<p>So I heard a rumor saying that if you were to apply for Ivy Leagues, MITs, etc, even though you have no intention of going there, that it makes you more likely to get into other colleges that you actually plan to go into.</p>
<p>Ah… no. Now, a student who is likely to get accepted to a top school (say HYPS) is also likely to get into other top schools. But just putting the app in, nope. In fact, if you don’t apply for need based financial aid, colleges have no idea where else you applied.</p>
<p>I know when applying to Rose-Hulman, it asked where else you were applying, but I guess you could just lie on that if you wanted. </p>
<p>Some schools which consider “level of applicant’s interest” may be less likely to admit you if they believe that you are applying to them as a “safety” behind other, more selective schools.</p>
<p>You can check the admissions tab under the college’s entry at <a href=“http://www.collegedata.com”>http://www.collegedata.com</a> to see if “level of applicant’s interest” is considered.</p>
<p>It is possible that you are hearing a ‘telephone’ version of a study that was done. It was saying that students who were accepted to Ivy level colleges who couldn’t attend did just as well going to another choice. Does that sound familiar?</p>
<p>“Or take the book Harvard Schmarvard. Written by Jay Matthews, it dispels the notion that, “the higher-profile school, the better.” Matthews, an actual Harvard grad, references a study by Stacy Dale, who found no difference in earnings between those students who had gone to Ivy League schools and those who had been accepted at those schools but chosen to go elsewhere.”</p>