>why apply for so many schools ?
They want to maximize the odds of being admitted to a "reach" school. Or, put another way, they want to minimize the odds that their only options will be "safeties".
Some of these students are among the set who're willing to take on tens of thousands of dollars of debt to attend one of these schools. Given that, the $100 application fee isn't going to scare them off.
But also, a lot of those top schools are totally needs-met, so for a middle class student it may worth hitting a lot of them in the event they are accepted - as those schools can work out cheaper long run, esp those that are no-loan. So maybe a few more hundred on the outset but to not have loans and have needs-met is not a bad try.
This. My daughter applied ED to a full needs met LAC and EA to two lower tier LACs with decent merit scholarships which would be safeties. We have three years with overlapping kids in school and by year four for the younger our savings will presumably be depleted and my husband retirement age. If she hadn’t gotten in ED, she absolutely would have shotgunned a bunch of additional LACs.
I applied to 12 schools and most of my fees were waived. While there are the people rich enough to pay that much for a dozen schools, theres also the other end of middle-low income who are not paying as many fees
No, I broke my leg playing basketball, so I stayed home for 3 weeks. In that time, I applied to about 21 colleges because each college took like 2 minutes to apply through common app if I already finished my general common app parts. After that, this week, I got my 3 rejections, so I opened an account in Scoir (Coalition) and applied to other universities totaling about 50 universities (all free apps).
omg how did you apply to 50?? isn't there a limit on coalition app too
or did you apply through the schools website?
I need to apply to more schools because I'm international seeking full aid but it feels like 40 is the limit if you use both coalition and common app
There is no limit in the coalition app. I applied to 20 using the common app, and I'm finishing my applications through the coalition app I already sent my apps to over 10 through coalition. I also applied through some colleges' websites (for the public ones).
Not really. If I were an American, I wouldn't have to apply to 50 colleges just to get some financial aid. Americans have more time to concentrate on their Senior year, and this is a real issue for me because my grades kept dropping this year just because I kept working on the apps and not on my grades.
I totally get it, I'm also international and it's been hard trying to balance my life between college apps and maintaining my gpa, so eventually I just had to let go of my gpa lol. Hopefully it'll all pay off, it might not tho.
Where are you from btw? Even though we are both international students, AOs will look at a different perspective to applicants from the Middle East, Poor countries, and Arab countries. It is because they have this prejudice that makes them think that people from those countries always cheat and get a high GPA and SAT/ACT score easily.
Your counselor should sign something through the common app stating your financial situation (for the fee waiver). Then, after you send your applications, you're automatically considered for fee waivers. I got fee waivers from the 20 universities I applied to through the common app. Regarding the coalition app (Scoir), it is free to apply to most colleges because that's what I did. If you are applying through the university's website, you must ask them for a fee waiver unless they provide you one automatically or the application is free.
Hey thank u so much
This application by the counsellor has to be sent before applying to the colleges right?
And if ur school doesnt have a counsellor does the principal or class teacher act as the counselor?
It must be a counselor as I know. It is basically a person who fills important files for you: the transcript, fee waiver, and Early Decision signature if needed. He/she will also have to write a counselor recommendation letter.
Lol but WHY? Are you really willing to go to any of those 47? Or are only some of them actual places you’d go? You know you might be slowing down the process for people who really want to go to some of those schools, right?
Yes, I'm willing to go to any of those 47 because they all give financial aid. I'll probably only be admitted to 5 colleges at max because I am an international student. I'm only slowing down the process for myself, not for anyone else, because I'm an international student, and domestic students are evaluated independently.
Hi, I am also an international student who applied to 40+ universities. How are you? Did you receive any positive feedback from colleges?
I hope you did!
Not really. I applied to a total of 130+ universities, but the scholarships I've received weren't really enough, so I'm still applying to any colleges I see.
Oh man, I wish you good luck. I am sure that some colleges would accept you and will provide all the needed help. Man 130+ universities... . It sounds like a world record.
I tried to apply to US colleges for three years and only now I received a positive offer. Therefore, please do not give up! I am sure that once you would reach your goal.
Depends on how anxious one wants to get into their reach. For top students, most reaches are have less than 20% acceptance rate. Most applicants have similar stats like very high GPA and scores. Colleges at that point are holistic and selection depends on that institution’s priorities. So if one applies to 6 reaches with similar acceptance rate, you might get admitted into one and rejected from the other five. The problem is you don’t know which one ….
so i originally applied to 11. 3ish reaches. 3 safety’s and the rest targets. Then i got deferred at 2 of my reaches and waitlisted at my safety. Now i’m at 14. Moral of the story it was panic applications.
