Which Colleges/LACs employ tactics aimed at artificially increasing applications & reducing admit rate vs assessing fit?

[Anonymous]

1. Wesleyan dropped supplemental essays 10 years ago and they have no interviews/videos and don't track demonstrated interest. They now get 15,000 applications for 3000 spots.

2. Colby dropped supplemental essays, no interview, no optional video. Calls people on WL and asks them to verbally commit 100% before giving an offer.

3. University of Denver gives out waivers for free application, no supplementals.

4. Northeastern has no supplemental essays, no interviews/videos, has application fee waivers if you visit.

[Anonymous]

Colby is also a free app.

[Anonymous]

Any school that charges $80K+ but waives application fees for students at any income level is immediately on this list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Wesleyan dropped supplemental essays 10 years ago and they have no interviews/videos and don't track demonstrated interest. They now get 15,000 applications for 3000 spots.

2. Colby dropped supplemental essays, no interview, no optional video. Calls people on WL and asks them to verbally commit 100% before giving an offer.

3. University of Denver gives out waivers for free application, no supplementals.

4. Northeastern has no supplemental essays, no interviews/videos, has application fee waivers if you visit.

Ok

[Anonymous]

I wonder why schools are incentivized to do this, it’s almost like people judge the quality of the school solely on how low their acceptance rate is.

I mean if that were true, schools would pull out all the stops to get applications no matter what.

[Anonymous]

U Chicago has been sending mail to my son urging him to apply. He would absolutely never get in. I can only think they're doing this to boost applications so they can remain super selective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:U Chicago has been sending mail to my son urging him to apply. He would absolutely never get in. I can only think they're doing this to boost applications so they can remain super selective.

Agreed U Chicago has been relentlessly spamming my DS. Sending laptop stickers, thick sales collateral, nonstop emails. He's never signed up for anything or had any interest and yet they send him more mail than the schools he is actually applying to.

[Anonymous]

Vanderbilt is obsessed about getting applications

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:U Chicago has been sending mail to my son urging him to apply. He would absolutely never get in. I can only think they're doing this to boost applications so they can remain super selective.

They've been doing this for a long while. My oldest graduated high school in 2018 and they sent him a thick (like almost an inch thick) book promoting the school, in addition to weekly (and some weeks, DAILY) mailed correspondence. He had ZERO chance of getting in.

[Anonymous]

I still don't know how this works but Northeastern claim that its average net price of attendance keeps going down. In 2021-2022 it was $38,927,in 2022-2023, it was $35,827, and in 2023-2024 it was $34,770.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder why schools are incentivized to do this, it’s almost like people judge the quality of the school solely on how low their acceptance rate is.

I mean if that were true, schools would pull out all the stops to get applications no matter what.

People aren’t choosing schools for educational quality, they’re choosing schools for prestige. And prestige is very closely linked to apparent exclusivity.

[Anonymous]

Michigan keeps their RD application open until Feb 1 which is 2 weeks beyond any other top40 school. All the kids who are rejected or waitlisted EA from Wisconsin, UVA, UNC, Texas, Clemson, Indiana, etc can turn around and apply to Michigan. As such they get their apps up to 100K.

[Anonymous]

I'm a bit peeved by how much Yale has sent my nmsf. He has no chance of getting in yet they've sent more than a handful of mailings including a thick book. Other Ivys sent maybe one to two max. Case Western has been relentless sending 2-8 postcards a week and always at least two on the same day. Today he got a letter from Vanderbilt (which he has no interest) asking him to apply and discussing scholarships. Colgate and Trinity University have also sent quite a bit of mail.

Georgetown doesn't seem to play the same game and is one place he is interested in applying.

[Anonymous]

Chicago wrote the book on this. They even call CCOs of private school waitlisted applicants and tell them they can get off the WL if they commit on the spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Wesleyan dropped supplemental essays 10 years ago and they have no interviews/videos and don't track demonstrated interest. They now get 15,000 applications for 3000 spots.

2. Colby dropped supplemental essays, no interview, no optional video. Calls people on WL and asks them to verbally commit 100% before giving an offer.

3. University of Denver gives out waivers for free application, no supplementals.

4. Northeastern has no supplemental essays, no interviews/videos, has application fee waivers if you visit.

Schools employ demonstrated interest to manage acceptance and yield rates, not the other way around dipshit.