Admissions Blog

Undergraduate Admissions Uncensored

Boston University shares some 2022-2023 admissions statistics

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Boston University admissions officers are just about as busy this year as they were last year after receiving 80,484 applications during the 2022-2023 admissions cycle. During the 2021-2022 admissions cycle BU received a record-breaking 80,797 applications from prospective first-year students.

Kelly A. Walter, BU’s Associate Vice President for Enrollment & Dean of Admissions shares that BU received 6,866 applications for admission through Early Decision (ED) and Early Decision 2 (ED2) rounds earlier this cycle, which represents an 8.8% increase over last year. BU expects to enroll approximately 57% of its first-year class through these two binding programs.

Meanwhile, in total, 41.2% of BU applicants indicated an interest in having standardized test scores considered, while applications from students from what BU calls “underrepresented groups” (URG) increased 5.6% over last year and represent 21% of the applicant pool. First-generation college students make up 25% of BU’s applicant pool. Enrollment of first-generation, low-income, and “URG” students continues to be a priority for BU.

BU’s urban campus in the heart of Boston, MA, USA.

Resources and mentorship from BU’s Newbury Center, a support-hub for first-generation students, along with its College Access & Student Success Office, work to ensure that students from “underrepresented groups” thrive on campus.

BU, being in Boston, is also popular with international applicants. International students submitted 15,788 applications representing 171 countries during the 2022-2023 admissions cycle.

Overall, BU’s enrollment target for the Class of 2027 is 3,100 students. Admission decisions for Regular Decision applicants to the BU Class of 2027 will be released on Saturday, March 25, and students will be alerts of decision availability via email.

Walter also noted that, “This was an especially exciting year as BU opened our new Center for Computing and Data Sciences – a monumental testament to BU’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and collaboration. Housing the faculty of computing and data sciences, which brings together students and faculty with a shared passion for societal impact, the Center is an icon not only for the BU campus, but also for the city of Boston.” Its structure is 100 percent fossil fuel–free, and it is the most environmentally sustainable, energy-efficient building at BU as well as one of the “greenest” buildings in all of New England.

As total application numbers seem to have plateaued, in advance of a Supreme Court decision many observers believe is likely to limit colleges’ ability to consider students’ race in admissions BU has decided to remain test optional for students applying for the fall 2025 and spring 2026 admissions cycles. This is in contrast to nearby MIT, which has already gone back to being test-required for first-year applicants and has made no indication, at least so far, that it will be switching back to test optional.

Spotlight on Santa Clara University

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The front of Mission Santa Clara and focus point of campus.

The majority of out of state students who want to spend their undergraduate years in California are aiming for admission to the state’s many well known public universities. What California is less well known for are its handful of strong private universities. At the top of my list for California’s strongest all-around private universities are, respectively, Stanford University, University of Southern California, and Santa Clara University. While Stanford and USC are well-known commodities, Santa Clara is the dark horse of the three, which is why today I’ve decided to shine a spotlight on this impressive northern California institution of higher learning.

Santa Clara University is a private, Jesuit Catholic university located in Santa Clara, California. Founded in 1851, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of California. With a student population of over 8,500 undergraduate and graduate students (5,800 undergraduates), Santa Clara University offers a dynamic and diverse learning environment that provides students with numerous opportunities for personal and academic growth.

Admissions Standards

Admission to Santa Clara University is competitive, with an acceptance rate of around 52% for its Class of 2026. The university considers a variety of factors when making admission decisions, including academic performance, extracurricular activities, standardized test scores, and essays. A strong high school record, including challenging courses and good grades, is important for admission consideration. For the 2022 application cycle, 42% of SCU applicants submitted a test 53% of admitted students submitted a test. The university also requires that applicants submit one teacher letters of recommendation, which provides insight into the student’s character and abilities.

