<p>On-the-mark quote from today's Washington Post:</p>
<p>Some admissions experts say the increase simply means each senior is applying to more schools. Each new group of seniors applies to a larger number of schools, "with the hope of hitting the merit-money jackpot," said Sally Rubenstone, senior adviser at the Web site College Confidential. "Acceptance rates plummet, which, in turn, terrifies the next crop of seniors, who then apply to an even longer list of schools." </p>
<p>The good news is that your odds of getting an offer from a waiting list should be much better this year.</p>
<p>That’s definitely a plausible explanation. Another would be that as more and more schools sign on to the commonapp, it becomes easier to just check off another box, write a “why ____ school” essay, pay a fee and add another school to the list. The thinking is that if one casts his/her net wide enough, one is bound to catch something. </p>
<p>This is a phenomenon that admissions officers are also aware of, thus the increased uncertainty in recent years for schools like Duke regarding their projected yield and dependence on the waitlist later on in the cycle.</p>
<p>I just think colleges (except for the University of Chicago) are kidding themselves and the public when they issue press releases boasting about the increase in the number of applications. They should at least acknowledge the explosion of applications is due to mostly to the use of the Common Application and other factors (e.g., hunting for merit scholarships, full-pay students thinking they might get into some stretch schools, fear of lower and lower acceptance rates, etc.). They should stop patting themselves on the back for the growing reputation of their school or the fact they give out lots of financial aid. Those are minor factors. Dukes reputation was great last year and great this year not much as changed in that department.</p>