How Many Colleges Should Be On My List?
It is a good idea to start with a fairly large list of colleges (15–20). Then through campus visits, research, and an evaluation of all of the factors discussed in this chapter, you can whittle down the list to a reasonable amount of colleges to which you can apply. If you are not opposed to living in another part of the country, it is a good idea to “think outside the box” when contemplating prospective colleges.
Some students apply to 3–5 colleges, others apply to as many as 12–15 colleges; many students are somewhere in the middle. If you are an average student considering moderately selective colleges, applying to 3–5 schools is just fine. If you are an above average student and you are considering selective to highly selective colleges, then you may want to apply to a few more schools, with a final list of about 6–8 schools. If you are in the top 10–15 percent of your senior class and you are interested in the most selective schools in the country, you may want to apply to even more schools, settling on between 8–12 (or more) colleges, because of the stiff competition to the most selective colleges.
With the introduction of the Common Application and the Universal Application, students have been known to apply to 15 or more colleges because of the ease of applying using these streamlined applications. However, when you apply to so many schools, it becomes more difficult to establish that you are serious about all of these schools, because you may not have the time to visit all of them before you apply. It is also hard to write detailed essays for each school when you have so many essays to write. In times of economic distress, students tend to apply to more colleges as they do not know how enrollment will be impacted by financial hardships and they do not know if their financial aid packages will be high enough for them to attend the institution of their choice.
Application Fees
Application fees can vary from no fee to as high as $75 or more. If there are schools to which you want to apply but your family cannot afford the hefty application fees, talk to your guidance counselor about fee waivers. You can receive fee waivers for taking standardized tests, sending score reports, and applying to college. In some cases, your guidance counselor can write a letter to a college on school stationery requesting a fee waiver. An application fee should not stop you from applying to the college or colleges of your choice.
Do I Need to Apply to a Range of Schools?
It is wise to apply to a range of schools to cover all possibilities and ensure that you have several colleges on your list where you could see yourself happy for four years. In past years, many guidance counselors used the terms safety, target, and reach schools to describe a range of schools for students. Due to changing economic and demographic conditions, the use of the term safety school may no longer be warranted as there are too many unknown variables in the college admissions process. More appropriate terms may be probable or highly likely schools (instead of safety), likely or realistic schools (instead of target), and dream, or unlikely schools (instead of reach).
If you apply to an average of six to nine schools, then it is suggested that you apply to two or three from each category. It is important to make sure that each school on your list is one in which you would be not just content but happy. This concept is really vital because some students do end up at a probable or highly likely school and then realize they really don’t want to go to that school and become unhappy and disappointed. If you carefully research each choice and take the time to visit, your choices will all be good ones and you will have a more enjoyable freshman year. Many students have their heart set on a reach school, and when they are not accepted, they are devastated. A much healthier attitude is to make sure all of your potential college choices are schools where you can really see yourself.
Whether you apply to 2 or 15 colleges, do not apply to schools that you definitely would not want to attend. If you apply to a college you have absolutely no intention of attending, you could potentially be taking a spot from your peers, which is not fair to them and you could be damaging the reputation of your high school. If a high school has a reputation of students applying to a particular college and no one from your high school actually attends that school for a few years, the college could deny future students based on a pattern of students not attending.
Probable or Highly Likely Schools
Probable or highly likely schools are typically colleges in which you have a high (90 percent) chance of being accepted. They should be schools in which you can visualize yourself being comfortable and where you believe you can be academically and socially successful. You should check the admissions standards of these colleges and you and your guidance counselor should believe you fall comfortably within their standards.
Chances of being accepted to a probably or highly likely school: 90%
Target, Likely, or Realistic Schools
Target, likely, or realistic choices are schools in which you have a moderately high (75 percent) chance of being accepted. These are schools you are the most likely to attend and the application process may involve more work than a highly likely school. You may have to write more essays and the standards for admission are higher, but they are within your range for all of the admissions factors. These schools are the most realistic ones for you, where you can definitely see yourself committing to and enjoying four years of college.
Chances of being admitted to a target, likely, or realistic school: 75%
Reach, Dream, or Unlikely Schools
Reach, dream, or unlikely schools are colleges that may not be totally within your grasp, because they are so highly selective. Mostly all of the applicants are qualified and these colleges look at many subjective factors (essays, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendations, and others) in addition to objective factors (grades, SAT/ACT scores, and academic program). Because of the highly competitive nature and outstanding reputations of these schools, your chances (25 percent likely) for admission are not guaranteed. These are schools you are not applying to haphazardly, but they are schools you have carefully researched. They have the academic programs and campus life you are seeking. For some students, a reach school is an Ivy League institution, a highly selective private university, or a Public Ivy; for other students it is a private or public university which you have heard about and want to attend.
Chances of being admitted to a reach, dream, or likely school: 25%
How many and what types of schools you apply to depends on your academic history, your financial situation, and your family’s wishes. Many students and their families are unrealistic when composing a list of potential colleges. Some families have a “lotto mentality” when it comes to applying to colleges. They believe that their children might gain acceptance by pure luck and that colleges may overlook some of the critical factors in the admissions process. These strategies are extremely unrealistic, and applying to unreasonable choices may be a waste of time and money. In addition, you may be very disappointed if you receive a rejection letter from your dream school, so do not apply randomly to these colleges. Your chances for acceptance will be higher if you can demonstrate a good match between you and the college. Examining the profiles of the entering freshman class on a college’s Web site is a good way to see if the college is a reasonable choice for you. Your guidance counselor should be an important resource with whom you can discuss your realistic chances of being admitted. Guidance counselors usually have a good relationship with admissions counselors, so please listen to your counselor. If they don’t think you fit the academic profile of a college, it probably isn’t a good idea for you to apply.
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