<p>Smaller percentage (higher number of applicants) of ED admits at HYPSM means that each applicant rejected or deferred who would have otherwise submitted only one application ends up submitting 6-10 at schools that aren’t their first choices. Not necessarily more applicants to selective colleges overall: simply more applications. The results are that there are many more applications, but selectivity doesn’t actually go up - there is less chance of any one school snagging the one student they actually want, and less chance of the student getting the one school they actually want.</p>
<p>In other words, the law of diminishing returns overtakes college admissions, and as the number of applications goes up, the results are less salutary than they might have been otherwise.</p>