Admissions Blog

Undergraduate Admissions Uncensored

Villanova Releases Early Action Stats for Class of 2024

Posted on by Leave a Comment

Villanova University’s Michael M. Gaynor, Executive Director of Undergraduate Admission, has shared news this morning as the university releases its Early Action decisions later today.

According to Gaynor, Villanova received 13,353 Early Action applications for its Class of 2024. When all was said and done, Villanova’s Early Action admit rate for this admissions cycle was 25.3%.

Gaynor indicated that of those accepted to Villanova EA this cycle, the middle 50% weighted GPA on a traditional 4.00 scale was between 4.20 and 4.53, the middle 50% of SAT scores were between 1420 and 1510, and the middle 50% of ACT scores were between 32 and 34.

Meanwhile, earlier this admissions cycle Villanova received 1,053 Early Decision applications and the university anticipates that approximately 36% of its Class of 2024 will be accepted Early Decision. As of this time, Villanova has not provided its ED acceptance rate for this admissions cycle.

Villanova became quite selective two years ago when it instituted Early Decision for the first time. Yet, this admissions cycle, even the most hyper-selective colleges have experienced application declines and/or acceptance rate increases ED/REA/SCEA.

If you got into Villanova, well done! Now celebrate, by wearing your college colors!

College Counseling: The Year in Review

Posted on by 8 Comments

There are many years in the college counseling world that come and go without a lot of fanfare, but this certainly wasn’t one of them.  Thanks to America’s ever-growing fascination with the college application process, counseling received more than its share of the limelight in 2019.  Here are the highlights:

The Scandal Known as Varsity Blues  Leave it to a small group of parents with way more dollars than sense, and a con man feigning to be an independent college counselor, to create even more angst over selective college selection than ever before.  Since this story involved Hollywood, money, and some of the three schools the New York Times considers representative of the world of college admissions, way too much time and energy was devoted to understanding what this kerfuffle meant to college admissions as a whole. The average high school senior takes the SAT once and goes to college within 150 miles of home.  Varsity Blues meant nothing to them.  The same should have been true for the rest of us; instead, this issue is now running neck and neck with Popeye’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich for the year’s Story That Wasn’t Award.

Change to NACAC Ethics Code It made fewer headlines, but the Justice Department’s investigation into NACAC’s Code of Ethics could prove to have far more implications to the college plans of seniors than Varsity Blues could hope to.  With colleges now allowed to offer incentives for students to apply early, and with colleges able to continue to pursue students who have committed to another college, the May 1 deposit date is still in effect, but may prove to have significantly less effect.

 College Testing and the University of California  The value of the SAT and ACT popped up in the headlines all year, as even more colleges decided test scores no longer had to be part of their application process.  At year’s end, the test optional movement got a big media splash, as the University of California announced it was reviewing its testing policy.  Combined with a lawsuit filed against the UCs claiming the tests are discriminatory, it’s clear that business as usual in the college application process is on its way out.  Will more changes ensue?

The Harvard Case and Race  Affirmative action advocates celebrated a legal victory this fall when a court ruled Harvard’s admissions procedures do, and may, use race as a factor in reviewing college applications.  The case drew national attention in part because it was initiated by a group claiming Harvard didn’t admit enough students of Asian descent.  It’s likely to stay in the headlines when the decision is ultimately appealed to the US Supreme Court, a group that, as it currently stands, has been known to be highly skeptical of race-based programs—meaning this year’s lower court victory could be pyrrhic at best.

Improved Research on College Counseling  Academic research has never gotten its due in the world of school counseling, and that’s certainly true in the more specific field of college counseling.  That trend may be changing, as a report from Harvard lays the groundwork for a more data-based approach to measure the difference counselors make in their work.  The findings include an indication that counselors tend to be more effective in college counseling if the counselor was raised in the same area where they work, and, as a rule, are more helpful providing information to the student about the college the counselor attended.  The report suggests this may be due to undertraining in college admissions as part of counselor education programs– to which most of the counseling world replied, no kidding. Look for more to come here.

