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Vol. 21 No. 9
May 2007
Admissions Watch
Acceptance Rate 'Brutal'
at Many Colleges
This month CB looks inside admissions offices
coast to coast to see how they handled the record number of 2007
student applications.
Acceptance Rate at Bowdoin C. Lowest in History. According
to The Bowdoin Orient, "Bill Shain could only describe
the admissions process for the Class of 2011-his first as dean
of admissions and financial aid at Bowdoin-by saying that to
call the process 'stressful' would be an understatement."
Bowdoin reported an admit rate this year of 18.5 percent,
with 16 percent admitted in the regular round. "That's brutal,"
said Shain. The acceptance rate for the previous class was 20.6
percent. The number of first-year applications for fall 2007
increased by 10 percent. But there were fewer spots. Just 1,105
students were admitted. Last year, 1,170 students were offered
a place at Bowdoin.
Bowdoin said it saw increases in the number of students coming
from public schools, the number of students from the Mid-Atlantic
region and the West and the number of minority students. While
30 percent more African American and Latino students were admitted
this year over last, fewer Asian American students were admitted
than last year. "We've only been working hard towards becoming
multicultural in the last five years, and it's taken about that
long to really develop relationships with schools and agencies,"
said Shain.
Also, 573 men were admitted, compared to 532 women. "Our
yield of women has kept going up the last few years, which leads
to a disproportion," said Shain. "We don't want to
have less than 48 percent of either gender because it would impact
housing, academic programs, and it would change the way people
relate to one another on campus."
Carnegie Mellon Sees an "Amazing Increase."
Some 22,052 students applied for 1,360 freshman slots at Carnegie
Mellon U. in Pittsburgh, an increase of 3,559 applications, or
19 percent, above last year. "It's an amazing increase really,"
said Mike Steidel, director of admissions. According to a university
survey, 47 percent of current freshmen cited Carnegie Mellon's
ranking in national magazines as "very important" and
82 percent cited the university's academic reputation. Steidel
also attributed the record number of applications to the use
of the Common Application.
College of William and Mary Admits "Diverse Class."
According to the W&M News, the C. of William and Mary
accepted a record number of first-generation college students
among its admitted students for the Class of 2011, increasing
from 331 last year to 375 this year. Said Earl T. Granger, associate
provost for enrollment, this is "one of the most diverse
classes in the College's history."
W&M received a record 10,845 applications this year. Letters
of acceptance were recently mailed to 3,577 students, including
938 students of color, compared to 945 last year. Of those offered
admission this year, 270 are African American, 375 are Asian
Americans, 258 are Hispanic Americans and 35 are Native Americans.
W&M News said that the SAT scores for admitted
students were identical to last year. The middle 50th percentile
on the SAT was 1310-1470. Additionally, 87 percent of the admitted
students this year who have a rank in class are ranked in the
top 10 percent of their high school classes, an increase over
last year.
The college expects to enroll 1,350 freshmen in the fall.
Among those: a high school senior living in a group home with
a dream of becoming a pediatric neurosurgeon; a student who founded
an organization that raised $40,000 for breast cancer research;
a student who races steam engine locomotives at a local historical
society; a student who organized a game between the Philadelphia
Eagles and his school faculty members; a banjo player; a female
captain of a men's golf team and a real estate appraiser.
Emory Accepts Lower Percentage of Applicants. A record
number of applications for its incoming 2011 class led Emory
to admit around 26 percent of the applicants, a 5.5 percent drop
from last year and a 10 percent decrease in the last three years,
according to The Emory Wheel. Interim Dean of Admissions
Jean Jordan said the selection process had been "much tougher"
than before, with "a larger group of applicants, an academically
stronger group of applicants in every way-geographically, ethnically
and in terms of their interests, experiences and backgrounds."
Daniel Walls, now assistant vice provost for enrollment management,
noted that the university's newly revamped, need-based financial
aid package called Emory Advantage had a positive impact. Also
"subjective information (essays, recommendations, leadership,
potential contributions to the Emory community, etc.) have come
to play a much more critical role in selection," he told
the Wheel. "Each year, there are students offered
admission who may not have 'all the numbers,' but who demonstrate
other impressive characteristics and who gain admission. Conversely,
there are candidates with high test scores and grade point averages
who are not offered admission."
Fairfield U. According to The Fairfield Mirror,
the office of undergraduate admissions at Fairfield U. in Connecticut
accepted 1,924 males and 2,661 females out of 8,548 applications.
The average SAT score was 574 verbal, 589 math and 598 writing.
