[Alberta's Child]

A good friend of mine is going through a college admissions process with his oldest daughter. His take on the process is not the same as what the author says here.

Basically, he says these platforms that automate the application process are great for students because they enable the student to file one application and distribute it to multiple schools. But they are a nightmare for college admissions offices because the number of applicants for each school has increased exponentially.

The schools simply don’t have the staff resources to review all the applications anymore, and many of them have resorted to interesting methods of making their application review process more manageable. Schools have started to accept more and more second-tier applicants because they’re finding that the top-tier applicants aren’t accepting offers anyway. So the school basically doesn’t bother with top-tier applicants because it doesn’t want to waste its staff time dealing with applicants who are very likely to go elsewhere.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Is there no longer a fee to apply to colleges? That would weed out those who aren't really interested.

I can't remember from my son's experience three years ago because he applied for early admission to his first choice school and was accepted.

[bobcat62]

There’s also that “early decision” nonsense.

[9YearLurker]

Filling up your funnel with students who only applied as a safety fallback leaves you with some unattractive acceptance data. Schools are better off being a tad aspirational, but knowing their limits.