[grepthisab]

I have a hard time believing this. Information was murky and information asymmetry was a big reason lots of people seemed to just apply to a flagship state u rather than look at more far flung or prestigious options, though the state u is prestigious in it's own right. There's certainly more noise now, but there's also a lot more signal (maybe the ratio is the same though). I suspect there's really fantastic info out there that's way more than I had applying to colleges way back when in 2010.

I'd be interested in doing an experiment to act like I'm in high school and want all the info on college applications and to see where I end up.

[souprock]

The info was available to me back in 1992. Somebody at your high school, typically called a "guidance counselor", would have it. It was available in a thick paperback book. I could also use an Apple II program if I preferred.

From there I picked: Rice, Rutgers, MIT, Worchester Polytechnic, UMass Amherst, Virginia Polytechnic. Clearly, that was not just one state.

After picking, phone the schools. Ask them to send applications. More applications may arrive by surprise if you do well on the SAT or ACT.

When an application arrives, put it in a typewriter and carefully type into all the fields in the form. Send it by mail, physically, and wait to get mailed a response.