How many schools did you apply to?

[quickerNu]

I applied to one.  Perfect fit, wife's hometown.  Accepted, solid funding.

[cocomoco]

two schools purely based on fit

[6speed!]

I applied to 8 schools and it worked out perfectly. That said, 8 is a decent number and it definitely required a lot of time to make sure I was putting the highest quality content forward for each application (statements of purpose, essays, etc). For me, 8 was great because it allowed me to cover my bases and ensure that I got into a number of high quality programs that I knew I would be happy and comfortable with attending. I didn't want to short change myself in any way shape or form - attending graduate school is a major decision and investment in time, money and energy, and I did not want to have any regrets regarding not putting myself in the best, most versatile and flexible position possible in terms of having programs to choose from. In addition, nobody can be certain how the admissions process will work out since the applicant pools and priorities of the adcomms inevitably vary from year to year to some degree. Consequently, I refused to be presumptuous and assume I would get accepted at any school I applied to - even if I was wholly confident that I was competitive for admission at many of them. So, I covered my bases.

I applied to 2 reach schools, 4 core quality upper-tier options and 2 fallback options that I would be willing to attend with no regrets if it ultimately came to that. I was accepted at all 4 of my core quality options and both fallback options, wait listed at one of my reach schools and rejected at the other. Despite it not being a "reach" program, I got into my #1 choice. If I hadn't I would still have quite a few great options to consider, which, given the magnitude of the decision at hand, is the position one wants to be in.

Edited April 1, 2016 by 6speed!