What is the ideal number of colleges to apply to? Making the Optimal College Application List
This is one of the commonest questions asked by students who are beginning the college application process. While there is no single ‘right’ answer most students tend to apply to 8-10 universities.
Logically, the more colleges a student applies to, the greater the probability of being accepted. However, there are many other variables that play into this question. These will be addressed in the questions below:
Isn’t it safer to apply to many colleges instead of limiting ourselves to a few?
College applications boil down to one simple factor – the stronger your application, the better your chance of getting into the universities you are applying to. If you are applying to a highly competitive school like an Ivy League institution, it is advisable to submit applications to a large number of schools. Your academic transcripts, standardized test scores, essays, letters of recommendation and extracurricular activities are all important determinants of where you’re finally going to be accepted.
While applying to more colleges increases your chances of being accepted to one of them, it has drawbacks. It requires significant amounts of additional time and money. While portals like the Common and Coalition Applications save some time, many schools require additional essays and more information. The additional effort required to submit many applications can also reduce the quality of applications being submitted.
How many colleges are we allowed to apply to for undergraduate studies?
This depends on the country and application procedure being followed.
The application system in the United Kingdom, University and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS), limit students to five application submissions.
Though more than 900 colleges and universities use the Common Application, you can only apply to 20 of these schools.
The Coalition Application which has 150 colleges using this platform has no limit to the number of schools you can apply to.
Some universities and university systems require you to submit your application through their personalized system. Eg. In the University of California system applications are to be submitted through the University of California Admissions platform.
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Factors to Consider Before Applying to Colleges
- Time: Make sure that you have factored in sufficient time to come up with a thorough college application. The process of completing the college application takes much longer than students think. The Coalition App, Common App and many other colleges have their own set of essay questions, and supplemental essay prompts. Putting these together well requires lot of brainstorming and multiple edits.
- Application Fees: What is your college applications budget? Remember that it costs about $60-80 USD for each application. Look out and explore if there are college application fee waivers that you can get hold of to bring down these costs.
- Program and Course Availability: Many international students tend to think that most colleges offering the same majors or programs. Do a lot of research to ensure that your top colleges offer your desired courses and programs and that your particular areas of interest are covered.
- Education costs: It always helps to have a frank discussion with your family regarding the cost of education and apply to colleges that are within your budget. This prevents disappointment in the future and significantly decreases stress associated with the college application process.
- Size of the college: What is the size of the school you are currently studying in? From your experience would you study better in a large classroom or a smaller one? Maybe you thrive studying around thousands of students? Or perhaps you prefer a smaller, more intimate college setting. Your answers to these questions will also help you short list colleges that you are more comfortable studying in.
- Location: Do you prefer to live and study in a bustling city or the quieter suburbs? A place closer to where you have friends and relatives or away from them all? Do you enjoy four seasons or prefer a location that stays cold year-round? These key questions will also help you narrow down your college list to locations that you will be more comfortable living in.
- Extracurricular activities on campus: Spend sufficient time finding out about the clubs and organizations on campus and those that interest you. These will be places where you meet people with similar interests and can greatly enhance your social life and networks.
What is a good yet safe College Application strategy?
Choosing UCAS Courses for admission into UK Universities
If you’re applying to UK schools using the UCAS platform, only a maximum of five courses can be applied for. Those five courses can be at one university or five different universities (or something in between). You can apply to Oxford or Cambridge through UCAS, but you can’t apply to both universities. Generally, more emphasis is given to academic performance and standardised test scores during the college application screening process in UK universities and less importance is given to extracurricular activities.
Choosing Colleges and Courses for admission into US Universities
The classic method generally used to apply is listing colleges into three categories: Safety, Target, and Reach. This optimises the probability of you getting into one of them.
Here is a brief overview of safety, target, and reach schools.
Safety Schools (Choose 1-3 schools)
Safety Schools, sometimes called “guaranteed schools,” are schools you’re practically guaranteed admission to because your test scores, class rank, grades and qualifications, are stronger than their usual requirements for students who have been admitted in the past. These schools usually have high acceptance rates. Make sure that the schools you choose are ones that you will like to attend in case you are in a situation in the future where you have to attend them.
Target Schools (Choose 2-4 schools)
These are schools where your test scores, class rank, grades and qualifications fit into that of the most recently admitted class. You are not sure that you will be admitted to these schools but there is a relatively high probability (usually around 60%) that you will be accepted. By applying to 2-4 such schools you have a high probability of getting into at least one of them.
Reach Schools (Choose 2-3 schools)
If your test scores, class rank, grades and qualifications are lower than that of the school you are applying to, these schools will be your Reach School. A classic example would be an Ivy League. They generally have very low acceptance rates with only a few getting accepted. It is not surprising if some really good students are not accepted at these schools. Since you don’t meet most of their requirements, the probability of getting admission is small. However, there have been instances in these schools where essays and extracurricular activities of students have caught the attention of admissions officers resulting in them getting offer letters.
With so many options, it can be overwhelming to just choose the right college and course! Be-Ivy Education can help you narrow down your criteria and choose the best courses for YOU in a relaxed and stress free manner.