| |
Vol. 17 No. 9
May 2003
ADMISSIONS WATCH
Applications Surge Across the Nation
LAST MONTH, CB BROUGHT YOU
early returns from this spring's admissions cycle. This month,
we continue to round-up the latest admission numbers from colleges
nationwide.
Beloit College. Jim Zielinski, director of admissions,
told CB that Beloit attracted 1,850 applications, somewhat more
than last year, and admitted about 60 percent of applicants,
a slight decrease from last year. About 600 of these were early
action applicants. This option is growing in popularity. The
admission rate for early action was about 70 percent.
International applications accounted for about 11 to 12 percent
of students admitted. About 10 percent of all applicants were
persons of color, the same as last year. Some "B" students
were admitted, but Zielinski noted that the process was very
competitive. He added, "There's been a large surge in liberal
arts applications, which is very popular now. Applications in
this area are up about 500 over the last two years. Also, more
students are applying earlier."
Bradley University. According to Tom Richmond, director
of freshman admissions, Bradley netted 4,997 applications, slightly
down from last year, and admitted 3,439, also down from last
year. "Last year, we had runaway admissions, so we put the
brakes on a little. For the last two years we've been over-enrolled,"
Richmond said.
Bradley received 220 international applications, up slightly
from last year and admitted 24, slightly down from last year.
And Bradley fielded about the same number of applications from
minority students as last year. "We had a significant increase
of about 30 minority applications last year," Richmond said.
"B" students are getting into Bradley, "depending
on various factors, including a student's overall record, and
what program a student applies to," Richmond said.
Richmond also noted that "More students are talking about
being undecided about majors. We're trying to get a read on this.
There may be economic factors influencing this trend." Finally,
tuition at Bradley will increase by $800 this year, up 5 percent
to $16,000.
Case Western Reserve University. Liz Woyczynski, director
of undergraduate admissions and acting dean, reports that Case
Western totaled 4,619 applications, up 5 to 6 percent over last
year, and 3,157 students were admitted, about the same as last
year. Did "B" students get in? "Yes," said
Woyczynski, who added that "The majority of our applicants
applied online this year." Tuition at Case Western will
increase in the fall to $24,100 from $22,500.
Harvard C. Last month, CB brought you the preliminary
returns. Here are Harvard's final numbers; 20,986 applications;
2,056 admits (9.8 percent). Early applications; 7,615, up from
6,128 last year; admitted 1,150, down from last year's 1,174.
Some "B" students were accepted, but were highly distinguished
in other areas.
The applicant pool was impressive, as usual; 56 percent scored
1,400 or higher on SATs; 3,000 scored perfect 800s on the SAT
math test; 2,000 scored 800 on the SAT verbal test; 3,100 were
class valedictorians; 70 percent were in the top 10 percent of
their high school class. Of those admitted, 26 percent came from
the mid-Atlantic states, 18 percent from the Midwest, 16 percent
from the South, 17 percent from New England and 12 percent from
U.S. territories and abroad. Biology is the area of greatest
interest.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to
Bette Johnson, associate director of admissions, MIT received
10,547 applications, compared to 10,664 last year. About 1,735
students were admitted, the same as last year. Some 3,573 students
applied early and 525 were admitted, similar to last year.
MIT fielded 2,187 international applications, about the same
as last year, and admitted 100. MIT has a quota on international
students, limited to 8 percent of the enrolling class. There
was a 1 percent decline in the percentage of applications from
minority students. The average SAT score of accepted students
was 1,485. Some "B" students got in, especially from
extremely competitive schools. "If we found a good person
with 'B's, we'd try to find out why," she said, adding "they
might be admitted."
What other trends did MIT spot? "The number of students
expressing a preference for electrical engineering or computer
science has declined by a huge 19 percent from last year,"
Johnson noted, "probably because of the dot-com bubble bursting."
[back
to top]
Northwestern University. Carol Lunken_heimer, dean
of undergraduate admissions, told CB that Northwestern attracted
14,210 applications, down 70 from last year, and admitted 4,811,
down about 100 from last year. Early decision applicants were
up by about 1 percent, although fewer of these were admitted
than last year. NU received 875 international applications, about
even with last year, although admits were down somewhat. International
students comprise 5 to 6 percent of the class.
This year, NU received applications from 683 African American
students; 707 from Hispanic students; 38 from Native Americans;
and admitted slightly fewer than last year.
Are "B" students getting in? "Mostly, no,"
replies Lunkenheimer, "admission is difficult, very competitive.
Mostly 'A' students are accepted, although some 'B +' students
were admitted."