Billions More for More Counselors, But Who Cares  It’s hard to remember the need for more counselors was one of the favorite topics of the media just two years ago.  A sign of American’s true indifference—or short attention span—rests with a congressional bill that provides up to $5 billion for new school counselor positions, a bill that is currently languishing in committee.  Is this bill a victim of an absence of school shootings, impeachment, or both?  Given what it can do, is there really any reason this bill can’t be a focus of action in 2020? That’s really up to us.

 

 

Will Ivy League admissions deans blame the Russians next?

Posted on by 1 Comment

With Ivy League early decision and early action statistics for Fall 2019 slowly but surely coming into focus, a trend is becoming clear: overall demand for venerable “elite” colleges and universities is on the wane, and in the process, “elite” American colleges are becoming ever so slightly less selective than they very recently were.

In addition to Penn, which earlier this fall revealed that it experienced a plunge in Early Decision applications, Harvard is reporting a higher acceptance rate for this year’s early application cycle than last year’s early application cycle. Harvard’s Restrictive Early Action acceptance rate ticked up to 13.9% this fall after clocking in at 13.4 percent last year. Overall, Harvard saw a nearly eight percent drop in REA applications compared to last year. The aforementioned Penn saw its ED acceptance rate rise over one percentage point to 19.7%. Yale got roughly four percent fewer early applications this fall (which resulted in a slightly higher early acceptance rate) and Dartmouth received a whopping sixteen percent fewer ED applications this fall compared to last year (and this was after many years of year-on-year increases in apps).

Princeton is suddenly shy about reporting its Single-Choice Early Action acceptance rate (and even the total number of early applicants); though basic online research shows that Princeton accepted 791 students this fall compared to 743 last fall – at minimum an increase in raw numbers of accepted students if not an increase in acceptance rate (TBD). Yet, it’s always wise to watch what these colleges do report in their press releases versus what they don’t. The omissions tell the tale. Columbia still hasn’t reported out any stats for this year’s admissions cycle. Outside of the Ivy League, other colleges with traditionally Ivy-level acceptance rates are also uncharacteristically demure and uncommunicative this December on the topic of their ED and EA application numbers and acceptance rates.

Meanwhile, Cornell’s Early Decision acceptance rate rose to 23.8 this year from 22.6 last year and was one of two Ivies that received more ED applications this year than last year. The biggest outlier so far this cycle, Brown University, which has always had a looser association with academic quality and accepting students based on academic merit (as opposed to immutable characteristics) compared to other Ivies, saw its ED acceptance rate fall to a new low while also receiving eight percent more ED apps this year compared to last year. Did Brown applicants not experience the California wildfires?! LOL…not at the wildfires; at that ridiculous line of reasoning. Will Ivy League admissions deans contrive to blame Russian interference next?

While it has clearly become de rigueur in “smart” circles to blame Fall 2019’s drop in early application numbers on California wildfires or changing high school demographics, more likely explanations exist by exploring the pervasive ridiculousness of the current college admissions process at America’s most selective institutions and the increasing skepticism many have about the value of what passes for higher education these days relative to the costs. According to Gallup, 51% of U.S. adults now consider a college education to be “very important,” down from 70% in 2013. Don’t expect Ivy League admissions deans to meaningfully engage in conversation on this topic.

It certainly doesn’t bode well for demand for American higher education generally when even a college like Harvard, which doesn’t depend on the vile racket that is the student loan-debt slavery industry, can’t squeeze out a lower acceptance rate year on year. Marketing can only take these hedge funds that dabble in play school (and major in network-building) so far. Demand is simply dropping and demand is likely to continue to fall until these schools tap new markets by changing admissions requirements (lowering them) by some chicanery like removing their SAT-ACT requirements or eventually just turning the whole thing into a literal lottery through which students only have to submit their names, addresses, and demographics in order to have a shot at admission. How far these selective schools will go in their race to the bottom regarding objective student academic/intellectual qualifications remains to be seen.

