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Vol. 20 No. 9
May 2006
Spring Admissions Watch...
"Most Difficult
Year Ever"
ANOTHER YEAR OF UNPREDICTABLE
OUTCOMES confronted college-bound students, their parents
and counselors. With a record high number of graduating high
school students, soaring rates of multiple applications and the
confusion surrounding the SAT scoring, anxiety and frustration
may also be at an all-time high. In fact, some observers were
calling it "the most difficult year ever" to gain admission
to a top-tier school.
To begin with, there are simply more students applying to
college. As the April 19, Chicago Sun-Times pointed out,
there are now 17 million college students, a 65 percent increase
since 1974 when fewer than half of high school graduates headed
on for more study. Now, nearly 65 percent or more pursue postsecondary
study. In addition, because of the increase in the use of technology,
multiple applications are multiplying even more than in the past.
IMPACTS LIMITED NUMBER
OF COLLEGES
But to keep things in perspective, the American Association
of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) noted
that the increases in applications and the competition for admissions
impacted but a limited number of colleges and that the increased
applications come primarily from a small pool of students.
For example, in 2002, the Education Conservancy found that
one-quarter of the total number of applications was sent to the
156 most selective colleges. (This is out of a pool of some 3,500
postsecondary institutions.) Those are the colleges that accepted
fewer than half of their applicants. Indeed, only about 26 accept
fewer than 25 percent.
Also, the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute found that
just 25 percent of 2005 freshmen applied to six or more colleges.
WHERE ADMISSIONS BECOMES
MORE COMPLEX
Many outside observers believe that students with
the highest test scores and grades should be automatic winners
in the "admissions game." But Lee Stetson, dean of
admissions at the U. of Pennsylvania which accepted a little
less than 18 percent of this year's applicants, told USA Today
April 10 that decisions at colleges and universities like his
are much more complex.
"Each school has its own priorities," he noted.
"What we consider a well-rounded class might be different"
from other schools. Stetson described the process of selecting
a small class from a large pool of qualified students to be "subjective,
but not capricious."
Meanwhile, MSNBC pointed out recently that research seems
to suggest that 20 years later, graduating from a prestigious
college makes little difference in terms of income.
EARLY RETURNS FROM WIDE
VARIETY OF COLLEGES
Keeping all that in mind, here are profiles of 47
schools this admissions season.
Anderson College. As of April 1, this South Carolina
Christian college of 1,200 plus students received 1,300 freshman
applications, up over the 1,070 applications at the same time
last year.
Binghamton University. This State U. of New York school
broke all records for freshman applications with close to 23,000
students applying for just 2,150 places in the first-year class.
Binghamton also recorded a significant jump in the number of
African-American and Hispanic applications. The nursing program
attracted strong numbers, and Binghamton saw a "small but
welcome interest" in computer science, "which has been
on the downswing nationally the past few years," said Gail
Glover, director of media relations. About 20,800 prospective
freshmen and transfer students visited campus in 2004-05, an
18 percent increase over the previous year.
Bowdoin College. It was another record year at Bowdoin
C. in Maine. Just over 5,400 students applied this year, and
22 percent were accepted, down from 24.3 percent last year. The
Bowdoin Orient, the "oldest continuously published college
newspaper," reported that the housing crunch on campus contributed
to fewer acceptances. The target size for the class of 2010 is
480 students, according to Dick Steele, dean of admissions. "We're
going to be doing a lot of activity with the wait list, I think,"
he added.
The much-publicized problems with the SAT had marginal impact
at Bowdoin. Nineteen applicants had revised scores sent to the
college before decisions were issued. "We went through every
case and looked at it again," Steele explained. "Most
of the score changes we looked at, with one exception, were pretty
small and it was pretty clear the decisions did not have to be
reversed."
Brown University. Applications to Brown U. were up
by 8 percent this year. A total of 18,313 students submitted
applications, but only 13.8 percent were accepted, the lowest
percentage in the school's history and down from 14.6 percent
last year.
Claremont McKenna College. The California school accepted
just 21 percent of its 3,588 applicants.
Clemson University. As of March 31, Clemson U. in South
Carolina, had attracted 12,610 applications, a 3 percent increase
over last year at the same time. And some 6,604 had already been
accepted. The rejection rate was up 7 percent over last year,
Robert Barkley, Clemson's admissions director told the Anderson
Independent Mail.
