<p>I know of many cases of good students not getting into any of the colleges they applied to at one of the mighty high schools in NYC. This school only allows up to 7 college apps for each student. Some students used all 7 apps on the Ivies and/or their peers, thinking they should get into at least one. I won’t be surprised if this phenomenon happens more often to good students from good schools.</p>
<p>When it got down to the crunch, dd decided not to finish applications where there were extra essays she had to pull together.</p>
<p>But her common app essay was really excellent and she had done a good job in picking the schools and otherwise being organized. I was not going to push her to do more applications at that point. In my view, she was old enough to make such choices.</p>
<p>In the end she got into 6/7 schools and went to a LAC that she loves and where she gets excellent FA.</p>
<p>My JUNIOR son has spent this entire vacation procrastinating about a form his college counselors want as a way to get the process rolling. Just warned him that next fall/winter is going to be very ugly unless he really settles down and commits to getting the work done - and these stories are very timely. Thanks!</p>
<p>It is such a tricky balancing act. Hard working parents, teachers, and counselors all know that an early start is a wise thing – but students want the opportunity to have independence and not go Zombie/Nutzo like the “Phoebe” character in Zits:</p>
<p>Phoebe: “Want a bagel?”
Josh: “Sure, thanks”
Phoebe: “Super. Now I can add 'fed the underpriviledged to my resume”</p>
<p>I, too, loved the Stanford story, tears and all.</p>
<p>I love the “Google, duh,” and the mom’s near heart attack at reading that. </p>
<p>I think it does show that kids do better when they are themselves.</p>
<p>My S wrote his “big” common application essay on Star Wars.</p>
<p>He wrote his “big” U of Chicago essay on foraging for food when he came home from school.</p>
<p>Dad II - Last year our guidance office warned parents that college admissions had become so unpredictable that while they used to advise students to apply to no more than around seven schools, they now have no problem with ten, twelve, or even more, especially with top students targeting top schools. As a practical matter, though, students seem to stop at around twenty, and only a few get that far.</p>
<p>They also informed parents that for the past couple of years, they had seen students who did not get admitted to any schools on their list. This happened to one of my daughter’s friends, who is taking a gap year. </p>
<p>From talking to other parents, the more common scenario is for top students to apply to our flagship, PSU, and also UPitt as safeties, and to go to one of these if they are turned down everywhere else. Some are happy at the state school, while others transfer. For other students, during the months between getting admission to either of these schools and hearing from the other schools, they receive merit aid, admission to honors colleges, and invitations for special visits, and they are so impressed with what these “safety” schools are offering their top admits that they see no reason whatsoever to go to reachier schools (even Ivies) that offer admission. PSU even holds guaranteed honors housing for students admitted to Schreyer until the May 1 reply date, so that these students do not have to send in housing deposits earlier rather than risk ending up in supplemental housing.</p>
<p>Well there is always the opportunity to enroll in the schools with open spots - <a href=“http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Research/SpaceAvailabiltySurvey/Pages/SpaceSurveyResults.aspx[/url]”>http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Research/SpaceAvailabiltySurvey/Pages/SpaceSurveyResults.aspx</a></p>
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<p>D’s high school only allows 5 apps but Comm App is considered as one app. So technically one can apply to 30 colleges from one Comm App and that’s still ok.</p>