Strongest Undergraduate Majors

Santa Clara University offers a wide range of undergraduate majors, including business, engineering, and the liberal arts. Yet, the university is particularly known for its strong programs in computer engineering and software engineering. The computer engineering program at Santa Clara University is one of the best in the country and prepares students for careers in areas such as computer hardware and software design, computer networks, and computer systems.

Students and others walking on Santa Clara’s campus.

The university’s software engineering program is also highly regarded and prepares students for careers in software development, software project management, and software quality assurance. The program emphasizes hands-on experience and provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to develop and maintain software systems.

In addition to its strong programs in computer engineering and software engineering, Santa Clara University also offers excellent undergraduate programs in business administration and economics. The business administration program provides students with a solid foundation in the principles of business, economics, and finance, while the economics program prepares students for careers in the fields of economics, finance, and business.

Students and Student Life on Campus

Santa Clara University is known for its welcoming and inclusive community, which is comprised of students from a variety of cultural, religious, and economic backgrounds. The university offers a wide range of student organizations, clubs, and activities, including cultural and ethnic organizations, recreational sports teams, and service organizations. The university’s location in the heart of Silicon Valley provides students with access to numerous internships, job opportunities, and cultural events.

Student life on campus is vibrant and active, with numerous events and activities taking place throughout the year. The university’s strong sense of community and commitment to social justice and service are evident in the many community service and volunteer opportunities available to students. The university’s location in Santa Clara also provides students with easy access to the many attractions of the San Francisco Bay Area, including museums, theaters, and sporting events.

Student housing on Santa Clara University campus.

The university’s residence halls provide students with a variety of housing options, including traditional dormitory-style housing, apartment-style housing, and suites. The university’s dining facilities offer a range of healthy and delicious meal options, and the campus is equipped with numerous study spaces, computer labs, and recreational facilities.

Santa Clara University’s campus is well-known for its beautiful and historic architecture, its numerous green spaces, and its commitment to sustainability. Here are some of the highlights of the university’s campus:

  • The Mission Santa Clara de Asis: This historic mission is the oldest building on the Santa Clara University campus and is one of the few remaining examples of early California architecture. It serves as a reminder of the university’s Jesuit heritage and provides a beautiful setting for spiritual retreats and other events.
  • The de Saisset Museum: This museum houses one of the largest collections of art, artifacts, and historical objects in the region, including works by famous artists such as Rembrandt and Pablo Picasso.
  • The Leavey Center: This student center serves as the hub of student life on campus, offering a variety of dining options, meeting spaces, and recreational facilities.
  • The Bronco Student Center: This modern building provides students with a variety of services, including a bookstore, a post office, and a computer lab.
  • Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation: This massive project will create classrooms, labs, research, study and office space for the School of Engineering and the College of Arts and Science. This complex will bring together multiple departments to create a collaborative learning environment where students and faculty alike can benefit from the expertise of their peers. This 270,000 square foot building will be built on the site of the previous engineering and law buildings with a 4-story wing on the east side and 3-story wings on the north and south. The courtyard in the middle will open up towards Heafey Hall and Bergin Hall to create an interconnection between all of the STEM facilities.

Overall, Santa Clara University is a dynamic and diverse institution of higher learning that offers students numerous opportunities for personal and academic growth. With a wide range of undergraduate majors, the university provides a challenging and stimulating learning environment that prepares diverse students for success in their chosen careers.

If you are willing to consider a private college in California, you can’t do much better (and could do a lot worse) than Santa Clara University. Do you want to learn more about Santa Clara University? Take a virtual tour of the campus and visit its admissions website.

Is it worth applying to Harvard if I have a 3.0 GPA?

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Today’s reader question is from Jake in Grand Rapids, Michigan:

Question: Is it worth applying to Harvard if I have a 3.0 GPA?

Answer: Harvard is one of the most selective universities in the world, and a 3.0 GPA is typically below the average GPA of admitted students. Yet, grades are just one of many factors that Harvard considers in its admission process. The university also takes into account other elements of a student’s application, such as the student’s rigor of curriculum, ACT or SAT scores, extracurricular activities, essays, letters of recommendation, and more.

