<p>With all this talk about how top colleges are experiencing a "record number of applications" and how "it's all set to peak for the class of 2009," is anyone else feeling a little sick to their stomach?</p>
<p>Everything I've read lately lists my top choice reach-ish colleges as up ~7% in applications (when they were already nearly impossible to get into in the first place) and some of my (former) safeties and matches up as much as 36%! It seems as though I'm not likely to get in anywhere.</p>
<p>It makes me nostalgic for what my dad refers to as "the good old days" when he was applying and apparently, perfect grades with a killer courseload, astronomical test scores, and glowing recommendations (speaking generally, of course) pretty much guaranteed a kid admission to college.</p>
<p>I would try to do my part by limiting myself to five or six schools as my guidance counselor suggests, but how can I (or almost anyone) possibly compete with the mythic Super Applicants who toss out applications to 15+ colleges?</p>
<p>One thing's for sure: It's going to be an insane year.</p>
<p>Perfect grades with killer courseloads, along with astronomical test scores, and glowing recommendations is still guarantee of admission to college...</p>
<p>Perhaps I should rephrase...in the absense of any major disciplinary issues, those qualifications are certainly a guarantee of admission to A college, but in no means to the college of one's choice.</p>
<p>I actually think you guys are somewhat lucky. I don't even want to think about how tough it's going to be when I apply. Im a sophomore by the way.</p>
<p>That is why I'm glad that I can't afford to have super uber cool "reach schools". My mom won't let me go too far out of state so I can't get any bumps with diversity and we can't afford most places. So I'll apply to maybe 4 or 5 schools, Maybe. I'll be applying to IU first thing and if I get accepted there (which I still SHOULD. it's still my safety and even with the crazy year it has had, I'm still in the top for everything except SAT because I haven't taken them yet) I'm done.. so hopefully I can chill and enjoy my senior year.</p>
<p>hpa10. the problem is that our class is supposedly the "peak class" then end of the children-of-baby-boomers trend.
according to most of the news, the number of applicants is supposed to start goin back down after us, so you'd actually be better off.</p>
<p>yeah.....of course it has to be OUR year that it's like 34983948 applications. my brothers, who applied more than 8+ years ago, both got into great ivy league colleges, as did my parents, but I really am freaked out...it's just not the same. It's just more and more people for the same 400 spots</p>
<p>Fall in love with your safeties... as soon as you believe that one top college is perfect, you're SCREWED. As long as you apply to a huge range of schools, you'll be okay. And seriously seriously seriously do your essays as soon as possible. Like as soon as the common app releases the new app (July!)</p>
<p>That being said... yup, the echo of the baby boom sucks.</p>
<p>I've been thinking about this a lot too. Seeing all of these reports about EA admission rates decreasing and record numbers of students applying early doesn't make it anymore comforting either :/</p>
<p>What's also more scary is that it's our turn now. With most application deadlines passed, we're up next...very, very scary. As prepared as I think I am, it's still frightening to be seriously thinking (not just thinking, but now being forced to plan and act upon) about college and applications so soon.</p>
<p>I'm too busy pushing bills through congress, studying SAT's and doing academics, and helping my candidate win the primary to even think yet about this distant 'application' stuff - i already finished my planning last summer, so I have absolutely no stress, except for watching the polls (christ, they are the most stress-inducing invention yet known to man)</p>
<p>Yeah I am terrified as well. At my school everyone in the top 10 of class rank has a GPA higher than the valedictorians of nearly every year and we have two people in particular that have already completed every single math class offered at the local junior college (if you take a class every semester it goes two years past calculus AB). Then I come on here and get a reality check of the people who are admitted to IVY's and see all of the posts about soaring admissions rates. </p>
<p>I'm not terrified per se, but I'm worried. I'm kind of leaning on my hooks to get me into one of my reaches (valedictorian, filipino, hawaii, 2280 SAT, toughest courseload, passion in music).</p>
<p>Outside of music though, my EC's are terrible compared to everyone else on here. Well, just gotta focus on what's happening now and make sure I get everything done and just let fate bring me to the college of my dreams =D</p>