How many colleges should I apply to?

The trend for students in college admission is more is well, more. In the article, A New Twist on College Search, a First choice and 20 backups several students share how they applied to more than twenty colleges to increase their odds of getting into their dream schools. Here is a quote from the article-
"Compared to my dad's day and my grandfather's day, it's much harder to get into college," said Mr. Martin, 18, a senior at St. Margaret's Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. "I just think I needed to get my name out to many schools."
He applied to 21 colleges and is still waiting to hear from many of them. The competitive college admissions culture encourages applicants to apply to more colleges than ever before. I agree that students need to apply broadly, but I also think that student need to identify a solid list of colleges that suit their needs, while weighing their competitiveness. The reality is that some students do not want to apply to 20 schools, while other students have a hard time keeping their list down to twenty colleges. In the end it is not about how many schools that you apply to, but that you apply strategically to schools that will meet your academic and social expectations.