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Vol. 17 No. 10
June 2003
Year-end Reports on the
Three C's
Costs, Curriculum and Careers
COST CONCERNS DRIVING
DECISIONS
IN THIS ADMISSIONS SEASON,
cost is trumping prestige for many college-bound students and
their families, according to a May 14 Wall Street Journal.
Based on the relatively active use of wait lists by some of the
nation's top universities, it appears many students who were
initially accepted by those elite schools chose other less prestigious
institutions that offered better financial aid packages.
Last year, for example, Bucknell U. didn't use its wait list,
the Journal reported. This year the Pennsylvania school
went 30 students deep into the list to fill its new first-year
class. The Journal said the situation was the same at
George Washington U., Union C. and Emory U.
The Journal also cited students who passed up Georgetown
for the University of Miami because of an aid offer; the University
of Virginia instead of Harvard for the same reason; yet another
student is going to the University of Rochester instead of Cornell;
one to the University of California at Berkeley instead of the
University of Chicago; and another to Emory instead of Davidson.
The Journal article quoted high school counselors who
said, "Parents are simply less willing to do whatever it
takes financially to make sure their child gets their dream school."
The Journal concluded that the trend "represents
a return to the way it was for many families before the '90s
boom created so much new wealth that people were suddenly willing
to shell out more for tuition."
WHY CAN'T JOHNNY WRITE?
That's what The College Board's National Commission
on Writing in America's Schools and Colleges tried to find out.
Perhaps it is that most fourth graders spend three hours or less
each week writing-just 15 percent of the time they spend watching
television. Perhaps it is because 66 percent of high school seniors
"rarely" write papers at least three pages long.
"The difficulty is that they cannot systematically produce
writing at the high levels of skill, maturity and sophistication
required in a complex modern economy," the report concluded.
Experts are hoping the new emphasis on writing on the SAT
and ACT may stimulate a greater emphasis on writing in class.
Among the National Commission recommendations: schools double
the time students spend writing in all grades and in all subjects;
university teacher training programs put a new emphasis on teaching
new teachers to write better and learn strategies for teaching
writing; students need to do more reading to see good writing.
Copies of the entire report, "The Neglected 'R': The
Need for a Writing Revolution," can be found at www.writingcommission.org(.)
MINORITY PROGRAMS CUT
There's no ruling yet from the Supreme Court on the
University of Michigan Affirmative Action case, but the debate
has led at least 10 universities across the nation to cancel
or redesign summer programs and scholarships aimed exclusively
at minority students.
According to a May 7 Chicago Tribune, Princeton U.
and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are among the schools
making the change, in part, in response to threatened lawsuits
by an organization called the Center for Equal Opportunities.
But other universities, such as Cornell and the U. of Maryland,
are refusing to make any such changes in their minority outreach,
at least until they receive guidance from the Supreme Court.
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CAMPUS CRIME UPDATE
For some students, college can be a dangerous place.
The U.S. Department of Education's annual crime statistics released
in May revealed that among the 4,711 two-and-four-year colleges
and universities, forcible sexual offences increased over 9 percent
since last year to 2,125. Burglary was the most common campus
crime, up over 3 percent this year to 27,843 incidents. Liquor
violations rose nearly 5 percent to 27,386 incidents; drug violations
grew by over 5 percent to 12,048 cases and weapons-law violations
increased over 10 percent this year to 1,478. For the complete
college-by-college report, go to http://ope.ed.gov/security(.)
Another helpful website is www.securityoncampus.org(.)
LIBERAL ADVANTAGES
A new study of 1,571 alumni from the classes of 1970-1995
at five types of institutions found graduates of small, residential,
liberal arts colleges reported a significantly more personal
and challenging education that had lasting effects on their lives.
Among the findings: 72 percent of students in the Annapolis
Group, a consortium of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges,
said they benefited very much from a high-quality, teaching-oriented
faculty, versus 45 percent at private universities, 25 percent
at the top 50 public universities, 29 percent at national publics
and 33 percent at regional publics.
Alumni from small residential liberal arts colleges also reported
more frequent conversations with professors outside of class,
more participation in faculty-directed research or independent
study and they were more likely to graduate in four years.
The entire study, conducted by the independent research firm
Hardwick Day, can be found at the Annapolis Group web site, www.CollegeNews.org(.)
