<p>I have a theory that many of these colleges who receive a ton of applicants every year do so because they are known based on name recognition. Not based on the type of education you will receive. Not based on the kind of consideration you, as a student, will receive. But if you know thirty people in your graduating class who are applying to, say, John Hopkins...YOU WANNA GO TOO!</p>
<p>I'm just saying that the stigma that once was placed on the Ivy-applicants are now on people who are applying to Washington University, Tufts, and Georgetown. Not to say these schools have no right to be selective, but still. </p>
<p>I think part of the reason this is happening -- students receiving rejection letters in overabundance from schools that aren't Ivy League schools -- is mainly due to those U.S. News and Reports college rankings and the media. I think over the past decade we've glamorized urban life and city dwelling. </p>
<p>I just find it...odd, to be honest, that all these schools a lot of people up until the past five years or so ago hadn't heard about get all these applicants now. And especially with all these recent college grads and the media attention high student loan debt gets these days...I don't know. You'd think more students would rather save their money and go to a small liberal school or a big uni then go to a "good school" for Grad school. It's confusing.</p>