Shotgun Versus Rifle Approach to Admissions

There are lots of times when I will be speaking with a student who tells me “I applied to 15 colleges, and got into 12.” Really? Sure, do with your money what you will, but were you seriously considering each of those 15 (or 20 or 25) colleges? Or was part of your thinking that the more schools that admit you, the better a person you are? This also works with parents who just revel in saying “My son got into 12 of the 15 colleges he applied to,” as they also wiggle their large solitaire ring in someone’s face.

Honestly, most students should apply to more than one college, but there should probably be an upper limit to that. For one thing, students may apply to colleges and universities based solely on the name of the institution with no regard for their curriculum, student body, location, etc. And while that’s probably okay in theory for a Harvard or a Duke, it may not be enough information for a medium sized university a couple of states away with a more regional reputation. But does your son or daughter really need to apply to so many schools? In a word, no.

Applying to multiple colleges gives your student a variety of choices, and because the institutions may be very different from one another, visiting three or five schools lets them see enough variation that it helps them sharpen their focus on the features that matter the most to them. And the goal should always be to have your student visit every campus he or she is serious about before applying, if that is feasible. (When they’re looking at colleges that are a thousand miles away, they can visit once admitted and before they send in an admission deposit. )

So the right way to decide which schools to apply to is to begin with a large list, and use the right criteria to pare it down. Probe these questions with your student:

Why this school? What is it this college is offering that you can’t get somewhere else?

Do they have the major you’re thinking about? What can you tell me about courses or the focus in your major? Is the major really selective, meaning that few students are offered admission?

(If they aren’t sure about a major yet, ask what they know about services to help people with career planning.)

How big are the classes?

How prepared are you to go that distance from home? (for schools that are far away)

What kind of housing options are there? Are you guaranteed campus housing for all four years, or on the reverse, are there options to live off campus, or in apartments on or off campus?

What kinds of activities are sponsored on campus?

What about the overall school size? How comfortable are you with a school of that size? If large, you may be in classes that are a lot larger than they had in high school? If very small, say 1,000 students or less, how would you feel when pretty much everyone knows you and potentially your business. There are advantages to larger or smaller schools, though students need to know what they’re bargaining for.

Ultimately, once your student puts together a list of potential schools, have them divide the schools into three piles. The first should be those schools that seem to be the best fit. These are the schools that your student has a good chance of getting into and they fit all the criteria they’re looking for in terms of academics, campus life, location, cost, etc. Also identify those colleges that they are assured of getting into — their “safety” schools, and a few more that are “reach” schools. These are schools that the student knows he has a lower chance of getting into, because they’re very selective academically, or because they are out of state public schools that often look more favorably on in-state applicants. It’s probably unwise to apply to more than ten schools because the more acceptances they receive, the more challenging it can be to pick “the one.” Applying to say, three match schools, two safety schools and two reach schools, which is seven, is probably enough. Really strong academic students who believe they might have a shot at an ivy league education might apply for more, knowing that ivys can be incredible challenging to get into. But for the majority of students applying to seven or maybe eight schools is probably sufficient.

And I would discourage students from applying to only a couple of colleges unless they really want to stay local and perhaps attend their community college. Community colleges are fully accredited colleges, and many offer loads of campus life opportunities for its students, certainly much more than they did twenty years ago. Of course, that just means that if their goal is a four year degree, they’ll be going through the larger application process a couple of years later, so the same selection process will apply.

Take a look at other posts on this site regarding the campus visit, which is another very important part of the process, in addition to one about “fit,” that elusive sense of connection your student can have to a college or university. So within reason, try not to blow the first year’s budget with application fees before they even start.