What trends did she note? "We had to reduce the size
of the freshman class. Also, applications for financial aid have
not increased, despite the poor economy. It's about the same
as last year." Tuition at NU will increase by 4.78 percent
next year.
Oberlin College. Leslie Braat, associate director of
admissions, reports that the Ohio school received 4,916 applications
this year, and admitted 1,773 students, for an acceptance rate
of about 36 percent. Both figures are roughly the same as last
year.
Oberlin attracted 342 early decision applicants and admitted
241 of those. It also received 627 international applications,
up over last year's 600, and admitted just 74.
Applications from persons of color reached 757, up over last
year's 650. Of those, 487 were accepted, more than last year.
Are "B" students getting in? "Yes," said
Braat, "but it depends on the strength of their curriculum."
Braat also noted that "more students are applying for financial
aid, which I attribute to the economy."
Occidental College, in California, received a record
4,502 applications, 8 percent more than last year and the fifth
consecutive year that it has broken its own record. Applications
are up 140 percent over the last six years. Last year, 1,740
(or 43 percent) were offered admission for a class of 445 students.
Stanford University. This year, Stanford attracted
19,000 applications, about the same as last year, and admitted
2,250, or 12.1 percent, for the Class of 2007, including 597
who were admitted under Stanford's early decision program. "The
phenomenal achievements and diversity of experiences of our newest
admits is truly incredible," concluded Robin Mamlet, dean
of admission and financial aid.
Over half of those admitted are students of color: 13 percent
African American, 25 percent Asian American, 11 percent are Mexican
American, 3 percent are from other Latino groups and 3 percent
are Native American/Native Hawaiian. Another 6 percent are international
students, while 2.5 percent are U.S. citizens attending overseas
schools. More than 90 percent came from the top 10 percent of
their high school class, and more than half have an unweighted
grade-point average of 4.0 or higher.
Temple University. According to Tim Walsh, Temple received
15,392 applications, up a substantial 8 percent, and accepted
9,382 students, up about 12 percent. Applications for freshmen
closed March 28, even before the final deadline. Temple does
have rolling admissions. Temple netted 1,640 international applications,
an increase of about 16 percent. International admits also were
up; 714 students. The percentage of applications from minorities
was up about 6 percent over last year and admits were up about
8 percent over last year.
Are "B" students getting in? "Yes." Although,
"last year we received the highest number of applications
in our history," said Walsh, and this year is higher. The
average SAT this year is 20 points higher than last year."
University of Chicago. Ted O'Neill reports that 9,200
students applied this year to the U. of C., up by about 1,000,
and 3,450 were admitted, up 40 over last year. Early action applications
were up by about 20 percent. And international applications were
higher by 23 percent, although about the same number were accepted
as last year, about 12 percent of the class.
University of Notre Dame. Bob Mundy reports that N.D.
received 12,100 applications this year, "way up from last
year's 9,700." However, it admitted 3,300, the same number
as last year.
N.D. attracted 3,000 early action applicants, also up substantially,
and admitted 1,400, a modest increase over last year. International
applications grew to 507, up substantially from last year's 340.
N.D. admitted 150 international students, the same as last year.
About 2,050 of this year's applications came from minority students,
up over last year's 1,470; and N.D. admitted 850, also up over
last year's 680.
Are "B" students getting into N.D.? "Yes, although
admission standards are tougher and it's clearly more competitive,"
Mundy said.
[back
to top]
University of Pennsylvania. According to Margaret E.
Porigow, Penn received 18,830 total applications and admitted
3,700, about the same as last year. Penn fielded 3,401 early
decision applicants, and admitted 1,122. Applications from international
students reached 2,650, up one half of one percent. Applications
from persons of color are increasing. About 9.5 percent of the
incoming class is minority students.
University of Wisconsin-Madison. UWM attracted more
than 20,000 applications this year, a nearly 50 percent increase
since 1993. According to Chancellor John D. Wiley, the university
can accommodate 5,700 freshmen.
Ten years ago, 36 percent of enrolled freshmen ranked in the
top 10 percent of their high school class. By 2002, 55 percent
ranked that high. As a result, the university is receiving complaints
from state residents and alumni who can't understand why the
state's flagship university is not admitting their children.
So in 2001, the school initiated the UW-Madison Connections program
to allow students to begin their careers at any of the 13 UW
Colleges around the state, with the chance of transferring to
Madison after two years, when more room for students is available
in the individual departments.
Washington University in St. Louis. Nanette Tarbouni
reports Wash. U. received 20,377 applications, up 4 percent from
last year, and admitted about 20 percent, the same as last year.
