Colleges and universities across the country have reported record-breaking numbers of applicants over the last few years. For example, the University of Vermont had a stunning 36.6 percent increase in applicants from 2005 to 2006, according to data from the National Center of Education Statistics. Applications to the school have more than doubled since 2001. At Boston College, the number of students applying early action rose 20 percent in 2006, and regular applications increased by 15 percent. Is this phenomenon the result of a sudden surge in the number of high school graduates? No, the main reason for the application increase is that high school seniors are applying to 20 or more colleges rather than the traditional five to eight. The fact is, however, that 20 is way too many.
Why the Surge?
Why are your peers applying to more schools than ever before? The reasons are varied. They range from the ease of applying online to the use of the Common Application—now accepted by hundreds of schools—which enables students to apply to multiple colleges with just one standardized form. And because electronic applications are easier and less expensive to process, some schools waive their application fees for those who apply online—yet another incentive to apply to more and more schools.
The schools themselves are also responsible for the recent application surge. Despite the fact that reviewing so many applications creates more work for a school's administrative staff, many colleges use aggressive marketing strategies to attract applicants. Have you received applications by mail and email (known as “snap” and “fast track” applications) that you never requested? If so, you’re not alone. Some schools also provide incentives to applicants they really want, such as waiving the essay, the teacher recommendations, or the application fee. In some cases, schools will even start the application for a student. With such enticements, who wouldn’t want to apply?
Why Not to Overapply
As a student in the midst of the college search process, you know how overwhelming the competition is out there. It is therefore a natural reaction to want to apply to as many colleges as possible. By submitting many applications, at least you can count on getting into some schools. Right? Wrong! Do you really want to go to any old school—even one you haven’t thoroughly researched—just because you’ve been accepted there? What if the school doesn’t offer programs you’re interested in? Or what if the location isn't ideal for you? Or what if the social scene isn’t what you are looking for? If it’s not a good match academically, geographically, and socially, then the likelihood that you’ll drop out increases.
The college search process is not an easy one. It is challenging to create a list of schools that appeal to you in terms of size, location, programs offered, and so on and then to narrow that list down to include ones that range in admission competitiveness (reach, target, and safety schools). Suzanne Colligan, director of college counseling at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, D.C., advises her students to have good, well-researched reasons for why they're applying to every school on their list. To get to that point, she encourages students to complete self-assessments to identify their top three or four criteria for a school. Each school on a student’s final list should meet those criteria. Colligan strongly advises students not to include schools on the list that they would never really consider attending.
In order to end up at a college where you will be happy and not feel as if you settled on a school just because you were accepted there, you must do your research before you apply, not after. If you do your work in advance, when it comes time to make a decision, you'll be excited about whatever choice you make because you'll already have good reasons for picking that school. While it may seem tempting to simply cast the net far and wide and then make the decision later, after the acceptances are in, that is not wise. Here are some more reasons why:
- When application numbers are up, admission rates go down. Because colleges are suddenly receiving so many applications, they naturally are sending out more rejection letters than ever before. A 2006 article on the ABC News website, "College Applications on the Rise, and So Are Rejections," reported that some schools such as the University of Michigan allowed for larger class sizes the first couple years that application numbers rose. In 2006, however, the school has become much more selective to make up for that jump in numbers. While you may have gotten in there easily at one time, you are now less likely to be accepted. Another example is Brown University. In 2005, applications were up 8 percent from the previous year, yet less than 14 percent of applicants were accepted—the lowest rate of acceptance in the school's history.
- Because of the surge in applications, colleges are working to improve methods of weeding out indifferent students. Admission officers want to focus exclusively on students who show a genuine interest in attending their school. One way some colleges are attempting to weed out insincere applicants is by making the writing portion of their application more challenging and thoughtful. If you are applying to ten or more schools, you can’t possibly have a deep-rooted interest in all of them, and this will be clear to admission officers. This is yet another reason why it’s so important to have genuine reasons for wanting to go to a school before you apply.
- Applying to numerous schools won't allow you to bargain for a better financial aid package. Jack Joyce, director of college-planning services at the College Board, explains that schools frown upon those who apply to many schools to see which will offer the best financial package and then use that to bargain with other schools. Colleges resent the idea of negotiating, and trying to do so may put you in a difficult position. According to Joyce, negotiating is not effective because schools offer as much assistance as they can from the start according to a student's circumstances. Unless your financial situation changes or an extraordinary event occurs in your life, the offer will not be revised. Also, with the jump in applications, schools have no incentive or need to negotiate. Financial aid is understandably an important consideration for many college-bound students. When applying to colleges, however, Joyce advises making other factors, such as your needs and interests, higher priorities.
Spring semester of senior year should be a time when you can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the rest of high school with the security of knowing where you will be in the fall. Unfortunately, with the deluge of applications colleges are receiving, you could still be on waiting lists come spring and still have to deal with the anxiety of not knowing what the future has to offer. Or if you end up getting accepted to a ton of schools, you could be spending your last precious weeks of high school racing around the country, visiting schools and trying to figure out which is the best fit—something you should have done before you applied.