President Fr. Jeffrey von Arx said that the Class of 2011 "will
begin to see the results of our strategic plan, especially a
more integrated experience of living and learning."
Harvard C. admitted only 9 percent of its record 22,955
applications, or 2,058 students. And, Princeton U. had
its second-lowest acceptance rate in history at 9.6 percent.
"Massachusetts Colleges Send Out Record Numbers of
Rejection Letters." That's according to a report in
the The Boston Globe, which said that "Many Massachusetts
colleges that had long accepted students unlikely to make the
cut for an Ivy League school are sending record numbers of rejection
letters this year."
The reasons: According to the paper, "applicant pools,
like those at the elite colleges, are swelling from a population
boom of high school students. Not only are more students graduating
from high school, a greater percentage are applying to college.
And, worried about being turned down, students are applying to
more schools, further intensifying the competition."
Other Massachusetts stats:
Northeastern U. said "Yes" to 39 percent
of its 30,000 applicants, compared with 85 percent 12 years ago.
UMass-Amherst accepted 62 percent of 28,000 applicants
this year, compared with 73 percent of 18,000 applicants 10 years
ago. The average grade-point average of the admitted students
is 3.6, compared with 3.1 a decade ago.
Boston C. accepted 27 percent of its 28,800 applicants
this year, compared with 39 percent a decade ago, when roughly
12,000 fewer students applied. The SAT scores of freshmen have
climbed an average 20 to 30 points during the past decade, with
students now scoring in the 700s on the math and verbal sections.
The number of graduating high school seniors in Massachusetts
is expected to peak next year at 68,300, roughly 20,000 more
than in the mid-1990s, when the boom began.
But Tufts Says Its Incoming Class "Looks Like its
Predecessor." The incoming Class of 2011 will not differ
greatly from its predecessor, according to The Tufts Daily.
Tufts accepted 27 percent of this year's applicant pool, the
same as last year. It is expecting a freshman class between 1,275
and 1,285, as usual. The number of applications remained steady
with 15,381 applicants. The mean SAT score did increase seven
points from 1433 to 1440. There were more applications from California
by almost seven percent while those from Massachusetts declined
by six percent. There was also a 26 percent increase in African
American applicants this year.
According to Tufts officials, "We visited more schools
in urban areas, with a particular emphasis on Boston; joined
more organizations that counsel under-represented students toward
college access; hosted the largest-ever fall Telescope event;
and conducted more direct outreach to these students." Also,
its new Kaleidoscope initiative, which offers extra, optional
essays designed to assess the "creativity, practical intelligence,
analytical reasoning and wisdom" of applicants added a new
dimension to the admissions process.
Ohio Colleges Receive Record Number of Apps. That's
according to the Associated Press which attributed the increase
in applications from high school seniors taking advantage of
online forms that have made the application process easier than
ever. And, statewide, Ohio also has a growing number of high
school graduates, which also helped drive up the number of college
applications.
Miami U. received 16,000 applications, up three percent
from last year, for a projected class size of 3,400. Ohio
U. received 13,000, a two percent increase, for 4,100 freshmen.
West Coast Small Colleges No Longer "Safe Bets."
That's according to an article from The San Francisco Chronicle
which said a number of private colleges in California are posting
record low admission rates this year. "No one knows exactly
what happened, but it appears that a confluence of factors is
at work, including a growing population of high-school graduates,
a willingness of parents to pony up for a private education and
an increase in the number of applications sent by individual
students as they hedge their bets," the paper said.
For example, 10 years ago Pitzer C. accepted 65 of
every 100 applicants. This year, it took 26 students out of every
100, down from 38 in 100 just last year. Average SAT scores increased,
from 1206 last year to 1323 (on verbal and math tests) this year.
At Pomona C., 90 percent in Top 10 percent. Applications
to Pomona C. were up nine percent from last year, a total of
5,907 with an acceptance rate of 15.8 percent, according to The
Student Life. Said Bruce Poch, vice president and dean of
admissions, community service records as well as extra-curricular
involvement played a major role in this year's admissions decisions.
Over 25 percent of those accepted are valedictorians. Ninety
percent of those accepted were in the top 10 percent of their
class and had an ACT composite score of 33, and SAT scores averaging
740 in math, 750 in critical reading and 740 in writing. The
admissions rate dropped to 15.8 percent from 17.7 percent.
Santa Clara U. turned away 41 percent of applicants,
up from 34 percent last year. The school's accepted students
had stronger academic records than last year. "Our wait
list of 2,000 is the largest ever," said Sandra Hayes, vice
provost for enrollment management.
