<p>Haha yes, I heard those things too!</p>
<p>Tulane also gives great merit aid. And Rice, UMichigan, and Vanderbilt offer some too, but they’re very competitive, so I don’t know if I’ll get any. But I’m hoping the need-based FA will be enough to cover costs for wherever I’m accepted.</p>
<p>I’m going to PM you as I have experience with several of these colleges.</p>
<p>OOS FA is unlikely from UMichigan, but with their merit scholarships it’s still worth being on your list.</p>
<p>I applied to 11 because it was cheaper than visiting (I could visit after I got in and narrowed it down) and I had to get into a top school that would meet my full financial need. 10 of my schools fit this criteria, and the 11th was my state school that offered me a generous national merit scholarship</p>
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<p>Thanks entomom. Yeah, I have family near Ann Arbor, so I figured if I could nab a sizeable merit scholarship, it could be my school of choice. The odds are against me though: my ACT is a 33, and my UW GPA is a 3.9. Don’t you need near-perfect stats to get a scholarship that competitive?</p>
<p>lolcats4 –</p>
<p>We’re East Coast folks and a student I’m working with is considering applying to MANY west coast schools (Pomona being the dream school) without visiting. Many folks have advised that this isn’t a good approach since it is just “shifting” spending the trip money until student gets accepted. Since it appears said student will be doing the same as you did, can you give your thoughts. Did you visit many schools after acceptance?</p>
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<p>It depends somewhat in which College you’re applying to, LS&A and Engineering are very competitive and more than some of the others according to my D1 who was a Shipman scholar.</p>
<p>National median is 4 schools</p>
<p>Here’s how we got to 8</p>
<p>2 reaches, one an Ivy and the other a medium sized University (second one a dream school)
2 safeties, both larger public universities
1 financial aid safety, larger university
1 financial aid safety school, smaller LAC (this ended up being the choice)
2 fits, both LACs (one a dream school) </p>
<p>In retrospect we could have dropped the Ivy and one of the two LACs and been just fine (kid didn’t develop the fire within for those places.)</p>
<p>If one hasn’t made up one’s mind about large or small or about urban or rural, and if one wants multiple merit aid offers, one can get to 6-8 fairly quickly.</p>
<p>Selecting school(s) that might maximize merit aid (i.e., higher % of students get aid with higher average awards) would increase the number.</p>
<p>On the other hand, first kid applied to just one school, so I guess on average we are median :-)</p>
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<p>Oooh… wait, am I applying LS&A if I have a humanities concentration? I’m guessing the answer to that is yes. :(</p>
<p>For most of us that apply to many many schools, the approach is typically the same as the average applicant with usually one difference. We’ll apply to two safeties, a couple matches. But the real difference is in the reaches. While the average applicant applies to just two or three reaches, some of us apply to 6 or 7. Why? Because when the colleges you apply to are so ridiculously selective that it doesn’t matter if you have a 2400 or have been working hard since freshman year - then you need to expand your chances as far as possible. It’s pretty simply statistics, the more you apply, the better chance of landing one. For every one of you, there are hundreds more like you out there (there are a couple thousand 2400s out there for example). This approach maximizes getting into a good school. </p>
<p>Also, applying early would have been they would have got in? Ivies and other selective institutions don’t practice rolling admissions. They consider everyone at the same time.</p>
<p>I have no qualms with you applying to just 4-8 schools. But please don’t hate or lash out with ignorance against people who apply to more than that.</p>
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<p>This makes sense. And I respect people who apply to 7 reaches. I’m not that far off, I believe I’m applying to 5. But I’m doing it because of FA, which is the decisive factor for me. I’m pretty sure that’s why most other people do it.</p>
<p><a href=“there%20are%20a%20couple%20thousand%202400s%20out%20there%20for%20example”>quote</a>.
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<p>Really? A couple thousand? College Board reported that for 2010, only 238 students nationwide received a perfect 2400. That’s far from a ‘couple thousand.’</p>
<p>^^^ Props to you</p>
<p>Kids… 2400’s are RARE. They are accepted at a 50%+ rates to HYPSM. That means they are NINE TIMES more likely than the average applicant to get into HYP. That is significantly higher than 2100+ kids. Silverturtle has a post showing that kids with 800 CR and 800 Writing are accepted at MUCH MUCH MUCH higher frequencies relative to those with 700-790. The post is supported with data.</p>
<p>Like at stanford, kids with 800 CR are like 120% more likely to be accepted than those with 700-790.</p>
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<p>I don’t believe that it is just “shifting” the money until you’re accepted. When applying to such selective schools, you have no idea which ones you’ll get into. My family saved a lot of money; instead of visiting 5-6 schools and then applying, I applied to 10-11 schools (much cheaper) and then narrowed it down to my top two choices to visit after receiving my decisions. In my case, it was between Pomona and Columbia, and Columbia even paid for the full expenses of my visit all the way from AZ to their admitted students weekend. I also managed to get several application fees waived given my family’s financial situation.</p>
<p>In hindsight, some of my applications to schools like Duke and USC might have been a waste, since those schools had no chance once I was in at Pomona and Columbia, but I couldn’t have known I would get into my top two choices. And if I hadn’t, the other schools on my list would have seemed much more attractive.</p>
<p>^ why did you choose pomona over columbia? Just wondering</p>
<p>It was a rather odd decision to begin with…big-city, east-coast ivy-league school vs. tiny liberal arts college in west coast suburbia. I realized I could get an equally good education at either school, so it had to come down to other reasons. I think maybe it was the difference in campus cultures…I immediately felt at home at Pomona. On the other hand, I really enjoyed my overnight stay at Columbia, and I love New York. Honestly, I’m still not even sure of the exact reasons why I chose Pomona. </p>
<p>All I know is that I have zero regrets. I love Pomona and I’ve met some incredible people there. And if I had gone to Columbia, I’d probably be saying the same thing. It was really a win-win choice, but I guess I was in a Pomona mood on the day I had to decide.</p>
<p>I got 8 fee waivers from the Expanding College Opportunities program, and waivers from other schools as well, so I ended up applying to around 17 schools and paying for 6 or 7. I think a list of 4-7 schools is perfect for most applicants, but if you’re aiming for the top schools, then it makes sense to branch out if you’re a strong student but not exceptional.</p>