasoned discussion rather than telling each other to “scurry along,” don’t you think?

15

Against my better judgment – I’ll take the bait. I teach writing – no one, anywhere, can write 50 strong essays in 7 days.

16

sure, I agree that a reasonable discussion would have benefited all. But since the thread spun way afar of that, that ideal is now water past the bridge, no? Maybe repost with a clearer question.

17

Well, I’m rooting for you! I actually think it’s healthier to apply everywhere without being too emotionally involved and see what pans out than it is to pine away for a couple of schools and then be devastated when it doesn’t pan out. You sound like a resilient person who will make the best of whatever situation you end up in. I think you have a shot for all of them. Keep us posted.

18

@Midwestmomofboys Some of them might be relatively short, like 150 words, if that helps.

19

I got the impression that OP was trying to thumb his/her nose at whoever told him/her not to shotgun before. I don’t really care one way or another, as it is not a topic I’m interested in, but my point was that it would have been better for OP to come in with a result that he/she is satisfied with to properly complete the nose thumb. It just seemed like a … premature shot from the hip, shall we say? :wink:

20

Thanks, @redpoodles.

I wasn’t trying to thumb my nose at anyone. I was told that shotgunning (a) isn’t worth it and (b) isn’t practical because of supplements. The concern was never really with admissions in the first place. I just made a thread to say that, from my experience, shotgunning is cheaper than visiting and writing the essays is not that big a deal.

@Midwestmomofboys, many of the essays are short as @JustOneDad pointed out, and I also recycled many of them.