College of the Holy Cross. This year, the C. of the
Holy Cross in Massachusetts received a record 6,700 applications,
a staggering 41 percent increase, according to Ann B. McDermott,
director of admissions. Early applications also were up by 200
over last year. Holy Cross will enroll about 730 new students.
Columbia College in New York. The class of 2010 at
this Ivy League school in New York City is the second most competitive
in its history. Its School for Engineering and Applied Sciences
and Barnard College also attracted record number of applicants,
according to the Columbia Spectator. Over all, Columbia
received 17,148 applicants and 1,653, or 9.1 percent, were accepted,
down from 10.7 percent last year. Early admissions drew 1,956
applicants, 23.2 percent of whom were admitted. Only 7.9 percent
of regular admissions applicants were accepted. Barnard C.
received 4,587 applicants and accepted about 25 percent,
1,350 students.
Even though there is a new SAT, Columbia continued to evaluate
scores based on the old 1600 point scale.
Cornell University. Admission to this Ivy League school
for the fall of 2006 was the toughest in its history. A record
28,097 students applied, an increase of 35 percent in just two
years. And 24.7 percent, or 6,927, of these students were admitted,
according to Doris Davis, associate provost for admission and
enrollment. About 2,688 students were placed on Cornell's wait
list, up from last year. Minority students represent about 36
percent of those offered a spot in the class of 2010, up 2 percent
from last year.
Dartmouth University. This year Dartmouth received
a record 13,937, an increase of 9.3 percent over last year. Only
15 percent were accepted, compared to 17 percent last year. The
new class will include 1,075 students.
Fort Lewis College. The Durango Herald reports
that, "enrollment continues to decline at the public liberal
arts college," even though tuition will increase just 2.5
percent to $13,191 per year for out-of-staters. The college,
located in Durango, Colorado, now enrolls 3,651 and would like
5,000. (An opportunity for some students interested in Colorado?)
Johns Hopkins University received some 13,400 applications,
up by 23 percent over last year, and accepted 3,232, or about
27 percent, down from last year's 35 percent of 11,278. "The
freshman class is going to be amazing," John Latting, director
of undergraduate admissions, told The JHU Gazette.
Knox College. Applications are up 17.2 percent above
last year and deposits are up 2.4 percent over the same time
last year. "We believe there are several factors, including
growing interest in the benefits of a liberal arts education
and the particular advantages of undergraduate colleges like
Knox, where classes are small and scholar-teachers actively engage
students in the process of learning," said Paul Steenis,
vice president for enrollment and dean of admission at the Galesburg,
Illinois, college.
Steenis also credits Knox's inclusion with 40 liberal arts
colleges in Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope.
"There is also nationwide awareness of Knox's new 'test-optional'
policy-that applicants are no longer required to submit SAT or
ACT scores," Steenis said. "At the same, time students
applying to Knox are as academically strong as ever."
Middlebury College. A record 6,200 students applied
this year for just 560 places in the class of 2010, an increase
of 18 percent over last year's pool. Just 24 percent of applicants
received letters of admission. Dean of Admissions Robert Clagett
attributed the significant increase to Middlebury's "commitment
to programs such as environmental studies, international studies
and foreign languages." Eighty percent of students applying
to Middlebury applied on line this year. Middlebury also saw
a 24 percent increase from Hispanic applicants and a 14 percent
increase in international applicants.
Northwestern University. This Big 10 university attracted
18,419 applicants for the class of 2010, up 13 percent over last
year. Forty students were affected by the SAT problems, but scores
were altered by no more than 30 points. NU accepted slightly
more than 5,200. Since NU recently adopted the Common Application
currently used by 276 colleges, it expects its application numbers
to continue climbing.
In the State of Pennsylvania. Applications at Delaware
Valley College in Doylestown are up considerably over the
last four years. The school had 1,728 apps and accepted 1,212
students. Lehigh U. applications are up 30 percent over
the last five years. According to Eric Kaplan, dean, "Students
who were admitted several years ago would have a more difficult
time being admitted this year." And applications at Wilkes
U. in Wilkes-Barre are up 9.4 percent. "We are not using
a wait list," said Mike Frantz, vice president. "We
assume that students have applied to more institutions, are not
completing applications due to the ease of online applications
and, as a result, yield will be down."
Princeton University. Princeton U. attracted a record
17,563 students for the class of 2010, or 6 percent more than
last year. In the end, 10 percent, or 1,792 students, were offered
admission, down from last year's 11 percent and 12 percent a
decade ago.