WOMAN'S WORK?
A new study by The American Association of University
Women concludes that women are better educated and more employed
than ever before. More women graduate from high school and college
than men. But there's a hitch.
AAUW says that women are still confined to "pink collar"
jobs. The top women's jobs are: secretary, bookkeeper, sales
supervisor, nurse, waitress, receptionist and cook. With the
exception of sales supervisor and cook, these jobs are not among
the top 10 most commonly held by men.
"The good news is that women have made great strides
in education and the work force," concluded Mary Ellen Smyth,
president of AAUW's Educational Foundation. AAUW recommends more
women focus on science, engineering and computers.
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Inside the Counselor's
Office
Meanwhile, guidance counselors had the following observations
about the spring admissions season.
Michelle Pryor, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, noted that local
students are having "more and more difficulty" getting
into flagship state universities in general, Rutgers University
in particular. "For students in the 40th to the 60th percentile,
which is most of the students in high schools, the top state
universities won't look at them," she noted, adding that
the state schools are currently focusing on the top quartile
with SAT scores of 1100. Other students in her neck of the woods
are turning to community colleges, not because they can't get
in elsewhere, but for financial reasons, she added.
Elizabeth Gingrich at Northern Lebanon High School in Fredricksburg,
Pennsylvania, also found that more students are turning to two-year
colleges, community colleges and trade schools. She said she
feels this is a good trend because "if you look at where
the jobs are, there are many that require a two-year degree."
For those applying to four-year colleges, political science and
nursing are two top interests.
Adam Metsch at College Advisor of New England in East Longmead,
Massachusetts, specializes in financial aid advising and found
that this year fewer students were having their financial need
met. He feels it is running about 20 percent less at all schools,
so there is a larger unmet need gap. He is recommending that
students apply fall of their senior year to increase their chances
of financial aid. Five years ago, he said, he felt that applying
early "would jeopardize their chances."
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International
Affairs
Britain Boasts Big Numbers. British colleges and universities,
which have been actively recruiting overseas, admitted 24,398
new students from foreign countries last year, according to Britain's
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. The new admits
bring the total number of foreign students in Britain in 2001-02
to 232,760. That contrasts to 582,995 foreign students studying
in the U.S. Some in this country fear that post-9/11 restrictions
on visas will make Britain much more attractive to future students.
Higher Ed Growth in Europe. The number of college students
in Western Europe doubled over the past 25 years, according to
a new report from the European Union entitled "Key Data
on Education in Europe, 2002." Among the 30 nations studied,
23 percent of people ages 30 to 34 have earned college dgrees.
That number soars to 40 percent in Finland, Lithuania and Norway.
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ADMISSIONS WATCH
Several CB subscribers asked for the admissions stats
as they unfolded on the following colleges. (Ask, and you shall
receive.)
Pomona College. Applications did increase again this
year, by 7 percent, according to Bruce Poch, vice president and
dean of admissions at Pomona College in Claremont, California,
after a 14 percent rise last year. "We also saw an increase
in early decision applications, though in total, our first year
class will be about 28 percent early decision, by choice,"
he said.
"The growth was from all over the country and our mix
is heavily from outside California (33 percent from California).
The ethnic diversity has increased both in our applicant pool
and ultimately in our class. The yield increased this year by
about 4 percent overall and our entering class is almost perfectly
50/50 male/female.
"Perhaps the combination of horrible weather elsewhere
and our students being noted both for their academic power as
well as their overall happiness with their experience has proved
a winning combination," he said.
Princeton U. Princeton University
offered admission to 9.9 percent of its applicants for the class
of 2007, or 1,570 of the record 15,725 students who had applied,
according to Fred Hargadon, dean of admission. Last year, Princeton
granted admission to nearly 11 percent, or 1,585, of 14,521 applications.
This year's pool includes 591 early admissions students, compared
to 585 last year. The class of 2007 is eventually expected to
include 1,180 students, compared with the current freshman class
of 1,166. Of those offered admission this year, 34 percent are
U.S. citizens or permanent residents from minority backgrounds;
nearly 11 percent are sons and daughters of alumni; 10 percent
are international students representing 57 countries; and 7 percent
are the first generation of their families to attend college.
