College Admissions: Top Trends from 2011

Monday, May 02, 2011

Cristiana Quinn, GoLocalProv College Admissions Expert

The numbers are in for the class of 2015, and despite optimism that competition had peaked and admissions might begin to get easier this year, that was not the case. Most competitive colleges in the U.S. got more selective. Why? The number of students applying to college has remained relatively stable the last couple of years, but students are applying to more colleges. The average student now applies to 7 schools, and students with more resources often apply to 10 or more. Add to that a surge in

international applicants, and it makes for a much more competitive climate than last year.

Ivy League Gets More Elite

Every Ivy League university got harder to get into this year, as did Stanford and MIT. The biggest change was at Columbia which went from a 9.4 acceptance rate in 2010 to a 6.9% acceptance rate in 2011. Harvard was the most selective among the Ivy League with an overall acceptance rate of 6.2; Cornell was the “easiest”, accepting 18% of applicants overall and 35% in the early decision round.

Urban Colleges Soar in Popularity

Big city universities continue to surge in popularity. Many students today feel that they will be bored at a suburban or rural college. While that rarely proves true, colleges in major metropolitan areas became more competitive than ever. Boston University went from a 58% acceptance rate last year to 48% this year. Case Western in Cleveland went from a 67% acceptance rate in 2010 to 48% in 2011, and Fordham in New York City went from a 50% admit rate last year

to 40% this year. Southern Methodist University in Dallas accepted only 43% of students, down from 54% last year. Even smaller colleges in less prominent cities benefited from the trend, as Trinity College in Hartford went from a 43% acceptance rate in 2010 to just 27% this spring.

International Applications Rise

Another reason for an increase in competition is that international applicants are flocking to the U.S., especially from Asia. These applicants are almost exclusively full-paying students who are attractive to colleges that want to balance the budget and provide a diverse campus demographic. Brown saw a 10% increase in international applications, while Michigan State received 13% more, and William & Mary saw a whopping 23% increase over 2010.

Waiting Lists Lengthy

Colleges have also put a record number of students on waiting lists this year. Many selective schools place thousands of students on the wait list, but accept only a handful. Why? There are many reasons. Colleges often wait list legacy students, students with large donor recommendations, and those from high schools where they have close relationships-all in an effort to keep the peace. We don’t yet know the wait list numbers for 2011, but last year: Johns Hopkins offered wait list spots to 3,667 students and only accepted 1, the University of Vermont wait listed 3,456 students and accepted 218, and Colby College placed 934 on the waiting list but took only 21.

What’s the best strategy for families with high school students?

Make sure that you start strong in 9th grade with a high GPA, take some honors and AP courses as you progress, and demonstrate a consistent dedication to several extra-curricular activities (including leadership roles). Don’t wait until the fall of senior year to put together a college list or visit schools; you should have a list in place no later than December of your junior year when PSAT scores come back. Visit colleges in the spring of junior year and make sure that your tours include a healthy dose of reasonable and backup colleges. You best chances for admission to many colleges is in the early round, and that means you need to finalize your list and complete any visits by October of senior year.