It received 1,000 early decision applicants, and about 33 percent
of these received offers of admission. International applications
were higher than last year, and the same number as last year
were admitted.
Were "B" students admitted? "We're a very selective
institution," Tarbouni told CB, "but we have no minimums
and no cut-offs. You've got to be a competitive applicant, but
we look at an applicant's other accomplishments and talents,
as well as grades. But, this was the strongest applicant pool
in the university's history."
P.S. Gremlins At Work. In last month's CB, gremlins
switched Brown University and Boston University. Colin Riley
is at Boston University. Here are the stats for both schools.
Boston University received 29,319 applications this
year, a record number, according to Colin Riley. This is a 9
percent increase over last year, and was the "largest in
our history," Riley said. It was also the "strongest
applicant pool in GPAs, rank and SATs." Roughly 500 students
applied early decision, a 25 percent increase over last year.
("We don't encourage early applications," he noted.)
International applications totaled 2,107, 11 percent over last
year, representing 122 countries. Applications from minority
students were up nearly 10 percent. But it would appear "B"
students are not getting in, according to Riley. The admitted
students average GPA: 3.66.
Brown University accepted 15 percent, 2,258 students,
of the 15,153 applications to its first class admitted under
a new need-blind policy. According to Brown's George St. Journal,
493 of these students were accepted early decision, 91 percent
are in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. Of those,
30 percent are valedictorians and 29 percent are salutatorians.
But 45 percent of those accepted attend high schools that do
not rank students.
[back
to top]
One State Spotcheck
According to the Chicago Tribune, the surge
in applications caused several state schools to impose earlier
than stated deadlines, close admissions early and turn away students
who would ordinarily be admitted. Illinois' flagship school,
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was especially
selective this year, with applications 4 percent higher than
last year. About 60 percent were accepted.
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) received 12,872
applications, up 11 percent. Illinois State University in Normal
received 10,764 applications for 7,200 spots. Admitted students
posted the highest class rank, G.P.A., and test scores in school
history. Northern Illinois University is on track to break the
school record for most applications, which are up 10 percent.
At Eastern Illinois U., applications are up 19 percent; at Southern
Illinois U., they are up almost 14 percent.
Only Western Illinois U. experienced a slight decline in applications,
but the school expects to admit a slightly larger class than
last year. Almost all of Illinois' state's schools have increased
their number of scholarships to attract top students.
[back
to top]
THE COUNSELOR'S CORNER
Finding Tomorrow's Scholarships
THIS MAY, NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP MONTH®
will be celebrated for the sixth year in a row by the Scholarship
America(SM), formerly Citizens' Scholarship
Foundation of America. National Scholarship Month has two major
purposes: to highlight the thousands of scholarship programs
already helping our youth to gain the critical benefits of postsecondary
education, and to encourage more organizations, communities,
corporations and individuals to step forward to help our students
through scholarships. The timing couldn't be better to speak
to the people who help students get the financial assistance
they need.
SOBERING STATISTICS
- By 2028, there will be 19 million more jobs than educated
workers to fill them, according to the Business-Higher Education
Forum.
- In a special report titled "Paying for College"
(Sept. 30, 2002), U.S. News & World Report noted that
tuition is rising four times faster than the average family income.
The steepest tuition hikes come during recessions when incomes
remain flat and unemployment spikes.
- And on June 27, 2002, USA Today reported that in the
next decade, six million qualified students won't go to college
because of the cost of higher education. Fully, one quarter of
the brightest low-income students don't go to college because
of college costs.
Clearly, there is a lot of work ahead of us. We need growing
student aid from all four major sectors of the student aid partnership:
federal government, state governments, higher educational institutions
and the private sector. One of the ways Scholarship America is
rising to this challenge is to use National Scholarship Month
to focus on increasing support for student aid from the private
sector. Because of the current financial struggles of government
and many colleges and universities, private sector aid needs
to be increased now more than ever.
[back
to top]
THE GOOD NEWS
But what about scholarships for your students today?
What do you tell a student who doesn't know where to begin? Below
are a few suggestions. These scholarship programs are open to
students in the general public and are very good starting-off
points.
- Kohl's Kids Who Care, sponsored by Kohl's Department
Stores, Inc., is open to children ages 6 through 18 who reside
in Kohl's Department Store communities and who have not graduated
high school as of the application postmark deadline. Kohl's Store
consumers who nominate children for Kohl's Kids Who Care must
be at least 21 years of age. Nomination forms are available in
Kohl's Department Stores or in the community relations portion
of their website, www.
kohlscorporation.com.
