<p>My "friend" goes to my school, is in my grade, is applying to the same colleges I am, and has way better stats than me. He was accepted EA to Harvard but it still sending out apps to other colleges. I get why he's applying to Yale and Princeton, but he's also applying to MIT (he has no interest in science), Williams (which he hates because it's so small), UPenn, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, and UChicago when it's practically a guarantee he's going to Harvard. He knows those schools are my dream schools and he also knows that those schools are going to compare our apps and stats since we go to the same school. Does him applying to my schools hurt my chances of getting in?</p>
<p>I don’t know if your friend is killing your chances, but that would annoy me for sure.</p>
<p>This is why I tell my kids to never tell anyone else where they are applying – it just causes stress for other people. I honestly think it will not make any difference in your admissions, though. Schools take more than one student from the same high school all the time. One of my kids graduated in a class of 55, and they had two acceptances to Dartmouth (we are not a feeder), and two to a very selective film school. In both cases, I was not suprised by one of the kids, but was very surprised they took the second. So you never know. All you can do is fill out the best applications you can. However… I assume you have some match & safety schools on your list, because NONE of the schools you listed quality in that category for anyone because of the low acceptance rates.</p>
<p>Also… if he truly does not want to attend those schools, he may lose some steam on the applications (lots of rigorous essays in that set of schools). I know my D will be revising her list this weekend once she is done with school, because she got an EA acceptance yesterday at one of her top choices. She will probably keep 3 other top schools (none on your list :)) and a couple of financial safeties on the list, and dump the rest (the financial safeties in case I get hit by a truck between now and May 1 and can’t work!).</p>
<p>No. 10charrr</p>
<p>I doubt he’s hurting your chances much but he’s a tool for applying to all those schools after getting into his top choice. Kid’s probably insecure and wants acceptances at additional schools to feed his ego.</p>
<p>If you have the chance to draft LeBron James and Kevin Durant do you only pick one because they’re from the same town?</p>
<p>Schools want the best. If you’re good enough, they’ll take you.</p>
<p>I second the tool declaration. H deserves him.</p>
<p>But vince is right. He’s not killing your chances. Of course you know they are poor once you hit “submit” but if you happened to be rejected, it won’t be because of your so-called “friend”.</p>
<p>No, it is not your classmate that is the problem it’s the other 35,000 applicants to Harvard!</p>
<p>MIT doesn’t just have science, it also has a top economics program and a top business school</p>
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<p>That implies that your stats are not all that close to the maximum possible in GPA and test scores, which means that your chance at those super-selective dream schools is even smaller than normal, assuming no large “hook” characteristics. Without any large “hook” characteristics, one needs to have near-maximum GPA and test scores to get a realistic (though small) chance of admission, based on random-seeming (to applicants) factors other than academic stats that they use to distinguish between thousands of applicants with near-maximum GPA and test scores.</p>
<p>He’s a jerk. Hopefully, that will come through in his essays at the other schools. Why don’t you tell him that you’re applying RD to a completely different set of schools?</p>
<p>Chiming in again to say stats are NOT everything. D found out today at school that a student who is well above her in class rank and has stronger ECs (lots of leadership) did NOT get accepted to the EA school D got into yesterday. D is not hooked (nor is the other student), but was truly a better “fit” for the school and could show that throughout her application.</p>
<p>Anyone ever wonder if LeBron knows how often his name appears on CC?</p>
<p>^ it is amazing for a person never attending college.</p>
<p>People are “aware” of who got into Harvard at the other top schools. So they are not going to reduce their yield by admitting him at all the other places.</p>
<p>Stupid argument on your end. He has the right to apply to any school he wants. You’re applying to some schools you aren’t planning on going into, do the students reaching for that school have the right to be mad at you?</p>
<p>Students write in about this every year. What they don’t realize is that the elite colleges look at all of the high schools in their “region” for the top students, so you are actually competing against all of the schools in your area. Regions are usually a cluster of districts and cities that are nearby with similar characteristics. Sometimes the top regional students are at the same high school, sometimes they’re not. When they are, they will take them- whether it’s one, two or more. </p>
<pre><code>And it’s, “way better stats than I (have).” I hope you have some matches and safeties on your list.
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<p>The “friend” is a trophy hunter. He’s applying to schools in which he has no interest because he wants to get a bunch of admit decisions. This is pointless, because he already has the one craved most by trophy hunters.</p>
<p>There’s not much you can do about him, but perhaps others considering doing this will read this and realize that it’s obnoxious to do this, and might hurt somebody you know.</p>
<p>As others have said, he has the right to do whatever he wants. You shouldn’t really care, since one person additional applicant is not going to affect your chances.</p>
<p>If your friend needs financial aid than it’s smart to apply widely. Schools can look @ same info and draw different conclusions on your “NEED”.</p>
<p>Your friend isn’t being a jerk or a trophy hunter. He’s applying to the schools he wants to apply to. There is no cause and effect relationship between your applications; either you’re good enough to be accepted or you aren’t. Even if there was a direct effect it’s not your “friend’s” responsibility to help your application efforts. </p>
<p>It’s all well and good to act like your ‘friend’ is scheming to hurt you and will be responsible for your rejections but for all we know he’s sitting around saying, “Can you believe woahgosh? He’s applying to all my schools and hurting my chances. What a trophy hunting jerk.”</p>
<p>Apply where you want to and stop worrying about things you can’t or shouldn’t try to control.</p>