<p>As we all know, many top students are applying to multiple Ivy League schools, as well as other top schools like Duke and Stanford. I would be interested in a discussion on this topic, especially among students who did so. Why did you do it--to have a better chance of getting in (I want to go to an Ivy, let me apply to a lot and pray that one takes me)? Because you couldn't decide, in all honesty? Bragging rights? (That sounds terrible, but surely one or two people on the planet must do this.) </p>
<p>Also, having applied to multiple Ivy League schools, what do you think about the rest of the population that has done the same thing you have? Do you feel annoyed that there may be a top kid applying to multiple Ivy League schools who will get into all of them and possibly take a spot that you may have otherwise gotten? Or do you reason that the waitlist will sort it all out? </p>
<p>And as for those who've only applied to one Ivy, how do you feel about this?</p>
<p>I was originally going to apply to up to 5 of the ivies, but after the realization that college apps are a lot of work, I narrowed it down to 2. My top choices were Princeton and Brown, and my logic was that if I got denied at both of those, I'd probably get denied at the others. I got into Princeton ED, though, so it doesn't even matter anymore. In retrospect, I probably should have been applying to more of them, to help my chances of being accepted at any.</p>
<p>I guess one would really have to look at their reason for applying to any school as even amongst the 8 ivies there are big differences. At the end of the day does one apply to all 8 ivies because they want to get into an ivy (and any ivy will do) or does one apply to a school because it has the best combination of things (location, fit, focus on undergraduate education, size, etc) that the student is looking for.</p>
<p>I applied to multiple Ivies for direct reasons; they were linked my to research interests and had great programs that I can use in continuting my research study. I didn't just pick names out of a hat like most people do. And it shows because interviewers are impressed when you give them a real reason, so to speak.</p>
<p>So how do you feel when you think of the other kids who are doing that, and the fact that there might be one who gets into all the schools you would like to get into and takes your spot(s)? Does it worry you, or do you simply not take issue with it?</p>
<p>Well you can't stop that from happening. People in our school (namely, girls) with super high averages used MIT as a 'safety' and got in. They blocked out the other people (men) who are amazing in science & MIT's their dream school.</p>
<p>so, i applied to 3 ivies (Harvard, Yale, Columbia) and a lot of top-tiered schools (Pomona, Johns Hopkins, Williams, Wash U St. Louis). However, i applied to the ivies cuz i think i may have a chance, and although people say it doesn't matter, coming from a big name school gives an edge in the work world. And Columbia is like my dream school!!! I applied to pomona and williams because they sent me viewbooks and such, and when i researched they seemed like really great liberal arts schools in areas i would love to live (the east or west coast). I applied to JHU and Wash U because they have really great pre-medical programs. I didn't really realize that JHU, Pomona, Williams, and Wash U were ranked along with the ivies until i saw Princeton Review's "Toughest to get into" List. But by that point I had already started my apps. </p>
<p>And, i also applied to 3 safeties (Spelman, UIUC, Miami-Ohio).</p>
<p>The only Ivies I applied to were Princeton and Columbia, but I applied there because I interested in the schools, not because they were Ivies (well, Princeton partly because my dad lives on campus)</p>
<p>Like you said, some people apply to many ivies with hopes that they'll get into at least one. I don't think it's too common to use them as back up schools. I'm not too worried about those people taking my place because I've got other schools, and I do believe the weight list system works.</p>
<p>I honestly would have been thrilled to have the chance to attend Princeton, Yale, Brown, Columbia, or Penn. They are all fantastic schools with something that I value in each (Yale - very gay friendly, econ program; Brown - Providence + liberal students; Penn - Wharton + Philly; Princeton - undergrad focus + econ; Columbia - NYC + econ), but in the end I didn't apply to any but Yale because the applications were just too much work, when I already had gotten into my first choice (UT Business). I doubt I will go to Yale if I get in, but it would be nice to say "I got into Yale." Sometimes, extremely good academics outweigh some negatives a school may have though.</p>
<p>I would have liked to go to Yale, Brown, Columbia, or Dartmouth. They appeal to me for different reasons. I didn't apply to any Ivies, but I almost applied to Brown. I didn't really put much thought into it at the time.</p>
<p>i ended up applying to.... yale, brown & penn. I visited all HYPS, brown and penn at some point, and when i visited yale i absolutely fell in love... brown was a slower interest for me, a close friend is an alum, and he basically told me so many reasons why i should apply there that it convinced me. Penn... is not really my first choice, but i am a legacy there, and i decided i have a decent shot of getting in there, and it might be nice to have an option to attend an ivy if none of my other top choices work out. </p>
<p>I definitely think part of my incentive for applying to the large number of reaches other than the ones above is the randomness of admissions... sometimes an adcom will like your essay or something, and they will go to bat for you even if you aren't the absolute perfect student. so yeah i guess it is to improve my chances... but only because i've heard lots of stories about kids applying to all of the ivies just to see, and actually getting into one.</p>