- Mervyn's Local Hero Scholarship, sponsored by Mervyn's
and Target Corporation, is open to high school seniors only.
Eligibility criteria and the application form are available at
all Mervyn's stores.
- ShopKo Scholars Awards, sponsored by ShopKo Stores,
is open to high school seniors and undergraduates who are U.
S. citizens living within 100 miles of a ShopKo store in California,
Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and
Wisconsin. Eligibility criteria and application forms will be
available July 28 at ShopKo Stores.
- The Target All-Around Scholarship, sponsored by Target
Corporation, is open to high school seniors and undergraduates
who are U. S. citizens age 24 or younger. The scholarship is
based primarily on community volunteer service. Eligibility criteria
and the application form is available at Target stores, www.target.com
or by calling 800-316-6142.
- The Tylenol Scholarship, sponsored by McNeil Consumer
& Specialty Pharmaceuticals, is open to residents of the
50 United States and the District of Columbia who are high school
seniors, undergraduates or graduate students majoring in a health-related
field. Eligibility criteria and the application form is available
from participating retail stores or www.tylenolscholarship.com.
- The USA Funds Access to Education Scholarship, sponsored
by USA Funds, is open to financially needy students who are high
school seniors, undergraduates or graduate students. Applicants
must be United States citizens or legal residents enrolled at
least half-time in college and not in default on a student loan.
Eligibility criteria and the application form can be obtained
from www.usafunds.org.
- Dollars for Scholars®, a program of Scholarship
America(SM), is a network of over 1,100
grassroots community-based, volunteer-driven scholarship foundations
in cities, towns and neighborhoods throughout the U. S. In 2001,
Dollars for Scholars raised more than $44.2 million, awarded
more than $21 million is scholarships to 27,700 students, and
invested the remainder primarily in endowment funds for future
scholarships. To find a local chapter and learn about applying
visit www.scholarship_america.org.
[back
to top]
OUR HELP FOR YOU
In January, Scholarship America launched a new website,
www.scholarshipamerica.org. It features an important new area
called "For Students." There is information under headings
such as "Self Esteem and Career Exploration," "Postsecondary
Options and Preparing for College" and "College Selection,
Admissions and Financial Aid."
YOUR HELP FOR US
You're already helping a lot, but you know better
than anyone that assisting our students is an ongoing job. The
challenge of private sector aid is large, but meeting it is not
beyond our grasp. Expanding student aid from the private sector
calls for private initiative in the old-fashioned American "can-do"
spirit. Here are specific suggestions for personal action:
1. Give support to scholarship fundraising activities
in your local community. Find out if local Rotary, Kiwanis and
other service clubs have scholarship programs. If not, encourage
them to get them started.
2. Better yet, give leadership to a more systematic,
comprehensive, community-wide effort through the formation of
a Dollars for Scholars scholarship foundation in your community.
Doing so is a lot easier than you might think. School counselors
and administrators have often played key roles in organizing
Dollars for Scholars chapters. Finding two or three volunteers
willing to help you is the first step. Scholarship America provides
thereafter a step-by-step turn-key process for a community to
obtain its Dollars for Scholars charter, and with the charter
comes automatic designation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity.
For information and a "How to Organize" kit write to
Dollars for Scholars, Scholarship America, P.O. Box 297, St.
Peter, MN 56082 or call 1-800-248-8080.
3. Encourage corporations, large and small, to sponsor
scholarship programs. Scholarship America manages more than 950
corporate sponsored programs in efficient, cost-effective ways.
Most of these programs are for sons and daughters of the company
employees. Other programs are connected with marketing and outreach
efforts of the corporations or they encourage students to pursue
particular professions.
4. Organize activities in your local community in support
of scholarships during National Scholarship Month. Activities
can include recognition of scholarship programs currently active,
fundraising for new programs or special ceremonies in support
of youth achievement. For a special National Scholarship Month
Info Kit, contact Bob Lampe, Public Affairs and Communications,
Scholarship America at 952-830-7383.
5. Participate in future special scholarship fundraising
activities. In September and October of 2003 Easy Spirit Shoes
will be working closely with Scholarship America to sponsor the
inaugural Easy Spirit Freedom Walk for Education benefitting
Dollars for Scholars. Major organized walks will take place in
five locations in this pilot year: Boston, California, Chicago,
Minneapolis and New York. Join in, if you are near one of these
cities. For information contact: Terri Kirby, Manager of Meetings,
Scholarship America, 507-931-0406.
William C. Nelsen, president, Scholarship America, also
serves as President of the National Scholarship Providers Association.
Previously he was vice president and dean at St. Olaf College
(MN) and president of Augustana College (SD).
