College Applications: When “More” Isn’t Better

“Make 20 cold calls and you’ll end up with a couple of leads.” That might work in sales, but not in college applications.

Every year, I meet students (and parents!) who come in with an ambitious list of over a dozen US colleges. The idea and logic is simple: if we cast a wide enough net, surely some will bite.

But college admissions don’t work like that. Each university wants to know you — your story, your values, and how you’ll fit into their community. And that takes time and genuine reflection.

Let’s take the US as an example. Students write one Common App essay, which goes to all universities. Every college has its own set of supplemental essays, typically two per university. If you apply to 12 colleges, that’s 24 supplements plus one main essay.

Twenty-five essays in total.

What I often see is that students spend an enormous amount of time perfecting their Common App essay, which is understandable, since it’s shared with all schools. However, as deadlines pile up, the supplemental essays start to sound repetitive. The same ideas get rephrased in different ways, and the essays lose their individuality.

That’s unfortunate, because admissions officers actually pay closer attention to the supplemental essays. Those prompts are carefully chosen by each university to understand your fit with their culture and community.

And when you read prompts like Princeton’s, you can see why this can’t be done in a rush: “Princeton has a longstanding commitment to understanding our responsibility to society through service and civic engagement. How does your own story intersect with these ideals?”

That’s not an essay you can dash off over a weekend. It needs reflection, multiple drafts, and honesty.

So, when students apply to too many colleges, hoping to improve their odds, they often end up doing the opposite. They spread themselves too thin and submit average essays everywhere, instead of outstanding ones where it really matters.

In my experience, applying to around 6 to 7 well-chosen colleges in the US gives students the right balance. They have enough options, yet enough time to put their best effort into every single application.

In college applications, as in most things in life, quality always beats quantity.

At SetSail Education Consulting, we help students build a well-balanced college list and craft applications that maximize their chances of admission. If you are starting your college application journey, let’s talk about how we can build a focused, high-impact college list — and put your best application forward.