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Is it recommended to apply to many colleges at once?

Is it too expensive to apply to a multitude of colleges? Should we put our all in just one college application? #apply #college

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EmilyAnn’s Answer

Applying to schools can get expensive, so you want to apply to more than one but be smart about where to apply. It isn't so much about the number of schools you apply to as it is about the range. You should be applying to some safety schools where you are very confident about getting in (so maybe 85-95% confidence), some that are ideal but realistic (maybe 50-80% confidence), and then some reaches which you are unlikely to get into but are worth a shot. As long as you get the right balance, you will be setting yourself up to get into some good colleges with some as backups if you don't get into your ideal schools.

I applied to 12 schools and (somehow) hit the nail on the head (probably because of my dad's help). I got into 5, waitlisted at 2, and rejected from 5. There isn't anything wrong with applying to less or more schools, it really just depends on what schools you're interested in. If there is, however, one school at the top of your list that you KNOW you would attend if you got in, think about doing Early Decision. This way, if you get in, you don't have to apply anywhere else, but if you don't, you still have time to apply other places. Just know that this is binding, but you can look at doing Early Action too (which has similar benefits but non-binding).

If you're not sure how to figure out your chances of getting in somewhere, you can usually find some statistics on the acceptance rate for your GPA/SAT scores. I remember my high school used a site called Naviance, where you can see the stats on people from your school who were accepted, waitlisted, and rejected, and where you lie. Getting accepted or rejected anywhere is never guaranteed, but you can make educated guesses. Hope this helps anyone still wondering!!
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Ken’s Answer

It would be helpful to apply to colleges with a plan in mind. Get a good idea about a career area for which you are well suited and then follow the ideas presented below.


Apply to your local community college as the rates are more reasonable and the classes are smaller and they have access to coop and intern programs that will help with your career orientation and their credits transfer anywhere especially to colleges with whom they have special arrangements that could be very beneficial to you and your career. Many successful people, me included, got their start at a community college and moved on to appropriate colleges to graduate in an appropriate major.


Meet and develop relationships with people who share career interests and determine what recommendations that they might have regarding selection of schools as they might be able to assist in making connections.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Austin’s Answer

Hi Rhea,

Good question. I would strongly recommend NOT applying to just one college. You never know what is going to happen even if your grades and test scores are above the average for the school. My brother who has near perfect GPA and SAT got rejected from 4 out of the 5 schools that he applied to and he was a very competitive candidate. You should be filling out a multitude of applications to ensure that you have backup options in the case that you do not get into your #1 school. Many people do not get accepted by their #1 school and often end up going to other schools that they have applied to. You do not want to be caught in a situation where you got denied by the only school you've applied to and are scrambling to finish an application for a back up school.


Applications aren't cheap as they are often between $50-$100, but are worth the cost since they serve as back up options to your #1. Contingency planning is a key part of the college process and I encourage you to apply to more than just one school.


I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck!!


Best,

Austin

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