Roanoke College. The Salem, Virginia, school is anticipating
another record freshman class with its sixth straight record
year of applications. Some 3,121 applications had been received
by April 24. Roanoke will likely have "the second lowest
acceptance rate in the college's history," according to
Paul Schroeder, director of admissions. "Just over 71 percent
of our applicants will be admitted." Some 150 students are
wait listed and the majority of the new class will be from out-of-state.
Seton Hall University. "This year, Seton Hall
U. experienced a 4 percent increase in applications over 2005,"
according to Bob Herr, director of admission. "To date we
have admitted approximately 75 percent of those students who
applied. Additionally, we offered a place on our waiting list
to 16 percent of our applicants, or about 850 students. Some
of those students have already been offered admission to Seton
Hall. Our applicant pool was much more geographically diverse
this year, with students applying from 47 states and 10 countries.
We did see an increase in students applying earlier in November
and December."
Swarthmore College. Only 897 of the 4,850 students
who applied this year were admitted to Swarthmore. Applications
were up 19 percent and only 18 percent of all of them gained
entrance, down from 22 percent last year. A record 428 applied
early decision and 156 of them were accepted. Jim Bock, dean
of admissions, told the school's paper, The Phoenix, that
the school's commitment to social justice appealed to many applicants,
as indicated in their essays.
University of California System. The 10 campuses of
the UC system accepted a record 55,242 applicants, 10 percent
more than last year. It offered a slot to every California high
school graduate who applied and met the system's minimum requirement.
Offers went to 6,143 out-of-state and international students.
For the first time ever, Asian-American students were the
largest ethnic group, making up 36 percent of those offered admission.
They represent 11 percent of California high school graduates.
The percentage of Caucasians declined from 37 percent to just
below 36 percent. The number of Latino students climbed from
14 percent in 1997 to 18 percent this year. The number of African-American
students offered admission is 3.4 percent, down from a high of
3.8 percent. The number of accepted males rose from below 43
percent to just above 43 percent. About one third of the admitted
students come from "low-income" families, defined as
$40,000 a year and below.
University of Maryland. This year Maryland admitted
10,200 potential freshmen from about 22,000 applicants, a 5 percent
increase in those applying, and had current students call them
all to encourage them to attend. It will enroll about 4,000 of
them. Director of undergraduate admissions Barbara Gill told
Diamondback Online that in her 20 years on the job she
couldn't remember a year of such "raw" emotion. "It
has reached a level of intensity that creates a lot of stress,
not only for us, but the families."
University of Pennsylvania. Penn accepted 3,622 of
its 20,479 applicants; 13.8 percent of its regular applicants
and 28 percent of those who applied early decision. More students
were wait listed this year as well, about 800 compared to 500
last year. The number of admitted minority students soared from
39.2 percent last year to 44.4 percent this year. Nearly 7 percent
are athletes, in accordance with Ivy League restrictions. And
legacies comprised 10.8 percent of the total, according to the
student newspaper, the Daily Pennsylvanian.
University of South Carolina. As of April 1, South
Carolina had accepted more than 8,000 of its 14,000 applications,
a number which rose by 7 percent over 2005. The university hopes
to enroll a freshman class of 3,500.
University of Wyoming. Applications from in-state students
were up 11 percent, thanks to a new Hathaway Scholarship passed
by the legislature this past winter. Noah Buckley, UW admissions
director, told the Associated Press that enrollment had been
stagnant or slightly decreasing in recent years before the legislature
provided a new incentive. About 52 percent of Wyoming high school
graduates immediately enter college.
In the Washington D.C. Area: Other acceptance rates:
Georgetown U. admitted 22 percent of its 15,042 applicants;
George Washington U. accepted 36 percent of its 19,250
applicants, down from 37.5 percent of last year's 19,406; Howard
U. admitted about 44 percent of its nearly 10,000 applicants;
Trinity C. in Washington D. C. saw its number of applicants
double from last year, increasing from 300 to 600; the U.
of Virginia admitted 36 percent of its 16,252 applicants,
a seven-year low.
In the State of Washington. As of early April, in-state
applications to several Washington universities showed an unexpected
decline. At Evergreen State U., the number of applicants
was off last year's pace by nearly 17 percent. This is the first
time since the late 1990s that the school has experienced any
drop off, after 17 continuous quarters of record applicants.
Evergreen State has a rolling admissions system, and many students
may be waiting later this year to apply. Also, application fees
have increased by $12. And, the demographic increase of high
school students may have peaked.
