I agree with @CateCAParent’s post, but this comment needs a bit of unpacking. The BS college admissions process is highly curated. Even if every student in the class were stat-qualified for , the BS would not “allow” 100 apps to that college as that college is relying on the historic relationship with that BS to have done the appropriate gating to present them only with the handful of targeted apps they are looking for; that’s one of the expected benefits the BS provides to the college. In @CateCAParent’s example, the acceptance rate probably would be more like 50% as the BS would have gated, say, 20 apps for the approximately 10 spots the college indicated were likely for that school’s bucket that year. (Yes, although there are no hard quotas, the BS DO have a good general idea of how many students some colleges will admit from their school. For one college our son applied to, the CC told us exactly what the number was for 2015.)
The BS cannot and does not forbid any student from applying anywhere, but the colleges have provided the BS with what they are looking for from that school’s pool that year, and the BS absolutely indicates which students they are advocating for as best fits for that college’s stated needs. Lots of conversation and back-and-forth that prevent the application process from being remotely random.
As an anecdote of this process, I found it telling and rather amusing that the very lengthy college intake form that Choate asked us to complete toward the end of junior year asked if there were any colleges we felt were well-suited to our child and why. I think that question was there, partly, to ferret out if we were likely to be a PITA come senior year. Preconceived college lists tell the school what to expect when dealing with parents. I don’t believe that question is there to guide the CC office toward enlightenment about the student. Also, Choate used to limit the number of applications from each student to ten: three reaches, three matches, three “safeties,” and the state flagship, unless there were extenuating circumstances (mostly FA need). The school has relaxed that rule, but still tries to keep each student’s list small but honed. The school was also very blunt during Parent College Weekend in explaining how their application process works and what parents should expect from their students and what parents should and shouldn’t expect from the school’s counseling office. It was quite eye-opening for some who had other expectations. Our son’s CC was refreshingly candid throughout the entire process about the list she and he were building and what his “chances” were at each of his choices given his competition for each school. THAT information was invaluable. ChoatieKid was test- and stat-competitive for any college, but his CC told him that two of the schools he was interested in just wouldn’t happen for him due to his competition and would be wasted apps. She also told him that his profile for one highly competitive program (not West Point) from Choate that year would almost surely be an admit. It was. There were no surprises in his results as his list was curated for great outcomes. THAT is what you are paying for.
@mothere: I mentioned upthread that Andover will help you understand that their focus is the high school education and not any particular college result. Will you be disappointed in your son’s college counseling if the list your son crafts with his CC is not as shiny as you expect or doesn’t contain the schools you had in mind even if the list is perfectly tailored to ensure great outcomes for your son? Will you be upset if the CC tells you upfront that his chances at some of the schools that are important to you just won’t happen? Will it bother you if the message you hear from the school when your son’s class enters the app cycle junior year is that the school’s goal is to find the best fits for each student and emphasizes why focusing on particular colleges is not a wise strategy? If any of these questions give you pause, you (not your son) are likely to face disappointment because the majority of Andover students do not end up at Ivies. OTOH, we don’t know your son. You may be underselling him, and he may end up being highly attractive to those top schools, and your current concerns are moot. The point is, you can’t know this yet.
I will end by saying that I agree with those who’ve posted that the level of education and resources and rich life experiences your son will consume at Andover is unmatched and is an end in itself. I would run with that choice and not look back. But, if you are still on the fence, the worst case of buyer’s remorse I’ve ever seen on CC is this and might be worth a read:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1606092-kid-wants-to-stay-parents-want-to-bring-her-back-p1.html
(Check my post #42 in that thread)