By Eileen FitzGerald

THE NEWS-TIMES

The News-Times/Wendy Carlson

New Milford High School senior Bryce Finnan applied to nine colleges this winter. He's already been accepted at three and awaits word on four Ivy League schools and New York University.

"I decided to apply to highly competitive schools,'' Finnan said simply. "I figured that given the caliber of the schools, I would have more of a chance to get accepted if I applied to more."

Finnan is in the top 2 percent of his class and scored high on his college entrance exams. He hasn't decided on a major yet, so he didn't need to target schools with certain types of programs.

"I found a pool of schools I would be perfectly happy going to, even the ones that are not Ivy League,'' he said.

Finnan is not alone.

It's the waiting season for high school seniors, who often get word from colleges in March and April. But these days, teenagers aren't just anxiously awaiting two or three envelopes in the mail.

In many cases, it's six or eight or 12 or more.

With the cost of education running as high as $45,000 a year, many families are shopping for the best financial aid packages. Some students are simply curious as to just how good a college will accept them.

But others are simply playing the percentages. With the number of college-age students booming, it makes sense to apply to a lot of schools in hopes of finding the one or two that have empty seats.

The usual strategy is to apply to three types of colleges — schools that are highly selective, those that are realistic given the student's academic status and those that are pretty much sure things.

Another reason for multiple applications? It's easier to apply. Many colleges have online applications. A common form is now accepted by 270 colleges.

Finally, students can take virtual tours of most campuses, which can entice them to take a shot at more distant colleges.

Cathy Neill, who has worked in the career center at New Milford High School for 11 years, advises students to apply to six schools. But the kids at the top apply to eight or more.

"They are applying to a lot more colleges in the last three or four years,'' Neill said. "It's getting harder to get in and they are all looking for the best deal they can get."

Neill said there is no such thing as a "safety" school anymore. Average students once could feel confident about getting into the big state universities, but those days are gone.

New Milford High senior Sarah Bailey applied to 11 colleges. She did so, in part, because she didn't know if she wanted an urban or rural setting. But she also wanted to see where she could get in, even it meant a whole bunch of $50 application fees.

Bailey is 44th in her class, in the top 11 percent, so she wasn't worried about getting shut out. In fact, she's been accepted by almost every college she's applied to.

Now, she must decide where to go. If she had it to do again, she said she might narrow her choices earlier.

"It's been stressful, of course, but yet, it was fun to find out which ones I got into,'' Bailey said. "It's the culmination of my schooling to see if I've done well."

Ingrid Boedecker, a counselor at Bethel High School for 22 years, recalls being warned in 1990 that a huge pool of teens would reach college age in the years 2000 and beyond.

"It's not unexpected. It's very competitive. All the state schools are more competitive, too,'' Boedecker said. "Colleges can't expand and shrink with the population, so the sheer numbers (of applicants) increase the competitiveness."

This year, Boedecker had one student send out 17 applications. Two others sent out 12.

"The top kids tend to do the higher numbers," Boedecker said. "In the present climate, it's so competitive that there are some schools that they should be perfect for" but they won't get into.

New Fairfield High had one student apply to 20 colleges this year which was a record for Richard Barbera who has worked as a counselor at the school for 28 years. Then again, he had one student this year who only applied to Yale University and got in.

Barbera remembered how three years ago Connecticut sent more kids to college out of state than almost any other state in the country. Now, he thinks lower tuition costs are making state colleges more appealing.

Danbury High has a few top students apply to 10 or more colleges, but guidance counselor Daniel O'Brien said the average is less than half that.

He said financial needs drives some students to search for aid packages and that increased competition frightens some students into sending out handfuls of applications.

But he doesn't think all the overkill is necessary. "As a counselor I think most students should be able to apply to three to five places'' and find a good fit, he said.

College admissions offices are feeling the weight of all the added applications. Quinnipiac University in Hamden received 10,799 applications for its 1,300 freshmen openings this year, which is up from 7,686 applications five years ago.

The University of Hartford saw applications increase from 8,000 a few years ago to 14,000 seats this year. The school will admit 1,450 freshmen.

"Partly, it's increased because of the online applications, which encourage more of them,'' said David Isgur, a University of Hartford spokesman. "We have been in a demographic bubble. The number of college age students has been really high.''

He points to another reasons for the increase in applications — colleges are working harder than ever to market themselves. Admissions officers are out aggressively recruiting in an attempt to get the highest quality student body possible.

"We can't take it for granted. Each year, you have to prove yourself to the next group of rising seniors,'' said Joan Mohr of Quinnipiac's admissions office.

The four schools in the Connecticut State University might have been considered sure things for some students in the past. No longer. Competition has become more intense.

At Central Connecticut State University, applications are up 3.5 percent over last year. Western Connecticut State University's applications are up 11 percent. The Danbury college received 3,951 applications this year, or 401 more than last year.

"We're happy our numbers are going up,'' said Jennifer Zdziarski, assistant director of admissions.

She spoke of how the Internet has changed the college admissions process and spurred some students to send applications to distant schools.

"It's all there,'' Zdziarski said. "A student can take an virtual tour of a campus in California and more and more are having online chats with admissions' counselors.''

Deb Schmidt, who advises families as a consultant for a business called AdmissionsConsultants, said there can be drawbacks to applying at too many schools.

She said colleges are looking for students who know something about the school and can articulate in their applications how they might fit in. For instance, a student might comment on the college's strong history faculty, or its summer internships in a certain field.

Students who apply to a lot of schools have trouble learning enough about each one to effectively tailor their applications, Schmidt said.

"Most selection committees at colleges want a student who is committed to the school, has done their research and knows what's at the school," Schmidt said. "The strongest applications come from students who visited the campus and make a good case for themselves.''

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=392331&forum_id=1#5492426)