How many reach schools should I apply to when building a balanced college list?

Question

I’m a high school senior trying to finalize my college list, and I’m not sure how many reaches is too many. I have a few schools I’d love to try for, but I also don’t want to waste time and money applying if my list ends up unrealistic.

I’m looking for a general rule of thumb for how many reach schools makes sense in a balanced application list.

I’m looking for a general rule of thumb for how many reach schools makes sense in a balanced application list.

Accepted Answer

The exact numbers can shift, but the important part is that you have multiple schools you would genuinely be happy to attend in the target and likely categories.

If you are applying to a lot of highly selective colleges, it is easy to accidentally build a list that is all reaches. In practice, any school with a very low overall admit rate, or where your grades and scores are below the typical admitted student range, should be treated as a reach.

More reach schools are not automatically better if it means weaker essays or not enough attention to your target schools.

How many reach schools should I apply to when building a balanced college list?

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