How should I balance my college list?Answered
Summary of my stats:
3.77 gpa
29 ACT (im retaking it soon)
7 APS (by senior year)
13 honnors classes
5 Dual Enrollment classes
2 SUPA classes
2 Internships
1 job
2 Clubs (officer positions)
1 really good award from Princeton
Underepresented minority
Based on the chancing, I have a good amount of great school in my safeties category (Howard, American are my favorites) and much more targets and reaches. I my dream school is Princeton, and like other students I want to get into the best ranked college I can get into without spending too much time applying to schools I won't get into. My list is currently 11 schools, 3 safeties, 2 targets, and 6 reaches. Is there anything I should change/ any recommendations about my application profile in general? Thanks!!
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3 answers
Hi @jessogb!
Usually we'd recommend a 25/50/25 percent split between safeties, targets and reaches. In other words, roughly half of your school list should be targets (and you should always have at least two safeties).
I'd recommend cutting out about half your reaches and replacing them with target schools. Those reach schools will each cost a lot of time to apply — not to mention application fees — with a small chance of success per school. I'd also recommend browsing our school list hub for more target ideas that would fit your preferences.
However, since you have two safety schools you'd be happy to attend, it won't be as necessary for you to optimize your school list in terms of probability like that. If those six reach schools are all schools you're really excited to apply to — or if their financial aid policies would make a huge difference in your ability to attend — then it might be keeping your list as-is. I'd still recommend you swap out some reaches for targets, but what's most important is that you'd be happy attending every school on your list.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions.
Hi!
I think it looks like this is a very good profile for colleges; a very strong one. I think in your college application, you would need a lot more specifics on the extracurriculars, because those are VERY important in college applications, and even scholarship applications. Overall, your profile looks excellent!
Hope this helps!
I honestly think thats a good college application. GO GET IT!
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