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If you’ve been paying attention to the early decision stats being released by highly selective colleges, then you've no doubt seen that ED and EA applications were up big. And if this has led you to apply to a few more schools in anticipation of similar application increases in the RD round, then you’re on the right track.
Most counselors you meet will tell you that applying to more schools isn’t recommended because it degrades the quality of every other application you work on (since, in theory, you have less time for each application). This might be true at the outset of application season, but once you’ve completed the applications on your original list, there is still opportunity to crank out some more, if you approach each additional application in the right way. Here are some things to consider as you add last minute schools:
1. Start with schools where you’ve already demonstrated some interest. If you joined a mailing list, attended a virtual event or visited the college at some point, you’ll be on the school’s radar(they don’t know they didn’t make your initial list). Demonstrated interest plays a role in most colleges’ admissions process, since they want to admit kids they think will attend. If you want to add totally new schools at this point, that’s OK, too - just do something between now and the application deadline to show that interest online.
2. Check how many supplemental essays each of the schools requires. Some highly selective colleges seem to be begging for additional applications by not requiring any supplemental essays. Middlebury and Colby are two schools that don’t require supplementals - you just have to pay the application fee. Likewise, maybe stay away from colleges that have many supplemental essays and short answer questions (e.g., Stanford and Yale).
3. When there are supplementals required, make sure you give them the proper attention. Admissions officers are not dumb, and they can tell if you’ve shoe-horned another school’s essays into one of their prompts. This is especially true of the “why us” essay that most colleges require as a supplemental. If you’re vague about why you want to attend one of your last-minute colleges, you have very little chance of getting in, regardless of your stats. Why? Because no school wants to be your seventh choice, or worse, your safety. And in the regular round, where highly selective colleges get way more applications than they know what to do with (especially this year, we predict), they don’t want to accept kids who they think won’t matriculate.
If you’re vague about why you want to attend one of your last-minute colleges, you have very little chance of getting in, regardless of your stats
You can ensure your “why us” doesn’t sound generic by staying away from grand platitudes about college. For example, “I am enthralled by the liberal arts and INSERT SCHOOL NAME HERE has a rigorous program and history that I’ve always admired” - that kind of reasoning is always going to get an eye-roll from the reader. Instead, do some research and get specific about a few things- academic and extracurricular - that the school offers. And when I say research, I don’t mean copying and pasting something from the college’s website. Read some student reviews of the college on Reddit or College Confidential and pick up on some of the unique elements of the school that only an insider would know. It takes less time than you think and shows that you’ve spent time trying to understand if this school is right for you.
Finally, keep your expectations in check that last minute applications are going to go your way. For highly selective schools in the regular round, chances of admissions are always low. Nothing is a sure thing - even at schools you are well-qualified for. But neither are these schools impossibilities. YouTube is full of college reaction videos that include statements like “I can’t believe I got in - I wasn’t even planning on applying until the day before applications were due!”
