I got into over 100 colleges, Here's how.

College admissions are hard, and it’s only ever getting harder. This year, my top choice for college, and the first traditional college decision I got this cycle, Yale, nearly halved their early acceptance rate from 17% to 9%. It’s because of this selectivity, and I’m sure other reasons, that despite the big headline on this article, I didn’t get into my dream school. That being said, there is a way to get bad news, which in the cutthroat world of selective college admissions in the United States is inevitable, but there are ways to hedge your bets, get more good news then bad news. So this article is a rare time when I can tell you, from a rising college freshman to a rising high school senior (or whatever you may be), how to maximize your chances at getting the best college, for the best price (as I have previously critiqued colleges for their failures) 

My first piece of advice is use non-traditional application methods, direct and reverse admissions are great and low-pressure ways to get into safety and target schools, and depending on your expectations, ever a reach school. Traditional applications are hard, and more importantly for you, time consuming. A non-traditional admissions offer is a great way to get that admissions offer quickly, and oftentimes with a sizable scholarship. Reverse admissions, pioneered by the company concourse, only makes you fill out a small profile with basic and essential information that is self-reported by the student, you will slowly get material offers of admission, no essay or interview required. Through this method of admissions I have received nine offers of admission of varying degrees of interest to me. It is important to note that these offers of admission expire relatively quickly as compared to other non-traditional and traditional methods of acceptance, however they are real and concrete efforts of admissions. They are also known for their partnerships with prestigious and international schools (international students are welcome to apply through this method!). A drawback is despite my greatest efforts, I was not able to secure a list of schools that your profile will be sent to, and the only decision you may make as to which schools may consider you for admission is whether you are ‘interested’ and whether you attend said college (I strangely got a lot of offers from christian-adjacent universities?!). Another great method of admissions is direct admissions, these offers, though not necessarily as concrete as a reverse admissions offer, tell a student before they fill out a formal application to a school whether they will get in based off of basic stats given to them by a company (SAT/ACT, unweighted GPA, etc.,) One company that has a numerous and public program for this is Niche, which is responsible for 83 offers of admission that I have received, and 82 scholarships. This method of application is on paper easier, but oftentimes involves writing an essay, or sending official transcripts to a school. This however, is not completely the case, and is still a fine way to get into (mostly target and safety) schools. Direct admissions applications are also much easier to apply to than a traditional application, which is admittedly a low bar, but it is still worth it. It should also be noted that both of these methods of application are free, which is absolutely not a given in the college admissions process. 

Now finally, the traditional college application, the famed college essay, the controversial standardized test, the essential transcripts, and the mythologized letters of recommendation. The most common method of application for prospective first-year American (and international) college students in the (aptly named) Common App.Now, I should be clear with what I say next, because there will absolutely be people reading this article who cannot understand this if I don’t explain it clearly, please use the Common App when necessary. Nearly every college that you could want to go to uses it, and if you have to use a traditional application it is absolutely not a bad way to apply to a school, for most you only have to write one essay, and it tells you directly on the website what you need for each school. That being said, it’s not the cheapest way to apply to the most schools possible, and through sheer force of applying to so many schools find the school that’s best for you. The Common App limits you to twenty schools to apply to, and they’re almost always paid applications unless a school gave you a specific fee waiver (good way to lose money if you ask me, but that’s fine). Scoir, an alternative to the common app that partners with the Coalition for College to have a more accessible college application, does not limit the amount of colleges you may apply to through they’re website, and more importantly, gives fee waivers to those who qualify (for each school you apply to) (one which I am very grateful to have received). This is huge for college admissions, if you want, you don’t have to pay a dime for college admissions, assuming that you qualify. Scoir is also a very helpful resource in allowing for research, allows you to classify colleges as ‘targets, far reaches, reaches, likelys, and very likelys’, and also tells you the average SAT score and acceptance rates of colleges you want to apply to. It’s a one stop shop for everything that the average person would need in college admissions. The one drawback is that you have to go out of your way to make sure that your applications are complete. 

My final piece of advice for all the class of 2029 that may want to apply to college, is that you should absolutely apply to as many colleges as you can afford in both time and money. Anyone who suggests you shouldn’t doesn’t understand the value of options. Having options, even if they’re not the best options, and you don’t want to go even if you do get it, allows you to bargain, which especially in the financial aid process, which some colleges that you wouldn’t normally apply to will track you down and shove scholarships down your throat for, allow you to get better deals at better schools. Studies have shown that people that apply to better schools on average make more, get better options, and graduate with less debt. If those things sound good to you, maybe devote a little bit more time to exploring your options. Who knows, you may stumble across the one on your way there. 

College is an adventure. The application process shouldn’t be anything less, but as we get more and more competitive in the admissions process it becomes more and more important to devote time and oftentimes even money to fine-tuning applications. But it shouldn’t be like this. We should make these applications stress-free and free, we should make them just as much of an adventure as college, and indeed life in general is. We need to make them fun, for the good of the students, for the good of the country, and most importantly for the good of the world. College is a right, not a privilege, and we must embrace that in the United States of America a whole lot more tham we already do.