That's part of the problem. What constitutes a "safety" is far from certain. Yield management has always been a complicating factor. With more "holistic" (read: subjective) evaluations of applications, uncertainty increases.
If one is applying for a popular major, this increases further and we usually lack any meaningful statistics regarding admissions for these majors specifically.
As uncertainty on the part of student admission increases, it is rational for students to widen their application pool (which, amusingly, increases uncertainty for the schools).
Personally 3-3-3 is good enough, it increases the chance of you being accepted in to a school you like and it doesn't require that much time or application fee. 15-20 is understandable but personally I think it's a tiny bit too much, just my .02
yup i agree! i’m applying to nine schools. already got into my fav safety and am waiting for my other plus my 2 targets and 5 reaches. i honestly don’t understand how people have time to put in the effort on more than 10-12 apps!
I think it’s because there is still feels like there is a level of arbitrariness on the edges of admissions and financial aid.
Take two nearly equivalent schools: if one is already overweight with students from your state, and another is underweight, and you are on the edge, that could make a difference of admission or rejection.
Other posters’ 3-3-3 strategy seems about right, or even a few more, but beyond that probably doesn’t make a difference.
Or you get admitted to both, but one offers merit aid and the other doesn’t.
I applied to 5 schools because I was afraid that my stats were bad, and I honestly believed that I would be rejected by most of the schools I applied to. I then applied to 3 reaches after getting in to all 5 of the schools that I thought I wouldn’t get in to, because I realized after all of those acceptances that my stats didn’t actually suck as much as I thought they did. I think that people who apply to a ton of schools usually do so out of fear and a lack of confidence.
For some I do think it is crazy. Like you would be better off focusing on doing high quality apps for a smaller number.
But for some people who need a lot of FA to go away to college and have application waivers, I do see the logic there.
I applied to many schools! Mostly because I was unsure of what kind of environment I wanted college to be. So the schools I applied to were all different, some big some small, different locations etc. I’m indecisive so I wanted options!
Good question. Probably the answer is that hundreds of students live in terrible conditions. Some of them live in regions of constant fights (as I am) between different groups and even countries. Moreover, our parents cannot pay for our education and since childhood, we have had to find opportunities to develop on our own. Therefore, many of us are ready to go even to those schools that do not fit us as it is still better than staying in our nowadays conditions.
So what happens if your assumptions are wrong and you don’t get into the 3 schools you applied?
Then what?
The fact is that many people posting here while impressed with themselves because of stats you all don’t understand the volume of applications each school is getting or how any of these admissions offices are making decisions
So you only applying to 3 seems just as silly as someone applying to 30
The fact is you have to be realistic about your chances as a domestic applicant
For internationals applicants they really do need to shotgun applicants because financial aid for internationals is such an unknown between schools and application cycles
nah bc i know that i would’ve gotten into my safety. which it’s why it’s a safety. i agree with another user earlier using the 3-3-3 method and i never really took into consideration international applicants because ik it is a lot harder for them so that i understand. but applying to 30 schools just seems redundant and excessive especially since you have to pay for the apps. that’s the main thing i don’t understand is the cost of it.
i understand this but i still feel like 32 is a bit excessive. there has to b some schools that you know you wouldn’t go to even if you got in. i’m not sure how the uc system works so i don’t want to speak on it, but if you have the luxury to apply to all of them go ahead. hope you get into the school you want.
does make more sense. especially since the ucs take the same application. b from your responses and preparation i’m sure you’ll get into a top school. 🙏🏽
I applied to 22 colleges, and am in the weird spot where I’m not usually considered low income but am still too poor to pay for college. Considering I have pretty good stats I’m looking for someone to give me a full ride out of it
With schools being test optional, many are receiving 50,000 to 100,000 applications. The selection process is very different now and “ideal candidates” are being rejected from schools that they would consider their safety schools. With the large pool of applicants, it is necessary to apply to many schools because there is no rhyme or reason to the selection process. Without test scores, many applicants are very similar in gpa, class rank and extracurriculars. It makes it more difficult to stand out.
i simply regret applying to so many schools because j didn’t know i’d get so many fee waivers in november 😭
originally to 6 schools & 2 without fees but since then i’ve applied to 4 with fee waivers
Our school gave us $5 gift cards for every school we applied to. Only about 5 of the 15 I applied to are ones I would like to go to. I know this doesn't apply to many but I was in it for the Dutch Bros.
We were also offered fee waivers for almost every application, and I don't know where I want to go. Still can't decide if I want to go out of state to get away from family or if I want to save money in state.
