Maybe we should consider what our propensity for applying to high numbers of programs does to complicate the admissions process, what with a lot of departments within a particular tier / specialization sifting through a similar pool of candidates and (likely) making offers to many of the same qualified individuals, then waiting for those offers to be accepted or denied before filling the ranks with a second or third round of selections. Obviously no one wishes to compromise their chances for the sake of exercising a little moderation, but com'on, submitting 12-20 apps is ridiculous. No one should feel the need to carpet bomb the length and breadth of the higher ed universe in order to get a feel for whether they're qualifed to do grad work. This could be done a lot quicker and simpler.