It’s worth noting that a 3.0 GPA does not automatically disqualify you from consideration for admission to Harvard, and there have been students with lower GPAs who have been admitted in the past. With that said, it will likely be more challenging for you to be admitted, and you will need to have other aspects of your application that demonstrate your potential for success at Harvard and beyond to overcome what is essentially a B average. If you are being realistic, unless you have an extremely unique talent, backstory, or connection, Harvard is likely not in your future if you are a B student.

In general, if you have a 3.0 GPA as a high school junior or later and you’re interested in applying to Harvard, focus on other aspects of your application that can demonstrate your strengths and help you stand out as a candidate. If you are still an underclassmen in high school, focus on getting your GPA up as soon as possible. Additionally, it may be a good idea to speak with a college counselor or an admissions consultant to get a better sense of your chances of being admitted to Harvard and to understand what you can do to increase your chances of success in its admissions process and at similarly selective institutions.

The Birthrate Crisis, and How Colleges Should Respond

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The biggest stumbling block in education research is its lack of replicability.  In science, the same amount of vinegar plus the same amount of baking soda gives you the same result—and the same-sized result—no matter who does the experiment.  But take someone else’s methods and teaching materials, implement them the exact same way the first experimenter did, and you will likely get nothing even close to the same result.

A happy exception to this “it’s never the same” rule occurred in the 90s, when a number of studies showed, time after time, there was a way to significantly improve student learning—and it had nothing to do with changing curriculum, retraining teachers, or extending the school day.  This swath of studies showed, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the best way to improve student learning—especially in grades K-3—is to follow the magic recipe of 15 students or less with one teacher in one classroom.  Do that, and great things happen.

What has happened to this rare pillar of education reform?  Well, not much.  Once the magic recipe was discovered, administrators scoffed at the idea of dropping class size that low.  For that matter, so did taxpayers, who didn’t take long to realize that lower class size meant more classrooms and more teachers—and both cost more money.  As a result, education has largely turned its back on this piece of magic, except for some not-so-clever administrators who believe they can keep 30 kids in one classroom with a teacher and an aide and still maintain the ratio.

Since all three parts must be honored, this would be like doubling the baking soda and eggs in a cookie recipe without increasing the amount of flour.  You get something different, but you don’t get better cookies.  The magic recipe failed on its promise to deliver because the people in charge of schools—administrators and taxpayers—decided the change wasn’t worth the cost, offering instead some sleight of hand with ratios that satisfied most everyone, largely because Americans really don’t understand mathematics.

The leaders of our higher education systems are on the verge of making a similar error, with far more serious consequences.  It’s no secret that the birthrate in the US declined about 20 years ago, and is headed for a serious nose dive of the number of high school graduates in about 2025.  Since this isn’t exactly new news, one would think colleges would be looking at these numbers and saying something like “Fewer high school graduates means fewer college freshmen.  What should we do about it?”

Like the K-12 class size issue, the answer here is pretty easy.  No every high school senior goes to college right after high school, so there’s plenty of room to increase the number of college-bound seniors, and still maintain strong college enrollments.  The trick here lies in talking to students who don’t see college as part of their futures, and getting them to change their minds. If every high school student already went straight to college, this couldn’t be done; but that just isn’t the case.

As is often the case with answers that appear easy, this one has at least one major snag.  A very close read of most college recruiting literature shows it’s based on one big assumption; the student or family reading the literature is already convinced a four-year college is the answer for them, and they now simply need to sort out which ones they’ll consider.  They know about testing and application essays and degree requirements and different application deadlines, so it isn’t a question of “If College”.  It’s a question of “What College”.

Any student unsure about the benefits of four-year colleges would look at this admissions information and feel like they’ve walked into the middle of a three-hour movie; they know they have some catching up to do, but no one seems to want to help them, since they’re too busy watching the movie themselves. Given that mindset, you’d think most colleges—especially those that experienced freshman enrollment declines of up to 40 percent during COVID—would move heaven and earth to make sure they don’t end up as losers in the birthrate lottery.  A few new pamphlets, a different kind of open house, a new video or two, and a little admissions training, and you’re all set.

