Imagine this:

You’re the parent of a teenager, and maybe you have some younger kids as well. You’ve spent the last decade deep in the trenches of parent-teacher conferences, travel sports, and birthday parties. First you’re figuring out how to work a cell phone for yourself, then you’re struggling to figure out at what age it’s appropriate for your child to have a smartphone, social media, unlimited texting. You’ve been trying to keep up with the lingo (what the heck do they mean by “serving”, “eating,” and “no cap”?), the trends (why do they want this $40 water bottle again?), and the regular stuff, too: dinner, homework, soccer practice. College has been the last thing on your mind; you’ll worry about it when you get there. It was pretty straightforward when you applied, and it’s even easier now that everyone has a computer in their pocket. Right?

Wrong.

While the advent of the Common App has made applying to college more accessible than ever, the result is that the applicant pool has ballooned to unbelievable sizes. In addition, top schools have attempted to increase accessibility by changing their testing policies and implementing holistic admissions practices. Where a decade ago it was the norm to apply to 5-10 schools, now seniors find themselves hustling through 20-30 applications. Colleges and universities, in response, have attempted to stem the flow of applications by increasing the time a student must spend on each application. For example, a few years ago, the University of Miami added a supplemental essay requirement. It still hasn’t worked. In 2024, NYU received over 120,000 applications for first-year admission, and has seen increasing numbers year over year for the past decade. And they’re not the only one.

University	2015 Acceptance Rate	2025 Acceptance Rate
University of Miami	43%	19%
New York University	31%	7.7%
Tulane University	30%	14%
University of Florida	48%	23%
UNC Chapel Hill	30%	16.8%
Georgia Institute of Technology	32%	16%
University of Virginia	30%	17%
UCLA	17%	9%
Northeastern University	29%	6%

It is essential that students and parents understand that the average time an admissions team spends on any one application is 11 minutes or less. In order to stand out, a student’s application must be clear, concise, make sense, and be desirable for each school. Finding the magic combination 20 to 30 times is tough. For a teenager, it can seem like an impossible task.

This is why Aristotle Circle counselors are there to guide students and their families through this process every step of the way. From essays to test taking strategies to post-submission portal management, our team is here to support you. Email info@aristotlecircle.com for more information about our comprehensive college admissions counseling package.