Please explain why anyone would need to send out 10+ applications

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is pissing me off in all of this is once again the middle class gets screwed. Lower income get waivers and the rich can afford it.

Applications, sending in test scores, and ironically having to pay for FAFSA and CSS submissions puts each college at about $100 each to apply to.

The irony of trying to save for college and spending $1000 to submit 10 applications. Sick of this bullshit.

I can understand paying for the app when you mailed it. You were paying someone to retrieve, place it, put it in the computer, and also read over it and send it to the right college. Common App should cost $30 max. Sending test scores should be a one time cost. Just money grabbing.

There are plenty of colleges that offer free applications, and most are between 50-75 so it's not as bad as you think. Colleges have multiple readers of each application and discussions about candidates. That's much more expensive then paying someone to deliver it to the right college. I would say students who are trying to go to highly selective schools are the ones that do a lot of admissions--others can get by with less. Also if you apply early action to a top choice, you can only do one if you're lucky.

Little rinky liberal arts schools wanting more apps to fudge their acceptance rates maybe. I don’t know if any ivy or large public university that offers free applications.

Free apps - Bryn Mawr, Carleton, Colby, Wellesley, Kenyon, Grinnell, Smith ...

Who use it to fudge their acceptance rates...

[Anonymous]

Good question OP. My nephew who is a 3.4 student in the northeast applied to 17 schools, while my DS (same stats) applied to 3. Nephew's family looking for best merit package. That is not a strong need for us, but DS stubborn and wouldn't consider applying more widely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is pissing me off in all of this is once again the middle class gets screwed. Lower income get waivers and the rich can afford it.

Applications, sending in test scores, and ironically having to pay for FAFSA and CSS submissions puts each college at about $100 each to apply to.

The irony of trying to save for college and spending $1000 to submit 10 applications. Sick of this bullshit.

I can understand paying for the app when you mailed it. You were paying someone to retrieve, place it, put it in the computer, and also read over it and send it to the right college. Common App should cost $30 max. Sending test scores should be a one time cost. Just money grabbing.

There are plenty of colleges that offer free applications, and most are between 50-75 so it's not as bad as you think. Colleges have multiple readers of each application and discussions about candidates. That's much more expensive then paying someone to deliver it to the right college. I would say students who are trying to go to highly selective schools are the ones that do a lot of admissions--others can get by with less. Also if you apply early action to a top choice, you can only do one if you're lucky.

Little rinky liberal arts schools wanting more apps to fudge their acceptance rates maybe. I don’t know if any ivy or large public university that offers free applications.

Free apps - Bryn Mawr, Carleton, Colby, Wellesley, Kenyon, Grinnell, Smith ...

Who use it to fudge their acceptance rates...

Or who wish to attract more middle income applicants who may hesitate at yet one more $50-75 app.

My kid applies to a couple of these and would still have applied if they had had a fee, but I was happy they didn’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people apply for 10+ schools out of fear and anxiety. They are terrified that if they apply to 2 reaches, 2 matches and 2 safeties (or 1 of each like in my day) they will end up with nothing to choose from.

And that anxiety is bred in places like DCUM by stupid narrow minded Marylanders.

What does it have to do with Maryland?

Maryland is full of very conservative, unimaginative, dull, predictable people. That's what. And no, I'm not from VA I'm from Europe.

Have you been to VA? It’s even worse.

-VA resident

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of us in DC don't have an instate option where we get preference. We also are looking hard for good deals on tuition for the same reason.

Dude, you get instate at all 50 states.

Uhh...no we don't. Where in the world did you hear this because it's dead wrong!

The only thing we get is up to $10,000 to go toward a public university, but those funds are continuously questionable depending on whether Congress decides to continue to fund it (and Trump has threatened to cut the funding - surprise!). We do not get ANY in-state consideration for admission at ANY state university in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people apply for 10+ schools out of fear and anxiety. They are terrified that if they apply to 2 reaches, 2 matches and 2 safeties (or 1 of each like in my day) they will end up with nothing to choose from.

And that anxiety is bred in places like DCUM by stupid narrow minded Marylanders.

What does it have to do with Maryland?

