6 Hot Trends In College Admissions
Monday, November 22, 2010
Keeping up with changes in college admissions is a full-time job, and many parents don’t have the time or information sources to stay current. The 2010-2011 admissions season has just begun and there will be more news as 2011 arrives, but here is what is hot in admissions this fall:
1. College Financing Expands
Despite the poor economy, college-based grants and scholarships have remained relatively stable and Pell Grants have increased. Tax relief is also on the way for more parents. The amount that is deductible has risen, as has the income limit. Married couples filing jointly who have an AGI of up to $160,000 ($80,000/single) can now claim the full credit of $2,500 per student for 2009 and 2010, and parents earning up to $180,000 ($90,000/single) can claim a partial credit.
2. More VIP or “Snap” Apps
They popped onto the scene a few years ago as a marketing experiment. Now, thousands of colleges are using them to increase the pool of applicants and sew up top candidates early. They are streamlined applications, many of which don’t require and application fee or essay. Don’t feel too special when you get one, they are going to hundreds of applicants, and the college hasn’t seen your GPA or SAT scores yet. Are they a good option? It depends. If the application has shortcuts like no essay, limited space for extra-curricular activities or fewer teacher recommendations, it can hurt a marginal candidate.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST3. The “Interest Factor”
In an era when students apply to a dozen or more colleges with a mouse click, colleges must have a way to gauge which students are likely to attend if accepted. All colleges want to have a good “yield”. Studies have shown that if a college is within a six-hour drive and the student has not visited, they are very unlikely to matriculate. So, many colleges are now calculating an interest factor which is based on Web site registration, campus visits, interviews, contact with admissions reps at your high school, etc. For colleges more than a few hours away, it won’t be a major factor, but don’t count on getting into a college (even a backup) if it is relatively close and you haven’t visited.
4. Less Emphasis on Recommendations
Many universities have reduced the number of recommendations they require, or eliminated them altogether. The University of Vermont dropped its requirement down to one recommendation, Tulane only requires a recommendation from Guidance, and the College of Charleston no longer asks for any recommendations. A recent National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) survey showed that only 17 percent of colleges give "considerable importance" to teacher or counselor recommendations.
5. More Importance on the Application
If colleges don’t care as much about recommendations, what is taking on more importance? The application and essays. Christmas vacation is not the time to crunch and write all your essays in a whirlwind. It takes months of planning, brainstorming, multiple revisions, and careful proof reading to produce a “killer app”. According to the NACAC, the percentage of colleges that give essays significant weight almost doubled from 1993 to 2009.
6. An Increase in Test-Optional Colleges
In the 1970s, only Bowdoin and a few other cutting edge college were “SAT Optional”. Today more than 800 do not require the SAT or ACT. Studies have shown that the SAT is NOT a predictor of how well a student will do in college; the best indicator is high school GPA. Each year, we see the list grow at www.fairtest.org. Some of the most recent members include: St. Michael’s in Vermont, Ursinus in Pennsylvania and American University in Washington, DC (only applies to early admissions).
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