How Many Colleges Should I Apply to TKG

How Many Colleges Should I Apply to   It’s no secret that acceptance rates at competitive colleges are decreasing every year. And when colleges put out articles detailing their stats for their incoming class, they ensure that the takeaway is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get in, but YOU can probably get in so you should apply. More applicants than ever! Students from all over the globe!  A common response to seeing how low acceptance rates have become is to first panic and then decide to apply to every school that you’ve ever googled. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration but it’s not uncommon to hear that students are applying to 20+ schools. There is no magic number that fits everyone, but we generally suggest applying to 8-15 schools. The goal is not to apply to as many schools as possible. The goal is to apply to schools that are actually good fits.  And what makes a school a good fit? A few things. When working with TKG clients, we look at the following:  Numbers (as in, can I get in here? ) ProgramsSizeLocation Depending on what you’re looking for, programs, size, and location might not be ranked this way. Numbers, and by that we mean your chances of getting into any given school, should remain at the top. This is because yes, MIT has a great computer science program. But if you don’t have the grades and test scores, then it’s not worth applying at all. Don’t waste your time on schools that are truly impossible for you. We support applying to realistic reach schools only when the school checks all of your boxes and you’re only slightly below the range of their requirements. We do not support applying to schools “because it’s an Ivy” or “because I may as well give it a shot because I’m already doing so many applications.”  Let’s go back to the metrics to discuss how to approach finding your own guidelines for creating a school list. We said that programs, size, and location are at times interchangeable. If you’re broadly interested in majori ng in English, History, or Political Science, then your school list might not be as heavily program driven because those majors are available everywhere. If you’re interested in majoring in something more niche and specific such as sustainability, or something like the Poverty studies program at Washington and Lee, then your list of schools will be more refined from the start, and factors such as size and location are out of your control. You might want to stay in your home state, or perhaps you’re willing to relocate. Size is also an important factor, but it’s possible you’re considering small and medium, or medium and big schools. So how do you figure all of this out? It comes down to research and if possible, school visits. Sure, you can type “ten best schools for journalism” into Google, but every single school will have a different vibe. The people will be different, the class sizes will vary, and you’ll feel different on every campus. When it comes time to write your supplement, in one way or another, they’ll ask you why you want to go there. And you need to know why.  Ultimately, choosing 8-15 schools comes down to knowing what you want and getting specific about where you can find it. We’re not saying that you’ll love all schools equally, in fact, we know you won’t. But when you do start adding schools to your list, ask yourself these questions:  Am I within range or at least very close it?Would I actually consider going here if I got in? What specifically do I like about this school? You’ll save yourself a lot of time if you ponder this before you decide to apply. If the answer to question number one is no, it might not be worth applying. If you wouldn’t consider going there, it’s also not worth applying. And you’ll more than likely need to address what compelled you to apply in the “why us” supplement that most schools ask, so make sure you’re genuinely interested before you add it to your final list. We suggest starting with a longer list of schools, anywhere from 15-20 schools. And then go down your list one by one and see how you match up against other applicants. Then look into the school’s academic offerings and student organizations. If you can visit, you should. Compare the schools against one another until you’ve settled on 8-15, and if you’re lucky a few of them won’t have supplements. Finishing applications, keeping your grades up, remaining in your extracurriculars, potentially studying for standardized tests, and staying sane all at the same time is a tricky dance. Do yourself the favor of being honest with yourself about your college goals and then streamline your list.  If you need help building a college list, contact us here. We help students find schools that they’re excited about.