<p>I don’t think that just because someone wants to score better on an exam (retaking sat chem after scoring 750) is a “idiot zombie”, they just want to do the best they can so they have no regrets when they apply (oh, I could have scored higher…). However, I do agree that college admissions is simply more competitive than it has ever been and it will continue to rise especially because of the recent economic recession parents believe that their children’s only chance of success is through a solid education.</p>
<p>legend and google, I agree with you both. Water runs downhill and the ultimate blame is with me and those like me. But I still think some colleges toy with us and are wrong to do so. The idea of spending money to advertise your school in order to increase the number of applicants just so your acceptance rate falls from 20 percent to 10 percent seems unncessarily cruel to me. It seems to me that colleges play games, which causes applicants to play games. We can’t stop playing games until colleges do. Because they control our futures to a large extent I think the solution to this problem rests largely with them.</p>
<p>The monster was first created by USNWR and its spawn. The colleges then recognized the rankings game as a way to bump their prestige and thus their income. But make no mistake, it started with the rankings craze.</p>
<p>Old: The reason the colleges play these cruel games is because they work. Look at all the students on this forum who are desperate to get into HYPS because, well, it’s HYPS, and it’s top tier, and therefore it MUST be good, and nothing else will do. It’s a crock, but students swallow it hook line and sinker. </p>
<p>There is a movement among a growing number of schools to boycott the rankings so that we can end this ridiculous cycle. Maybe there should be a similar boycott among students, to choose schools based on something besides a number on a list.</p>
<p>I don’t really see what the problem is. Who cares if colleges are looking for more applicants in order to decrease their acceptance rate? Just don’t apply to a college if you don’t want to go there / don’t think you’re going to get accepted. A decrease in acceptance rate doesn’t harm you if it occurs because more unqualified people are applying.</p>
<p>Also, nothing is forcing people to cry over a B+ to A- difference in one class. This isn’t characteristic of everyone applying to top schools—certainly not me and many of my friends.</p>
<p>The problem is that there are a whole lot of students (this board is overflowing with them) who buy the con. They believe that rank is the most important, or perhaps the ONLY important, thing about a given school. This in turn causes a couple of problems for them: either they overlook lower-ranked schools which might actually be far better colleges for them; OR they think that being turned down by Elite U is the end of their hopes and dreams.</p>
<p>One thing that has not been mentioned (although off the main discussion here but pertinent in today’s economy) is the fact that HYPS have some of the most generous (if not the most generous financial aid packages out there. It’s pretty much only the wealthy who are paying full price so that may be another reason why the numbers as steadily increasing to these schools??? Don’t you think that this is adding to the stress students feel because if accepted to one of these schools, they know that they will more than likely be able to afford to go. And parents must be in favor of this!</p>
<p>And yes, I do agree with the original poster. Things have gotten out of hand. Getting a B+ or A- isn’t the end of the world, nor is a 2100 score on the SAT. Many, many kids with these statistics are at HYPS. Granted these schools may use the SAT as a general cut-off but once you’ve reached their desired cut-off score, many other factors come into pay in the admissions game. There is no real difference between a 100 pt difference in these test and the schools will be the first to tell you this.</p>