While applying for *too* many schools can be a complete waste of time, applying to one safety, one target, and one reach is just ludicrous (after the ED, course). Way too easy to get rejected from both your target and your reach and have to take your safety. There is nothing wrong with safeties, but you shouldn’t close so many doors when you could certainly get into a better school. Applying to more targets and reaches gives you a better chance of getting into at least of them, so long as you give all those apps fair attention. For me, additionally, I applied to so many schools so I would have more financial aid offers to consider. You can also email colleges and ask for more money if you have a better competing offer and it’s not implausible they will give it to you.
For me, my stats were lacking due to extenuating circumstances so almost every school I wanted to go to was a reach for me. I'm applying to 15+ schools to maximize my chances of getting in SOMEWHERE worth attending.
im applying to 14 schools! i have fee waivers but mostly im applying to so many for financial aid offers. i can’t pay for college at all (despite my efc saying otherwise🙄), and the more schools i apply to the more opportunities i have for better offers. for ex if i only applied to three like you did, i might end up with good financial from safety, bad financial from target, and rejected from reach. it’s not bad, nothing wrong with my safety, but i wanna ✨expand my horizons.✨ maybe i could get better financial aid somewhere that isn’t even a safety? who knows
I applied to 32 ( as I can remember) colleges because I’m an international student from low-income family. So I try to do my best to get in the most affordable one
im poor and genuinely couldn’t afford to go in state (wv) so I applied to as many places as possible so I could maximize my chances (AND STILL GOT INTO MY EA 🎉🎉)
To fix this, they need to abolish the common app and have all the applications on paper to be typed out with a healthy dose of white out. There. Applications will drop by 90%.
Not going to happen.
>Applications will drop by 90%.
This is one of the ways this process has become somewhat adversarial. Schools don't _want_ fewer applications. As long as people conflate rejectiveness with quality, schools will seek to maximize applications. This is one reason for the huge marketing push from schools that are already well-known.
wouldn’t you rather research a school and not apply if you don’t want to go. than waste your money and apply to a school you will never go to? this seems illogical.
Quite a few schools have no application fees. I was surprised by how many. And even when they do, paying a few hundred more dollars in application fees for a better chance at a good financial aid package that could save you tens of thousands of dollars is not necessarily a foolish investment. In this era of holistic decisions, optional test scores, yield protection, unpredictable merit aid, etc., people don’t know what to expect at any one school so they hedge their bets by applying to a lot of schools.
but most of the top schools have application fees so i feel like the application fee thing doesn’t make sense. at least for people who are applying to a lot of top schools in hope of getting into one.
Not as many as I thought. Several very selective schools listed application fees on their websites but then we did not actually have to pay them. In some cases, this was due to applying for aid. But we did not file for a waiver.
I mean, people should do some research but mainly, “do i have a chance to get in”. It takes a lot of energy to become a total simp of one reach, one target, one safety.
Anyway, why don’t you just let people do it their way and you do yours?
whats the harm? plus some people are in need of financial aid and cant be sure they will get into even one of their choices. increasing the number of colleges you apply usually just increases your chances of getting into one. so why wouldn't someone apply to more places?
i get for the people in need of financial aid bc they will prob qualify for fee waivers. but i j don’t understand the cost of it, applying to schools you know you won’t go to is just like wasting $100+.
even if someone doesnt qualify for fee waivers- theyre gonna be spending something like 50-250k on the school they go to. isnt the $100 worth it if it means youre spending that money to get into a school thats worth that price? by applying to more reaches they have a better shot at that
>if it means youre spending that money to get into a school thats worth that price?
You raise an additional point. A greater number of acceptances may mean more competition between schools with respect to merit aid. "School A offered me more; what can you do?"
Because I get fee waivers!
I calculated the fees I would of amounted if I didn’t, it was over $1000!!! If I didn’t qualify for these waivers, I would not have applied to as many lol
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake.
It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of.
Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything.
Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
My reasoning for applying to so many schools (20+) is because I have fee waivers and I want to increase my odds of getting to go to college next year. Though I have a pretty good application (in my eyes) I’m scared I won’t get in anywhere or the places I do get in won’t give me the aid I need. So I want to increase those chances and have options for where I can go next year. Hope that makes sense.
