Easiest top 20 college to apply to?

Hey fellow highschoolers! I'm shooting for the stars and applying to some top 20 colleges. However, I do want to be practical and apply to the ones that might be easier to get into. Any ideas on which top 20 colleges are the ‘easiest’ to get accepted by?

While it's important to remember that every Top 20 college is highly selective and none of them can truly be classified as 'easy' to get into, some of these schools do have slightly higher acceptance rates than others.

Looking at data from the last few years, University of Notre Dame, Vanderbilt University, and Georgetown University have shown a bit more leniency compared to, say, the Ivy Leagues. Their acceptance rates have hovered around 10-20%, while schools like Harvard and Princeton are much lower, often below 6%.

However, remember that acceptance rate isn't the only factor you should be considering. It's also crucial to think about if a school is a good fit for you and aligns with your academic and personal goals. For example, Notre Dame might have a higher acceptance rate, but if you're really interested in engineering, you'd probably find more specialized options at a school like MIT, even though its acceptance rate is far lower.

In the end, when you're applying to any top-20 school, the most critical factors will be the strength of your academic record, your extracurricular activities, and your personal essays. You want to apply to schools where your AP coursework, grades, and standardized test scores are at least within the school's middle 50% range, and where you can contribute meaningfully to the campus community.

While it's good to think tactically, it'll be even more beneficial for you to research each school's values, program offerings, and campus culture. This will help guide your application strategy and ensure that you're not merely chasing a reputation but are genuinely interested in the opportunities that the school provides. For instance, someone committed to community service and interested in business would likely thrive at Notre Dame, whereas a person with a robust STEM focus might prefer CalTech, despite its lower acceptance rate.

Hope this helps, and best of luck on your college journey! It's admirable to aim high, and key to keep in mind the importance of fit as much as rankings or acceptance rates.