Figuring out how many and which schools to apply to!

I applied to 8 schools in total, 3 rolling, 1 restrictive early action, 3 early action (because they had an early merit scholarship deadline- rescinded my application from 2 of those schools when I heard back from my REA school), and 2 regular. I think a good rule of thumb when applying for colleges is applying to at least two safeties, 3-4 match schools, and then around 3-4 reach schools. Safeties are schools you feel like you have a really good chance of getting into, Match are schools that they are a bit harder to get into but your profile matches well with their avg scores/profile, and Reach schools are schools which have very low acceptances, but still you never know until you apply!!! (Everyone feels this way, but you'll be surprised by how it can turn out!:)) Also when applying to schools be sure to have atleast a couple that you also know are financially feasible if u had to either pay full (state schools are great for these) or what amount your FAFSA expected family contribution shows even if the school offers scholarships or you're applying for outside scholarships because they're all very competitive and you want to have options at the end of the day!