Approximately 50 percent of students admitted in both early and
regular decision are eligible to receive financial aid. This
year's 8.3 percent rise in applications was across-the-board
for all categories of students. Applicants for the class of 2007
came from 6,051 different secondary schools, including 933 schools
in 117 countries outside the United States. In recent years,
more than half of applicants have come from public schools. Princeton
did create a wait list this year.
Davidson C. Applications
were up 19 percent this year, setting a new record over last
year, according to Bill Giduz. Davidson attracted 3,926 applications
and accepted 31 percent of them. Deposits were running ahead
of last year for the class of 475 students in the Class of 2007.
"It's been a pretty amazing year for our admissions staff,"
said Giduz.
Reed C. Reed received 2,281
freshman applications, a 23 percent increase over last year and
a 32 percent increase over two years ago. Reed admitted 997 applicants,
an admit rate of 44 percent, down from 55 percent last year and
71 percent two years ago. "We are excited about the quality
and diversity," said Paul Marthers. Reed applicants had
a mean GPA of 3.95, mean SAT of 1399, mean ACT of 30 and 23 percent
of the applicants were students of color.
The U. of New Hampshire, Durham.
New Hampshire's yield increased from 43 percent to nearly 47
this year. UNH is offering a new $1,000 a year scholarship for
state students.
P.S. As CB gathers the latest
stats, some colleges are still reporting their official numbers
for the 2002 season.
Rice University in Houston told CB its most popular
majors or programs on campus are economics, biological science,
electrical engineering, English and Psychology. Its fall 2002
freshman class of 700 was pulled from 7,079 applications. It
admitted more students for that class and 21 percent early decision.
The University of Texas, Arlington, said its most popular
majors are information systems, finance, real estate and nursing.
It has added the following new programs or majors: child studies,
physiology of exercise, biological chemistry, radio/TV, and teaching
English to speakers of other languages. Its freshman class of
2,190 was selected from 4,798 applications. According to Pam
Haws, the student body is becoming more diverse and the minority
population is increasing. The college has a June 1 priority for
admission.
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THE COUNSELOR'S CORNER
College "Shopping" Reflections
I AM A SELF-CONFESSED SHOPPER.
So it is natural for me to describe the college selection process
as a "shopping" experience. It is, after all, a major
purchase. However, the stakes are much higher than if the shoes
won't fit or the tie doesn't match. College is a big-ticket item.
Just as parents can't imagine purchasing a house sight unseen,
or students wouldn't think of getting that first car without
a test drive, research ought to go into selecting potential student-college
matches. Too often this doesn't happen.
This concept bears repeating as seniors finalize their college
plans and juniors engage in the summer search part of the admissions
process. The truth is, the search, conducted with wisdom and
patience, can be fun and a family-bonding event, albeit at times,
a hectic adventure. It's a quest, but one that should yield not
a single potential match, but several possible matches.
Here are 10 points to keep in mind while "shopping"
for a college.
1. Before the expedition begins, visit the Princeton
U. website http://www.princeton.edu/pr/admissions/u/dean and
read Fred Hargadon's letter to prospective students. It is one
of the best pieces written about matching students and schools.
2. Remember that colleges, to meet their institutional
goals, have vested interests in crafting classes. Most colleges
almost universally use the word "fit"-as if a students
were part of a jigsaw puzzle's interlocking mechanism. But I
dislike the oft-used admissions word "fit." Adolescents
don't easily "fit" into those thousand piece puzzles.
That is OK with me. I prefer to think of the Legos/Tinker Toy
model. Students come in various Tinker Toys and Legos shapes.
College environments have differing sets of those same building
blocks-maybe even a few Lincoln Logs amidst them. At the end
of the college experience (in and out of the classroom), both
the student and the college should be stronger, better and different
as a result of their experience.
3. This happens at many more colleges than the household
name schools. I'm not denigrating brand-name schools. There are
times in life when Tiffany's may be the best place for the purchase.
Yet, I like local jewelers, too. Knowing what I'm looking for,
knowing that many stores might have what I want, seeking to find
what is best for me-that is the way to approach shopping for
a college match.
4. In making those matches, students really do need
to do their homework before they begin their search. College
marketing is an ever-increasing part of the process and students
should examine all those glossy brochures (and web sites) just
as they would the ads on television. Somebody is trying to sell
them something. It is better to figure that out before the purchase
rather than to have to make a return. College admissions is a
business. "Business" is not a bad word.
