August 2007
“Eye on the Goal”
Ian Shapira examines the life of a student taking a gap year off from college in this August 5 Washington Post article. The article follows one student’s gap year as he defers college to pursue a future in hockey. Shapira notes that many students taking gap years are the hardest-working and highest-achieving high school students who either need a break or want the time to pursue other interests.
Despite a federal Education Department study that was released two years ago stating delayed entrants begin college at a “significant disadvantage,” many schools look favorably on a gap year. Though schools do not track the number of graduating seniors who take gap years, David Hawkins, director of public policy at the National Association for College Admission Counseling said, “When I am listening to high school counselors, they report personal experiences hearing from more students interested in participating”. Some colleges have even begun to promote the gap year. On its admissions Web Site, “Harvard University acknowledges the usefulness of a gap year while sympathizing with the academic straightjackets of today’s uber high-schooler.”
July 2007
“Competition for Common Application”
This June 28 article from insiderhighered.com by Scott Jaschik explains the differences between the Common Application and the newly developed Universal College Application. Although the applications are similar, requiring much of the same information, the main difference is which colleges can participate.
The Common Application operates on a mix of objective and subjective factors. Colleges must require at least one essay and one teacher evaluation. As a result, many private liberal arts colleges which have similar requirements make up a large amount of the Common Application member schools. Fewer public institutions meet these requirements, so less make up the membership. The Universal Application requires that member colleges “be accredited and that they abide by the Statement of Principles of Good Practice of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, which focuses on ethical principles, but does not tell colleges what they must require of applicants.”
Joshua Reiter, founder of the Universal College Application said the new application needed to be attractive to more public colleges. Rob Killion, executive director of the Common Application said they welcome new public members, but wanted to maintain their requirements. “Our mission is to promote holistic admissions,” he said.
“A College Course in Cynicism”
In this June 27 article from the Washington Post, Robert J. Samuelson expresses his opinion about 46 liberal arts college presidents refusing to participate in part of the U.S. News and World Report annual survey. While these presidents say the rankings are misleading, Samuelson says refusing to participate will not help decrease the stressful college admissions process.
He notes that hyper-competition only applies to the most selective schools and students still have a good chance of being accepted to a college of their choice. “On average, colleges and universities accept about 70 percent of their applicants", says David Hawkins of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA reported that about two-thirds of college freshmen are at their first-choice school.
He continues by saying that the competition is not the result of the U.S. News rankings, but rather America’s competitive nature. According to Samuleson, the U.S. News rankings should help enlarge the pool of “elite” colleges. He also says the rankings are presenting comparative and objective information. The college presidents who are trying to suppress the information are responding in the wrong manner, in what he refers to as soft censorship.
“A Primer in Touring College Campuses”
Eileen Ogintz discusses how to plan a tour of a college campus in this July 8 Sun-Sentinel article that also appeared on CNN's Web site. Prospective students and their families will have plenty of company on tours because, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, kids are applying and visiting more colleges.
Ogintz offers some tips for families and students like allowing the child to take charge. “That means the kids should decide where to visit, call and make the appointmens and introduce themselves at the admissions office when they arrive” and letting the student ask the questions on the tour. Orintz also suggests staying at a B&B in small towns because the innkeepers can be a good source of information. Other tips include taking a virtual tour, making appointments ahead of time and not planning too many tours in a short period of time.
June 2007
"Waiting No More”
This May 29 article from the Chicago Sun-Times by Ben Goldberger and Anjali Athavaley discusses the national downturn in wait list acceptances in 2007. While there are exceptions to this trend, the article points out that with unexpectedly high numbers of acceptances, schools are filling their slots quickly. The reason, some colleges say, is that they underestimated their yields – the percentage of students accepted who decide to attend. Although the odds of being accepted from the wait list have worsened over the years, many admission officers anticipated more overlap from students applying to multiple schools and estimated their yields conservatively.
Goldberger and Athavaley explain the difficulty in predicting yields: “Yields are highly important to schools and are closely watched by competing colleges, potential donors and status-conscious applicants as indicators of a school’s appeal. But they have become harder to predict in recent years. For one, the number of seniors graduating from high school has been rising for more than a decade, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.”
