How many schools in total?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be honest don't waste time on more than 2 safeties.

DC ended up applying to 4 safeties and was admitted into all 4 - Knox, HWS, Allegheny and Gettysburg. Regretted later on wasting time / slot.

DDs list was safety heavy because she liked several and we wanted to see where the merit money came in. Where she ended up probably wasn't the lead choice at the start of senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only issue I have is that your kid basically ruins the chances for other kids when they submit a throwaway to a place like VT it JMU or some other state school.
There isn’t a reasonable reason to apply to more than ten schools because after that pint, you can’t tell me that he would rather go to number 12, 13, 14 if he got into any of 1-10.
And 1-10 should include a balance of reach, target, and backup. (3-2-2….or 2-3-2)

With yield protection, safeties don’t exist.

This just isn’t true. There are a few schools that yield protect but it’s not nearly as common as some in here would have you believe.

True safeties have 80% admit (a signal in and of itself that they don’t yield protect) where your child is at midpoint or above for stats. For big state schools think Michigan State, U Arizon, Kansas State, etc.

[Anonymous]

2 reach
5 target
5 safeties

Why? Haven't had a chance to do tours out of state. Want to see the merit offers. Want a chance to tour and time to talk about/weigh the final decision.

[Anonymous]

My daughter did Pitt as a safety. Clemson and Vermont too (results not back but kid's stats are really high above everyone who was admitted from her school last year).

[Anonymous]

I think if you’re applying to top schools you need more schools — just a matter of statistics.

But if you’re applying to schools with acceptance rates of 40%+, and your stats are in range, you really don’t need as many, and it can get overwhelming fast.

[Anonymous]

I vacillate between feeling confident about DD’s strategy and anxious we’re not casting the net wide enough. She has very specific criteria and feels okay about taking a gap year if none work out. The acceptance rates are predicted by CollegeVine based on her profile and validated by Naviance. They are not the overall acceptance rates.

1 private far reach (22%)
2 private hard targets (28% and 36%)
2 public targets (56% and 78%)
1 private target (85%)
2 public safeties (98% and 99%)

Her top choice is UMD, which CV predicts at 78% but she’s coming from MCPS so I know that’s optimistic. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

My kid did 9. All state schools. All over the country. Only 1 reach (not a lot of luck from our high school). Maybe 2? His GPA was solid but his rigor was lacking or so we thought. Test optional.

[Anonymous]

Honestly if you are getting zero financial aid and hoping on Merit Aid you should apply more schools.

My daughter has a friend and parents have low income and low assets did ED on a reach got in and is done.

Some schools like Pitt, Penn and University of Virginia are stingy on OOS aid, yes some people get it but not many. So those schools you apply if on merit and most likely you wont go anyhow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I vacillate between feeling confident about DD’s strategy and anxious we’re not casting the net wide enough. She has very specific criteria and feels okay about taking a gap year if none work out. The acceptance rates are predicted by CollegeVine based on her profile and validated by Naviance. They are not the overall acceptance rates.

1 private far reach (22%)
2 private hard targets (28% and 36%)
2 public targets (56% and 78%)
1 private target (85%)
2 public safeties (98% and 99%)

Her top choice is UMD, which CV predicts at 78% but she’s coming from MCPS so I know that’s optimistic. Thoughts?

UMD is not a reach for most very high stat kids in MCPS. It is more on my parents are making me go.

[Anonymous]

BTW my high GPA daughter applied ONLY safeties she would go to. The catch is they have to give her really good merit aid.

So screw yield protection concept. She is 100 percent committed to going to a safety.

But if full pay or low aid why should she.

My middle child did go her safety. She got in NYU, Leigh and Pitt and the Aid was terrible.

Her safety offered her honors program, honors dorm and great merit aid and she went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BTW my high GPA daughter applied ONLY safeties she would go to. The catch is they have to give her really good merit aid.

So screw yield protection concept. She is 100 percent committed to going to a safety.

But if full pay or low aid why should she.

My middle child did go her safety. She got in NYU, Leigh and Pitt and the Aid was terrible.

Her safety offered her honors program, honors dorm and great merit aid and she went.

That's great. But where was it?

[Anonymous]

9 early action and maybe a few more RD if DS isn't happy with the results.
He says also says he wants to apply to a few California schools, but I think he's a little burned out on applications right now. We'll see if he follows through on that. Even he realized the chances of getting into a highly ranked California school as a non-resident are low.
We took the DCUM advice and applied to Pittsburgh- he got in there with merit. The more we're looking at his program, the environment, etc. the happier we are. It's definitely becoming a contender.

[Anonymous]

My senior is applying to 8.
2EA likely schools, one ED, another ED2 if needed along with four others RD that maybe shift from targets/reaches to reaches/likely if the EA likely schools don’t work out.

[Anonymous]

DS is going to submit 15 and see what happens from there (ED/rolling etc) before he even thinks about having to do more for regular admission.

[Anonymous]

Our school said the average used to be 8, but is now about 13. "To get the same number of acceptances as we used to see with 8 applications, you now need 13" they said.