<p>I was looking back on archived posts and came along something GemmaV posted about applicants who apply to multiple schools. The context was something along the lines of, "why do AOs inquire about the other schools the student is applying to?"
Gemma's response was that they ask because they want to know whether the goal is to attend their school (in this case, Hogwarts) or to attend boarding school in general. Now I have to be honest, it's easy for me to pick a favorite amongst the schools I apply to, but I love them all, otherwise I would not be making such an effort to fill out applications, (it's not easy!) or to spend money to fly up there from quite a distance. And although I do pick a favorite, there is a reason I'm applying to multiple boarding schools. I don't see what's wrong with wanting to go to boarding school in general, and honestly, I only apply to schools I want to go to! So what's wrong with applying to multiple schools in order to increase your chances? </p>
<p>One reason they want to know is to collect data and see who their peer schools are among applicants, by looking at application overlap. So, in that sense, it’s a matter of data collection and there’s no right or wrong answer.</p>
<p>To the extent it’s used to evaluate an application, I suspect the response is given very little weight. So little weight that it would be a shame to expend much energy into gaming the answer. One way an admission officer might look at the answer would be to see if the applicant knows what they’re getting into. Maybe the list of boarding schools they apply to is not coherent and literally and figuratively “all over the map.” In that case – if that case exists – an admission officer may think that the applicant is just applying without really understanding the merits of that particular school. Even in that case, I think other elements of the application (essays, interview, recommendations) would give a more compelling answer to that concern. </p>
<p>Another area where this answer might reflect on the application’s merit would be in terms of yield…in which case an outstanding applicant would (hypothetically) not get an offer from a foundering school without enough aid when they see that the applicant is applying to – and likely to be offered admission to – some well-known and well-funded schools. (I don’t believe this is why that question is there because even the well-known and well-funded schools appear to be equally interested in this answer…but it’s one of the things that some people suspect the question is used for.)</p>
<p>My guess is that this question – on college and prep school applications – stands out among all application questions in terms of having the most disproportionate ratio of sweating and second-guessing by applicants to evaluation and review by admission officers. My guess is that it’s probably in the range of 284:7</p>
<p>Absolutely nothing! As far as I’m concerned, the best recipe for failure is to limit your applications to one school just to show that school how “committed” you are. The only school that will get you back into is your local public school!</p>
<p>When you’re asked how many other schools you applied to, give the number honestly and add that each of those schools had something special that attracted you to it. Then go on to tell your interviewer what you found special about this school . . . and be specific. Point out your interest in astronomy and the absolutely amazing astronomy teacher this school has. Or that this school is one of the few that offers sport X. Or . . . whatever. As long as what you say shows that you’ve really put some thought into selecting this school . . . and aren’t just applying because this is the school your best friend is applying to!</p>
<p>If you really love each of the schools you’re applying to, urbangirl, then you shouldn’t have any problem at all . . . and the multiple applications will definitely increase your chances!</p>
<p>There is absolutely nothing wrong with applying to multiple schools. You should!!! Sorry if my response in the old post led you to believe otherwise. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>You absolutely NEED to apply to multiple schools - but ONLY those you’d love if accepted. The competition is becoming fierce and there are too many good qualified applicants for the slots available so casting a “wide net” is a prudent move.</p>
<p>I think that advice holds true for competitive college admissions and for some students who absolutely MUST attend a boarding school…but it is not universally true that applicants need to apply to multiple schools. For most U.S. applicants, there’s always the local public school if one particular boarding school doesn’t work out. Or maybe a parochial school or a private school. But, yes, your point is sound for those people who have determined that, no matter what, they (or their child) need to matriculate to a boarding school for the next academic year.</p>
<p>My friend made a really optimistic statement about boarding school admissions to me after I was worried that I wouldn’t get in: “You applied to 5 schools, right? So if each school accepts about 1 in 5 students, you’re probably going to get accepted somewhere.” That sounded so much better than my mathematical calculations that said that I had about a 33% chance of getting rejected everywhere (I’m a math nerd :P)…
And yes I know that acceptance rates aren’t everything, and that just because a school has a 20% acceptance rate doesn’t mean I’ll have a 20% chance of getting in…it’s just that having statistical evidence is nice. :)</p>
Sorry if my response in the old post led you to believe otherwise. Best of luck to you.</p>