The yields will only continue to become harder to predict. The Education Department predicts the number of high-school seniors will continue to increase until at least 2013.
“Tough Year for College Admissions"
Diana Costello explains that it is becoming harder then ever for students to get into their top schools in this May 22 The Westchester Journal News (NY) article. Due to record number of applications, colleges are turning down more applicants and increasing their wait lists.
Several factors have contributed to this trend: record numbers of children of baby boomers are graduating high school; online and common application have made it easier and quicker for students to apply to multiple colleges; colleges are attracting more attention from abroad.
“Colleges are becoming less predictable and so kids are filing many more applications. And kids need to file more applications because colleges are less predictable,” said Ken Fox, chairman of the Admission Practices Committee at the National Association for College Admission Counseling. “The concept is a little bit like the chicken and the egg —which came first?”
“The Year that Puts Students to the Test”
In this May 21 article from The Philadelphia Inquirer, Kathy Boccella reports that high school juniors are facing tough entry standards and increased competition to get into upper-tier colleges. Of the 3.6 million high school juniors in the country, two-thirds plan to attend college. As a result of the stiff competition, many students must begin the application much earlier.
Admission official say because schools reject more applicants, students must apply to more places, which takes time and means they must start the process earlier.
“The glut of applications leads selective schools to reject even more students,” said David Hawkins, director of public policy for the National Association for College Admission Counseling.” This trend is expected to continue.
“There’s a cascade effect, so colleges down the line are getting more selective as well," Hawkins said.
“Year Off Can Benefit High School Grads”
Jaime Sarrio discusses the increasing trend of high school graduates taking a “gap year” or a year off before attending college in this May 29 Tennessean.com article. While many students benefit from the time off, some national research shows that students who wait a year are less likely to complete college than those who enter right out of high school.
According to John Gaines, director of undergraduate admissions at Vanderbilt University, most schools would grant a deferment if a student has a specific plan on how they intend to spend the time on break.
“The National Association for College Admission counseling suggests students who want to take a gap year apply for college before the trip and seek a deferment once they are accepted. In this way, students can show they are serious about school and get access to planning resources, such as guidance counselors and professors, through the school.”
May 2007
Hokies-to-be Won't let Killings Deter Them
This April 30 article from the Washington Times talks about enrollment numbers for the incoming fall freshman class at Virginia Tech after the campus shooting. NACAC President Mary Lee Hoganson talks about the effect on recruitment beyond the next incoming freshman class.
The effect on recruiting beyond next fall's freshmen is less certain, said Mary Lee Hoganson, president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
"The rallying of alumni has been extraordinary," she said. "But other parents might be saying 'Stay closer to home,' thinking, misguidedly, that they can control the situation."
Maine Proposal Requires Students Apply to College
This April 28 article from the Bangor Daily News examines how a number of individual schools in Texas, Pennsylvania and other states have adopted application requirements. Some states — including Maine — are using college admissions tests as part of their student assessment programs.
“But none has yet adopted a statewide requirement that students fill out college applications,” said David Hawkins, public policy director for the National Association for College Admission Counseling in Alexandria, Va.
Colleges send More Rejections
This April 28 article from the Harrisburg Patriot-News discusses high school seniors applying for college and the tougher competition leading to more rejection letters. The article talks about how students are applying to more colleges in hopes of giving themselves more options. While students years ago often applied to three colleges, it is not uncommon for students to apply to six or seven colleges.
Getting into state schools is getting more competitive because of the rising number of high school graduates, said Mary Lee Hoganson, the president of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling.
"It's the baby boomer generation's children that are now graduating," Hoganson said. "And we won't see a decline in the population until 2011, which will be the end of that generation." Students are applying to more colleges than in the past because of the convenience of online applications, Hoganson said.
According to Hoganson's group, 32 percent of students are now applying to seven or more colleges, compared with 9 percent a decade ago.
April 2007
"Colleges Reject Record Numbers"
This Wall Street Journal article from April 3 explores how colleges had more applicants this year, making it harder for students to get in to some schools.
"Several factors are fueling the rise in applications. One is population trends: The number of students graduating from high school has risen each year since the 1995–96 school year, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling. The U. S. Department of Education predicts that the trend will continue until at least 2013."
