How many schools to apply to?

[Gabby]

Hi! I'm an undergrad student and in my senior year of college. I'll be applying to graduate schools in the fall, and I was wondering how many I should apply to? I have 8 on my list, but that can get expensive with application costs. However, it's hard to get into grad programs so I want to make sure I have options and multiple opportunities. What do you all think?

[royffle]

I applied to 10...I did that much just to calm my nerves lol. But most people in my undergrad class applied to somewhere between 6-10. If you can afford it, then apply to as many as you like to increase your chances. I got into multiple schools, so I didn't NEED to apply to 10...but you never know what is going to happen! 

Just make sure that every school you apply to you'd want to go there. Obviously there's schools you'll like better than others, but your "last choice" could be the only one you get into, so make sure you'd still be happy there!

[drivingthoughts]

@Gabby Well, I'd say it comes down to your budget. I have a friend with unlimited funds and a lot of spare time, so, he applied to 30 schools (amazing what you can do when you don't have to work while in school) and had several to choose from when April 15 rolled around. For me, that wan't the case, so I limited myself to 6, since that's all i could afford to apply to. Big advantage of being selective - I really got to know those six departments, was excited about each, and had time to invest in relationships with them. Whatever you decide, good luck.

[Crimson Wife]

The stronger your qualifications, the fewer schools you can get away with applying to. If you've got high GPA and GRE scores, 8 may be plenty. If you've got a relatively weaker GPA and/or GRE scores, you're better off adding more.

[Crimson Wife]

Also, schools that do not participate in CSDCAS are bigger pains to apply to, so the breakdown of CSDCAS to non-CSDCAS schools also matters. The main con to adding another school to CSDCAS is the cost whereas adding a non-CSDCAS school requires a lot more effort.

[futureSpeechLP]

I agree about the CSDCAS vs non-CSDCAS schools. I wish all my dream schools were on CSDCAS! 

8 programs seem like a good number to apply to. I would just make sure you find a backup school or two (you would be happy to attend) that you know isn't a reach with your stats. It's a lot more money to not get into any program and have to apply again.

[Gabby]

My GPA so far is a 3.75 and I haven't taken the GRE yet, but I don't expect to do well on it. I'm on the E-board of NSSLHA at my school, I do extracurriculars at home and school, and I have relevant work experience. I just really want to get in the first time I apply.

[kumapanda]

I think a safe number of schools to apply for is probably somewhere between 6-10.  I've seen people apply to as many as 15-20 programs, but it depends on your budget and time as well.  Do you have the time and motivation to work on that many programs?  I initially had 8 applications, but family pressured me to apply to 10 and it was a stressful and exhausting time for me because each school had different requirements and personal statement prompts. 

It definitely helps if you have a few CSDCAS programs so you won't overwhelm yourself with different application formats so you save yourself a little bit of money and time.  Another factor you should be looking at are the deadlines.  Be careful if you have a lot of schools that share an early deadline and to figure out which schools to prioritize first when completing them.  I took off a school from my list because it shared an early deadline with another program and I realized I didn't have the energy to meet the deadline.  If you have any schools on your list that have rolling admission or something among the line, you want to place those schools at the top of your list and finish those as quickly as possible.      

[MastersHoping]

I applied to 4 (all very prestigious universities) and got into one. I also had good but not great GRE, and 3.3 ish GPA. Good luck. 

[Crimson Wife]

Just now, MastersHoping said:

I applied to 4 (all very prestigious universities) and got into one. I also had good but not great GRE, and 3.3 ish GPA. Good luck. 

Is your signature correct? If so, then Asian Studies is a VERY different field than SLP. So much so that I'm not sure why you decided to comment.

[MastersHoping]

Oops, I was thinking of this as a general how many schools to apply to kind of thread, didn't quite realize you were trying to gauge specifically SLP. 

[Jolie717]

I actually hated CSDCAS, but perhaps that's because I only needed it for one of the three schools I applied to.  The two schools that didn't use CSDCAS had fairly simple and streamlined app processes.  I think it was the tedious entering by hand of every class I have ever taken that really did me in.  As a non-traditional student with another degree, I had a LOT to enter and it was time-consuming and worrisome as they make you feel if you make one mistake, your app might not get validated.  Start the process early so you have time to call and ask questions.  Alternately, you can pay extra ($50 I think) and CSDCAS will enter everything for you if you elect for this early enough.

[honeydewthis]

As many as you can afford, both time-wise and financially- without sacrificing quality of each individual application. I considered myself to be a fairly strong candidate and applied to 6 schools.  I was denied at four, wait-listed at one (still haven't heard anything back), and got into one. I feel extremely lucky to have gotten in and do not have to wait another year.. If I knew it was going to be this competitive, I would have applied to more schools.

I think an important factor to consider is that the many of people who frequent this forum are very committed and exceptionally strong candidates. I'm not sure they represent the typical population or experience of SLP applicants. 

[SouthernDrawl]

I had a very narrow geographic range. I applied to five, was accepted to four. Out of those four, three were online programs. I think geographic flexibility can be a big asset when applying, but I am lucky that the lack thereof was not a roadblock in my case. The school I chose to attend didn't use CSDCAS. The notion that I could have skipped CSDCAS in hindsight has been a little maddening, as I was not a fan.

Edited June 3, 2016 by SouthernDrawl

[intotheairwaves]

I agree with what everyone has said as far as the role your stats and budget play into the number you apply for. My other suggestion would be to apply to more schools if you want to go to a program in a big city as these are slightly more competitive. Good luck!