WHAT is your College List Strategy - Seniors please participate
For the benefit of everyone on here, please share your basic college list strategy. It would be helpful to learn how most HS Seniors are gearing up to apply to colleges this next cycle. And if your strategy doesn't neatly fit into these 4 groups, just add your own group in the comments and explain why it's different
Please participate in the poll, and the best comment of course gets a 25 karma award.
Historically, most HS counselors tell their students to used the Triangle. Really confident or over-confident students use the tornado. Aggressive, Competitive students used the dumbbell and hedge themselves with lost of safeties so they have many options that reduce anxiety. The Cross seems most popular because applicants are focused on Targets rather than reaches or safeties.
Interesting change from last year, however it's worth noting that the sample size is almost half of what it was last year. All categories have small shrinkage, while cross method has the most gain. Something else that's worth noting is that "Cylinder" from last year was changed to "Cross" this year. My interpretation is that last year was a very shocking year in terms of the massive amounts of rejections, so people want to make sure they get into a good school, and thus want to get into the upper end of their target range to guarantee a spot. TL;DR: Lower chance of success = lower risk taking
I'd describe my strategy as a log probably, even amount of safeties, targets, and reaches.
Where's the "All in"? If not that I'm going to pick tornado. I'm devoting basically 90% of my energy to my ED school which is also my dream school, I have backups in place but right now I'm drilled into November 1st. Call me stupid, but I have faith in myself.
ooh what's ur dream school? I'm applying EA to a few schools but not ED cuz my parents might not want to pay tuition if I don't get a good amount of aid. Loll ur not stupid I'm putting all my energy into one program at the University of Southern California and my parents stare at me weird :P.
Vandy. Been to their talks, visited their campus, basically done anything and everything to show them I love their school.
ahh ic that's so cool
thanks! usc will also have a really good program, whatever major you choose to pursue. Best of luck!
There's no all in because CV polls only give you a max. of 4 selections.
I'm using the tornado method since most of my schools are either part of the top 100 in business or a highly rejective school. But if I don't get into a school of my choice, I have no problem going to community college and transferring into a school of my choice. That's why I only have a couple of safety schools (I'd prefer working harder to get into a school I like rather than going to a safety school I don't like).
Believe me this sounds like a good idea, but it's exceptionally unlikely to happen. Transfer acceptance rates at almost all good universities are abysmally low (with one notable exception being Columbia due to its odd segmentation into different schools of varying prestige). Honestly, your bachelors isn't everything. Try to get more target schools into your colleges list instead of keeping the pipe dream of transferring alive, and investing your time and money into community college.
I personally am applying with a sort of hypertornado strategy: 10-12 reaches, like 1-3 targets and 1-2 safeties (one with literally guaranteed admission).
I mean, tornado clearly makes the most sense. Why would you want to pick a bunch of safety schools, if you're pretty much guaranteed admission and don't really want to attend anyways? Applying to more reach schools make sense as you get the law of large numbers on your side if you do, because you're hedging against random factors causing you to get rejected from a highly competitive school. Having a decent number of target schools serves the same hedging purpose; however, because you're more likely to be accepted, it's not worth applying to as many (i.e. hedging as much) as you would with your reach schools.
The only conceivable advantage of a different strategy would be that it's easier on your psyche, as you're less likely to get rejection after rejection after rejection, which is ... something to consider, I guess.
I wouldn't apply to schools I really wouldn't want to attend.
I am doing pyramid. My parents can only afford so much for college and I have to consider financial safeties and academic safeties.
To me there is no point in falling in love with a reach that I can't afford that won't likely accept me anyways.
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