Alternatively, “selective” colleges could reform their education or pricing models; yet, you can bet that these institutions will tinker or outright disassemble their current admissions models before they touch the holy grail of actual education reform within their walls in order to make their value propositions to students/families more attractive. Though, pricing reform is certainly doable for the richest of these institutions (the Harvards and Yales of the world could offer free tuition for all undergraduates to drive up demand – for at least a few admissions cycles).

All in all, some sort of major reform or change will come from the drop in demand for an Ivy education. What this reform or change will look like remains to be seen. One thing is certain: those who run the Ivies like to be in control…of at least the narrative; therefore, whatever changes are made will be undertaken in an effort to spin the public on these institutions’ continued relevance and trend-setting reputations in polite society. Stay tuned.

Use Winter Break to Make the Most of Summer Break

Posted on by

Take time in December to apply to the most coveted summer academic programs, internships, jobs, or community service activities if you want to have the best shot at getting them.

Columbia unveils NYC-Tel Aviv dual degree program

Posted on by Leave a Comment

Columbia University has announced a new Dual Degree Program between Tel Aviv University and Columbia University, which will complement Columbia’s ongoing successful Dual BA Programs with Sciences Po in France, now in its ninth year, and with Trinity College Dublin, now in its second year.

Students enrolled in the Dual Degree Program between Tel Aviv University and Columbia University will begin their college educations in one of six academic tracks in Israel, where they undertake the intensive undergraduate curriculum at TAU, one of Israel’s most distinguished institutions of higher education. After two years in Tel Aviv, students matriculate at Columbia, where they will complete the requirements for a major and fulfill the Columbia Core Curriculum. Upon completion of the Program, students will graduate with two bachelor’s degrees: one from Tel Aviv University and another Columbia University.

Students may apply using an online application by February 3, 2020, for fall 2020 enrollment. For admissions requirements please visit the Program website. Students interested in starting the program in Fall 2020 should apply using an online application by February 3, 2020. For admissions requirements please visit the Program website.

 

 

How to Recover from Early Decision or Early Action Rejection

Posted on by

Depending on when you are reading this, you may be just days away from learning whether or not you have earned early action or early decision admission to your top choice college or university. Or you may have just gotten the news you dreaded most.

If you get in, celebrate and congratulate yourself (and all those who have supported you) for such a terrific achievement.

If you don’t get in, don’t flip out! It is human nature to become quite sad when one does not get what one wants. We all handle disappointment differently, so some of you who are rejected may scream, cry, or stay in bed all day, while others may simply go for a run, workout at the gym, or eat a lot of ice cream.

While you can react in any of the above ways in the moments and hours immediately following bad news, I suggest that you reengage with the college admissions process quickly in order to increase your chances of getting acceptance letters from  colleges that you have applied to (or will apply to) regular decision.

Make sure to finish up your applications strong before your regular decision college application deadlines. Make sure to request on that your transcripts be sent to regular decision colleges if you have not already done so. And make sure to have CollegeBoard and/or ACT, Inc. send your test scores promptly to all colleges still pending on your list.

Watch below for some more tips on how to recover from ED/EA rejection.

How to Respond to an Early Decision or Early Action Deferral

Posted on by

Don’t become devastated by an Early Decision or Early Action admissions deferral. Fight back and earn your spot at the college of your dreams.

If the college or university that defers you remains one of your top choice colleges, there are a number of steps you can take to give yourself a fighting chance for regular decision. Watch the video below or read on to find out how.

-Write directly to the admissions office informing it that this college or university is still your number one choice, that you appreciate the fact that you will be up for consideration for admission again in the regular admissions cycle, and that you would definitely attend if accepted.

