As technology and methods of communication have improved, so has the ability of colleges to enter the homes of students in order to promote their school and encourage students to apply.

Students’ inboxes are filled with emails for opportunities to tour campuses, take online quizzes, and even some that encourage early application.  Many may see this as colleges simply hoping to get their information out there, but that is not always the case.

Some of the most prestigious colleges are known to target students who will likely get denied upon application.  This process is designed to lower the acceptance rates for school, making them appear much more “exclusive” and appealing toward other students with the capabilities to be accepted.

Not only has email become a recent development that has lowered student acceptance, but the creation of the Common Application has created a boom in the applications of many students who now need only one completed application to apply to multiple schools, which may exaggerate the acceptance rates of schools.  This does not bother many of the students at WS however.

“I didn’t actually use [the Common Application] because I applied to a school early and I got in…But from what I heard from other seniors it has made the whole process so much simpler and easier,” said senior Adham Nabham.

According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the amount of students applying to seven or more colleges has risen nearly 20% since the creation and wide use of the Common Application.

“It was nice because I could use my essays from [my common application] on other applications because they have such general questions,” said senior Londyn Gentry.

The Common Application may not necessarily be a bad thing, as applicants now have less work for higher payoff.  The spread of the application remains limited, but it is important to gather information about intended schools in order to learn more about their application process.

With all these factors in mind, students are encouraged to take risks when it comes to applying.  No matter how unlikely acceptance may seem, college bound seniors like Danielle Triebwasser encourage underclassmen to “apply to their dream schools”.

Ultimately, research is the best way for college-bound students to avoid ending up in a situation they did not expect.  After all, colleges are also businesses that need funds in order to maintain a proper and effective learning environment.  It is evident that acceptance rates may not tell the whole story; it is vital that students use the resources around them to get the facts about their desired schools before making a decision to apply or enroll.

“I would say you need to at least visit the schools that you either got into or applied to because it changes your whole mentality… Maybe [a college] will come up that you didn’t think of because it had such a good atmosphere,” said Nabhan.