Last night I was staring at my spreadsheet again and literally searched how many colleges should I apply to because every person in my life keeps giving me a different number. One cousin applied to 6, another did 18, and now I can’t tell what is normal vs overkill.
For context, I’m probably applying to a mix of reaches, matches, and safeties, and I do need financial aid, which makes me feel like I should cast a wider net. But I also know if I apply to too many schools, my essays are going to get worse and I’ll burn out by November.
Right now I’m thinking something like:
- 2-3 safeties
- 4-5 matches
- 3-5 reaches
But I honestly have no idea if that is a smart application strategy or just a random list that sounds balanced.
If you already went through this, how many colleges did you apply to and do you wish you had done more or fewer? Also, did needing aid change your number a lot?
I’d really love advice from people who started with a huge list and then cut it down, because that’s where I’m stuck right now.