At Western Washington U., in-state applications fell
by 7 percent. However, at the U. of Washington in Seattle
in-state applications are even with last year and transfer applications
from Washington community colleges have fallen by nearly 5 percent.
But applications from all sources increased by 4.5 percent.
Wesleyan University. Applications to Wesleyan U. in
Connecticut increased by 5 percent this year to 7,240, according
to The Wesleyan Argus, the student newspaper. The school
admitted 1,950, expecting 720 to matriculate. Wesleyan accepted
290 students through early decision from 670 applications. The
median SAT scores for admitted students increased from 700 to
710 on both the math and verbal tests. The university reported
that 36 percent of its applicants are "students of color."
Worcester Polytechnic Institute. As a result of special
outreach to women and minorities interested in science and technology,
applications at Worcester Polytechnic I. in Massachusetts are
up nearly 50 percent this year.
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THE COUNSELOR'S
CORNER
The New Carnegie
Classifications of Colleges
THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION
FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHING in Stanford, California,
began announcing the results of its newly-revised system of classification
of U.S. higher education institutions. The original framework
of the classification was created in 1970 as a way to differentiate
colleges and universities for research purposes. But it has also
been used over the years for other purposes such as the U.S.
News and World Report rankings and other guide books.
"The basic classification has been changed because the
higher education landscape has become increasingly complex and
multifaceted," said Lee S. Shulman, president of the foundation.
But Alexander C. McCormick, director of the classification project,
added, "The goal of the current revision remains the same.
It is a way to group roughly comparable institutions into meaningful,
analytically manageable categories to allow researchers to make
reasonable comparisons among 'similar' institutions."
The number of institutions categorized by Carnegie has increased
from 3,856 in 2000 to the current 4,321. The data used to make
the classifications is derived from information from the U.S.
Department of Education, the National Science Foundation and
the College Board.
The revised classification begins with the category that enrolls
the most students, "associate's colleges." While much
of the focus of rankings has been over research institutions,
Carnegie notes that about 40 percent of the nation's college
students enroll in two-year colleges.
Also new are web site tools that will enable users to manipulate
the new classifications and make comparisons of institutions
according to different criteria.
Below are summaries of the various groupings:
1. Associate's Colleges. The system begins by identifying
"Associate's Colleges," with 14 subcategories: Public
rural-serving institutions: small, of which there are 128 across
the nation; medium, of which there are 310; large, of which there
are 144; Public suburban-serving single campus, of which there
are 112; Public suburban-serving multi-campus, of which there
are 97; Public urban-serving single campus, of which there are
32; Public urban-serving multi-campus, of which there are 152;
Public special use, of which there are 14; Private nonprofit,
of which there are 110; Private for-profit, of which there are
516; Public two-year under four-year universities, of which there
are 55; Public four-year primarily associate's, of which there
are 18; Private nonprofit four-year primarily associate's, of
which there are 19; and Private for-profit four-year primarily
associate's, of which there are 70.
2. Research Institutions. The second Carnegie category
is "Research Institutions," with three subcategories:
Research universities (very high research activity), of which
there are 94; Research universities (high research activity),
of which there are 102; and Doctoral/research universities, of
which there are 82.
3. Master's Colleges and Universities. The third Carnegie
category is "Master's Colleges and Universities," with
three subcategories: Large programs, of which there are 349;
Medium programs, of which there are 203; and smaller programs,
of which there are 143.
4. Baccalaureate Colleges. The fourth Carnegie category
is "Baccalaureate Colleges," with three subcategories:
Arts and sciences, of which there are 265; Diverse fields, of
which there are 345; and Baccalaureate/associate's colleges,
of which there are 120.
5. Special-Focus Institutions. The fifth Carnegie category
is "Special-focus Institutions," with nine subcategories:
Faith-related, of which there are 314; Medical, of which there
are 57; Other health, of which there are 128; Engineering, of
which there are 8; Other technology, of which there are 57; Business,
of which there are 68; Art/music/design, of which there are 106;
Law, of which there are 32; and other, of which there are 39.
There is a "Miscellaneous" category with three subcategories:
Tribal colleges, of which there are 32; Classification pending,
of which there are 1; and "Not Classified," of which
there are 60 that did not submit adequate information for classification.
The list of which schools are grouped under which category
can be found at www.carnegiefoundation.org.
