Anyone’s kid apply to more than 20 schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes--think the ED deferrals/declines spur kids to add a ton of schools.

This is us here. The ED1 reject was disappointing but it was the deferral from a safety that made us added more schools to the list. Really worried about shut out at this point.

Exactly the same here. Boy high stats. I think his total will be 23 or so. The vast majority are reaches.

Did you change anything about the application, LOR or strategy after ED1?
Did you use a private college counselor?

[Anonymous]

I'd be super curious how things would shake out if they limited apps like they do in the UK, like 10 tops.

BTW, people have mentioned this before and everyone goes nuts - common app does limit apps! -- but no, it doesn't.

I'd also love to see schools go back to requiring tests and also post a minimum for GPA and test scores. I think 10% of apps at high reaches are totally a waste of everyone's time. you have to have a 1200 and a 3.5, cmon people. We can read holistically from there.

[Anonymous]

This is insane. This is the same mentality that people had when they were hoarding toilet paper at the start of Covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be super curious how things would shake out if they limited apps like they do in the UK, like 10 tops.

BTW, people have mentioned this before and everyone goes nuts - common app does limit apps! -- but no, it doesn't.

I'd also love to see schools go back to requiring tests and also post a minimum for GPA and test scores. I think 10% of apps at high reaches are totally a waste of everyone's time. you have to have a 1200 and a 3.5, cmon people. We can read holistically from there.

10% is waaay low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is insane. This is the same mentality that people had when they were hoarding toilet paper at the start of Covid.

Cry about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reading this thread makes me so happy I don’t have a top stats super competitive kid. 20 apps is NUTS.

Judging people for things that have zero to do with you is NUTS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is insane. He got accepted to 7 schools by November? So why keep applying to more and more schools? It's a waste of everyone's time and your money. Did he not like any of the 1st SEVEN schools he got into? You're part of what is causing the bloodbath.

+1. What a waste of time and money. You're creating a "bloodbath" narrative and frenzy that doesn't match your DC's results.

Because he applied to a mix of safeties, targets, and reaches. And because HE CAN! It’s his time and our money, so why are you so bothered? Simply answering a question asked isn’t creating a frenzy. Sorry that this has caused you to meltdown maybe you should not read these posts. And if you’re reading comprehension skills for good, you would have read that he feels good with his acceptances so far but he’s waiting on other results. Cry about it.

You sound really intense! Deep breathes, everyone…

And you sound judgmental and insufferable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS24 applied to 20. I thought he was crazy at the time in August but I’m so glad he didn’t listen to me. This cycle is a bloodbath. All apps were completed by November 1. Had 4 acceptances with great merit in August- September. 3 more in acceptances in October. One in December. 3 deferrals and waiting on 9 more. Friends who only applied to 5 or less got clobbered and were panic applying over break. He feels really good about his current choices come what may for the others.

This is insane. He got accepted to 7 schools by November? So why keep applying to more and more schools? It's a waste of everyone's time and your money. Did he not like any of the 1st SEVEN schools he got into? You're part of what is causing the bloodbath.

Your kids can only go to one school, folks...so they only need to get into ONE school. They need to focus, pick matches and safeties well, and really like those safeties. Aim for 5-10 schools that you genuinely like. This panic of applying to 15+ schools is a big part of what is making it so hard now to get into schools that a kid could have easily gotten into a few years ago. Don't keep feeding the admissions madness.

It’s all these idiots telling everyone to apply to Pitt and such just to have an admit even when no way in hell would their kid go to Pitt.

My kid did not blast a bunch of safeties he never had any intention of going to. He would rather do a gap year.

No one asked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be super curious how things would shake out if they limited apps like they do in the UK, like 10 tops.

BTW, people have mentioned this before and everyone goes nuts - common app does limit apps! -- but no, it doesn't.

I'd also love to see schools go back to requiring tests and also post a minimum for GPA and test scores. I think 10% of apps at high reaches are totally a waste of everyone's time. you have to have a 1200 and a 3.5, cmon people. We can read holistically from there.

10% is waaay low.

Agree

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS24 applied to 20. I thought he was crazy at the time in August but I’m so glad he didn’t listen to me. This cycle is a bloodbath. All apps were completed by November 1. Had 4 acceptances with great merit in August- September. 3 more in acceptances in October. One in December. 3 deferrals and waiting on 9 more. Friends who only applied to 5 or less got clobbered and were panic applying over break. He feels really good about his current choices come what may for the others.

This is insane. He got accepted to 7 schools by November? So why keep applying to more and more schools? It's a waste of everyone's time and your money. Did he not like any of the 1st SEVEN schools he got into? You're part of what is causing the bloodbath.