-Make sure that you keep the admissions office updated with any and all new developments since your initial application. Any new honors, grades, scores, activities, and awards are worth mentioning in this letter. Make sure that your high school counselor sends out your new transcript promptly at the end of the first semester ( or 2nd Trimester). This means that you want to keep earning very high grades for the duration of your senior year.

-Depending on the school, sometimes deferred candidates can interview again or for the first time. Find out if this is an option by contacting the admissions office. The very act of calling to ask shows that you are still eager to attend.

-Remain positive in all communications with this college or university and with your school counselor and communicate to your school counselor how much you still want the opportunity to attend this college or university.

-Contact all contacts that you have talked with through the college admissions process that are in any way related to this college or university. Remind them that you are still dedicated to this college or university and ask them if they have any recommendations as to how you can demonstrate your continued commitment to this college or university.

Finally, make sure to complete your remaining applications (and interviews) to a very high standard. Make sure that you have safety schools on your list that excite you. This will give you more college options come March/April.

University of Georgia Releases Early Action Decisions and Stats

Posted on by Leave a Comment

University of Georgia released its Early Action admissions decisions for the class of 2024 on Friday, November 22, 2019. UGA received 16,511 paid applications for Early Action this year, and the university will offer admission to 7,025 of these applicants.

In addition, according to Davide Graves, University of Georgia’s Senior Associate Director of Admissions Operations and Evaluation, here are some more interesting facts about students accepted in fall 2019 under University of Georgia’s Early Action plan:

Mid 50% Admitted Average GPA: 4.00-4.29 GPA
Graves’ comments: “Please remember this is not the GPA students see on their high school transcript, but rather the GPA that UGA recalculates for everyone based on the core academic courses taken in high school and looking at the actual grades posted on the transcripts.”

Mid 50% Admitted Average SAT (EBRW+M): 1360-1500
Graves’ comments: “This is data for students who were admitted with the SAT being the highest or only test score in their review.”

Mid 50% Admitted Average ACT (Composite): 31-34
Graves’ comments: “This is data for students who were admitted with the ACT being the highest or only test score in their review. Remember, UGA focuses on the ACT English and Math scores, but we report the Composite data as that is the official/accepted data for national publications.”

Mid 50% Admitted AP/IB/DE courses over 4 years of HS: 7-12 courses
Graves’ comments: “We determine academic rigor based on all core classes a student has taken (CP, Honors, Advanced, AP, IB, DE, etc.) as compared to what is offered in the school/community, but this information is the most specific data we can give on it. This does not mean a student needed 7 AP/IB/DE courses to be admitted, as we do not base rigor on the number of these courses taken.”

So, all in, there were 7,025 admits, approximately 6,800 deferred, roughly 2,100 denied, and slightly over 300 incomplete.

Graves adds, “As a reminder, UGA looks at in-state and out-of-state applicants using the same process. In addition, we do not have any limits on the number of students we can admit based on school, neighborhood, county or state, and we do not use major, gender, race, demonstrated interest or legacy status in our review process. We are looking at each individual applicant in the context of the overall applicant pool, and making decisions based on both the EA applicant group and what we expect the applicant pool (EA and RD) will be like overall. I suggest you look at the Admissions Tips, Hints & Myths page for more details about what we do and do not look at in our review.”

Penn Receives Far Fewer Early Decision Applications in 2019

Posted on by Leave a Comment

Penn’s Early Decision acceptance rate rose to 19.7% in 2019

The University of Pennsylvania only received 6,088 Early Decision (ED) applications for its Class of 2024 — down from 7,109 just last fall — a more than 14% drop from last year’s number of ED applications. This news was first reported in The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn’s student newspaper, on November 13, 2019; yet, adjusted numbers were released from Penn’s admissions office on December 16, 2019 (see below). Before the sudden drop this year, the number of ED applicants to Penn had been rising for years.

