Anonymous
11/11/2025 12:19
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:GDS does this, and IMHO, it's a very good policy. College admissions results speak for themselves.
I'm a GDS parent of a student too young to have started the college app process, and based on my older, non-GDS kid's peers' experiences, I'm very thankful that GDS imposes this limit and makes students really think about what makes a good fit school, instead of just applying to as many "top" schools as possible.
But imagine that when your student is a senior that they are at the top of the class and are limited to 7 apps? It would be highly risky to apply to more than 2 "highly rejective" schools which includes all privates in the top 20 and the top LAC's so they will take a random chance at two of those and pick out two safeties likely mid range publics and perhaps Lehigh. Leaving them 3-4 "targets" from the top publics and T20-50 that is when your student is going to be told about the issue of yield protection for students like them unless the applying via binding ED so Tufts, Tulane etc are going to waitlist them or flat out deny them. You might not be as supportive of the system then.
I've had 2 kids who were top10% of the class and knew the top cohort in both classes very well. Zero of these kids were shut-out from top 20 schools, despite having their apps limited . Yes, if your child wants the opportunity to choose between five top10 acceptances then maybe it's not the policy or high school for you. But most kids are able to narrow things down prior to applying and don't need the ego boost of getting into a giant number of top schools at the expense of their classmates.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 12:12
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:GDS does this, and IMHO, it's a very good policy. College admissions results speak for themselves.
I'm a GDS parent of a student too young to have started the college app process, and based on my older, non-GDS kid's peers' experiences, I'm very thankful that GDS imposes this limit and makes students really think about what makes a good fit school, instead of just applying to as many "top" schools as possible.
But imagine that when your student is a senior that they are at the top of the class and are limited to 7 apps? It would be highly risky to apply to more than 2 "highly rejective" schools which includes all privates in the top 20 and the top LAC's so they will take a random chance at two of those and pick out two safeties likely mid range publics and perhaps Lehigh. Leaving them 3-4 "targets" from the top publics and T20-50 that is when your student is going to be told about the issue of yield protection for students like them unless the applying via binding ED so Tufts, Tulane etc are going to waitlist them or flat out deny them. You might not be as supportive of the system then.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:56
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:GDS does this, and IMHO, it's a very good policy. College admissions results speak for themselves.
I'm a GDS parent of a student too young to have started the college app process, and based on my older, non-GDS kid's peers' experiences, I'm very thankful that GDS imposes this limit and makes students really think about what makes a good fit school, instead of just applying to as many "top" schools as possible.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:55
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:Schools do this to protect students outside of the top10% of the class from a very top student who gets deferred from their ED/SCEA school then will apply to 25+ schools and scoop up all the admits.
Until you've seen this happen in your kid's class it's easy to say that it's shouldn't be a policy. But it does happen and it can impact the entire classes' results. If colleges get an app from a top private from a student with a 3.99/1600 they are far less likely to admit your child with a 3.85/1550 at the same time.
This is the first cogent explanation I have read for such a policy. (And GDS would help itself if it used this explanation publicly.)
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:53
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
TBH I am really fed up with school counselors. All they do is steering. The one assigned to DC didn't provide very helpful advices, to many specific application questions the answer is whatever DC wants to do.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:52
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:Schools do this to protect students outside of the top10% of the class from a very top student who gets deferred from their ED/SCEA school then will apply to 25+ schools and scoop up all the admits.
Until you've seen this happen in your kid's class it's easy to say that it's shouldn't be a policy. But it does happen and it can impact the entire classes' results. If colleges get an app from a top private from a student with a 3.99/1600 they are far less likely to admit your child with a 3.85/1550 at the same time.
I can see the point of this however given the extremely low admit rates of the selective colleges and counselor guidance to kids with top stats that they must apply to targets and safeties I don't think a cap works. My expectation would be that the top students will reduce their reaches and still compete in with the tier below them at via applying to targets.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:49
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:Ours doesn't have a limit per se, but strongly cautioned against more than 10 as veering into the "unhealthy" zone. Their guidance was 8-10 at most.
Isn't unhealthy or not highly dependent on individuals? For some the line is 20, for others maybe 5. I don't understand the one-size-fit-all limit.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:47
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:GDS does this, and IMHO, it's a very good policy. College admissions results speak for themselves.
There are schools with larger caps or no cap have equally good or better results. I don't understand how you draw a conclusion in this way.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:46
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Ours doesn't have a limit per se, but strongly cautioned against more than 10 as veering into the "unhealthy" zone. Their guidance was 8-10 at most.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:33
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:GDS does this, and IMHO, it's a very good policy. College admissions results speak for themselves.
Lol no
The number of apps sent vs actual admissions are not related to
If that were true W schools wouldn’t have better admission rates to higher schools
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:31
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Schools do this to protect students outside of the top10% of the class from a very top student who gets deferred from their ED/SCEA school then will apply to 25+ schools and scoop up all the admits.
Until you've seen this happen in your kid's class it's easy to say that it's shouldn't be a policy. But it does happen and it can impact the entire classes' results. If colleges get an app from a top private from a student with a 3.99/1600 they are far less likely to admit your child with a 3.85/1550 at the same time.
Until you've seen this happen in your kid's class it's easy to say that it's shouldn't be a policy. But it does happen and it can impact the entire classes' results. If colleges get an app from a top private from a student with a 3.99/1600 they are far less likely to admit your child with a 3.85/1550 at the same time.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:30
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Where is this power coming from? I am wondering. We all sign an agreement at the beginning of the application process, yes. But how could anyone not sign it if they still want a rec from the CC?
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:27
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
GDS does this, and IMHO, it's a very good policy. College admissions results speak for themselves.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:22
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Shotgunning. You have to be f kidding?
Anonymous
11/11/2025 11:22
Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
I've heard some as low as 7-8, which would seem to really hurt kids who want to shoot their shot with an Ivy or two and want to also to explore some merit options while having a safety or two.
But schools that are limiting to 10 or 12 makes a lot of sense to me.
I feel like there's so much competition coming from their immediate peer group. Kids shotgunning every top 30 college. The call is coming from inside the house!
But schools that are limiting to 10 or 12 makes a lot of sense to me.
I feel like there's so much competition coming from their immediate peer group. Kids shotgunning every top 30 college. The call is coming from inside the house!