So I used to see these reaction videos on YouTube and they mildly annoyed me, because why do these kids think anyone cares enough about them to watch? but that’s how this generation rolls, I get it (I am a dad of a high school junior and college sophomore).
But now when I see the latest round or reaction videos, they actually really irk me, because rather than 8-12 or so decision reveals, they have 25-30, and sometimes many more. that’s what these kids are doing now when they want to get into a top school- they just apply to more and more of them to increase their odds. And I guess it works, but it’s disgusting. They often justify it in their videos by saying they were worried about not getting in so they felt they had to apply to more to help their chances. there are so many problems with this I don’t even know where to start.
the game is getting too hard to play, and there is no way this doesn’t hurt the chances of a kid like mine who is willing to shoot her shot at one or 2 top schools but isn’t going to waste her time, my time, and our money, applying to dozens.
My kid will apply to several schools. However, music majors are admitted differently. While my kid will apply to mostly academic safeties, there are no music admit safeties. And, we have financial constraints so we have to apply to many schools to see if we increase our chances of getting enough of a reward to allow him to attend college.
But that also doesn’t necessarily hurt others. The school is still trying to fill the same number of seats. A student can only take one seat in the end.
But it’s not a 1:1 match- the same student can take 20 or 25 spots. I’m sorry but I just don’t agree that applying to so many schools doesn’t hurt other kids.
This is silly. Every school is looking for something a little different. The opacity of the college admissions process means that no one really knows what that is. Every admissions officer has personal preferences. There is 0 way to predict whether or not the AO(s) that read your file will happen to empathize with YOU. The only way to control for this randomness is to apply to more schools, get more eyes on an application, etc. There have been several students I know that have been rejected everywhere but Harvard. Had they restricted themselves to “1-2 top schools” they would never have gotten into ANY top school. further, it obviously doesn’t really hurt anyone’s chances at any school, because every school’s incoming class remains relatively stable. That’s what the waitlist is for.
A student cannot attend 20-25 schools. You are solving for the wrong metric. Admission offices are trying to fill a specific number of seats not a number of admissions. The number of admissions they send out is a byproduct not a goal.
I always laugh a little when I see those. It’s ALL fluff. When mom and dad look at the bank account, almost all of them will end up going to the one they can afford…the in-state safety school. That’s the REAL decision they won’t post on YouTube. Seriously, if you make cost the precondition before applying, there really shouldn’t be more than 3-4 applications. In fact my teenage daughter will probably end up doing one application next year. She has more important things to do with her time, like going out with her friends and buying clothes.
My kid has a potential employer benefit of reduced or free tuition. Each school reviews the application for that reward differently. Thus he has to cast a wider net.
And if he chooses a music major, schools admit by what they need in their choirs that year and applicants are not privy to that information. Thus again, he has to cast a wide net.
If I knew with a high certainty that my son would love to go to a school that was a high likely of acceptance for a music major (which they don’t really exist) AND I knew he would be awarded one of the few tuition waiver benefits, he wouldn’t apply to many schools.
No one said it was good. It has become a high stakes game (for some people, not all). The game will be played with or without your participation. Whether and how you play is up to you.
If you, as a parent, watch videos of students getting into college and get angry about it, you need to seriously re-evaluate your priorities. Your child is no more important than whoever applied to these schools, and you don’t know anything about their motivations. Jesus.
I understand there are some kids who feel they need to apply to so many because they need to weight financial options. but those are prob not the kids posting these videos, who state clearly they are doing it because they want admission to top schools. I’m not sitting at home cursing the gods about this and shaking uncontrollably with rage, but I am also not the only one who thinks there should be limits on how many schools one can apply to.
whatever. sorry for being honest about my feelings.
If my kids wanted OOS, merit was key. Therefore, they applied to many schools. The range of OOS merit ranged from $3000 - $20,000+ a year. Due to Covid, my youngest couldn’t even visit colleges to cross them off of the list before applying, even after acceptances only some were having outdoor only campus tours.
How would this work, practically speaking? Who, or what org, would be in charge of enforcing limits?
Common app has a limit of 20 apps and there are only 900 schools on that platform, which includes some CCs and international schools. There are around 3,000 four year colleges in the US, most of which have their own app, even if they are on common app.
I don’t see a practical way to limit apps, and I do think it would harm some students…especially those who are merit hunting, as others have mentioned above.
I would agree. I think there would be severe legal restrictions on limiting how many apps a student can make. That would restrict a student’s choice.
I first became aware of these videos last year. Yes, I was a bit surprised that kids were making them, but most of the ones I’ve seen are pretty positive. They are obviously very good students, but they also provide some practical advice during the videos or in the comments below.
To be fair to your point, I sure hope my kids DON’T do these kinds of videos! But, I do not see how restricting students’ ability to apply to the schools they want helps anything. I know some don’t think the “shotgun” approach works, but I am personally unsure.
