<p>
[quote]
if anything it is this type of thought process that has led to the explosion in applicaiton numbers - which in turn are making admission even more selective.
[/quote]
I'd argue that for the most part, that the kids who are throwing out multiple applications with the idea of increasing odds are also the ones with the slimmest chances at the schools they apply to; on the other end of the spectrum are the ED kids, who of course have the greatest chances of admission. But a kid doesn't have to be an ED applicant in order to create an edge that comes with a high level of interest in a particular school. That stuff shows through in many different ways. </p>
<p>I also wonder what kids expect their high school guidance counselors to do. Do they really believe that they are going to get the same level of support for an application when they apply to 20 schools as their classmates who are only applying to a few? The GC has the power to TELL the college, in no uncertain terms, when a student is strongly interested in one -- and I think that gc's and teachers will be motivated to really go to bat for the student who tells them her heart is set on Princeton than the one who is tossing off applications to a dozen different elites. It's not that they say anything negative about the kid with the scattershot approach - but the multiple-application approach is going to hurt when it comes to assembling all the supporting documents. The more generic the g.c. rec is, the less likely it is to convince.</p>