<p>Some discussions on another thread are prompting me to ask this question: How important is it to keep your college application information secret?</p>
<p>I mean I totally understand people being sensitive about their SAT scores, GPAs, etc, but what I am interested in knowing is whether there are well-founded reasons to not let your classmates (or their parents) know exactly what colleges you are applying to and where you are applying early. </p>
<p>It seems to me the underlying logic is that there is some kind of 'quota' system whereby a selective college will not take more than a certain number of students from a given school, no matter how competitive those students might be. I know most colleges will emphatically deny the existence of a quota system but- is there?</p>
<p>Also, is there any value in being 'strategic' in deciding where to apply or not apply based on where others from your school are applying? For example, if the valedictorian and salutatorian are already applying SCEA to Yale and you are ranked fourth in your school, then perhaps you shouldn't even bother to apply SCEA to Yale, and instead you might decide to apply ED to Dartmouth (where you know you will be the only applicant from your school). Is this good strategy?</p>
<p>We've been associated with two international high schools in Asia, and don't recall anyone ever cautioning us to be secretive. The feeling here is that the kids get in to the schools (in the U.S., U.K., Austraila, etc.) where they should get in, on their own merit.</p>
<p><em>waiting with interest for tons of replies</em></p>
<p>There are several schools where many kids in S's class will be applying as he's not looking too far from home. Doesn't bother me. I figure my kid will stand on his own merits and that no two kids are alike. Maybe some kid is ranked higher than mine, but is he/she also a four-year letterer and an Eagle Scout and blah blah blah? I guess if we were looking at uber-competitive schools it would be one thing, but he's not so I won't spend too much time worrying about it. If he was, then I'd be more worried about sabotage than anything else.</p>
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It seems to me the underlying logic is that there is some kind of 'quota' system whereby a selective college will not take more than a certain number of students from a given school, no matter how competitive those students might be.
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As far as I can tell, it's a myth. There are public schools in California that have 15-20 students accepted to Stanford every year. There are schools in the Midwest with similar numbers accepted at WUSTL, UChicago, Northwestern.</p>
<p>My kids shared their lists with their friends, read and commented on each other's essays, and were generally supportive and cooperative with friends. I don't know if it helped much, but I doubt it hurt anyone, and certainly made for more comradely at a very stressful time.</p>
<p>I saw a very different approach with my oldest 7 years ago than with my youngest last year. The same college counselor did start looking at things the way you're describing. She warned parents about where legacies were applying Ed for example. There was no doubt in her mind tht schools cap the number from our school, and with a hird of the class being NM commended or more, they were all aiming at the same dozen schools. </p>
<p>We refused to play but lots of families seemed to be assessing the odds and playing it like a hand of poker. Kids who preferre Yale applied ED elsewhere in many cases. I suppose it's not a bad idea if you "need" one of these schools.</p>
<p>Nngmm, when you see schools with unusually large numbers to a top school you can bet you're seeing lots of legacies and other friends of the college, not a collge's willingness to take many from one random school.</p>
<p>I'd be surprised if there were any kids (or parents of kids) who successfully kept where they were applying a secret. But I don't think guidance counselors should be giving out any info about where other kids are applying and why they might get in. Ours don't.</p>
<p>I am not worried about it. We are not looking at top schools, but most of the kids from our high school apply to the same schools: state flagship, neighboring 2 state flagships, and some of larger private schools that are either in a city or offer sports (ie: think NYU, Syracuse).</p>
<p>It wouldn't be easy to keep college applications a secret at our private Wisconsin school. On the wall outside of the guidance office, the staff posts student/college/date that a transcript as mailed for each of the applications the students complete. It must be a midwest thing, but nobody seems concerned.</p>
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She warned parents about where legacies were applying Ed for example.
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On the wall outside of the guidance office, the staff posts student/college/date that a transcript as mailed for each of the applications the students complete.
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Seems like a violation of privacy to me.</p>
<p>The main reason my friend's kids stay quiet about college apps is to not be too vulnerable where potential rejection is concerned. If everyone knows you've applied--especially ED--to the college that is inextricably linked to your heart, it's not necessary to be publicly humiliated if you don't get in. Dealing with disappointment is one thing; having to share it with the world is another.</p>
<p>I've posted before about this so I won't bore you, but we are keeping my daughter's choices top secret. I'll definitely be meeting with the GC before the applications are done, but as many of you know, daughter has a classmate whose mother is something of a stalker of my daughter. Physical violence against my husband, lots of stuff. I'm confident she would contact colleges if she knew where my daughter was applying. There is a history of such behavior. Short of that, I wouldn't care who knew. Interestingly, the daughter and mine are quite courteous and I don't expect there to be much overlap.</p>
<p>Zoosermom, I hadn't read anything about the stalker mom before. How disturbing and utterly unfair to your D that she has to deal with something like that during a stressful time. I'm sure your entire family will be happy on graduation day.</p>
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when you see schools with unusually large numbers to a top school you can bet you're seeing lots of legacies and other friends of the college, not a collge's willingness to take many from one random school.
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<p>Not necessarily. Many high school college counseling offices have formed strong relationships with particular colleges over time, often colleges in the same geographic area. Year in, year out, unusually large numbers of students from such high schools -- known as a feeder schools -- will be accepted to those colleges. In the Chicago area, for example, there are several fine publics that get disproportionate numbers of kids into Northwestern every year.</p>
<p>I agree with those who have said the reason to keep your cards close to the vest is to preserve privacy, not to maintain a strategic edge. When asked where he was applying last year, my son would name one or two schools and then add "and some of the usual suspects."</p>
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Zoosermom, I hadn't read anything about the stalker mom before. How disturbing and utterly unfair to your D that she has to deal with something like that during a stressful time. I'm sure your entire family will be happy on graduation day.
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They live down the block. Sigh.</p>
<p>It's been relatively quiet, but every time my daughter has some sort of accolade, it starts up again. I want to reiterate that it's the mother, not the daughter. The daughter is someone of whom any mother would be proud.</p>
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Not necessarily. Many high school college counseling offices have formed strong relationships with particular colleges over time, often colleges in the same geographic area. Year in, year out, unusually large numbers of students from such high schools -- known as a feeder schools -- will be accepted to those colleges. In the Chicago area, for example, there are several fine publics that get disproportionate numbers of kids into Northwestern every year.
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This is exactly what I had in mind in post #6.</p>
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<p>My kids shared their lists with their friends, read and commented on each other's essays, and were generally supportive and cooperative with friends. I don't know if it helped much, but I doubt it hurt anyone, and certainly made for more comradely at a very stressful time.>>></p>
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<p>Great. That is exactly how I would like to see things work.</p>
<p>If your HS is not a feeder school for a favorite college, I think it is being naiive to say kids will "get accepted to where they get accepted to" when you run smack against the school val for the same spot. Check your HS record. How many got accepted to that school in a single year. If the counts are like 0-1-0-0-1-1-0....you pretty much know it's a poor idea. If its 2-3-2-...like that and your student is no.4 rank, and doesn't have any hook, do you really want to waste your SCEA on that school ? Apply regular decison and hope for a surprise if your student really loves that school.</p>
<p>Both DS's attended an elite NYC private which would be considered a feeder to the ivies. However, they were feeding far more easily 8 years ago when oldest applied than they and their peers are today. I think the counselor relationship pull is a dated concept. I also don't think it was ever as much about counselor pull as it was counselor conversations about family connections.</p>