Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 20:31     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
I’m an advocate of limiting applications to 10-12. It forces kids to make a well-thought-out list and look more closely at the culture/academic offerings of the places where they apply .If shopping for merit/cost is an issue, then a couple of those can be the in-state flagship and maybe 1-2 Lower ranked schools where merit aid is more likely. My kid applied to 11 (including our in-state flagship which was a target) and received merit at the flagship and three of their other (private) safeties/targets.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 20:27     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:We are at GDS and have not done this "limit" for our older kid and won't do it for our younger. They can't make you do anything. We have an outside college advisor in addition to GDS and most families we know do this same thing. The results at the school are mixed. Your kid needs the 1520 to get into the top schools and the high GPA. All the rest is inflated with pay to play summer programs which colleges hate.


Well, you also can't make them do anything. For example, they don't have to say you are among the best of their kids in their recommendation. They don't even have to say anything remotely bad in the recommendation. Remember, collaboration is the key whether or not you have an outside counselor. But anyway I don't think your DC goes to GDS.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 20:16     Subject: Re:what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
We are at GDS and have not done this "limit" for our older kid and won't do it for our younger. They can't make you do anything. We have an outside college advisor in addition to GDS and most families we know do this same thing. The results at the school are mixed. Your kid needs the 1520 to get into the top schools and the high GPA. All the rest is inflated with pay to play summer programs which colleges hate.


I don't understand how you do this. The school has to send the transcript and the recommendations to the colleges. Won't GDS just say no?


Really broad statement. Inaccurate as well.
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 20:15     Subject: Re:what do you think of high schools that limit college apps

Anonymous wrote:
We are at GDS and have not done this "limit" for our older kid and won't do it for our younger. They can't make you do anything. We have an outside college advisor in addition to GDS and most families we know do this same thing. The results at the school are mixed. Your kid needs the 1520 to get into the top schools and the high GPA. All the rest is inflated with pay to play summer programs which colleges hate.


I don't understand how you do this. The school has to send the transcript and the recommendations to the colleges. Won't GDS just say no?
Anonymous
Post 12/03/2025 20:11     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:We are at GDS and have not done this "limit" for our older kid and won't do it for our younger. They can't make you do anything. We have an outside college advisor in addition to GDS and most families we know do this same thing. The results at the school are mixed. Your kid needs the 1520 to get into the top schools and the high GPA. All the rest is inflated with pay to play summer programs which colleges hate.


I don't understand how you do this. The school has to send the transcript and the recommendations to the colleges. Won't GDS just say no?
Anonymous
Post 11/11/2025 15:12     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
The 12 cap works at GDS, but not a large public schools for a variety of reasons. (BTW, all the UCs count as one school.) As a parent who has gone through this process at GDS, I have my complaints about the CCO, but the cap on the number of applications is definitely not one of them.
Also, I call BS on the "GDS" parent who has found a way around the cap. Yes, a lot of students use independent counselors in addition to the school's counselors, but your independent counselor has no way of submitting official transcripts.
Anonymous
Post 11/11/2025 15:07     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: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!


Seven or eight is plenty. If you can’t narrow down your list that much, you’re doing it wrong.


No, 10-12 is best. 7-8 means 2 reaches, 3-4 targets and 3-4 safeties. I'd prefer 3-4 in each category, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Both my kids applied to 10-12 schools.
Anonymous
Post 11/11/2025 15:02     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
These same schools, if you get into your SCEA, you’re done. I mean, you can apply to more but it’s really frowned upon and people remember. And remember, half the reason you go to these HSs are the connections
Anonymous
Post 11/11/2025 14:54     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote: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!


Seven or eight is plenty. If you can’t narrow down your list that much, you’re doing it wrong.
Anonymous
Post 11/11/2025 14:53     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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.


GDS limits to 12, not 7. 2-3 safety schools (well chosen -- you have to want to attend them!), 3-4 targets, and 4-5 reaches (again, well chosen for their specific attributes, not just prestige) should be enough for anyone. If you're chasing merit money, adjust to more safeties and targets -- reaches aren't going to give merit.


What's the definition of safety? 80%+ acceptance rate?
If that's the definition, then DC didn't apply to any safety. I think the "safety" schools for DC comprise 20-30% acceptance rate schools.


Obviously the definition will vary by student. That's an important conversation to have with your counselor. But applying to more and more schools isn't a replacement for choosing schools thoughtfully.
Anonymous
Post 11/11/2025 14:50     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:
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.


GDS limits to 12, not 7. 2-3 safety schools (well chosen -- you have to want to attend them!), 3-4 targets, and 4-5 reaches (again, well chosen for their specific attributes, not just prestige) should be enough for anyone. If you're chasing merit money, adjust to more safeties and targets -- reaches aren't going to give merit.


What's the definition of safety? 80%+ acceptance rate?
If that's the definition, then DC didn't apply to any safety. I think the "safety" schools for DC comprise 20-30% acceptance rate schools.
Anonymous
Post 11/11/2025 14:45     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
So what school does limit to 7? OP?
Anonymous
Post 11/11/2025 14:38     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
quite sure Regis in NYC limited to 7 forever. Think they boosted that during Covid era and, I suspect, are still up. But like at 10
Anonymous
Post 11/11/2025 14:21     Subject: what do you think of high schools that limit college apps
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The only ones that do this have curated applicants guided by professional in house college counselors. I'm not talking about the 2500 student public high school where the guidance counselor counsels 500 students.

It is the realm of elite private schools, or magnet schools, that know who gets in where and why. So they have the luxury of doing this. A middle class, suburban high achiever is in a different game altogether.



As a public school parent, this is what I imagine of top private schools. I've always guessed that top dollar is paid at these schools as the counselors have connections and students are therefore guaranteed to get in somewhere reasonable. So, if it were me, I'd say fine to limit as long as you guarantee my kid gets in somewhere on the list you discussed with them/us.


No college counselor anywhere can guarantee outcomes. Especially if students (or more likely, their families) insist on applying to all top 10 schools to fill up 10 of their 12 slots. But that's the behavior that this policy is designed to discourage.