Which Colleges Should I Apply to?

[anon67749591]

I am researching a sensical list of colleges that I would like to apply to. I am thinking of applying to 5 of the eight Ivy League colleges, but I would also like to be rational. That is why I applied to five additional colleges that I am certainly in reach (safeties). The problem I have been seeing is that many posters on this great forum advise not to apply to all of them. I don’t really know why that would be, especially that applying to more can increase the chances of bringing more to the table.

So, should I apply to all of the Ivy League colleges, or even decrease the list of the 5 Ivy League schools (Harvard, Cornell, Brown, Yale, Princeton) that are in my Common App? Also, can you provide me advice on generally which colleges I should apply to? I kind of have a bias against the lesser known schools that I am trying to defeat.

[gibby]

Here’s my advice from another thread

Having been through this with both my kids, here’s my advice: No matter what HYPS Admissions says, I think your chances are better in the SCEA round. So, if you have a 2200+ SAT, with 10 AP classes and AP tests all with 4’s and 5’s, and an unweighted GPA above 95 (on a 1-100 scale) or an unweighted 3.9 (on a 1-4 scale), then you should apply to HYPS in the SCEA round to whichever school is your favorite.

If you have a sub-2200 SAT or the ACT equivalent, then you should NOT apply SCEA no matter what your GPA, as your application will get buried by the polly-perfect’s of this world.

Full Disclosure: My daughter applied to Yale SCEA with a 97.8 unweighted GPA, 8 AP’s (all 5’s), 6 SAT Subject tests (all 750+), and a 34 ACT and was deferred then rejected. She applied to Harvard and Princeton in the RD and was waitlisted at Princeton and accepted to Harvard.

My son applied to Yale SCEA with a 96.87 unweighted GPA, 8 AP’s (all 5’s), 8 SAT Subject tests (all 750+), and a 36 ACT and was accepted. He applied to Harvard and Princeton in the RD round and was accepted to Princeton and rejected from Harvard.

As you have a 31 ACT, you should not apply SCEA, as your application will most luckily get buried by stronger students. So, you should apply to a broad range of non-binding schools in the early round and apply to HYSP in the RD round. For a list of non-binding early schools, see: http://collegelists.pbworks.com/w/page/55685614/US%20Schools%20with%20Early%20Action%20Decision%20Plans

[intparent]

“Sensical” is not even a word. You need matches and safeties that are not Ivies (it isn’t a match if it has a low acceptance rate, even if all your stats are above the 50% mark).

[rdeng2614]

Applying to more Ivies does not mean that your chances of getting in are higher.
If you need some extra time with test scores/grades, then apply early to your safeties to have some acceptances in hand before winter break and then apply to the Ivies during the regular round.

If you’re going to the Ivies because of the name, it will be extremely tough to write a “Why school” essay for schools like Cornell and possibly Yale and Princeton.

Apply to 5 or 8 Ivies (doesn’t really matter) if you think you can handle all the essays and have a good reason to apply to them (prestige is not one).

I would recommend that you research each school and pick the one that you would enjoy being at the most.

[anon67749591]

Thank you @gibby and @intparent and @rdeng2614 . I just have two questions: If I have already sent my 31 ACT score to Harvard College, would it be wiser to cancel it than to keep it, and then submit the would-be higher SAT score (hate to predict)? Also, why does Harvard state the following quote on their site? Is it so they won’t receive more applicants?

Harvard does not offer an advantage to students who apply early. Higher Early Action acceptance rates reflect the remarkable strength of Early Action pools. For any individual student, the final decision will be the same whether the student applies Early Action or Regular Decision.

[intparent]

I don’t know how you can “cancel” a score you have already sent.

[gibby]

@BeCambridge: Please read: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kat-cohen/the-truth-about-applying-_1_b_4070821.html

In the past couple of years, Harvard has taken half their class from the SCEA pool, so it’s a bit disingenuous for them to say applying early doesn’t give you an advantage. That said, the SCEA pool is self-selective, meaning that many students who are applying (and being accepted) are ranked in the top 1% to 2% of their graduating class with tippy-top test scores. The vast majority of students though are deferred in the SCEA round.