How many colleges did your kid apply to?

[Anonymous]

Just one

[Anonymous]

One of my DC applied to an insane amount of schools. It was a grueling experience. They ended up getting into several top-notch, Ivy League schools -- but not the top schools of their choice. So despite getting into great schools, my DC was really let down and depressed.

Really try to apply only to schools they'll be happy to go to.

[Anonymous]

DS wanted a highly ranked school. Rejected in ED1 and ended up applying to 12 other top 20 schools. Got into 2 of them. He’s very happy to be heading to one of those!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS wanted a highly ranked school. Rejected in ED1 and ended up applying to 12 other top 20 schools. Got into 2 of them. He’s very happy to be heading to one of those!

Many students want a highly ranked school, but not everyone gets what they want in college admissions. How many targets and safeties on your son's list?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my DC applied to an insane amount of schools. It was a grueling experience. They ended up getting into several top-notch, Ivy League schools -- but not the top schools of their choice. So despite getting into great schools, my DC was really let down and depressed.

Really try to apply only to schools they'll be happy to go to.

Why would you ever apply to schools they don't (won't be happy to attend) want to attend!?!?!?

Why are people so caught up in the rankings to perpetuate this terrible practice? A school is not top notch if your kid doesn't really want to attend or wouldn't fit in, or it's not good for their possible majors. Key is to make sure all targets/reach/safeties are TRUE and ones your kid would be HAPPY to attend. Oh and that you can afford (or think you have a good shot at getting the aid you need). I can't imagine my kid applying to somewhere they don't want to attend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oldest 12; 4 high reaches, 6 high target/low reaches, 2targets (I was extremely nervous that she had no true safeties). Accepted at 6, waitlisted at 2, rejected at 4.
Second 1 reach. Accepted in ED. Recruited athlete.
Expect youngest will apply to 10 or so unless he can get recruited to play his sport.

Op here. I feel like DS’s safeties are actually not true safety. I think he won’t be happy if he ends up at a true safety, which is why I thought it may be better to apply to a lot of schools that are low reaches/targets.

The challenge with very high-stats kids is that those "low reach/target" schools may actually be more of a reach than the student thinks. If they still have <25% acceptance rate they should be considered reaches regardless of stats. He should spend time working to find a real safety that has some things that he can be excited about. Specific programs in his major, study abroad options, student groups, etc.

One of my DD's safeties has a very high acceptance rate and most people probably haven't heard of it. But it has an experience in her major area that she is really, really excited to participate in.

+1000
ANd to be a safety acceptance rate must be greater than 50%.

All T20-30 schools (and t10-15 SLAC) are reaches for everyone. Your GPA/SAT scores just allow you to purchase the lottery ticket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He will apply to 10 since his 10 is the limit for his high school. He is within the middle 50th percentile for all of them except one roll be a reach. He is doing a college application camp at his school next week to get the common app done and to have a second person go over his essay.

Hope there are some safeties and targets in this list of 10. Otherwise there is a great chance of extreme disappointment if those are all T25 schools (which are reaches for everyone)

[Anonymous]

One - recruited athlete (which brought it's own issues, but college ap process wasn't one of them.)

[Anonymous]

A list of ten T25 schools, no targets/safeties, reflects a lack of knowledge about college admissions in general, an outsized level of hubris and arrogance, and utter lack of wisdom.

OP, are you wanting more information? How can we help? Surely your son's school counselor will comment on the folly of such a list?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my DC applied to an insane amount of schools. It was a grueling experience. They ended up getting into several top-notch, Ivy League schools -- but not the top schools of their choice. So despite getting into great schools, my DC was really let down and depressed.

Really try to apply only to schools they'll be happy to go to.

We’re you sympathetic to your DC’s feelings of depression about not getting into the Ivies and other top schools of their choice or did you tell them to snap the F out it? Just curious.

[Anonymous]

Mine applied to 14. Did not have great results w/ early reaches, so really worked on RD apps and on earning more accolades. Had one early safety acceptance going into RD. Applied to 2 more safeties, 2 targets, 1 "hard target," and 5 reaches (T10/Ivies/T5 LAC). High # of reaches because very happy with the safeties. Got into 3 reaches (2 of 3 "dream schools"), both targets, and waitlisted at hard target. Oddly, rejected at one safety.

It was a fretful March, and DD spent most of that time getting more excited about safeties, then surprise! I think what helped was to look for the good in all the choices, and have several "dream" options. In the end, she had so many awesome choices, and had gotten so invested in all the good points of each school, deciding was almost as stressful as waiting.

[Anonymous]

look for the good in all the choices

That is a really great way to approach targets and safeties. So much concern over the problem of not wanting to attend any possible safety, especially when the student doesn't even know that much about it, hasn't gone to the website, forums, or visited the campus. Looking for the good in them is the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS wanted a highly ranked school. Rejected in ED1 and ended up applying to 12 other top 20 schools. Got into 2 of them. He’s very happy to be heading to one of those!

Many students want a highly ranked school, but not everyone gets what they want in college admissions. How many targets and safeties on your son's list?

Right. That’s what he applied to more. He had 1 safety, defined as a school he loved, that he was above 75%ile, and school accepted >50%.

I think it’s stupid to decide not to play to more top schools if that’s what you want. Sure you may not get it, but that isn’t relevant to trying to improve your odds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS wanted a highly ranked school. Rejected in ED1 and ended up applying to 12 other top 20 schools. Got into 2 of them. He’s very happy to be heading to one of those!

Many students want a highly ranked school, but not everyone gets what they want in college admissions. How many targets and safeties on your son's list?

Right. That’s what he applied to more. He had 1 safety, defined as a school he loved, that he was above 75%ile, and school accepted >50%.

I think it’s stupid to decide not to play to more top schools if that’s what you want. Sure you may not get it, but that isn’t relevant to trying to improve your odds.

I don't think anyone was suggesting not to apply to top schools. The issue seems to be that all the schools on OP kid's list are reaches, with no matches or safeties.

[Anonymous]

10 -- 2 reach, 6 matches, 2 safeties