Steps to fix the race to 3% admission rate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our private school limits apps to 12. Was 7 just a few years ago, then 9. Went up to 12 during Covid.

Some parents don't like it, because some parents dont like anything. But my son was talking to a regional AO, wondering if he gets dinged because he can't apply ED for financial reasons, and wondering how can he let schools know he's serious. And the AO said, "your school limits apps so we already know an application from Your High School is a serious application - don't worry"

The school limits it because their staff is lazy which is bizarre when they have separate college counselors. There should be no limit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our private school limits apps to 12. Was 7 just a few years ago, then 9. Went up to 12 during Covid.

Some parents don't like it, because some parents dont like anything. But my son was talking to a regional AO, wondering if he gets dinged because he can't apply ED for financial reasons, and wondering how can he let schools know he's serious. And the AO said, "your school limits apps so we already know an application from Your High School is a serious application - don't worry"

How are college admissions officers able to track that and remember for every single private high school out there, though?

[Anonymous]

Eliminate test optional. That's it.

[Anonymous]

Who is helped by any of these suggestions?

Colleges don’t want this.

Applicants don’t want this.

It helps no one.

Great idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One idea:

I think we need to place a soft limit on apps. Here's how.

All schools have to be on the common app.

Students can apply to 9 schools free of charge

Pro 1: while not an ED situation, schools know this applicant is serious enough about their school to put it on this pretty tidy list. Safeties go back to being safeties.

Pro 2: Schools may not want to encourage 100k+ apps.. Will start to cost them too much to process. Marketing may become more targeted.

After the 9 school limit, students can apply to additional schools but the common app will have a box that auto-fills how many schools each applicant has applied to. This gets filled in for every applicant applying to more than 9 schools, and says exactly how many apps this kid is applying to this cycle. Would update all schools as you apply (ie so that app you send in in November will have how many apps would apply to then, but that box updates throughout the cycle).

Pro: This gives schools key data that's lacking now. For some kids who clearly need a lot of FA, schools may think this applicant is responsibly chasing merit. Other schools may get used to saying in presentations, "we think 12 schools is reasonable". And "Of course, we take a second look at those applicants who have done their research and have us on their short list". Most schools won't take the kids applying bazooka-style, improves yield.

Also, every app after the 9 is $50 and that goes into a fund for community colleges. I think this could be something like 20-50mm a year min.

Who is this "we" you speak of? You do realize there is no governing body that regulates and oversees the college applications process.

It cracks me up how people are putting all this thought into how things "should" be without any recognition of this fact.

[Anonymous]

In 20 years, we’ll have a UCAS-like system. Hope it’s closer to 10

[Anonymous]

In a country where we can't limit the number of automatic rifles a person owns, it seems highly unlikely that we're going to impose limits on the number of college applications students can submit.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t the issue really that people who have limited understanding of their chances think “maybe me” and apply to those top schools?

[Anonymous]

Go back to test mandatory (SAT, ACT)

[Anonymous]

Our private limits applications to about 10 and essentially makes all students take SAT/ACT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a country where we can't limit the number of automatic rifles a person owns, it seems highly unlikely that we're going to impose limits on the number of college applications students can submit.

I don't really understand this. There are all kinds of rules btw college board, fed rules with colleges (npc, etc), financing and loans. This group just thinks we can't have NEW rules. Sure we could. We likely will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our private school limits apps to 12. Was 7 just a few years ago, then 9. Went up to 12 during Covid.

Some parents don't like it, because some parents dont like anything. But my son was talking to a regional AO, wondering if he gets dinged because he can't apply ED for financial reasons, and wondering how can he let schools know he's serious. And the AO said, "your school limits apps so we already know an application from Your High School is a serious application - don't worry"

How are college admissions officers able to track that and remember for every single private high school out there, though?

Well, this is usually at top tier privates, here in NYC anyway. Has nothing to do with lazy staff - that's just ignorance. And yes, colleges know who they are and that they limit apps. It's better for kids and colleges both.

[Anonymous]

Limit the common app to only 8 schools per student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No more test optional. No more super scoring. Early restricted to one school only.

No, we need to keep test optional. That’s the only positive development of the last few years. It levels the playing field dramatically and that’s a great thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No more test optional. No more super scoring. Early restricted to one school only.

No, we need to keep test optional. That’s the only positive development of the last few years. It levels the playing field dramatically and that’s a great thing.

How does it level the playing field dramatically?