While some may argue that an uptick in fires in California or the lack of a recent SAT score re-centering are to blame, one actual reason for the sudden drop in Penn’s ED application numbers is likely Penn’s choice to break its long-time one 650-word supplemental essay question into two shorter essays (still totaling 650 words in all) this application cycle. Enough students make application choices based on perceived effort to complete Common App supplements alone; therefore, seeing two distinct essay prompts scared off up to 1,000 high school seniors – who clearly were not all that invested in applying to Penn to begin with – from applying to Penn Early Decision this fall.

Just goes to show, many students are not as focused on perceived college fit as they are on perceived college application fit.

Penn’s Former Supplemental Essay Question:

How will you explore your intellectual and academic interests at the University of Pennsylvania? Please answer this question given the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying. (400-650 words)

Penn’s Current Supplemental Essay Questions:

How did you discover your intellectual and academic interests, and how will you explore them at the University of Pennsylvania? Please respond considering the specific undergraduate school you have selected. (300-450 words)

At Penn, learning and growth happen outside of the classrooms, too. How will you explore the community at Penn? Consider how this community will help shape your perspective and identity, and how your identity and perspective will help shape this community. (150-200 words)

As one can see above, the change in Penn’s supplemental writing requirement was implemented in such a way as to provide two direct – and more specific – leading questions to Penn applicants in order to give Penn’s admissions team members the information that they really always wanted but were clearly not getting enough of by using Penn’s old 650-word essay prompt alone. Sadly, too few students must have been capable of organizing their thoughts clearly and articulately in the old 650-word responses. But even fewer were even willing to try answering two questions on Penn’s supplement this admissions cycle. Thus, by creating more concrete language in two prompts, Penn upset the equilibrium of its apple cart.

December 16, 2019 Update: Tonight, Penn put out the following information:

On Monday, December 16th at 7:00 p.m. ET, the University of Pennsylvania will announce admission decisions for Early Decision applicants to the Class of 2024, the institution’s 268th class.

The University of Pennsylvania received 6,453 applications under the first-choice Early Decision Program for the entering class of 2024. From this group of highly talented and compelling students from around the globe, 1,269 students were offered admission, approximately 53% of the expected enrolling class in the fall of 2020.

Nationally, 46 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico are represented in the class with the highest concentration of admitted students from Pennsylvania (189), New York (162), California (136), New Jersey (132), Florida (51) and Texas (45). Fifty-nine students reside in the city of Philadelphia.

13% of the class are international students based on their citizenship, hailing from 50 countries from Argentina to Zimbabwe.

54% percent of the admitted students are female, 52% of the U.S. Citizens/Permanent Residents self-reported as a member of a minority group, and 10% are first-generation college students. 24% of the admitted students had a parent or grandparent attend Penn in prior generations. 13% are estimated to qualify for a Federal Pell Grant.

Admitted students have pursued a most demanding secondary school curriculum in a range of educational settings. Their middle 50% testing ranges are 1450-1550 on the SAT and 33-35 on the ACT.

So, either Penn’s student newspaper was completely in error in what it reported (only 6,088 ED applicants) or Penn somehow found 365 additional ED applications after November 13 (twelve days after its ED deadline). Were all of them QuestBridge students? If not, where did the other applications come from?

Even taking Penn’s latest news release at face value, Penn experienced at minimum a nine percent drop in ED applications in 2019 compared to 2018. Accepting Penn’s latest numbers also means that Penn’s ED acceptance rate for Fall 2019 rose to 19.7% after hitting 18.5% in 2018 when Penn accepted 1,279 ED applicants. Penn has now accepted over half of its Class of 2024, which Penn expects to total 2,400 students, via Early Decision.

Penn’s higher ED acceptance rate this fall tracks with softer demand at various Ivies. For more information on that, click here.

Northwestern University vs. Washington University in St. Louis

Posted on by

If you only have one more spot to fill on your college list and it comes down to Northwestern University or Washington University in St. Louis, here are the factors you should consider before making the final cut.

Enjoy this installment of College List Deathmatch below!