To date, that has not been the response of the higher education community.  Senior admissions officials tell me the general overall response has been to double down on an admissions strategy that includes making their institution the best choice, a strategy that turns what could be a bona fide effort at expanding college access into a zero-sum game.  This approach seems to glean support from the national papers who have always covered college admissions like there are only 25 colleges in the country.  The more “Ivies Report Record Application” stories they print, the more they feed the attitude that asks the question “Enrollment problem?  What enrollment problem?”

The real irony here is that the creation of a “Why College?” campaign for students new to the idea is fairly affordable and relatively easy.  Colleges that have like-minded missions and student bodies tend to be in the same athletic league.  Imagine what could happen if all colleges in one league pitched in a couple of admissions officers and a modest amount of cash to create, for example, The Big Ten Guide to the Benefits of College.  Since the goal of the campaign is informational, this wouldn’t constitute monopoly-building, and could even be overseen by the US Department of Education, which has a vested interest in making sure the college market doesn’t shrink.

The magic recipe of 15 students didn’t generate the results it was capable of for one reason—in the end, most people didn’t really care about fixing the problem.  The difference with the birthrate decline is that a lack of students means more than a few colleges will wither, or even die.  That would be a shame, but the only way to get something different is to do something different.  Are colleges wise enough to realize this, and innovate?

Tulane Early Decision Applicants Notified of Decisions on December 1

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Exciting news just in from Tulane.

The Tulane admissions team is a bit ahead of schedule with reviewing applications and as a result Tulane Early Decision 1 notifications will go out tomorrow, December 1, at 4:00 p.m. Central (New Orleans) Time. Updates will be posted to students’ Green Wave Portal, and physical letters are also on their way.

There is also a bit of a change in what type of decisions students may receive: some ED applicants will be deferred and released from their ED Agreement. In recent years Tulane has focused on simply accepting or rejecting ED applicants. Deferred applicants will be read again in the regular round before getting a final decision in Spring 2023. Such students can also be considered for Tulane’s Spring Scholar cohort. There will be a form on the Green Wave Portal on which a deferred ED student can indicate an interest in the Spring Scholar program.

In past years, Tulane would admit the vast majority of its Spring Scholars at this time. This year, Tulane is admitting a smaller group for now and will reassess when it sees the pool of deferred ED and EA students in the spring. Deferred ED students cannot switch to Tulane’s ED 2 plan.

Meanwhile, Early Action applicants will hear back from Tulane no later than January 15, but Tulane is trying to notify these students of their decisions earlier than scheduled as well.

University of Southern California Adds Early Action Admissions Deadline

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The University of Southern California, a selective private university in Los Angeles, has announced that it is introducing a November 1 Early Action admissions deadline for the 2022-2023 admission cycle.

This is a big change for a university that had long held the line on notifying candidates of their admissions decisions no earlier than spring of each year. Now, those students applying Early Action this fall will learn of their admissions decision by mid to late January 2023.

The new November 1 deadline is non-binding (Early Decision, which USC does not offer, is binding) and non-restrictive, which means that students can apply to other colleges Early Action at the same time. Students can even apply to one other college Early Decision at the same time, but of course would need to commit to their Early Decision college if admitted.

Yet, Early Action is not available for students applying to majors in the School of Architecture, School of Cinematic Arts, Kaufman School of Dance, School of Dramatic Arts, Roski School of Art and Design, Iovine and Young Academy, and Thornton School of Music should. Students applying to these schools should apply by December 1 using USC’s Regular Decision plan.

USC has become increasingly selective since going test optional. During the 2021-2022 admissions cycle, USC, which is the largest private university in California, only accepted roughly twelve percent of first-year applicants.