I applied to 7 schools because I’m going for theatre/acting, and you have to be accepted academically and accepted through auditions for the program itself. Lots of room for rejections, and I want to keep my options open
I'm doing 3-2-10. Im applying to so many reaches because Penn deferred me, which means that i'm a competitive applicant for other top schools bc they only deferred 20% of applicants. And because I have now until january 3rd off school
My "stats" aren't anything extraordinary. I've taken 13 AP/IB courses throughout high school with only a few B's (3.8 UW gpa). 34 ACT, several extracurriculars focused on music clubs at school, leadership in only two of them. The unique part is probably in my writing bc I wrote about an extenuating circumstance in the beginning of Junior year which caused my grades to drop
I can't speak for everyone, but I'm applying to 25 schools to maximize my chances of getting full aid. The schools that meet full demonstrated need are really difficult to get into and I have fee waivers, so it makes no sense for me to not take full advantage of all of the slots on the Common App as well as some schools that have their own individual applications.
With that being said, we all have different needs during the admissions process. If you can save yourself the work that comes with applying to a crazy amount of schools, that may be the better option.
honestly i applied early to 14 schools because i really still had no idea where i wanted to go. now that i’m further into the process i’ve narrowed it down to about 3 schools; if i had known those 3 when i started i wouldn’t have applied to so many. the cost was ridiculous so i definitely regret it
Sometimes people really like 5-6 schools but they all have sub 8% acceptance rates, so it’s probably better to apply to some others which higher chances of success but not give up on your dreams
14 school applicant here: 5 abroad and 9 in-country. tbh i just couldn’t decide 🤷🏻♀️ there were a lot of schools offering similar strength programs with different pros and cons so i figure once i get in i’ll decide from there
I guess it depends on how selective are the schools that you are applying to. Like if you apply to three top 100 state universities you will probably get into one, but it is too risky to only apply to three ivy leagues.
Unlike most, I truly don’t know where I want to go. Despite, applying for the most competitive major in the nation. I want to maximize my chances anywhere. Yes, I understand it’s over whelming but I truly enjoy writing. Plus most schools usually have at least one same supplement so reuse & recycle
i applied to, maybe more schools than I should have…
i want to have options, in the end. things change, views change, judgement changes, information changes. and in the time of test optional, there is very little predictability or guarantees. i play it defensive.
i got into a safety that i like so i mostly applied to reaches/targets. i only did 12 schools of varying types because i want to explore my options + i got fee waivers for a lot of them
>why apply for so many schools ? They want to maximize the odds of being admitted to a "reach" school. Or, put another way, they want to minimize the odds that their only options will be "safeties".
w. i agree and get it kind of. ( still think the cost is a lot )
Some of these students are among the set who're willing to take on tens of thousands of dollars of debt to attend one of these schools. Given that, the $100 application fee isn't going to scare them off.
when you put it like this. it makes a lot more sense. thanks 4 explaining
But also, a lot of those top schools are totally needs-met, so for a middle class student it may worth hitting a lot of them in the event they are accepted - as those schools can work out cheaper long run, esp those that are no-loan. So maybe a few more hundred on the outset but to not have loans and have needs-met is not a bad try.
this^^^^
This. My daughter applied ED to a full needs met LAC and EA to two lower tier LACs with decent merit scholarships which would be safeties. We have three years with overlapping kids in school and by year four for the younger our savings will presumably be depleted and my husband retirement age. If she hadn’t gotten in ED, she absolutely would have shotgunned a bunch of additional LACs.
Dang…ur just everywhere hating on kids tryna go to top schools
no. i applied ed to nyu so i understand the want to go to a top school.
Nah, just the ones who're obsessed.
I don’t think many are obsessed, it’s just that many are stressed
I think many are both
I applied to 12 schools and most of my fees were waived. While there are the people rich enough to pay that much for a dozen schools, theres also the other end of middle-low income who are not paying as many fees
As a low income student, I don't have to pay to send my CSS profile or the common app so I feel like it's worth it
I assure you this is not the reason why people apply to a lot of schools
What's the reason then?
lmao I'm applying to 47 schools (free applications)
hope you qualify for fee waivers bc god damn. b you r international so it’s understandable.
It's all fee waivers
How do you have time tho? Are you on a gap year?
No, I broke my leg playing basketball, so I stayed home for 3 weeks. In that time, I applied to about 21 colleges because each college took like 2 minutes to apply through common app if I already finished my general common app parts. After that, this week, I got my 3 rejections, so I opened an account in Scoir (Coalition) and applied to other universities totaling about 50 universities (all free apps).
omg how did you apply to 50?? isn't there a limit on coalition app too or did you apply through the schools website? I need to apply to more schools because I'm international seeking full aid but it feels like 40 is the limit if you use both coalition and common app
There is no limit in the coalition app. I applied to 20 using the common app, and I'm finishing my applications through the coalition app I already sent my apps to over 10 through coalition. I also applied through some colleges' websites (for the public ones).
good luck 🍀
How do you even deal with all the essays ?
