How many colleges should I apply to?
There is no "magic number". Six is not an unreasonable number, but I could say the same thing about any number between 3 and 10. I would suggest that you identify the schools differently. Start by thinking about the kind of school you want to go to - size (both in terms of enrollment and the campus itself), location (urban/suburban/rural as well as the size of the city or town in which it is located; also consider its geographic location), and "type" (public or private, religious-affiliated or not, specialized or comprehensive, etc.). Use http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/se... at the College Board's web site to generate a list of possible schools that match your choices. If you have some idea what you want to study, include that information in your search as well; that factor will make a big difference in how long your College Board list will be. The length and content of that list will help determine how many applications to plan for. A long list will probably mean 8-10 applications is reasonable; if you've really narrowed things down, you may be fine with 4 applications. The list will almost certainly include at least one "dream school", a number of schools that are near-perfect matches with your preferences, academic interests and high school credentials, and one or more schools that you will be satisfied to choose if they are your only choices. How many you apply to in each "category" will depend on the school names on your list. That list should also be a starting point to do MORE research. Share it with your HS counselor, check out the web sites of schools on the list that seem most interesting, watch for college fairs in your area where these schools may have representatives, etc. Also, try to visit a number of the schools that you are most interested in. Seeing a campus will often give you a completely different impression of a school. My daughter, for example, visited the Indiana University campus on a cold, rainy October day; within 30 minutes of arriving, she decided it was her first-choice school. She'll graduate from IU next May.
How many "times" can someone apply to medical school if they don't get in the first time?
You can apply as many times as you want. I applied 3 times before I was accepted. After undergrad I had average grades and an average MCAT score and was rejected. I then retook the MCAT and did better, but still had average grades and was rejected again. Then I did a post-bac program and improved my grades and was finally accepted. So, if you apply and are rejected ask the dean of admissions which part of your application was weak and do something to improve it. Things that look good are GPA >3.5 minimum, MCAT >27, and strong research and/or volunteer activities.
How many colleges should I apply to?
I'm going to be attending college in the fall of 2007 and would like to attend a very selective college. I can think of 8 or 9 colleges I would like to apply to, two of them being safety schools. Now, considering the schools I'm interested in have a very low acceptance rate, is this to many? Should I apply to more than 8 or 9? How many schools did you apply to?
How many colleges should I apply to?
A2A.Thanks for asking. This question is tough to answer in absolute terms. Instead, I'll just write down some of my thoughts. Personally, I would err on the side of applying to more schools than less. (I applied to 15 when I was in high school.) Additionally, research the programs that your interested in. If you want to do engineering, Cornell, MIT and the University of Michigan offer excellent programs. If you want to become a physician, Brown offers an integrated medical program. If you want to become a lawyer, look into ILR at Cornell.If you're the type of person who is really close to your family and enjoys being around them, you may want to go to university close to home. It's nice to have your folks around for support and guidance. Although liberating, sometimes living away is difficult.I know that Harvard offers a good financial aid package. My brother went there and really liked it. If I were you, I'd apply to Harvard and do my best with the application materials.I went to Cornell, and Cornell has some wonderful specialty schools like hotel administration and architecture. Although I'm not an expert in admissions, your grades and scores look pretty competitive for Cornell and several other Ivy League schools.MIT is a great school. I hear it's really tough--not only to get in but also to get good grades at. Nevertheless, if you want to do engineering, it's a great choice.On a final note, don't underestimate the quality of your state schools. The UMass system is excellent and tuition is lower than most private schools. In the end, it really doesn't make a difference where you go as long as you do well when you're there. High school students are brainwashed to think that the Ivy League is everything by other students, counselors, U.S. News and so forth. Oftentimes, the education that you get an Ivy League school is the same quality of education that you get at a state school plus you pay a lot less for it. Remember that the reason that you pay less for a state school education is that your parents' taxes subsidize the cost not because the education is any less exemplary.Good luck!