Stanford U., faced with a record number of applicants,
reported it could have filled its incoming class four times over
with those who achieved grade-point averages of 4.0 or greater,
according to admissions director Richard H. Shaw. Stanford admitted
10.3 percent of students, slightly lower than last year's 10.9
percent acceptance rate.
U. of California Rejects Record Number. According to
the San Jose Mercury News, the U. of California's top
campuses rejected a record number of applicants, "reflecting
a nationwide trend that made 2007 the most competitive year ever
for students seeking slots at elite universities," it said.
"Admissions officers say the reason for the cutthroat
competition is simple: There are more smart kids than available
seats because of the bumper crop of 'Echo Boomers,' the children
of baby boomers."
- At UC-Berkeley, six of 10 applicants with a 4.0 grade-point
average or above were turned away. The paper reported that "the
steep competition surprised thousands of applicants."
However, UC admission offers for black and Latino students
increased by at least 10 percent. Historically underrepresented
students-blacks, American Indians and Latinos-comprised nearly
23 percent of fall 2007 admits, up from 22 percent for fall 2006.
At Berkeley, where the class size grew slightly but the number
of applications grew even more, 23.2 percent of all applicants
were accepted, down slightly from 23.6 percent in 2006. UC-Berkeley's
admitted class includes a student who danced with a ballet academy
in Salzburg, Austria; several nationally-ranked debaters; a member
of the U.S. Junior Olympic Water Polo team; a nationally-ranked
chess player and several members of a high school team that won
the first place in the American Computer Science League All-Star
Contest.
- UCLA accepted 20.6 percent of its applicants, down
from 22.2 percent last year. At UCLA, 18 percent of underrepresented
students of color were admitted, up from 15.2 percent last year.
This was the first year that UCLA used a "holistic approach"
for reviewing applications, which looks at a student's achievement
in the context of his or her high school. "The more individualized
application review-modeled after an approach that Berkeley has
been using for several years-is designed to value the high-achieving
student from Compton as much as the one from Cupertino,"
the Mercury News said.
- UC Davis admitted 59 percent of applicants, down
from 68 percent last year. (In March, CB reported that
UC Davis received 35,088 applications.)
U. of Michigan Has Record Year. The admit rate at the
U. of Michigan fell to 45 percent from 47 percent after a record
number of applications-27,000-for a targeted enrollment of 5,400
freshmen for fall 2007.
U. of Washington Received More Apps, Accepted Fewer.
High school seniors hoping to go to the U. of Washington next
fall faced the toughest competition for admissions in years,
as the university accepted 62 percent of the more than 17,719
applicants for the fall freshman class. Philip Ballinger, director
of admissions, said the university received 7 percent more applications
and accepted fewer students than last year, hoping to enroll
a smaller class. The university aims for a freshman class of
5,300, but this year's freshman class was larger than expected
at 5,438. The university sent letters of acceptance to 11,000
students this spring, 200 fewer than last year.
"We weren't able to admit a lot of really good students,
and that's tough on families, to be sure," Ballinger said.
Those admitted to UW this year had an average grade-point average
of about 3.75 and a SAT math and critical reading standardized
test score of 1251. Last year's admit pool had a 3.69 GPA and
a 1231 SAT. This is the second year that UW has used a holistic
approach to review freshman applications, taking into account
a student's course load, extracurricular activities and socio-economic
status, in addition to grades and test scores.
Students in the 2007 freshman class are the first to be eligible
for the new "Husky Promise," which guarantees tuition
and fees for the school's neediest students.
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REMINDER: Last Minute Openings
Two organizations post last-minute openings for fall 2007.
Both expect their lists to be available mid-May. See NACAC's
20th Annual Space Availability Survey. Members can report vacancies
in the freshman and transfer classes as of May 1. Contact research@nacac.com for more
information or see www.nacacnet.org
. Also, the New England Board of Higher Education will be posting
vacancies for that region. See, www.nebhe.org.
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THE COUNSELOR'S
CORNER
Curriculum Capsules
AS ONE SCHOOL YEAR
WRAPS UP, colleges plan for the fall. This month, CB
takes a look at new programs recently announced on a variety
of campuses across the country that may interest the next crop
of college-bound students.
New Ed School. Binghamton U., of the State University
of New York system has divided its School of Education and Human
Development into a new School of Education and a separate College
of Community and Public Affairs. The latter combines social work
and human development, and offers a Master's in Public Administration
program.