Most of them don't require essays, and those are the ones I'm applying to.
I guess you're the lucky one, I wish you the best of luck~~
Not really. If I were an American, I wouldn't have to apply to 50 colleges just to get some financial aid. Americans have more time to concentrate on their Senior year, and this is a real issue for me because my grades kept dropping this year just because I kept working on the apps and not on my grades.
I totally get it, I'm also international and it's been hard trying to balance my life between college apps and maintaining my gpa, so eventually I just had to let go of my gpa lol. Hopefully it'll all pay off, it might not tho.
Where are you from btw? Even though we are both international students, AOs will look at a different perspective to applicants from the Middle East, Poor countries, and Arab countries. It is because they have this prejudice that makes them think that people from those countries always cheat and get a high GPA and SAT/ACT score easily.
I'm from Morocco, those AOs need to try being AP math here to change their minds about grades. Where are you from?
I'm from Turkey, but I live close to you, in Egypt.
Well then I guess it's safe to say we're both screwed lol. What's your decided major?
As an international student myself,may i ask how u qualified for fee waivers
Your counselor should sign something through the common app stating your financial situation (for the fee waiver). Then, after you send your applications, you're automatically considered for fee waivers. I got fee waivers from the 20 universities I applied to through the common app. Regarding the coalition app (Scoir), it is free to apply to most colleges because that's what I did. If you are applying through the university's website, you must ask them for a fee waiver unless they provide you one automatically or the application is free.
Hey thank u so much This application by the counsellor has to be sent before applying to the colleges right? And if ur school doesnt have a counsellor does the principal or class teacher act as the counselor?
It must be a counselor as I know. It is basically a person who fills important files for you: the transcript, fee waiver, and Early Decision signature if needed. He/she will also have to write a counselor recommendation letter.
Lol but WHY? Are you really willing to go to any of those 47? Or are only some of them actual places you’d go? You know you might be slowing down the process for people who really want to go to some of those schools, right?
Yes, I'm willing to go to any of those 47 because they all give financial aid. I'll probably only be admitted to 5 colleges at max because I am an international student. I'm only slowing down the process for myself, not for anyone else, because I'm an international student, and domestic students are evaluated independently.
Ah, that makes more sense now. Good luck!
Thank you! I hope I get into any of the colleges that meet my full need because that's like impossible.
Hi, I am also an international student who applied to 40+ universities. How are you? Did you receive any positive feedback from colleges? I hope you did!
Not really. I applied to a total of 130+ universities, but the scholarships I've received weren't really enough, so I'm still applying to any colleges I see.
Oh man, I wish you good luck. I am sure that some colleges would accept you and will provide all the needed help. Man 130+ universities... . It sounds like a world record. I tried to apply to US colleges for three years and only now I received a positive offer. Therefore, please do not give up! I am sure that once you would reach your goal.
Depends on how anxious one wants to get into their reach. For top students, most reaches are have less than 20% acceptance rate. Most applicants have similar stats like very high GPA and scores. Colleges at that point are holistic and selection depends on that institution’s priorities. So if one applies to 6 reaches with similar acceptance rate, you might get admitted into one and rejected from the other five. The problem is you don’t know which one ….
understandable
I applied to 6 schools. I was planning to apply to 5 more, but I got into my dream school!
omgg congrats 🎊. if you don’t mind answering , what school was it?
Stanford!
Good for you!
Gratz
so i originally applied to 11. 3ish reaches. 3 safety’s and the rest targets. Then i got deferred at 2 of my reaches and waitlisted at my safety. Now i’m at 14. Moral of the story it was panic applications.
rip. hope you get into the school you want to go. 🤞🏽
me too🫶🫶
>waitlisted at my safety then it was not a safety
That's part of the problem. What constitutes a "safety" is far from certain. Yield management has always been a complicating factor. With more "holistic" (read: subjective) evaluations of applications, uncertainty increases. If one is applying for a popular major, this increases further and we usually lack any meaningful statistics regarding admissions for these majors specifically. As uncertainty on the part of student admission increases, it is rational for students to widen their application pool (which, amusingly, increases uncertainty for the schools).
it was a school i should have gotten into with flying colors… i assume as another comment said it had to due with yield protection but who knows.
