what school is right for you?

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Jen

I am so fascinated with choosing college/university because it's so different here in Canada.

LOL, the boy is Canadian, and he thinks our college app system is hilarious. Is it true that you just fill out one form with your top choices?

This is definitely a generational phenomenon. When I applied to colleges in the early 80s, the college counselors were recommending 5 applications. 2 reaches, 2 matches and 1 safety. A couple of decades + later, my D was applying to schools and HER CC said the average hs student applied to 8 for a breakdown of 3 reaches, 3 matches, and 2 safeties.

I think it's more regional than generational. I graduated from HS in the South, and I only applied to four, which was pretty standard for my HS. It wasn't until my freshman year, when I met kids from NYC, DC, Boston, and San Francisco that I knew that people who applied to 10+ colleges.

During the past rush recommendation season, I spoke to some of the hometown girls about their college search--the same thing was true in that most kids only applied to four or five schools. On the other hand, I do alumni interviewing for my alma mater, and all of the kid I've interviewed in this cycle applied to 15 or 16 schools.