UC Berkeley Announces Fall 2022 Admissions Updates

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As we head into a new admissions cycle, University of California, Berkeley is announcing some changes in how it will consider applicants.

UC Berkeley is joining the rest of the UC campuses in allowing students to select an alternative major on the UC application. The university encourages students to take advantage of this option, especially if they have a second-choice major they’re interested in. UC Berkeley’s advice remains that students should select the major they are most interested in as their primary major because the university will only guarantee a review of the primary major, while alternative majors will only be used if space is available, for example, as the university considers available space during the wait list process.

In addition, first-year applicants admitted to one of the twelve high-demand majors in the College of Letters and Science will be guaranteed a space in the major. While this will not be a direct admission to the major, the process to declare will be simplified and space will be held for them contingent on certain requirements. Students interested in a high-demand major are encouraged to apply for it on the application, which gives them the best chance of declaring that major. Students who do not select a high-demand major can apply to declare after enrolling at Berkeley, but it will be through a comprehensive review process directly with the major department.

Meanwhile, any student interested in completing a double major will be limited to one high-demand major in the College of Letters and Science. Students who are interested in more than one major are encouraged to add the high-demand major as their primary major on their UC application. More information related to these changes will be posted on this page in the coming weeks.

This news comes as students are encouraged to start their UC application for fall 2022 this month (August), including entering personal information, self-reporting their courses and grades, and drafting their Personal Insight Questions (PIQs).

Like other UC campuses, starting this cycle, the application submission period for UC Berkeley begins on October 1, and the deadline is November 30. This gives students a larger window to submit their applications, as in previous years the application submission window only lasted for the entire month of November. Once the application is submitted students cannot make changes to the application, so they should plan accordingly, and of course, the UC system does not offer Early Action or Early Decision.

Finally, UC Berkeley also has shared news for prospective transfer students. Starting fall of 2023, participating UC Berkeley academic departments will pilot a direct admit to major program in Berkeley’s College of Letters and Science for transfer admits. There will be twenty-seven departments participating in the program including four high-demand majors: Art Practice, Computer Science, Data Science, and Social Welfare.

On the UC application, when selecting the major, the portal will inform students that they are applying directly to the chosen major. If an applicant is admitted to a major participating in this program they will not have to go through the process of applying to or officially declaring their major during their first semester on campus. Transfer admission and major declaration procedures will not change for majors who are not participating in this pilot program. More information will be posted on this page in the coming weeks as details are finalized.

All of these updates come on the heels of an unprecedented year that included a record number of freshmen applicants to UC Berkeley (over 128,000 applicants) and a court ruling that threatened to cap its enrollment numbers. Even so, the selective Bay Area university offered over 19,700 freshmen and transfer students admission.

A Primer for College Admissions Decisions

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We’re about three weeks away from the height of the release of college admissions decisions, the time of year when students pull their hair out either waiting to hear or musing over what they’ve heard.  Along with trying to ease student angst, college admissions veterans know they can expect an inbox full of articles featuring the following content:

  • Record High Applications at Highly Selective Schools
  • Highly Selective Schools Report New Lows in Admit Rates (yes, these two are related, but most Americans don’t understand this, thanks to the way we teach math in this country, so…)
  • Calls for Equity in Admissions Follow Record Application Year

We can expect these articles because they are written every year, partly to make an official record of what actually has happened, partly to supply some kind of solace to students who didn’t get the admissions news they had hoped (“See Son?  It was harder than ever to get in”) or to fatten the praise of those who did (“Wow!  I beat the odds in the Most. Competitive. Year. Ever!”)