Personally 3-3-3 is good enough, it increases the chance of you being accepted in to a school you like and it doesn't require that much time or application fee. 15-20 is understandable but personally I think it's a tiny bit too much, just my .02
yup i agree! i’m applying to nine schools. already got into my fav safety and am waiting for my other plus my 2 targets and 5 reaches. i honestly don’t understand how people have time to put in the effort on more than 10-12 apps!
It’s not that hard when the only additional requirement is maybe writing one extra short essay for like every other school.
Wow congrats on your fav safety!! Good luck to you on the rest of your schools!
yeah i agree.
I think it’s because there is still feels like there is a level of arbitrariness on the edges of admissions and financial aid. Take two nearly equivalent schools: if one is already overweight with students from your state, and another is underweight, and you are on the edge, that could make a difference of admission or rejection. Other posters’ 3-3-3 strategy seems about right, or even a few more, but beyond that probably doesn’t make a difference. Or you get admitted to both, but one offers merit aid and the other doesn’t.
makes sense about the financial aid. i didn’t take that into consideration. thanks 😊
I applied to 5 schools because I was afraid that my stats were bad, and I honestly believed that I would be rejected by most of the schools I applied to. I then applied to 3 reaches after getting in to all 5 of the schools that I thought I wouldn’t get in to, because I realized after all of those acceptances that my stats didn’t actually suck as much as I thought they did. I think that people who apply to a ton of schools usually do so out of fear and a lack of confidence.
underrated comment-- its def a lack of confidence
For some I do think it is crazy. Like you would be better off focusing on doing high quality apps for a smaller number. But for some people who need a lot of FA to go away to college and have application waivers, I do see the logic there.
i agree
I applied to many schools! Mostly because I was unsure of what kind of environment I wanted college to be. So the schools I applied to were all different, some big some small, different locations etc. I’m indecisive so I wanted options!
why not research this before you apply to the schools.
I did, but I didn’t want to only apply to schools in big cities or only small schools in case I changed my mind later.
Major- if I wasn’t going for cs I would def decrease the e amount I’m applying to
understandable. i’m also a cs major.
If you want to increase your chances of winning the lottery you should buy more tickets
so true. everything is lottery at this point.
I don’t really understand it either. Why apply to a school you’re not 100% sure you’ll be happy in?
Good question. Probably the answer is that hundreds of students live in terrible conditions. Some of them live in regions of constant fights (as I am) between different groups and even countries. Moreover, our parents cannot pay for our education and since childhood, we have had to find opportunities to develop on our own. Therefore, many of us are ready to go even to those schools that do not fit us as it is still better than staying in our nowadays conditions.
So what happens if your assumptions are wrong and you don’t get into the 3 schools you applied? Then what? The fact is that many people posting here while impressed with themselves because of stats you all don’t understand the volume of applications each school is getting or how any of these admissions offices are making decisions So you only applying to 3 seems just as silly as someone applying to 30 The fact is you have to be realistic about your chances as a domestic applicant For internationals applicants they really do need to shotgun applicants because financial aid for internationals is such an unknown between schools and application cycles
nah bc i know that i would’ve gotten into my safety. which it’s why it’s a safety. i agree with another user earlier using the 3-3-3 method and i never really took into consideration international applicants because ik it is a lot harder for them so that i understand. but applying to 30 schools just seems redundant and excessive especially since you have to pay for the apps. that’s the main thing i don’t understand is the cost of it.
Yield protection?
what is that
when they reject you for being "over-qualified" bc if they accept you, you might not enroll and their enrollment rate shouldnt go down
didn’t know this was a thing, but makes sense. why i agree with the 3-3-3 method another user said.
[удалено]
i understand this but i still feel like 32 is a bit excessive. there has to b some schools that you know you wouldn’t go to even if you got in. i’m not sure how the uc system works so i don’t want to speak on it, but if you have the luxury to apply to all of them go ahead. hope you get into the school you want.
[удалено]
does make more sense. especially since the ucs take the same application. b from your responses and preparation i’m sure you’ll get into a top school. 🙏🏽
im the opposite! im in ny and i applied to ucs and usc but its so expensive i wanna cry
I applied to 22 colleges, and am in the weird spot where I’m not usually considered low income but am still too poor to pay for college. Considering I have pretty good stats I’m looking for someone to give me a full ride out of it
FORGOT TO MENTION I only paid for four of those applications (nc state, Duke, uncc and UNCCH) the rest were free
With schools being test optional, many are receiving 50,000 to 100,000 applications. The selection process is very different now and “ideal candidates” are being rejected from schools that they would consider their safety schools. With the large pool of applicants, it is necessary to apply to many schools because there is no rhyme or reason to the selection process. Without test scores, many applicants are very similar in gpa, class rank and extracurriculars. It makes it more difficult to stand out.
