I started off my freshman year college search with a list of over 20 colleges that I was "interested" in, because I wasn't sure how to narrow it down. Over the course of my current junior year I have taken a list of 12 strong candidates down to about 4 colleges that I am pretty confident I will be applying to next fall. My main factors for consideration were: major (Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering), campus (more modern feel), and possibly a club tennis team. The four schools are Stanford, UC Berkeley, Cal Poly SLO, and Embry-Riddle Daytona. I have toured Embry Riddle (really loved it) and will be touring the 3 California schools this summer. I know the first 2 are especially selective, but I was wondering if this list seems too small, and if so, any suggestions you may have about similar colleges.
Usually, a good list is 1-1-1 between safetys targets and reaches. CollegeVine helps with finding out what to label these schools as. The last thing you want is to have no school to go to when it's all said and done. Try and find some more schools you are ok going to (probably from your original 20) and add them back to the list to be safe. If you want to show interest in your top schools you can apply ED/EA to improve your chances.
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