To balance these “the sky is falling” articles, I write one that tries to keep everyone on an even keel, so they can provide some stability to the students and parents who are new at this, or who are doing it again, and forgot what it felt like the first time.  Hardly anyone notices the piece I write—it’s apparently more fun to be out there on rocky seas than to be safe in the harbor—but in the interest of trying to offer some support, here we go:

  • Not all applications are created equal. A college that reports a 5 percent admission rate doesn’t mean a particular student’s odds of getting in are 5 percent; it means the college admits 5 out of every 100 applications it receives.  Put another way, a student with a C average applying to Swarthmore doesn’t have the same “chance” of being admitted as a student with a 3.9.  Juniors should keep this in mind.
  • Much of the college experience depends far more on what the student puts into the experience than where they experience it. A former student was admitted to a Seven Sisters college, which then proceeded to gap her in financial aid.  She ended up at a public university, where she basically ran the Global Studies program where she earned a degree.  This included fulfilling her desire to do a semester abroad in South Africa, even though her college didn’t offer study abroad there.  She simply registered as a guest student at another college that did.  Tell me she would have had any of those opportunities at the Seven Sisters school.  Go ahead.
  • Notions of the need for change in the college admission process are overblown. It takes about 20 minutes to apply to most colleges, since they require neither essays nor teacher letters.  Since that’s about the same amount of time it takes to get to another level in Mario Brothers 812, it’s pretty safe to say most students can complete this task without life-altering stress.
  • Notions of change in the college admission process are simplistic, Part I. Admissions observers had a field day when COVID drove many competitive colleges to go test optional, a change that was gaining steam even before 2019.  Two years later, we now find a rise in “test optional strategies” from test prep advisors who will advise students on which tests to take, and which scores to send—all for a fee.  Similarly, we see some competitive colleges admitting fewer—far fewer—test optional students than those who submit scores, but deciding not to report that to the major public, since the “test optional” moniker is so highly valued.  The result?  A change that was supposed to make applying to college easier has made it harder in many cases, except at colleges where the admit rates were generous to begin with—and those are the schools where applying takes 20 minutes, and application reform wasn’t necessary.
  • Notions of change in the college admissions process are simplistic, Part II. Undeterred by the lack of real parity brought by many test optional policies, many reform advocates are now turning to essays and teacher letters of recommendation as the next parts to go in the current process.  This leads to two questions:
    • If you take out all parts of the current application process (some are even saying grades shouldn’t have to be reported), what do you replace them with?
    • Do you honestly think whatever you answered in the last question can’t also be gamed to favor the rich? Interviews?  Community Service?  Cake Baking?  Put any life experience or skill in the mix of college applications, and in a year, a horde of tutors will crop up that will give an edge to students who can afford their services.  That will be very hard to beat.
  • My annual plea for more counselor training in college counseling. If it’s safe to conclude that any admissions process will favor students who understand it, it’s reasonable to conclude it will favor any student who works with a counselor who understands it.  So, instead of changing the admissions process, how about leveling the playing field by making sure all counselors receive deep training in college counseling?  Less than 5 percent of all school counselor training programs devote any time to instruction in college counseling, and that sometimes only consists of how to register for the SAT.  Private school college counselors have greater access to professional development that keeps their already keen college counseling skills sharp.  Most public school counselors got their counselor training in a program that gave them no college counseling skills at all.  Which group needs to be better trained in the first place?

That should be all you need to make it through the media madness of the next month.  Release the hounds.

 

January Application Deadlines Are Just a Bad Idea

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The story is worth hearing, and even listening to again.  You came home from college for the holidays, and Mom or Dad was preparing the traditional roast.  You’d somehow eaten this dish a thousand times without ever seeing it prepared, so you were horrified and fascinated to watch them lop off a half pound or so from the back of the roast and toss it in the trash—perfectly good food.  You composed yourself enough to make asking why they did this sound downright casual.  “My mother made it this way” was the response—and it was just too convenient that the mother in question was also in the room.  “That’s right” she added, “and my mother made it the same way.”

The resolution of the issue had to wait until Sunday, when great grandmother joined the family for dinner.  Seated at the table with the roast right in front of everyone, the sensory elements were perfectly aligned to ask the question- why cut the roast?  “I learned to do that from my mother.  The pan we had was too small for a full roast, so we always had to trim it to size.”