Maryland is full of very conservative, unimaginative, dull, predictable people. That's what. And no, I'm not from VA I'm from Europe.

I’d be surprised if a lot of kids outside of small parts of Montgomery County are applying to 10+ schools, or to many schools outside of state schools (or in some cases to any colleges at all). If you read College Confidential the kids applying to tons of schools seem like they are concentrated in the northeast.

[Anonymous]

...cause Ivies and top colleges are ALWAYS REACH

[Anonymous]

5 reach schools + 5 match schools + 2 safety schools = 12 applications

That's the plan at my house.

[Anonymous]

Part of the reason that people are applying to more colleges is that it is getting harder to get into colleges. Just for comparison:

In 1980, 9.56M attended public colleges, 2.64M attended private colleges.
In 1990, 10.85M attended public colleges, 2.97M attended private colleges.
In 2000, 11.75M attended public colleges, 3.56M attended private colleges.
In 2010, 15.14M attended public colleges, 5.88M attended private colleges.

In 2019, projections are that 14.87M will attend public colleges and 5.15M will attend private colleges.

There aren't more colleges. Most colleges are accepting larger pools, but the attendance levels are not rising at the same rate as the number of candidates for college. Top candidates can apply to more in order to weigh financial aid packages. Mediocre and poor students are applying to more colleges to make sure that they can get into a college. Due to the rising levels of college attendees, safety schools are not necessarily safety any more. Often getting into a school of choice is a matter of applying to the right schools, so if they can afford it, they cast out a wider net.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Part of the reason that people are applying to more colleges is that it is getting harder to get into colleges. Just for comparison:

In 1980, 9.56M attended public colleges, 2.64M attended private colleges.
In 1990, 10.85M attended public colleges, 2.97M attended private colleges.
In 2000, 11.75M attended public colleges, 3.56M attended private colleges.
In 2010, 15.14M attended public colleges, 5.88M attended private colleges.

In 2019, projections are that 14.87M will attend public colleges and 5.15M will attend private colleges.

There aren't more colleges. Most colleges are accepting larger pools, but the attendance levels are not rising at the same rate as the number of candidates for college. Top candidates can apply to more in order to weigh financial aid packages. Mediocre and poor students are applying to more colleges to make sure that they can get into a college. Due to the rising levels of college attendees, safety schools are not necessarily safety any more. Often getting into a school of choice is a matter of applying to the right schools, so if they can afford it, they cast out a wider net.

I forgot. The source to attendance is: https://www.statista.com/statistics/183995/us-college-enrollment-and-projections-in-public-and-private-institutions/

[Anonymous]

^^^It my be getting harder to get into highly competitive schools, but most students aren’t trying to get into those colleges.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-03-08/good-news-for-college-applicants-getting-in-is-easier-than-they-think%3fcontext=amp

[Anonymous]

Our DC is starting the process now, and the list is around 11 schools, trying to get it to around 8 which would include 1-2 EAs and 1 ED with preps for the rest in case the ED doesn't work out. I simply cannot understand 20-25+ applications for any kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DC is starting the process now, and the list is around 11 schools, trying to get it to around 8 which would include 1-2 EAs and 1 ED with preps for the rest in case the ED doesn't work out. I simply cannot understand 20-25+ applications for any kid.

Different kids, different families, different strategies.

At my kid's high school for the class of 2018, the recommendation was 7 schools. For the class of 2019, it was 10.

The most interesting and telling advice to my DC's class (2019) was that every applicant should send an application to at least one college with an acceptance rate of 50% or higher that you can afford and be happy to attend. Finding safeties is the most challenging and essential part of the process now for most students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think people apply for 10+ schools out of fear and anxiety. They are terrified that if they apply to 2 reaches, 2 matches and 2 safeties (or 1 of each like in my day) they will end up with nothing to choose from.

And that anxiety is bred in places like DCUM by stupid narrow minded Marylanders.

This is probably it for the majority of people.

[Anonymous]

15-25 were common in my daughters HS. Many kids ineligible financial aid trying to see who gets Best merit.

My daughter did 17 schools only 3 gave her good money and went to one of them