When helicopter parents get in on the applications act

Somehow it still seems odd to me that students would bother applying to 8, 10, 12 or more colleges — unless they think it’ll be hard to get into any institution, or need to field multiple financial aid offers.

But a quick talk today with Minnetonka High School college counselor Phil Trout revealed another possible reason for application inflation:

“Sometimes the list (of colleges to apply to) gets expanded because of others in their life – a parent or a sister, for example.”

Sure, sounds like the old problem of wedding-list creep. Gotta invite Mom’s and Dad’s friends, right?

But Trout goes on:

“Even at my school, we have kids who don’t know they applied to a college, because the parent did it. There’s that “fast app” in the mail that’s all filled in. They just have to sign it and send it in.”

Wow. OK.  But … don’t the students need to sign the forms themselves?

“Oh, c’mon, please — You know the answer to that one.”