New Residential College. Michigan State U. is opening
a new Residential College in the Arts and Humanities fall of
2007. The first group of students has been admitted and new faculty
chosen. Existing residence halls have been renovated to include
classrooms, faculty offices, performance and gallery spaces and
a state-of-the-art dining facility. The new residential college
combines interdisciplinary study, personalized attention and
multiple learning opportunities. Students will be able to create
their own individualized programs that include literature, history,
ethics, the visual and performing arts, and the study of languages
and cultures. The RCAH, as it is being dubbed, will feature flexible
academic programming with visiting artists and scholars, community
service and engagement, artistic performances, study away, and
study abroad. For more info see, www.rcah.msu.edu/index.html.
Rollins C. in Florida will offer two new majors: "Critical
Media and Cultural Studies" and "Marine Biology."
(It also announced that SAT or ACT scores will be optional beginning
with the class entering in fall 2008.)
Hospitality at Mitchell C. In Connecticut, the Board
of Governors for Higher Education and Governor M. Jodi Rell approved
a new Bachelor's program in Hospitality and Tourism Management
at Mitchell C., a private coed college with 20 programs of study
and 800 students.
Applied Technology. The School of Applied Technology
at Alfred State C. in New York launches a new automotive parts
technology program in fall 2007. Students earn a two-year associate
degree in the applied science program and then matriculate into
a technology management (BBA) degree.
New Powerhouse. You've heard of the London School of
Economics. Now the French have founded a competing Paris School
of Economics, created through a coalition of six French universities,
with top faculty contributed from each. As a semi-private entity
authorized by the French government, the Paris School of Economics
will have greater flexibility to admit students and cut through
red tape. Currently, it enrolls 300 M.A. and Ph.D. students and
hopes to expand to 1,000.
MIT Middle East. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology
has signed on to create a new high-tech research institute in
Abu Dhabi, to be called Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.
"This is an effort to assist Abu Dhabi in creating a homegrown,
graduate-level institution focused on areas of engineering and
science that are important to the world," MIT's chancellor
told The Chronicle of Higher Education. It plans to start
admitting graduate students by 2009.
What's New In Nursing?
- Nursing in Iowa. Addressing the shortage of nurses nationwide,
Wartburg C. has joined Allen College of Nursing in Waterloo,
Iowa, to create a new nursing curriculum for Wartburg students.
Wartburg's biology and nursing faculty joined administrators
at Allen to design the new program with an option of three different
degrees, according to the Wartburg Trumpet.
- Dual Admission at Buffalo. The U. at Buffalo and Jamestown
Community C. agreed to offer a new program in nursing with JCC's
applied associate of science degree in nursing and UB's bachelor
of science degree in nursing with the RN track.
- Nursing in Florida. Responding to the extreme need for more
nurses, Miami Dade C. in Florida also has approved a new four-year
bachelor's degree program in nursing. The school plans to accept
30 students in the spring of 2008, and will eventually enroll
150 students at its medical campus. Florida's other colleges
reject about 60 percent of their bachelor's degree nursing applicants.
So Miami Dade C., the nation's largest community college, decided
to take up the slack. Nursing is MDC's third four-year program.
In 2003, it began offering four-year education degrees, and last
year, public safety management degrees.
- Pennsylvania to Improve Nursing Education. Carlow, Drexel,
LaSalle, Messiah, Villanova and U. of Pittsburgh are among the
colleges awarded $3.6 million in grants to improve nursing education
and help ease the nursing shortage.
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COUNSELOR'S
BOOKSHELF
FastWeb College Gold: The Step-by-Step Guide to Paying
for College, by Mark Kantrowitz with Doug Hardy, includes
information on finding and winning scholarships, financial aid
myths and what scholarship winners have in common (diligence
among other qualities); available from Collins; ISBN-13: 978-0-06-112958-2;
$21.95.
How to Survive Getting into College by "Hundreds
of Students Who Did" and Rachel Korn, special editor; states
it has 631 tips and 40 ways to get organized among other advice;
from Hundreds of Heads Books, LLC; ISBN-10: 1-933512-05-9, $13.95;
www.hundedsofheads.com.
Also, while we are at it: How to Survive Your Freshman
Year (ISBN-10: 1-933512-04-0, $13.95) and How to Get A's
in College (ISBN-10: 1-933512-08-3, $14.95); from Hundreds
of Heads Books, LLC, www.hundredsofheads.com.
Millennials Go to College, second edition, by Neil
Howe and William Strauss; includes "new issues" and
"the intensification of trends" identified in the first
edition four years ago; available from LifeCourse Associates;
ISBN: 978-0-9712606-1-0, $59.