And there is the fascination.  No other generation had the same limitation of pan or oven, but the roast trimming continued without questioning or consideration for three generations.

It shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to consider just how many implications this tale of roast trimming exist in college admissions, and nowhere is that more clearly the case than with application and notification deadlines.  Long before any kind of Internet presence, January 1 was an application deadline for hundreds of colleges.  Remarkably enough, this pre-high tech deadline didn’t make much sense even back then, since the deadline was a postmark deadline, but post offices were never open on New Year’s Day—in fact, depending on how small your town was back then, post offices across smalltown America were hard to find open after noon on the 31st.

Postmark deadlines are now a thing of the past, but there are other issues to consider with January 1.  A clear number of high schools close for the holidays around December 23 if not sooner.  This leaves most students largely on their own to put the finishing touches on the first major, multi-component task they’ve had to negotiate in their young lives—that, or it compels counseling offices everywhere to assemble some makeshift effort to offer support here and there at a time when counselors most need a break of their own. (Although there was one high school who was floating a “guarantee” that every counselor would check their email every day of the December break, thus denying everyone a chance to rest and recover.  Talk about a happy new year…)

Even the efforts to offer some kind of support over vacation can miss the mark, especially for students who are the first in their family to apply to college.  I am not a disciple of the “applying to college is rocket science” school, nor do I believe young people learn much about deadlines by treating them like they are amorphous, when they are not.  Still, given that this is the first major multi-tasking activity most young people have that has a fairly big consequence attached to it, it isn’t unreasonable to hope the deadline would permit them the chance to have counsel—and even more important, face-to-face support—to complete the task, something a finger-wagging “just plan ahead” overlooks in a brazen, cold way.  If we then add on the fact that nearly every admissions office is empty and unavailable for student support on January 1st, it’s easy to see every director of admission with carving knife in hand, ready to lay waste to a couple of pounds of perfectly good applications, all in the name of “we’ve always done it this way.”

At the risk of sounding like someone who has never run or even worked in an admissions office, the answer seems simple—this is a practice that needs to stop.  The easiest alternative would be requiring all materials to be submitted by the second Tuesday in January, a time when even the most luxurious of December vacations is over, where students have had time to seek the help they need, and everyone has had time to refresh their energies in a meaningful way.  Doing something challenging doesn’t mean it has to be inhumane, and the family man in me suggests that, for as much as I value the lessons learned in applying to college, there are more important things to consider over the holidays, like developing a strategy for a successful entry in the annual family gingerbread building contest.  This is the final holiday of youth, and it deserves recognition, and space, as such.  It’s possible to do that and develop a strong college portfolio, given the right deadline.

This isn’t the only deadline that could use some attention.  November 1, November 15, and May 1 all landed on a Sunday last school year, leaving students with a couple of days to do the best they could with what little they knew.  Again, this is especially true for students whose family has no experience applying to college.  Since these students tend to come from urban and rural schools where counseling ratios are typically astronomical, it’s easy to hope colleges would want to nurture applications from these populations, rather than throw more barriers in the way of these talented, but raw, applicants.

There are many other facets of the college application process where roast trimming can apply, especially when considering every facet of the application is easier for students who come from a background of wealth.  This aspect seems easy enough to start with, since its effects are easy enough to understand.  Let’s put the January 1 deadline and its impact back in its sheath.

To The Media: End the College Application Nightmare Stories

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It figures that August 1 landed on a Sunday this year.  What used to be just another beach day took on special significance a few years ago, when Common Application chose August 1 to launch its updates for the coming school year.  It’s exciting to be sure, but with a hint of melancholy, as a few overly enthusiastic parents use the occasion to tell their high school seniors “Summer’s over”, while the seniors meekly head towards the nearest computer, even on a weekend, muttering “But what if I don’t want it to be?”

