Best Scientific Approach to optimizing College List

Applying to College
1

This thread aims to remove one key challenge of college application by leveraging and applying a scientific approach to optimize a college application list
The variables of college applications include:

  • The Admit Rate of eac (3% to 99%)
  • The Utility of each school to the applicant (from 50% to 100%)
  • The overall likelyhood of securing at least one admission
  • number of schools the applicant has time to apply to
  • likely financial aid

The objective is to maximize the following number to achieve a successful outcome

Overall Utility=[(utility of school A * Admit rate of school A * probability of being able to afford school A including aid) + (utility of school B * Admit rate of school B * probability of being able to afford school B including aid) + … ] across the entire college list of the applicant

Recruited athletes & massive donors enjoy 99% certainty of admissions, which shortens their schools section process, assuming they are recruited at a school to which they assign a High Utility

All normal applicants should therefore carefully curate their list as to maximize their overall Utility Number as close as possible to 1

2

Trying to “scientifically optimize” outcomes of a holistic, idiosyncratic and objective process is a case of garbage in = garbage out.

Particularly when one of the key independent variables can’t be quantified and in most cases would be defined by only a short visit or reputation.

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3

No such thing.

I see no value in keeping this thread open as it will simply spiral into debate

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