5. Nothing replaces a well-conducted college visit.
Students shouldn't leave visits to the spring of their senior
year. After a good screening visit, a first choice school may
be justifiably dumped prior to application. Then, those April,
senior year, accepted student visits can provide useful seal-the-deal
information.
6. On balance, I dislike ED (Early Decision). Most
17- or 18-year-olds aren't ready to be forced to make that decision
so early in the senior year. Can ED be used successfully? Absolutely.
But ED doesn't fully take into account that growth and changes
occur from November to May. Also, equal access to accurate ED
information is not universally available.
7. Keep in mind that some very competitive colleges
do take into account the number of applicants from a given high
school. Some don't. Most colleges will tell you if they compare
applicants against each other. They rarely expect you to know
to ask the question. Ask. Students can also ask their high school
to give them comparative information about applicants from their
school.
8. Resumes are not a bad thing. Admissions personnel
truly have very little time to look these over. Resumes should
show breadth, depth and commitment. They need to be accurate
and honest. Next fall, some large state systems will begin validating
student activity information. Smaller, well-staffed admissions
offices have long used a simple phone call to validate application
information.
9. Careful shopping means we are less likely to end
up with an unwanted purchase. In his new book, Harvard Smarvard,
Jay Mathews calls admissions "irrational." In The
Gatekeepers, Jacques Steinberg calls it "idiosyncratic."
They are both correct. (I recommend both books.) The important
point is that this is the land of opportunity and helping students
find those schools that are appropriate to them is the key to
finding those opportunities.
10. In the end, it is not where a student goes to college
that makes the difference. It is what students go there with,
what they do with what they have while they are there and what
they do with all that knowledge and experience they gain when
they get out that make the ultimate difference in terms of happiness
and success.
Mary Ann Willis is the college counselor at Bayside Academy
in Daphne, Alabama.
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SUMMER READING
The New Basics: Education and the Future of Work in
the Telematic Age, David Thornburg (Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development, 2002); $21.95.
America Goes to College, John Seery (SUNY Press, 2002).
The Work of the University, Richard C. Levin (Yale
University Press, 2003).
Universities in the Marketplace: The Commercialization
of Higher Education, Derek Bok (Princeton University Press,
2003); $22.95.
The Learning Paradigm College, John Tagg (Anker Publishing
Company, Inc., 2003); $39.95.
Honoring the Trust: Quality and Cost Containment in Higher
Education, William F. Massy (Anker Publishing Company, 2003).
Kiplinger Personal Finance, May issue cover feature,
"Rescue Your College Savings," with "The New Rules
of Saving for College."
P.S. The Educational Register: a guide to private
schools and private camps for families with children 6-18 (VincentCurtis);
free; www.PrivateSchoolandCamp.info(.)
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CURRICULUM CAPSULES
New Arts and Technology College. The U. of California
at San Diego opened a new arts and technology residential college
in the fall of 2002. The group of 285 students will study interdisciplinary
courses in computer engineering, studio arts and cultural studies.
Professional Communicators.
Indiana University Kokomo plans a new major in professional communications
combining courses in writing, communications arts and information
technologies. Meanwhile, the late clothing designer Bill Blass
left $1 million to I.U. Bloomington's art museum.
New Technology Degrees. The
New England Institute of Technology in Warwick, Rhode Island,
has launched two new associate degree programs in web development
and programming technology and multimedia and web design technology.
Crime Scene Investigators.
Last fall, Purdue U. added an "Introduction to Forensic
Science" course to its curriculum, which is open to all
students. This spring, it added "Criminalistics" and
next fall "Advanced Forensic Science." The three-course
sequence may be the first step to offering a minor in forensics.
Purdue is not alone. Mansfield U. in Pennsylvania also has
seen the impact of TV shows such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
on students eager to learn more. Popular shows such as this may
be responsible for the 29 percent jump in Mansfield's chemistry
and physics majors since 1998. And it's one reason that the 3,000-student
school offers a flexible program in forensic science as a part
of its popular criminal justice major.
Arabic Studies. Georgetown
U. has seen a surge in the number of students seeking classes
in Arabic Studies, according to a recent New York Times.
The National Middle East Language Resource Center at Brigham
Young U. reports that universities have doubled and tripled their
enrollment in Arabic classes since 9/11. High school teachers
are also signing up for Islamic culture classes to educate themselves
to respond to student questions.
