Princeton 2 Inside The Admission Office April 07

1.Inside the Admission Office: How Colleges Decide Who to Admit Don Betterton Betterton College Planning [email_address]

In the U.S. there is a higher education opportunity for every level of

student interest and ability.My categories:

Register and attend(1900)

Routine enrollment process

Specialty schools(300)

Admit on interest and talent

Meet basic standards(1500)

Admit more than 75% of applicants

Competitive(400)

Admit from 40% to 75% of applicants

Selective(100)

Admit fewer than 40% of applicants

5-year grad rate:

50% or more for publics

80% or more for privates

50% or more of freshmen have SAT over 1200,

ACT over 24

3.5 average high school GPA

1/3 or more from top 10% of h.s. class

Although these colleges make up only about

25% of the 4-yr non-profit, much of the college-going

preparation and pressure is focused here.

They are the types of colleges where good admission planning is needed.

They tend to be more expensive and information about how to pay, with or without aid, is important.

It is hard to judge where a student stands because top colleges sendWe Want Youmessages even knowing full well they will only admit some of the students they encourage to apply.

This is an unusual buyer (student) seller (college) relationship.

Wal-Mart would mount an extensive advertising campaign that included:

Print ads (college catalog)

Internet ads (college Web site)

Send salesmen on the road (admission staff)

Invite potential buyers to tour the store (campus visits)

Have previous buyers seek out new customers (alumni recruiters)

Mount a large direct mail campaign (search lists)

Use techniques to get a better product review in Consumer Reports-style publications (U.S. News ratings)

Wal-Marts outreach methods succeed at generating a very high demand for its product.

It turns out that all along Wal-Mart only had enough product to sell to 1/3 of potential buyers.

Not only that, but Wal-Mart will decide who will be allowed to make a purchase. Roles are reversed.Wal-Mart becomes the buyer.The customer must now submit an application to sell himself.

Excited by all the Wal-Mart advertising, the potential customer wants to judge how he compares to others who are also interested in being selected, and asks,

What criteria do you use to choose those who will be allowed to buy your product?

At this point, Mr. Walton responds,

It depends.

The current demand for a high quality college education results in the top schools becoming selective.They get toselectwho will be able to purchase their educational product.

If the student is striving to go to one of these colleges, it is important to understand this relationship between supply and demand.

Supplyis steady.

While there are many more students seeking to attend college, the number of openings has remained about the same.

Demandis growing overall.

The number of high school grads has never been higher.

Now exceeds 3,000,000

The percent going to college is increasing.

From 45% to nearly 60% since 1980s

The increase in demand is greatest for students wanting to attend a good school.

Yet, of 2000 4-year colleges, only about 500 select fewer than 3 of 4 applicants.

Its hard for kids to get into colleges because they only want to go to colleges that are hard to get into.

When you are among a great many who want to purchase the education of a top college, it pays to know its selection standards.

This knowledge can help in 2 ways:

It can help you prepare, both inside and outside the classroom, to meet those standards

Courses, grades

Achievements, activities

It can help you make a realistic college list

While admission offices make it hard on themselves because of their drive to generate more applications, it does create a problem.

There are more and more students to evaluate, but it is increasingly hard to choose among them.

There is academic Bunching

Increased enrollment in hard courses

Honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate

College courses in high school, summer enrichment

Distinctions are blurred

Grade inflation (3.4 average h.s. GPA)

Multiple valedictorians, other honors

SAT recentering, take the highest score, subject tests, ACT strategy

Test prep courses

There is personal Polishing

Students are more savvy about building a resume with activities and accomplishments, strategizing the essay, using summer for extra college prep

High schools feel the pressure -- reluctant to lessen student chances inflation in teacher and counselor recs

College admission offices have a split personality

They are a meritocracy

Admit the best

They also practice institutional engineering

Admit to meet other objectives

The result is not one, but two admissions processes at top colleges

One for regular applicants

One for special applicants

This is where confusion increases and predictability decreases.

The most common reason a good student does not get admitted to a top college is that he is in theRegularcategory and doesnt realize the admission standards for him are well above the published averages.

In fact, there may not be that many average admits.

A public university 700 SAT out-of-state, 500 SAT in-state

In making college list, and estimating chances, important to know if you are aRegularorSpecial .

The 4 most common Special categories are:

Listed athlete (+30%)

Underrepresented minority (where not restricted by legislation) (+28%)

Legacy (+20%)

Early applicant (+20%)

One that is growing in popularity:

Disadvantaged, low income, first generation college

These tend to vary a great deal by institution.

In-state, out-of-state

Expressed interest

Special institutional need female engineer, cello player, Latin scholar

Donors and other forms of service

Misc president andtrustee lists, faculty child, etc

Examples:

Level 1

Recruited Division I Athletes

Level II

Affirmative action minorities (depending)

Non-scholarship athletes

State residents for publics

Level III

Legacies

Early Decision

Low income, disadvantaged background (may be level II)

Special institutional needs not formal classics, dancer, tuba

Donors, Presidents list (may be level II)

Faculty children

Level IV

Geography

Expressed interest

Other:sib enrolled, full pay

Minority -- find out if they give a preference

Legacy -- apply to college parents attended(Check grad school, grandparents, service)

Athlete apply to colleges where you will be listed by coach

Apply early E.D.,E.A.

Disadvantaged ask admission rep

Other --

Regular compare yourself to the top 75% of the academic profile

Special

Minority: 25 th- 50 thpercentile

Listed athlete: the coach will tell you what your chances are.Div I and II scholarship athletes have minimum standards.

Legacy and E.D.: 40 th- 50 thpercentile

Top colleges rate applicants on academic and personal scales.

Because they have to sort through so many apps, they use a number system.

Assume you are an admission officer and you are rating your student.

This system is 1 (low) to 8 (high) on both academic and personal.

The personal rating assigned to an applicant is based on a combination of attributes in different areas.They typically include:

Achievement

Talent

Leadership/positions of responsibility

How you are revealed in the application

Service to others

Overcoming obstacles

Personal attributes

Personal attributes primarily come from school and teacher reports and required interviews.The categories are:

Respect accorded by faculty, class participation, academic achievement, intellectual promise, writing quality, creativity, work habits, maturity, motivation, leadership, integrity, reaction to setbacks, concern for others, self-confidence, initiative, and independence

The rating system is a constant. The definition of an Academic 6 or a Personal 5 does not change.

What does change is who, at a given rating, gets admitted, and who doesnt.

Strong specials, i.e. minorities and athletes might move up 2 levels, legacy and E.D. 1 level.(For example, a listed 10 athlete has a chance at a 12 college.)

Make a realistic list, 3-5-2. Be enthusiastic about match schools.

Take good courses

Plan test taking strategy, including ACT

Add colleges where you might be a Special

Look at personal side.Avoid resume fillers, try to distinguish yourself.The 2 strong profile is appealing.

Pay attention to teacher recs, essay, evaluative interview

Below top level expressed interest can be important

Essay answer the question, make it about you, show attractive quality, endearing flaw better than bragging, something you care about

Plan ahead to present the best version of who you are, not a makeover. Look for polish, not plastic surgery.

Dont try to become a different person for the sake of college admission.

Have a number of strike zone colleges that you will be pleased to attend.

Finding a college that fulfills your academic potential and is a good fit personally is more important then attending the better school.

Education

Princeton 2 Inside The Admission Office April 07