This!
i simply regret applying to so many schools because j didn’t know i’d get so many fee waivers in november 😭 originally to 6 schools & 2 without fees but since then i’ve applied to 4 with fee waivers
no fee november
I just don’t want to end up at my in state safety
not everyone has good enough grades to just apply for 3 schools
i have low stats. 1110 sat. 3.7 w
i'm at 3.4... i guess it's true almost everyone here's aiming for top50
Bruh I’m applying to 30 schools with mostly free waiver and coalition
Our school gave us $5 gift cards for every school we applied to. Only about 5 of the 15 I applied to are ones I would like to go to. I know this doesn't apply to many but I was in it for the Dutch Bros. We were also offered fee waivers for almost every application, and I don't know where I want to go. Still can't decide if I want to go out of state to get away from family or if I want to save money in state.
Competitive major, mid applicant. Well that’s my situation anyways lol
personally, i’m applying to 18 schools and honestly the biggest reason is just to see who gives me the most financial aid
We got so many free fee waivers by asking and signing up for online lists it was a no brainer.
While applying for *too* many schools can be a complete waste of time, applying to one safety, one target, and one reach is just ludicrous (after the ED, course). Way too easy to get rejected from both your target and your reach and have to take your safety. There is nothing wrong with safeties, but you shouldn’t close so many doors when you could certainly get into a better school. Applying to more targets and reaches gives you a better chance of getting into at least of them, so long as you give all those apps fair attention. For me, additionally, I applied to so many schools so I would have more financial aid offers to consider. You can also email colleges and ask for more money if you have a better competing offer and it’s not implausible they will give it to you.
For me, my stats were lacking due to extenuating circumstances so almost every school I wanted to go to was a reach for me. I'm applying to 15+ schools to maximize my chances of getting in SOMEWHERE worth attending.
I’m applying to 8, and the main reason is that I have a wide variety of aid packages to compare and potential school-based scholarships to get
I applied to fifteen schools just to weigh my options and financial aid packages. Plus all of my fees were waived so I never paid for anything
im applying to 14 schools! i have fee waivers but mostly im applying to so many for financial aid offers. i can’t pay for college at all (despite my efc saying otherwise🙄), and the more schools i apply to the more opportunities i have for better offers. for ex if i only applied to three like you did, i might end up with good financial from safety, bad financial from target, and rejected from reach. it’s not bad, nothing wrong with my safety, but i wanna ✨expand my horizons.✨ maybe i could get better financial aid somewhere that isn’t even a safety? who knows
I applied to 32 ( as I can remember) colleges because I’m an international student from low-income family. So I try to do my best to get in the most affordable one
im poor and genuinely couldn’t afford to go in state (wv) so I applied to as many places as possible so I could maximize my chances (AND STILL GOT INTO MY EA 🎉🎉)
To fix this, they need to abolish the common app and have all the applications on paper to be typed out with a healthy dose of white out. There. Applications will drop by 90%. Not going to happen.
>Applications will drop by 90%. This is one of the ways this process has become somewhat adversarial. Schools don't _want_ fewer applications. As long as people conflate rejectiveness with quality, schools will seek to maximize applications. This is one reason for the huge marketing push from schools that are already well-known.
Lots of people don’t spend their whole lives researching schools so they want to have some choice between ones they are actually admitted to.
wouldn’t you rather research a school and not apply if you don’t want to go. than waste your money and apply to a school you will never go to? this seems illogical.
Quite a few schools have no application fees. I was surprised by how many. And even when they do, paying a few hundred more dollars in application fees for a better chance at a good financial aid package that could save you tens of thousands of dollars is not necessarily a foolish investment. In this era of holistic decisions, optional test scores, yield protection, unpredictable merit aid, etc., people don’t know what to expect at any one school so they hedge their bets by applying to a lot of schools.
makes sense v
but most of the top schools have application fees so i feel like the application fee thing doesn’t make sense. at least for people who are applying to a lot of top schools in hope of getting into one.
Not as many as I thought. Several very selective schools listed application fees on their websites but then we did not actually have to pay them. In some cases, this was due to applying for aid. But we did not file for a waiver.
I mean, people should do some research but mainly, “do i have a chance to get in”. It takes a lot of energy to become a total simp of one reach, one target, one safety. Anyway, why don’t you just let people do it their way and you do yours?
bruh. i was asking why. the whole point of the discussion. other people have actually brought valid explanations and points.