Happily, more than a few colleges agree with the seniors.  While there was a stream—OK, a torrent—of colleges Twittering students on Sunday to hurry up and apply, more than a few colleges said “Start today if you want to, but our deadline isn’t until January.  Take your time.”  I had planned on thanking each of those colleges for posting such a message in the face of application mania.  I’m pleased to say there were too many to do so.

But this is just the start, and here’s hoping more colleges get on board.  The last two years of schooling have left this year’s seniors in pretty bad shape.  Day after day of waking up to find out if school is in person, online, both, or neither may have left them flexible, but it has also left them exhausted.  Students who fit every element of one (and certainly not the only) likely college-bound profile—from the suburbs, in a college prep curriculum, with two well-off parents who went to college—are saying out loud they just don’t think applying to college is worth the hassle.  That’s not because of the Delta rebound; it’s because their last couple of years of school have left them unsure of themselves and their ability to control their destiny.  Since any college admissions rep will tell you the key to a successful application is to let the student drive the bus, this is a huge problem.

Part of the solution lies with us.  August is peach and melon season in Michigan, a time when very rational people who never eat fruit feel a swelling in their taste buds that can only be satiated by interaction with produce that is truly a little slice of heaven.

This same thirst wells up in the media every August, but it isn’t for fruit—it’s for stories about the confusing, terrifying, uncertain world of college admissions.  With a new crop of high school seniors every year, journalists eagerly seize on their newness to college admissions, highlighting profiles of bright young people who find themselves flummoxed over how to apply to college, and when to apply to college.  Curiously, these stories rarely display a student’s confusion over where to apply to college, since the media only covers students who are considering the same 25 colleges ever year that admit about 5 percent of their applicant pool.  “She’s a National Honor Society president, but she can’t get her arms around Yale’s application.” Of course, these same students would be equally baffled by using a plumber’s wrench for the first time, and they easily get the hang of this college thing two weeks into the process.  But apparently, that’s not the point. The very first time they do something new, they don’t completely understand it.  My goodness.

The impact of this approach to college application coverage can’t be understated.  Thousands of students have already had to give up most of their summers at the insistence of parents who have caught the angst early, eager to make sure that college essay sparkles, unaware that the number one cause of weak essays isn’t underwriting, but overwriting.

Parents who haven’t been on their seniors about college since Father’s Day read these August articles and panic, fearing their child is now “behind”.  They plop their senior in front of a computer screen and tell them they can’t come out until an application is finished—for a college that doesn’t even start reading applications until January 10.

Parents whose children really understand themselves, and had no intention of applying to these schools, now feel their child is “losing out” on something, and suddenly insist that an application or two to the Big 25 is a good idea, “just to see what happens”, even though their student is well aware of what will happen.

This brand of media attention has never served high school seniors well, and it’s likely to make matters even worse for this year’s seniors, who are looking to gain their footing after two years of scholastic uncertainty.  In the interest of their well being—or, to use a phrase that is on the verge of becoming unimportant due to its overuse, their mental health—how about a few less media stories on the impossibility of getting into college and its excessive expense, and a few more stories about the 75% or so of colleges who admit more than 50% of their applicants, and the many colleges who are forgiving institutionally-based student loans?  Could the media finally discover the urban and rural colleges whose buildings have not a hint of ivy that are turning around the lives of students who didn’t have the opportunity to take 7 AP classes in high school, students who are shining academically?  How about the students who are making community college work, earning a degree that costs less from start to finish than one year of Harvard, all while the students typically work about 30 hours a week?

It’s certainly true many people turn to the media to read stories that will fuel their dreams—that’s why so many people follow the Olympics, and replay the video of the woman who was reunited with her dog after two years.  But stories about the uncertainty of the college selection process don’t feed students’ sense of the possible; they nourish their nightmares.  They’ve had enough of that these past two years, and may be headed for more.  The best thing the press can do for them, and for our society, is to admit there are more than 25 good colleges in this country, and wake the students to a better vision of how to apply to college, other than run a gauntlet that, at the end of the day, is largely of the media’s own making.