Seems right. DS over-applied imo (about 21 schools, including 5 from the UCs, so maybe that should count as 16 since its the same app?), mostly because he is in an oversubscribed major, from a large public, and aiming at the ivies. So results could have been anything.

Depends on how much merit you need and how high you're reaching.

My first kid applied to 11 including four reaches. Accepted at 8, waitlisted at 3.

My second was a recruited athlete: ED, one and done.

My third will probably end up applying to about seven with only maybe one reach, otherwise a mix of targets and safeties tending more toward safeties. Because they've visited and liked them, so why make things harder than we need to?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I keep seeing people go above 12 but that seems like quite a bit.

Nervously preparing for Fall incl ED/EA choices .

Too many. 5-7 is what you should apply to.

But, also, I feel that you need to apply to in-state flagship and in-state target colleges during EA/ED cycles.

Mainly - 1 dream school, 2 targets, 2 safeties - Apply in the EA/ED round.

This is really outdated information for high stats kids, who are generally in demand but face a hard quota at each elite school. The more schools you apply to, the more likely it is that your number comes up in the lottery at one of them.

Incredibly context dependent. DC1 applied to many schools that were safeties but had highly competitive programs of interest.

DC2 will probably apply to about 15 because they are interested in schools outside our price range so they are chasing merit.

It depends. If you have 4 reaches, 4 targets and 4 safeties then you are good

Anonymous wrote:I keep seeing people go above 12 but that seems like quite a bit.

Nervously preparing for Fall incl ED/EA choices .

Too many. 5-7 is what you should apply to.

But, also, I feel that you need to apply to in-state flagship and in-state target colleges during EA/ED cycles.

Mainly - 1 dream school, 2 targets, 2 safeties - Apply in the EA/ED round.

For me it's too many, but apparently on DCUM it's a normal number.

It's more about the composition than the absolute number.
- 12 reaches is too few
- 12 safeties is too many

3 reaches, 3 targets, 3 safeties, assuming there aren’t extreme circumstances. Anything more seems overkill.

Doesn't Common App allow up to 20? Then there is the other Coalition something, right? Any other ways to apply if college is not on Common App?

Perfect.

There’s no magic number, and the number may change from early to late fall.
Fund a rolling admissions school if possible and get that done asap.
Are there some EA schools your kid likes? Choose ones your kid would be happy to attend and you can afford.
A first choice that you can afford? Consider ED.
Those will all be done around mid-November.

What if your kid doesn’t get into any EA schools or the ED school? Outline essays for those schools while you wait for ED/EA results.

There’s no right answer. But kid should not do so many that she can’t do a good job with each essay. Also, use the EA results to help determine what level of schools to apply RD.

If you are fortunate, your kid will get into a first choice EA or ED.

ALWAYS check to make sure you can afford the school.

Mine applied to 9. I think 12 is more than enough for most but it can depend on various factors: need for merit, competitiveness of major, whether they get in somewhere EA, or apply early and are deferred. Mine got a great EA offer from a safety with generous merit early in the process so she took the rest of the safeties off the list and focused on targets and reaches.

13. Baker's dozen.

I keep seeing people go above 12 but that seems like quite a bit.

Nervously preparing for Fall incl ED/EA choices .