The Power of Privilege: Yale and America's Elite Colleges
by Joseph A. Soares (Stanford University Press) is hot off the
press and "examines the nexus between social class and admissions
at America's top colleges from the vantage point of Yale U;"
ISBN: 0804756384, $19.95.
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NEWS
YOU CAN USE
States Shrugging Reform Responsibilities? Many
states "have done a mediocre job of establishing rigorous
standards in key subject areas," charges a new report from
the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. "Leaders and Laggards: A
State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness"
found only 10 states received an "A" for college and
workforce preparation: Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and
Virginia. Another 10 states received an "F": Alabama,
Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New
Mexico, Oregon and Tennessee. See the entire report at http://www.uschamber.com)
High
Paid? Where does all that tuition money go? At many schools,
the president is pulling down a hefty pay check. Here are the
top 10 public institutions in terms of what they pay their presidents:
The U. of Delaware, $979,571; Purdue U., $880,950; U. of Virginia,
$752,772; U. of Washington, $752,700; U. of Michigan, $742,148;
U. of Texas, $741,894; U. of Florida, $730,676; Georgia State
U., $701,524; U. of Colorado at Denver, $697,500 and U. of Central
Florida, $684,000.
Adults
Pay Cash. Half of all adult students pay for their own education,
if they don't have course reimbursement from their employer.
Only 28 percent of adult students surveyed rely upon federal
student loans; 22 percent depend upon scholarships according
to "Assessing Consumer Preferences for Adult, Continuing,
and Professional Education: Financing and Tuition Assistance
in Adult Learners," an Eduventures, Inc. report.
High
Flyers. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical U. in Prescott, Arizona,
is offering a substantial number of new scholarships of up to
$10,000 a year to financially and academically qualified students
who enroll in its Applied Meteorology or Aeronautical Science
programs. Funded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) new
Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM), Embry-Riddle is looking for qualified students from Upward
Bound/Math Science Regional Centers and other low-income, high
skilled students. Call Debra Cates in the office of admissions
at 800-888-3728 for more details.
New
Index for Doctoral Programs. Due to the academic world's
frustration over unscientific or non-annual standards for measuring
doctoral programs, a new Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index
has been prepared to examine faculty members' number of journal
articles published, as well as awards, citations, honors and
grants received. Ivy League programs are not necessarily ranked
at the top.
Overall, leaders among the top 10 large research universities
were: Harvard, California Institute of Technology, U. of California
at San Francisco, M.I.T, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, Washington U.
in St. Louis, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins and Duke. Among small
research universities, the top ten were: DePaul, San Diego State,
Bryn Mawr, Wright State, U Alaska at Fairbanks, U. Massachusetts
at Boston, Clarkson, C. of William and Mary, U. Colorado at Denver
and Central Michigan. In English, the U. of Georgia is ranked
number 2, according to a recent Chronicle of Higher Education.
The Chronicle received exclusive access to the 2005 index,
which can be found at http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity.
You can search by field or by institution.
Increasing
C.C. Graduation Rates. The City University of New York (CUNY)
plans to spend $20 million over the next three years to increase
graduation rates at its six community colleges. Called Accelerated
Study in Associated Programs, the effort hopes to aid 50 percent
of participants to graduate and get a job in three years; 75
percent in four years. On average, only 16 percent of community
college students graduate within six years. The program will
enroll 1,000 low-income students interested in fields where there
is a local employment need. Students will receive tutoring and
part-time jobs in their field.
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COLLEGE BOUND's Publisher/Editor: R. Craig
Sautter, DePaul University; Chief Operating Officer: Sally
Reed; Assistant Editor: Emma Schwartz; Illustration:
Louis Coronel; Board of Advisors: David Breeden,
Edina High School, Minnesota; Claire D. Friedlander, Bedford
(N.Y.) Central School District; Howard Greene and Matthew
Greene, authors, 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
Acceptance Rate 'Brutal'
at Many Colleges
REMINDER:
Last MInute Openings
THE COUNSELOR'S
CORNER
Curriculum
Capsules
THE COUNSELOR'S
BOOKSHELF
-Selections
NEWS YOU CAN USE
-States
Shrugging Reform
Responsibilities?
-High Paid?
-Adults
Pay Cash
-High Flyers
-New Index
for Doctoral
Programs
-Increasing
C.C. Graduation
Rates
P.S. To renew your subscription go to
Renew
Subscription
or to order Who Got In? 2006 go to
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