Joint-Degree Program for Physician
Assistants. Ramapo College of New Jersey and the University
of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey will combine undergraduate
study in biology with graduate education in a physician assistant
program. The program will include a three-year undergraduate
education at Ramapo to earn a B.S. in biology and three years
of professional education at UMDNJ.
New Tech Resources Center.
The University of Cincinnati has opened its new Student Technology
Resources Center in the Langsam Library. UC students can edit
digital video class projects, create Web sites and develop PowerPoint
presentations. STRC is just the beginning of a much larger university-wide
initiative to provide advance technology to all Cincinnati students
and faculty.
Pay Day. This year's computer
science college grads will see salaries fall by 13 percent from
last year, according to The Kiplinger Letter. And 4 percent
fewer of all graduates will receive job offers because of falling
demand. But "some fields will buck the trend," including
graduates in business administration, accounting and those with
defense-related skills. Teachers, also, are in increasing demand.
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
DeVry Expands. DeVry, the national network of for-profit
postsecondary schools training students in technology and business
skills, has purchased Ross University, which includes a medical
and veterinary school in the Caribbean. Devry's enrollment dipped
by 2 percent last year, a trend blamed on the recessionary downturn
in technology. The acquisition will allow DeVry to integrate
bioinformatics and other advanced medical technology courses
into its curriculum. But DeVry does not intend to compete with
other allied health programs.
Irrational Financial Aid Choices.
How rationally do high-achieving students respond to financial
aid packages from selective colleges? That's one of the questions
Harvard researchers Christopher Avery and Caroline M. Hoxby looked
at in their report "Do and Should Financial Aid Packages
Affect Students' College Choices."
The researchers, who studied 5,100 top students with an average
SAT score of 1357, concluded most of these students responded
rationally to competing aid packages. However, a significant
number acted in "self-defeating" ways, such as accepting
loans and work-study positions that were worth less than grants;
and money that was "front loaded" in the first year
of college, instead of looking at the entire four-year package.
The problem? "Lack of sophistication" on the part of
students and families. Parents, however, blamed colleges for
not clearly explaining financial aid options. View the entire
report at: http://papers.nber.org/temp/7718.w9482.pdf(.)
Back on Track. Texas College
has overcome its financial problems and has been reaccredited
by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and reinstated
as a member of the United Negro College Fund. Over the past few
years, TC's enrollment has tripled, in part because it operates
one of the nation's only programs for single parents.
Donations Dip. For the first
time in 14 years, donations to colleges declined, last year by
1.2 percent. Private gifts to colleges totaled $23.9 billion
in 2001-2002, according to the Council for Aid to Education.
Checking Out College Career Services.
What criteria should college-bound students and their parents
use in selecting a school? In a recent Newsday, Patricia
Kitchen recommends taking a closer look at career services. She
quotes NYU's director of career services who says students should
ask colleges for a list of employers who regularly recruit on
their campus, and to find out about internship opportunities.
Also, she suggests students find out how early the career services
office begins working with students, and ask what role do alumni
play in helping grads find their first post-college job? Kitchen
cites Northeastern U.'s MentorNet as a good example. Another
resource is www.CollegeJournal.com, a career site run by the
Wall Street Journal.
For What It's Worth. Not
all degrees are worth the same on the job market. According to
2001 U.S. Census Bureau statistics recently published, each month
a graduate with a bachelor's degree in business earns an average
of $3,678; in computers $4,160; in engineering $4,435; in liberal
arts $3,071; in social sciences $2,754; in natural sciences $3,094
and in education $2,322.
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COLLEGE BOUND's Publisher/Editor: R. Craig
Sautter, DePaul University; Chief Operating Officer: Sally
Reed; Contributor: Marc Davis; Circulation: Irma
Gonzalez-Hider; Illustration: Louis Coronel; Board
of Advisors: Rosita Fernandez-Rojo, Choate-Rosemary Hall;
Claire D. Friedlander, Bedford (N.Y.) Central School District;
Howard Greene, author, The Greenes' Guides to Educational
Planning Series; Frank C. Leana, Ph.D., educational
counselor; Virginia Vogel, Educational Guidance Services;
M. Fredric Volkmann, Washington University in St. Louis,
Mary Ann Willis, Bayside Academy (Daphne, Ala.).
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