[back
to top]
NEWS YOU CAN USE
People Are Talking About. The New Yorker
article by Louis Menard April 7, "The Thin Envelope: Why
college admissions has become unpredictable." Here are some
interesting stats from the article:
- In 1932, 1,330 students applied to Yale; 72 percent were
accepted; 27 percent were sons of Yale graduates. In 2002, 15,466
students applied to Yale; 13 percent were admitted, 16 percent
of those were legacies.
- In 1999-2000, the eight Ivy League Schools fielded 121,948
applications, and rejected more than 80 percent.
But only 200 of the more than 2,000 four-year colleges in
the U.S. reject more students than they accept; and the vast
majority accept more than 80 percent of their applicants.
Early Advantage? According
to The Early Admissions Game: Joining the Elite by Christopher
Avery, Andrew Fairbanks and Richard Zeckhauser, Harvard U. Press,
$29.95, applying early action increases a student's chance of
admittance by 18.9 percent; applying early decision increases
a student's chance of acceptance by 34.8 percent. The advantage
is equivalent to an extra 100 points on the SAT. Half of all
current students at Harvard came by way of early decision; just
10 percent of regular applicants were accepted.
The authors claim early decision applications to Princeton
are admitted at three times the rate of regular applicants (55
percent versus 19 percent.) Colleges retort that the early pool
is more qualified; the authors of this book dispute that assertion.
Of course, as scientists know, observing phenomena can change
them, and publicizing these statistics is likely to change them
next year.
New Harvard Rules. Harvard
has reversed last year's ruling on early admissions, and will
no longer allow its early admissions students to apply to other
colleges. William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions, told The
New York Times, "We got 7,600 early-admissions applications
this year, 1,500 more than last year. Our system was approaching
the point where another jump of that magnitude would make it
very hard to make thoughtful decisions."
Western Governors University
Accredited. WGU, the virtual university started five years
ago by 19 western state governors is now officially recognized
as a degree granting institution by regional accreditation agencies
across the nation to award associate, bachelor's and master's
degrees.
The competence-based university offers no courses of its own,
although it has partnerships with many universities that do.
Instead, it certifies a student's competence in a variety of
areas of knowledge. Theoretically, a student with vast experience
would not have to take any courses if he could demonstrate that
he has learned on his own.
WGU has already granted 36 degrees and currently enrolls 750
degree-seeking students, and 450 students in non-degree programs.
Online Teachers' College.
Also, Western Governors University, with the help of a $10 million
grant from the U.S. Department of Education, is opening a college
to certify teachers online in hopes of easing the approaching
teacher shortage. The teachers program expects more than 1,000
students within a year.
Do Smart Students Help Roommates?
Yes, according to a recent study entitled "Peer Effects
in Higher Education" by Gordon C. Winston and David J. Zimmerman,
Williams College professors of economics. They concluded that
"strong students tend to increase peers' academic performance
and weak students tend to reduce it." So, maybe parents
should check transcripts before letting their children sign up
with a roommate? To view the entire study, go to: www.williams.edu/wpehe(.)
Aspirations Derailed? Is
the high school curriculum really preparing students for college?
No, according to Stanford U. researchers who issued a new report,
"Betraying the College Dream: How Disconnected K-12 and
Postsecondary Education Systems Undermine Student Aspirations."
For one thing, there is a disconnect between the test-calibrated
high school curriculum and the skills students need to succeed
in college, the researchers allege. That results in fewer students
capable of doing college-level work. You can find the complete
report at: www.stanford.edu/group/bridgeproject(.)
Helpful Web Addresses. To
help minority students locate scholarships and financial aid,
the U. S. Office of Personnel Management has launched a new web
site, called e-scholar at http://studentjobs.gov/e-scholar.htm
Also, take a look at these other helpful web addresses:
- www.wiredscholar.com
- www.TuitionPay.com
- www.fafsa.ed.gov
- www.FinancialAid.com
[back
to top]
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.).
|
|
In This Issue
Feature Article
Admissions Watch
Applications Surge Across the Nation
One State Spotcheck
THE COUNSELOR'S
CORNER
Finding
Tomorrow's Scholarships
NEWS YOU CAN USE
-People
Are Talking About...
-Early Advantage?
-New Harvard
Rules
-Western
Governors University Accredited
-Online Teachers'
College
-Do Smart
Students Help Roommates
-Aspirations
Derailed?
-Helpful
Web Addresses
To order Who Got
In? 2003 ($14.95) write COLLEGE BOUND, P.O. Box 6536, Evanston,
IL 60204 or
call 773-262-5810.
|
