Creating The Optimal List of Schools

By Mitch Gross | September 10, 2009

I was reading an New York Times Blog with the article titled "Answers From a Guidance Counselor." The question was posed, third one down on the page, "How many colleges do you recommend applying to, and how should it be broken down by in terms of “Reach,” “Likely” and “Safety”?". And, I thought the answer was quite insightful. Now more than ever, families need to factor affordability into the equation. That means, know where the money is. I always like to recommend  to families that they start with a larger list of potential schools and pare that down based on a schools record of meeting the needs of families through need-based grant/scholarship dollars.

While the answer to the questions is a legnthy one and insightful, but here's the author's answer to the question - "I recommend applying to at least two “very probable” colleges, two to four “probable” colleges, and four to six “reach” colleges. Eight to 12 college applications should be sufficient; however, each student’s goals and admissions qualifications are unique; please take these numbers as guidelines only."

And, financial aid should should play a major factor when finalizing the list. A good portion of this list should contain schools with excellent reputation of meeting the financial need of the family. To read the entire article click here.