"A Great Year for Ivy League Schools, but Not So Good for Applicants to Them"
This New York Times article from April 4 reports that this year was the lowest acceptance rate to Ivy League schools. David Hawkins, NACAC's director of public policy, explains that more students are going to college now and students are applying to more schools, but the "overall 70 percent acceptance rate hasn't changed since the 1980s."
"Battle to Win Top Colleges' Nod Escalating"
This April 6 article from the Washington Post discusses the competition students face as they apply to colleges. With the number of high school seniors increasing, this competition is likely to stay around for several years.
"'The economic demand for a college education will only rise,'" said David Hawkins, director of public policy for the National Association for College Admission Counseling. "'I do not think anyone should count on an admission environment that is any less crowded than the one that we are experiencing now.'"
"Marketers Target Kids Who Seek an Edge"
This article from the April 8 Orlando Sentinel (FL) looks into the market increase in services to help students get into college. NACAC President Mary Lee Hoganson explains that some of these organizations charge up to $300 to fill out applications for federal student aid. "'The more needy you are, the more likely you are to get sucked in'," said Hoganson.
March 2007
“Homeschoolers Find University Doors Open”
In this March 6 article from AP News, Ana Beatriz Cholo discusses how more colleges are making it easier for homeschoolers to enroll than in the past. She quotes David Hawkins, NACAC director of public policy:
“In 2000, 52 percent of all colleges in the country had a formal evaluation policy for applications from homeschoolers. Four years later, the number jumped to 83 percent. During that time, 45 percent of colleges reported receiving more applications from homeschoolers.”
"Counselors Lobby Congress for DREAM Act"
Education Daily reports on NACAC’s 2007 Legislative Conference on March 7:
“National Association for College Admission Counseling members are scheduled to visit more than 300 congressional offices in an effort to urge lawmakers to reintroduce and enact legislation to open up higher education opportunities for graduating seniors It would provide temporary legal status to undocumented U.S. high school graduates and give them access to in-state tuition.
“Today, students who lack citizenship status have limited options once they graduate from high school because they are not eligible for most higher education scholarships or jobs with most U.S. companies. Those who attend universities have to pay out-of-state tuition, which makes college unaffordable to most of them.
“While the issue is longstanding, NACAC President Mary Lee Hoganson said she is hopeful that Congress ‘might finally achieve the federal resolution we seek.’”
"Why Recruitment Efforts Must be Redoubled"
NACAC CEO Joyce Smith wrote an article for the March issue of Recruitment and Retention in support of the University of Michigan's revised admission process to ensure access to higher education for all students.
"Admission deans from highly selective colleges note that they could throw out the class they just admitted, admit the next group of students down the list, and still have an equally qualified and capable freshman class. The illusion that some maintain, therefore, of a purely merit-based admissions process falls flat before the sheer reality of tens of thousands of similarly-qualified applicants that admissions officers encounter each year."
February 2007
Overachieving Students Hear a New Message: Lighten Up"
In this February 6 Washington Post article, Lori Aratani discusses how some schools are helping over-stressed students learn how to relax. Many students are overloading on coursework and activities because they are worried about getting into college. The article cites data from NACAC: "Last year, there were more prospective college applicants than ever, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling."
"Fewer Attend First College Choice"
Mary Beth Marklein from USA Today explains, in this February 8 article, why many students are not attending their first-choice school. Although some students are not accepted to their top choice, many others are and still end up at other schools. Financial concerns are the biggest factor for these students. David Hawkins, NACAC director of public policy, notes that some second- or third-choice schools offer students more merit aid to encourage them to their school.
January 2007
“'Senioritis’ in Season”
This Jan. 2 Cincinnati Enquirer (OH) article examines the consequences of high school seniors slacking off after they have been accepted to college.
Mary Lee Hoganson, NACAC president, is quoted about her experience as a high school counselor and students with senioritis: “Over the 35 years I worked as a high school counselor I’ve collected senioritis letters sent by colleges to students. The letters either request that the senior make an appearance at the college dean’s office to explain exactly why their grades are falling for inform students that they will be out on academic probation their first semester in college.” Hoganson goes on to explain that some colleges have revoked their previous letters of admission.