TIP OF THE WEEK - January 4

Create Competition between Schools

You should apply to between 6-8 schools; safety, target, and reach.

WHEN APPLYING TO MULTIPLE SCHOOLS: You should always apply
to at least 2 or 3 schools that are rated somewhat equally. This way, if
your child gets accepted to all of them, you may be able to play one
against the other when negotiating to get a better financial aid package.
Even if your son or daughter is set on one particular college, putting
at least 2 or 3 schools on the FAFSA form is always a good strategy.


Your child should apply to at least:

• 2 likely (schools they are aligned to get into according to scores and grades),
• 2 target (schools where grades and scores fit into the school’s averages for acceptance) and
• 2 reach schools (schools where scores and grades are a bit below what the school’s average accepted student has).

It is also important to check each school’s acceptance
rate, as if the school accepts less than 40% of their applicants it would
automatically be a reach since they turn away many more students than
they accept.