What Schools Should I Apply To? How Many?

You should probably apply to at least 5-7 schools, but the more you can find the time, money, and effort to apply to, the better.

Some College Application Tips:

• Try to apply only to schools that you might actually want to attend as you will probably be attending at least one of them.
• Break your applications into three tiers: Reach Schools, Strong Applicant Schools, and Sure Things.
  
• Apply to two or three reach schools, three or four schools in which your GPA and SAT are within the middle 25th to 75th percentiles, and at least two sure things. This strategy will ensure that you get into at least one school even if you have a bad admissions cycle, after all, if you are reading this blog then you probably aren't considering taking the year off.
• Research schools you are interested in thoroughly. Visits are strongly recommended. When I was applying to schools, I remember disliking (a certain state school) the moment I stepped foot on the campus. The feel of the campus will tell you more about the school than the GPA and SAT of its student body. Remember, you are going to be living there for four years. Make sure you can tolerate it.
• Ask yourself: Do I want to live in a big city, small city, a college town, or what? I personally know that I don't enjoy living in the city, and that personal preference made a big difference in my eventual choice.

So what school should you apply to? I don't know... it all depends. See above :)