<p>Personally, I don't really care for the category of "Ivy League", because, while all the Ivies are similar in some respects, they are very different schools. The "Ivy League" is, I feel, principally a sports conference and doesn't have that much to do with the school itself, environment-wise. I don't really approve of people applying to Ivy League schools just to apply to Ivy League schools, because, in the end, what does it mean if you get admitted to all of them? That you survived a very competitive admissions process? I mean, congratulations, but I stake my personal worth on a lot more than what schools I get admitted to.</p>
<p>That said, I don't have a problem with people applying to multiple Ivies. (I applied to two.) I completely understand how someone could like or love all eight of the Ivies, just as someone could not like any of them. I just think that it's important to separate the idealistic dream of the "Ivy League" from the reality of all the schools.</p>
<p>The idea of someone applying to a lot of Ivies doesn't bother me at all, as long as that student has a serious interest in all of them that extends beyond name recognition. I certainly haven't decided what school I want to go to, and probably won't until I find out where I get in, and can you really blame someone for applying to all the schools they're interested in? I think that being able to make the choice between all the schools you're interested in is a really important choice, and many times people's values can change between January 1 and May 1. Should students be actively discouraged from applying to more than one Ivy just because they're so selective? That's more of a fault of the system than of the person.</p>
<p>Anyway, I admit that when I was deferred from Yale SCEA, I got pretty upset when I found out that so many other people in my class were applying RD to Yale. But now that the sting of deferral is gone, I am glad that everyone is applying to where they want to apply to, and I certainly don't want anyone NOT to apply on account of me. I anticipate that, come April, many people will be discouraged at being rejected or waitlisted, and will wish that people hadn't applied who didn't have a strong interest in that school. But, later on, when you've decided where you're going to school, I think--at least, I really hope--that everyone will be glad that everyone else did what was right for them at the time.</p>
<p>I applied to Penn and Cornell because they have business programs. And I applied to Yale, well... because it's Yale and I love the Gilmore Girls. Seriously, even though this is true, I would love to go to Yale.</p>
<p>I applied to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Dartmouth and UPenn (and a whole bunch of other places). I appleid to these because I liked all of them.</p>
<p>Certainly, brand-name consciousness drives the process. There is just not enough room for everyone who applies to the ivies. When you look at the 50% SAT ranges and then consider that HYP are only accepting around 10% of the applicants, it should be obvious that the 90% who are being denied are not being turned down because they don't fit into the freshman profile. There is just not enough room. </p>
<p>At any rate, assume that you apply to all eight ivies. For purposes of simplicity, assume that the probability of being accepted at each one is 10%. Then the probability of being denied at all eight is:
(0.9)(0.9)(0.9)(0.9)(0.9)(0.9)(0.9)(0.9) = 43%
and so the probability of being accepted to at least one is:
1 - 0.43 = 57%</p>
<p>Of course, you have to be pretty talented to have a 10% chance at HYP. In a recent year, about 680 students nationwide had a perfect 1600 SAT. Of these, about two thirds applied to Harvard and less than 200 were accepted. You can look this in two different ways. One: Having a perfect 1600 still means that you only have a 40-45% chance at Harvard. Two: Having a perfect 1600 means that you have 4 or 5 times the chance of an average applicant. I think that some of the posts about how URM's should not assume they have a significant advantage fall into this category. A person can have a 5 to 1 advantage over someone else, and their odds are still not that good. On the other hand, the only person I have ever personally seen accepted to all of the ivies to which they applied was a URM who attended a medium poor public school where the average SAT for the school was around 950. Her score was in the middle 1500's. Of course, this is anecdotal.</p>
<p>There is a saying that by Christmas of freshman year, nearly everyone is at their first choice school. Good Luck and Happy New Year. "Harvard Schmarvard" by Jay Mathews is a good book to read.</p>
<p>An acquaintance of mine last year applied to Yale SCEA and got deferred. (Brother is a Yale student) Then during the RD round applied to the other 7 Ivies as long as Swarthmore, NYU, BU and Tufts. I think there was genuine liking for all Ivies despite its difference of atmosphere and size and everything. Pretty sure wanted to major in English or in the Humanities department.</p>
<p>Anyway, ending up being rejected by all Ivies except Columbia (wait-listed). Not so sure how that plays into dufus's equation. </p>
<p>I know some ppl who apply to Ivies for the "What the heck, might as well/reach school" reason. Sometimes I feel that for them, the prestige factor doesn't really come into play since they know their chances are pretty low and they just really wanna a) see if they make the lottery or b) really love the school(s).</p>