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The Unattainable, Good Matches, and Fall-Backs: Applying to College is Like DatingMar 25 '03 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Despite my cheesy dating analogy, I will resist the urge to refer to Safety Schools as "sluts." :-) "How many schools should I apply to," eh? An interesting question. I thought it would be funny to simply write "eight" over and over again, since that's how many I sent applications to four years ago, but I decided I ought to write some actual advice and earn my hats. Back when my parents applied to college in the late 1960s, most students applied to three or four institutions-a "reach," a "safety school," and a couple in between. Nowadays, college is a much more competitive business, and students apply to upwards of 15 schools. My brother, a high school senior, applied to ten, which seems to be the average among his friends. Each college charges a fee of approximately $50 for them to process your application. So, unless you think you have at least a slight chance of being admitted, you are throwing your money away if you apply to the most competitive schools in the nation. However, even if you have good grades, SAT scores, and extracurricular activities, almost no one is a shoo-in at the nation's top schools. But, if money is no object, why not aim high and apply to a "reach" school? If you have a clear-cut first choice, your best bet is to apply early decision. With a deadline of November 1 or 15, students find out if they've been admitted by December 15, leaving them a little less than a month to fill out their other applications if they are rejected or deferred to the next round. Your odds of being admitted are slightly higher if you apply during E.D. because you are committing to going there if the institution accepts you (in most cases.) For students who need financial aid, early decision may not be an option since they need to decide on a college based on which one offers them the best scholarships. Of course, every student's nightmare is to be rejected from every school. In order to combat this, it is important to have at least one safety school. Most college guidebooks give a breakdown of the average SAT scores of current students, so you can get an idea of whether or not you are qualified to go there. Unless you have some other extraordinary quality (a Nobel Peace Prize or a novel in the New York Times best seller list), you'll need to have SAT scores that are on par with those of the university's current students. I heard a myth that if your safety school realizes that you are "too good" for it, it will reject you to keep its matriculation percentage up, and to save its pride because it knows that you will reject it! Colleges are ranked on several criteria, one of which is the percentage of students admitted who end up attending. For a university like Harvard, this percentage is very high, since it is the top choice for most students who apply there. Fearing that my safety school would know that it was my last resort, I evaded their questions of "where else are you applying?" during my interview. Another great resource to figure out what your chances at admittance are is your guidance counselor (or matchmaker, if we want to continue with the dating analogy). However, even that may not be as helpful as you hope it will be. I remember mine saying to me, "Well, you could get into any of the schools you've applied to. But you could also be rejected from almost all of them." I guess he was right, as I was admitted to four of eight. It all works out for the best. My optimistic theory on college admissions is that you'll get in where you're meant to go. The vast majority of my friends were rejected from their first choice school but ended up being happy. And, if you don't like it, you can always transfer. As my brother awaits his decision letters (he's already been accepted at his two safety schools, which is a relief), he has the most healthy attitude of any high school senior I have ever seen. "I know I will be happy anywhere," he says. Good luck! Further reading (aka Shameless Self-Promotion): How to Write a Killer College Essay Managing a College Budget Why You Should Study Abroad and What to Expect What College Life if Really Like My school: Wesleyan University What to Look for When Choosing a College Tips on Taking the SAT -- Vote beckytcy and lemon_lime for Epinions Idol. Each as cute as Clay, together as round as Reuben, they write the naked truth. "[Chad and Becky] are what this competition is all about." -Simon Cowell  |
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