@MurphyBrown , kids who are already shattered and get an early rejection from a school they had no business applying to in the first place need a rude awakening, quite frankly. These are nearly adults, and it’s time they face a bit of reality. I do think we coddle teenagers too much. Also, if a parent or GC is giving a kid proper guidance, then they probably wouldn’t have applied in the first place. I think the issue you touch on is more a problem of students today needing to have their expectations tempered, than the mean universities telling kids early that they will be rejected.
The most important thing is that kids should apply to a balanced range of colleges. If they have done so, they don’t need to have their dreams shattered.