This is the hardest question one has to face. There are limitations on the number of colleges you can apply to – sometimes the limititations are school-made, sometimes it’s because of the time, and resources on can chip in. Bottom line – You’ve got to be selective in choosing the schools you want to apply. Also, there isn’t any real increase in your chances of getting in at a lot of colleges if you just apply to more similar colleges. Again, the solution – you’ve got to be selective.
There are these concepts of Reach Schools (Again classified into High Reach, Reach and Low Reach), Match Schools and then Safety Schools(again divided like the reach schools). Let’s take all of them one on one.
Reach Schools - These are the colleges/universities in which you don’t have a high chance of getting admitted. You look at the average SAT scores, they’re higher than what you’ve got. Then the average GPA of incoming freshmen – it’s higher than yours. You know, by then, your chances of getting in doesn’t look that bright. But, you love that college. Also, people with stats lower than your’s have been admitted there. So, what do you do? Would you take a chance and apply, or become afraid and leave? I would suggest you to be fearless (like the brave Gurkhas) and then apply to a few reach schools. Two-three-Four. You decide. But, if you only apply to reach schools, you’ll be damned. Your probability of getting in even at only one place would be extremely low.
Match Schools – These are the colleges/universities in which you have a better chance of getting into. It seems that you and the college have so many things similar to each other. You fit in almost every stat the college publishes. You know that you have a better chance of getting into this type of college. You need to apply to a maximum number of colleges of this type. Five-Ten. You decide. Also, be sure to choose one best-fit school. A best fit college for you and you seem to have been made for each other. It’s the most likely college that might admit you. You’re also most likely to go there (except in cases when you get into your reach schools). However, just applying to reach and match schools would not be sufficient. What if you don’t get into both your reaches and matches. There’s another thing that you need to know.
Safety Schools - These are the colleges/universities that have lower average stats than yours. You are almost sure to get admitted into this school, if you just apply. They are usually the ones at the bottom of the rankings for most people, but if you’re real good, then a reach for someone might be a safety for you. Everything is relative. Safety schools are also tricky. Some of them have a record of not admitting students, who they think have a higher chance of getting into a better university, and who they know is just applying to their college as a safety. SO, you need to be on your toes. Two-Five. You decide how many safety schools to apply. JUST be sure to apply to some of them. Do not leave a chance to regret later.