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COUNSELOR'S BOOKSHELF
People are Talking About... The Fortune Small
Business March 2006 issue recognized "10 Cool Colleges
for Entrepreneurs." The leaders? DePaul U., Florida International
U., Harvard U., Howard U., Simmons C., Sitting Bull C., U. of
Arizona, U. of Colorado, U. of Texas and the U. of Rochester.
Hispanic magazine's March issue named the 25 colleges
best for Hispanics. Academic excellence was considered, also
other factors such as Hispanic enrollment, cultural programs,
organizations and support for Hispanic students and percentage
of Hispanic faculty. Top ten: Harvard U., Princeton U., Amherst
C., Yale, U. of Pennsylvania, Stanford U., Pomona C., M.I.T.,
Columbia U. and Dartmouth.
"At Decision Time, Colleges Lay on the Charm"
ran April 26 in The New York Times and profiled the attempts
college admissions officers make to convince admitted students
to enroll in their schools. The "wooing" efforts noted
included a "Ride the Tide" event-laden tour at Swarthmore
C., or "Air Denison" which pays half the airfare for
any admitted student outside of Ohio who wants to visit Denison
U. in Granville, Ohio.
Jay Mathews provided some levity with "10 Antidotes
to College-Application Anxiety" in The Washington Post
April 25.
Robin Raskin's new book Parent's Guide to College
Life provides "181 straight answers" to common
questions parents ask; released by The Princeton Review end of
March, $13.95; ISBN 0-375-76494-1.
New Test Preps. Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions has
launched a new series of downloadable "podcasts" on
issues of high-stakes entrance exams, financial aid, admissions
issues, workplace recruiting and related topics. The audio clips
can be downloaded to iPods at www.kaptest.com.
The first series of clips has focused on the LSAT, but future
segments will focus on the SAT and other topics.
"SAT Test Express" includes an SAT Book and
3 practice tests on a CD; from ARCO; $14.95; ISBN 0-7689-2024-8.
Barron's has released "Picture These SAT Words
in a Flash," 200 vocabulary flash cards with cartoons and
"an amusing pun;" $14.99; ISBN 0-7641-7921-7.
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STATE NEWS
Minnesota Pell Match. A new Founders Opportunity
Award program at the U. of Minnesota will match the amount of
Pell Grant money that in-state, low-income students receive from
the federal government. At its Twin Cities flagship campus, tuition
has soared by 70 percent in the past five years. Minnesota expects
the new scholarships will cost about $21 million and will make
its "commitment to preserving access as strong as that of
any institution in the country."
Calling
All New England Majors. The New England Board of Higher Education
has issued its annual Regional Student Program Apple Book that
enables residents of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island and Vermont to enroll in approved majors at public
colleges and universities in other New England states and receive
an out-of-state tuition break. Residents are eligible for the
tuition break if a major is not offered in their state. For info,
www.nebhe.org.
Competing
with the Best. The U. of Illinois' new strategic plan calls
for increasing out-of-state and international student enrollment
by almost 8 percent as a way of boosting the institution's quality
and tuition coffers. Illinois will seek "to compete for
the best students in the state, the nation and the world."
The report also recommended a tuition increase of "at least
60 percent" over the next five years to $11,300 in order
to off-set loss of state and federal funding. New $1,500 merit
scholarships could help in the recruitment. Release of the report
at the same time that many Illinois student applicants were being
turned away, caused anger among some parents, the Chicago
Sun-Times reported.
Closing
Gaps. Another report, "Closing the Expectations Gap
2006," from Achieve Inc., based in Washington D.C., observed
that 35 states have made some strides towards aligning their
high school curricula with college standards and better preparing
them for the rigors of college study, although they all have
a long way to go.
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COLLEGE BOUND's Publisher/Editor: R. Craig
Sautter, DePaul University; Chief Operating Officer: Sally
Reed; Circulation: Irma Gonzalez-Hider; Illustration:
Louis Coronel; Board of Advisors: David Breeden,
Edina High School, Minnesota; 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; M. Fredric Volkmann,
Washington University in St. Louis; Mary Ann Willis, Bayside
Academy (Daphne, Ala.).
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In This Issue
Feature Articles
"Most Difficult Year Ever"
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
-The
New Carnegie
Classifications of Colleges
COUNSELOR'S
BOOKSHELF
-People
Are Talking About...
STATE NEWS
-Minnesota
Pell Match
-Calling
All New England
Majors
-Competing
with the Best
-Closing
Gaps
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