Your kids can only go to one school, folks...so they only need to get into ONE school. They need to focus, pick matches and safeties well, and really like those safeties. Aim for 5-10 schools that you genuinely like. This panic of applying to 15+ schools is a big part of what is making it so hard now to get into schools that a kid could have easily gotten into a few years ago. Don't keep feeding the admissions madness.

It’s all these idiots telling everyone to apply to Pitt and such just to have an admit even when no way in hell would their kid go to Pitt.

My kid did not blast a bunch of safeties he never had any intention of going to. He would rather do a gap year.

No one asked.

Of they asked.

What thread do you think you stumbled into?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes--think the ED deferrals/declines spur kids to add a ton of schools.

This is us here. The ED1 reject was disappointing but it was the deferral from a safety that made us added more schools to the list. Really worried about shut out at this point.

Exactly the same here. Boy high stats. I think his total will be 23 or so. The vast majority are reaches.

Did you change anything about the application, LOR or strategy after ED1?
Did you use a private college counselor?

Change anything? No, not really sure what he could change. He already has top scores and excellent extracurriculars -- didn't start his own company but genuine time investment, leadership positions, plus competitive sports. Don't know what he could change last minute.

We did have a private college counselor because this is our first kid, but to be honest, he didn't do a whole lot. Not a knock on counselor but the kid is pretty driven, made up his own list, already a decent writer. He basically did some minor line edits on essays. I think one of the things our counselor scared us about was "yield protection." He was very big on demonstrating interest because he thought that a lot of target schools might assume he wouldn't go there. Whether this is true or not it scared kid that he might get turned down all over the place. Hence over 20 apps.

My feeling about this process is that the competitive schools are so incredibly hard to get into that applying to a lot of reaches makes sense. There are a lot more qualified applicants than spots. I also think people overstate the concept of a "fit." Of course some schools are a terrible fit but a huge number of schools will work for lots of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be super curious how things would shake out if they limited apps like they do in the UK, like 10 tops.

BTW, people have mentioned this before and everyone goes nuts - common app does limit apps! -- but no, it doesn't.

I'd also love to see schools go back to requiring tests and also post a minimum for GPA and test scores. I think 10% of apps at high reaches are totally a waste of everyone's time. you have to have a 1200 and a 3.5, cmon people. We can read holistically from there.

Yeah, but what about someone with a 4.0 and 1550? This is my kid and he got rejected ED1. He has a legitimate shot anywhere but might get rejected by all the top schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think high-stats students applying to 15+ schools is going to result in other students getting shut out so long as a student can ultimately only enroll in a single school. Each school's institutional analysis department will have a pretty good understanding of the percentage of admitted students likely to accept their offers (yield). Occasionally they underestimate and over admit, in which case more (not fewer) students get it. More often, they slightly overestimate their yield such they are short of a full class immediately after the RD round, in which case they fill the empty spots from the waitlist.

That said, I suspect that the greater number of applications per student is responsible for the greater unpredictability. And the greater unpredictability is responsible for the greater number of applications per student, creating a vicious cycle.

TEST OPTIONAL is responsible for the unpredictability. Colleges are creating a vicious cycle. I hate the constant blaming of students. Kids that want to try for top schools after a lifetime of pushing themselves, or families who need to shop for merit have every right to give themselves the best chance. The only choice is to apply widely.

The alternative is to be happy with a mid-tier public when you have a reasonable shot at an Ivy, or take out more student loans? F that. Kids should do what's best for them in this broken system they did not create.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be super curious how things would shake out if they limited apps like they do in the UK, like 10 tops.

BTW, people have mentioned this before and everyone goes nuts - common app does limit apps! -- but no, it doesn't.

I'd also love to see schools go back to requiring tests and also post a minimum for GPA and test scores. I think 10% of apps at high reaches are totally a waste of everyone's time. you have to have a 1200 and a 3.5, cmon people. We can read holistically from there.

Yeah, but what about someone with a 4.0 and 1550? This is my kid and he got rejected ED1. He has a legitimate shot anywhere but might get rejected by all the top schools.

Well of course. This should be expected at any school that is accepting the 1% top kids. Apply to 10 and hope for 3.

The probable is if your kid and all his peers apply to 25, then they may get into 1. They may think they’ll get into more but not if all these 1550+ kids are applying to same schools. There are not enough seats.

[Anonymous]

Yes.
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Stanford
MIT
UPenn
CalTech
Dartmouth
John Hopkins
Brown
Cornell
Rice
Vanderbilt
Georgetown
NYU
Amherst
Pomona
Swathmore
Babson
UCLA
USC