@SlackerMomMD : everyone thinks the system I described is high-handed and outrageous (and, yes, “totally absurd”) when they first hear about it - I did too. They hate the prep school forcing them to decide if they prefer Harvard to Stanford, or Yale to Princeton, when the colleges themselves aren’t making an applicant commit if they receive an early offer. I believe, though, that the hassle of having to apply to a safety or two if an applicant gets deferred or denied early, or doesn’t apply early at all, is far outweighed by the benefit to their classmates of them being unable to trophy-hunt if they get into one of their reaches early. Whether the elite colleges admit it or not, they’re only going to take so many kids from one school.
If an applicant has done their homework and knows which schools are truly safeties for them, they’re highly likely to get into at least one if they apply to two or three in the RD round. I don’t think that’s a huge burden, particularly if they’ve already de-risked the process by being admitted to their state school or somewhere else with rolling admissions. Also, I’ve seen how happy these kids get when they’re admitted early to one of their reaches and there’s no pressure from parents or peers to change their mind or see where else they can get in.
I stand by my view that when everyone abides by this policy, collective happiness is increased. I think, though, that it would be best implemented by the colleges themselves abolishing early action. I agree, as well, that it’s most relevant to the elite colleges, and that the prep school environment probably differs in important ways from public high schools.