How Many Colleges Should I Apply To?
In general, most high school students apply to 7-10 colleges. But many apply to fewer. The goal is to aim for a variety of colleges. Definitely apply to your reach school(s) - the college(s) you dream of attending! A reach school is one you are less likely to get into - one where your GPA and test scores place you in the bottom 25% of incoming freshmen. But you should plan on applying to more than one institution, making sure you have at least one safety and one target school in your applications. A safety school is one to which you are likely to be accepted. A target school is one to which you have a reasonable chance of being admitted. So, that means thinking about several places which would be suitable for you.
Many students target 2-3 safety schools, 3-4 target schools, and 2-3 reach schools. Most of these applications, however, will have application fees attached to them, so that is a big consideration for you and your family. It is possible, however, to ask for fee waivers for the applications.