<p>Does the number of applicants from your school affect your chances. Suppose, only 1 other candidate applies to the Ivy League apart from me, from my class, and I have higher stats. Would this increase my chances if compared to, say, 10 kids applied?</p>
<p>I don’t imagine selective colleges have quotas. It is in fact better for you if your school is well known to selective colleges and has had a track record of sending exceptional candidates who have succeeded in those colleges. When that’s the case, the selective colleges can better compare you to other candidates from your school, and to previously accepted students.</p>
<p>When your school rarely sends students to selective colleges, the opposite happens. The colleges have a much harder time figuring out whether your school’s courses are indeed rigorous, and to what extent grades are inflated. Also, it is far more likely that your GC has a strong relationship with the colleges if several/many students from your school apply and have been accepted there.</p>
<p>To see this in practice, look at the most academic high schools in the country – both private and public. You’ll find that they have multiple acceptances to selective colleges.</p>