From The Vault: How Many Colleges Should I Apply To? September 25th, 2011
We know you’re still deep in the college search process, but since it pays to look ahead, we’re bringing you a previously published post that we think you’ll find very helpful! The topic? Deciding how many colleges should apply to. So what’s the answer? Read on to find out.
While you may know of a college-bound student in your class who plans on filling out 22 college applications, we’ve got a better answer – both for your peace of mind and your parent’s wallet.
How many colleges should you apply to? Photo Credit: anne.oeldorfhirsch / Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch
If you’ve taken a look at the price of submitting college applications, well, some are definitely more wallet-friendly than others – but it all adds up (you can check out our Apply to College Without Paying a Fee article for ways to get out of that one!). So, just how many college apps should you fill out? Easy – well, sort of.
My College Guide recommends that you fill out between 6 –10 college applications. Don’t just apply anywhere, we’ve got a handy system to the college application madness. Don’t worry – it’s not as complicated as it sounds! Basically, you should apply to the three basic types of colleges: reach schools, in-the-middle schools, and safety schools.
We know that handing over college application fee after college application fee is less than fun, so we want you to know that we are here to help! Check out the three types of colleges that we believe just about every student should apply to – and why! Of course, these schools will vary with the stats of each student, so your BFF’s safety school may match your in-the-middle school. Do your research to see where you fit in and to avoid making college application mistakes!
Apply To A Couple of Reach Schools
So you don’t fit the exact college requirements for admission criteria due to your GPA, your test scores, or some combination of the two. It doesn’t mean that something else about your application won’t make college admissions take a second look! Maybe you’ve got that certain something they are looking for. Don’t sell yourself short – but don’t apply to every hard-to-get-into college, either. Fill out one or two applications and do be aware of the college admission rates. Be hopeful, but realistic – college admissions has their own reasons why a student is in or out.
Apply To A Few In-The-Middle Schools
Are you in or are you out? With these schools, it can be hard to tell if you will be accepted into college or not. Sure, you have the grades to get in to college and the rest of your college application matches up to their admission guidelines (you’ve even got a couple awesome letters of recommendation) but they can’t accept everyone! Apply to two or three in-the-middle schools that you would be happy to attend (hopefully you’ve visited at least one of them!) and see what happens.
Don’t Forget To Apply To Safety Schools
These colleges will jump for joy to have you! Not only do your standardized test scores, GPA, and your extracurricular activities set you apart from the average students that college admissions normally accepts — which means that you will most likely be “in” (although it goes without saying that even then your chance at acceptance isn’t set in stone). Of course, this is still a college that you are interested in and can see yourself enjoying and loving for four years (even if it isn’t your first choice). Being ahead of the pack has its perks so, safety school or not, your high school accomplishments could net you a nice little scholarship prize.
For more tips and tricks for making the most of the college application process all year long, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog!
Related posts:
- Applying to College: How Many Colleges Should You Apply to?
- How to Apply to College without Paying a Fee
- Rolling Admission: Defined
From The Vault: 10 Movies About College Life. August 6th, 2011
The clock is ticking! Get ready for college life!
We know lots of you are heading off to college soon. To get you in the mood, we’re re-posting one of our greatest hits: 10 of the best movies about college life. Why? Well, as unrealistic as these depictions of college life might be, they’re sure to get you ready for the new school year!
Accepted (2006). This clever comedy, starring up-and-coming actors Justin Long and Jonah Hill, is about what happens when a student doesn’t get into his favorite college: he decides to create his own. It may not exactly be credible, but you’re bound to find plenty of laughs in this lighthearted film.
Dead Man on Campus (1998). In this dark comedy, two students on the verge of failing go looking for a suicidal roommate to exploit a little-known campus rule: any student whose roommate commits suicide will receive perfect grades for the semester. As you might imagine, things don’t go exactly as planned.
Road Trip (2000). Starring Tom Green (whatever happened to him?) and a host of other notable names, this movie takes on the legendary college tradition of the road trip, filled with plenty of gross-out humor.
Revenge of the Nerds (1984). This classic film of the 1980s is one championed by geeks and nerds everywhere. If your dream is to start the next Google, this is the movie for you.
Van Wilder (2002). This National Lampoon film about a guy who spends seven years at college majoring in partying is full of fun.
Old School (2003). This hilarious film, starring Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson, and Vince Vaughn, is about what happens when three middle-aged men try to recapture their college glory days.
Animal House (1978). One of the all-time college classics, this movie frightened parents everywhere with its portrayal of hard-drinking and partying college students. As you’ll notice when you arrive at school, John Belushi is the official mascot of college boys everywhere—it’s time to get acquainted.
PCU (1994). This gross-out college comedy features Jeremy Piven in a starring role, well before he entered the limelight for his infamous agent role on Entourage.
American Pie 2 (2001). American Pie was a classic high school comedy, and its first sequel follows the whole gang to college for even more hilarious and often disgusting humor.
Undeclared (2001). Technically, this is a TV show, not a movie—but we needed to include it anyway. Created by Judd Apatow (the director of 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up), and starring now-famous actors like Jason Siegel and Seth Rogen, this short-lived series offers an offbeat, sentimental, and hilarious look at college life that looks a lot like the real thing.
Stay tuned next week for more great college tips. Subscribe to our blog today so you don’t miss a thing!
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- 10 of the Best Movies About College Life
- 5 More Movies About College Life
- Celebrities in College: 6 Stars Who Traded Red Carpets for Blackboards