<p>I'm currently a junior, and I was wondering if it was worth it to apply to very selective schools (e.g. Ivy Leagues, Notre Dame, Emory, Georgetown, etc). I have excellent stats and a good resume, etc but so does almost every other applicant to those schools. </p>
<p>So basically, is it worth applying to those schools even if your chances are so slim?
When you applied (class of 2011, 2010), did you regret not applying to them/applying to them, why?</p>
<p>I applied to Dartmouth, even though I had no shot of getting in. It was worth trying, because there was still a slim chance that I could be accepted. You have good stats, I say go for it. Good luck :)</p>
<p>hmm… did you apply to other safety school and target schools then?</p>
<p>It’s fine to apply provided you understand the likelihood of rejection, and don’t let it crush your spirits when/if it happens. Because the percentages of accepted students is so small at many of these schools, it’s difficult to use your stats as a gauge, because on those grounds everybody looks indistinguishable. Remember that from the school’s point of view, it does not need to do justice in each particular case–it just needs to assemble an interesting class, which given its applicant pool is like shooting fish in a barrel. Remember too that virtually all those great rejected applicants do end up going to college somewhere, generally somewhere very slightly less prestigious. As a result you will find smart, ambitious peers wherever you end up.</p>
<p>So keep the odds in mind, and apply to a range of schools with some reaches and some safeties you will be glad to attend.</p>
<p>There’s no harm in applying, assuming your resume is indeed competitive for these schools, but be careful of just sending apps to every top school. I, for one, should have eliminated H and S from my initial list–neither particularly fits my style. But I certainly don’t regret reaching for Y and P, since they both “fit” me and since I was successful at one :).</p>
<p>Yeah. I think the whole part of rejection seems really scary. </p>
<p>My school only allows you to apply to ten colleges max, so if I choose universities, I have to be very wise. </p>
<p>How many safeties/reaches/target schools do you normally apply to. And if some of these schools are selective for even the top, what is considered a target school…</p>
<p>Are you in a private school? Does the school have a track record of sending people to ivies? How do they restrict from applying to more than 10?</p>
<p>If you have a good state school that gives you an admission on a first come first serve basis in September, that can be your safety.</p>
<p>oh i go to a private school in Asia, but i’m an American citizen…</p>
<p>How does your school control the number of apps?</p>
<p>How long have you lived in Asia? Schools do want unique perspectives to make their classes more interesting. So if you have lived in US for a while and have been in Asia since, that can make your application more interesting. For example, Harvard supplement asks you how long you have lived in each country or country that is not your native.</p>
<p>If you have the stats, I say go for it. Apply to like two safeties (you’ll get in and should be able to afford it, whether because you can pay or because you’ll have a guaranteed scholarship), somewhere between two and four match schools, and a few reaches.</p>
<p>I applied to reaches I had no business applying to. I didn’t get in to Georgetown, but I did get into Notre Dame, which was a complete shock. With their specific application supplement and their decision, I feel like they put a lot more weight on the essays.</p>
<p>So if you have the stats, apply. Good luck.</p>
<p>i was born here :)…
oh i dno. our college counselor is lazy i guess and doesn’t wanna have to send out more than 10 transcripts… it’s just a rule we have at our school. thats why i’m so surprised that some people apply to like 20 universities</p>
<p>Nowadays, with the Common App, the counselor just uploads your transcript and school report one time. Same with the teacher recommendations. So you can apply to as many schools as you’d like (and can afford) without any extra work on the part of the counselor or the teachers who write your recommendations.</p>
<p>There’s no reason NOT to apply to an Ivy, if you can. But don’t go overboard.
I would say set a goal at around 9-10 schools. 4 matches, 4 reaches, and 1 or 2 safeties. I applied to 4 reaches (HYPS), 4 matches, Columbia, Dartmouth, UMich, and Georgetown, and one safety (Rutgers). HYPSM (and Caltech) are always reaches, no matter who you are. I got into all my reaches (Yale SCEA and will be attending), rejected from two matches (Dartmouth and UMich), and accepted to Georgetown and Columbia (after being waitlisted at Columbia). I got into my safety Rutgers.
I could have applied to all the Ivies, but I decided to only apply to the ones I actually liked. Don’t apply to a school because it’s an Ivy. But if you really like the school, apply there.</p>
<p>I agree with Oregonianmom. If the issue is with paperwork, they should make use of technology and upload your information so they dont need to repeat it 10 times.</p>
<p>CommonApp has a restriction of 20 schools. However, there are some schools like MIT not using commonapp (until this year columbia too) which would allow someone to get around the rule. Some states like Texas have a state application for all State schools and dont use common app. </p>
<p>Out of curiousity, what gives you citizenship - an American parent?</p>
<p>Some schools, including mine (which is also international), prohibit their students from using more than ten official transcripts; it is not a matter of making the process more convenient or haranguing your counselor–you simply cannot request that more than ten transcripts be sent to universities (with some wiggle room toward the end of the year, when you may be allowed to use two additional transcripts if you haven’t been accepted anywhere, I think; also, applying to the UK only costs us one transcript).</p>
<p>The school is de facto limiting the number of universities you can apply to. It’s a simple concept.</p>
<p>Ghostt - If they attach it to commonapp the school no longer has control over it?</p>
<p>My school submits transcripts and recommendations through Naviance, which makes the process slightly different; I don’t know if that is the case at the OP’s school.</p>
<p>yeah I’m a US citizen (with a US passport too) because of my dad. I’ve lived in Hong Kong, China my whole life, and I go to a small international school here. My mom’s Malaysian. </p>
<p>How can Georgetown, Columbia, etc be a target? Aren’t those schools considered reaches for anyone too? I hear they reject people even with awesome stats, essays, etc</p>
<p>Well I don’t know what your stats are, but if you are an average qualified applicant then the chances are you’ll be rejected by most, if not all, of the ivy leagues or other top institutions. So if you are ready for that, and ready to see a lot of money spent on your applications that may not turn out to be successful, then there really isn’t anything that should prevent you from applying widely.</p>
<p>so you’re saying its not worth applying?? hmm. so i should just apply to like schools with 50% acceptance rates or smth…?</p>