Everyone knows you need to include a “safety” school on your list of colleges, but if you really don’t like that school and would never want to go there, what’s the point? Make sure you can see yourself having a good experience at every college on your list, and your application process will be much less stressful and more satisfying.

If you think about the characteristics you want in a school, you can find several colleges with those characteristics. For example, if you want a medium to large university located in a city but with a real campus, huge selection of majors, strong school spirit, excellent access to internships, great study abroad programs, active Greek life, alumni who support the school and love to hire graduates – you might think of USC. Since USC is a tough admit even with a strong academic record, you need to add another school to your list. You could find all of these characteristics at SMU, which is not as difficult to get into and yet can provide a very similar college experience.

And it’s not just about being admitted. You might get into two or more schools, but if one awards you a scholarship, that school could become your first choice. Since you feel good about all the colleges you applied to, making your final choice based on cost won’t feel like a sacrifice.