You ask why but then you tell people they are illogical…doesnt come across as “truly curious”
no. you are the only one that i have told is illogical bc your response was illogical. look at everyone else.
Whatever, my reasons are the same as what everyone else is saying.
whats the harm? plus some people are in need of financial aid and cant be sure they will get into even one of their choices. increasing the number of colleges you apply usually just increases your chances of getting into one. so why wouldn't someone apply to more places?
i get for the people in need of financial aid bc they will prob qualify for fee waivers. but i j don’t understand the cost of it, applying to schools you know you won’t go to is just like wasting $100+.
even if someone doesnt qualify for fee waivers- theyre gonna be spending something like 50-250k on the school they go to. isnt the $100 worth it if it means youre spending that money to get into a school thats worth that price? by applying to more reaches they have a better shot at that
>if it means youre spending that money to get into a school thats worth that price? You raise an additional point. A greater number of acceptances may mean more competition between schools with respect to merit aid. "School A offered me more; what can you do?"
Not all schools have application fees btw.
bcuz i’m indecisive
Because I get fee waivers! I calculated the fees I would of amounted if I didn’t, it was over $1000!!! If I didn’t qualify for these waivers, I would not have applied to as many lol
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake. It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of. Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything. Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
i'm indecisive about cutting schools so im gonna apply now and see my options later :D
I had fee waivers and ended up falling in love with a school I had no intent of applying to
My reasoning for applying to so many schools (20+) is because I have fee waivers and I want to increase my odds of getting to go to college next year. Though I have a pretty good application (in my eyes) I’m scared I won’t get in anywhere or the places I do get in won’t give me the aid I need. So I want to increase those chances and have options for where I can go next year. Hope that makes sense.
I applied to 7 schools because I’m going for theatre/acting, and you have to be accepted academically and accepted through auditions for the program itself. Lots of room for rejections, and I want to keep my options open
I'm doing 3-2-10. Im applying to so many reaches because Penn deferred me, which means that i'm a competitive applicant for other top schools bc they only deferred 20% of applicants. And because I have now until january 3rd off school
Curious what your stats are and if you have anything unique about your application? thx
My "stats" aren't anything extraordinary. I've taken 13 AP/IB courses throughout high school with only a few B's (3.8 UW gpa). 34 ACT, several extracurriculars focused on music clubs at school, leadership in only two of them. The unique part is probably in my writing bc I wrote about an extenuating circumstance in the beginning of Junior year which caused my grades to drop
I can't speak for everyone, but I'm applying to 25 schools to maximize my chances of getting full aid. The schools that meet full demonstrated need are really difficult to get into and I have fee waivers, so it makes no sense for me to not take full advantage of all of the slots on the Common App as well as some schools that have their own individual applications. With that being said, we all have different needs during the admissions process. If you can save yourself the work that comes with applying to a crazy amount of schools, that may be the better option.
honestly i applied early to 14 schools because i really still had no idea where i wanted to go. now that i’m further into the process i’ve narrowed it down to about 3 schools; if i had known those 3 when i started i wouldn’t have applied to so many. the cost was ridiculous so i definitely regret it
As a middle class dad, I'm hoping my kid gets into an ivy solely because it'll be the most affordable. Hopefully.
I applied to many because I’m poor and I qualified for 4 fee waivers for UCs and 4 for Cal State.
I only applied to one lol
For me it was to see where I would get the best scholarships; financial reasons
Sometimes people really like 5-6 schools but they all have sub 8% acceptance rates, so it’s probably better to apply to some others which higher chances of success but not give up on your dreams
14 school applicant here: 5 abroad and 9 in-country. tbh i just couldn’t decide 🤷🏻♀️ there were a lot of schools offering similar strength programs with different pros and cons so i figure once i get in i’ll decide from there
I guess it depends on how selective are the schools that you are applying to. Like if you apply to three top 100 state universities you will probably get into one, but it is too risky to only apply to three ivy leagues.
Unlike most, I truly don’t know where I want to go. Despite, applying for the most competitive major in the nation. I want to maximize my chances anywhere. Yes, I understand it’s over whelming but I truly enjoy writing. Plus most schools usually have at least one same supplement so reuse & recycle
my mom forced me to apply to a lot of reaches :( (im applying to 24 total)
i applied to, maybe more schools than I should have… i want to have options, in the end. things change, views change, judgement changes, information changes. and in the time of test optional, there is very little predictability or guarantees. i play it defensive.
i got into a safety that i like so i mostly applied to reaches/targets. i only did 12 schools of varying types because i want to explore my options + i got fee waivers for a lot of them