As we noted in an earlier post, Mackler students fared very well this spring in college admissions.  This accomplishment seems even more significant given the overall difficulty of students gaining admission to first choice schools.  As detailed in this Wall Street Journal article, admission to the nation’s top colleges has never been more competitive.  All elite schools saw major increases in the number of applications, causing admission rates to drop — to 7.1% at Harvard, 8.2% at Yale and 9.3% at Princeton, all records.  Public universities saw a similar trend, with North Carolina accepting only 32% and Texas only 44%.

Conventional wisdom focuses on the population boom that has led to larger pools each year seeking admission to college, combined with the ease of applying to 12 to 20 colleges using the Common Application.  Certanly too many students are applying to schools “just because,” thereby artificially enhancing the difficulty of getting accepted.  However, having examined the rejected applicant pool at these top colleges, I can tell you that students not getting accepted have better credentials in terms of grades and test scores than at any time in the last fifty years.  Quite simply, the market for admission to a top 50 college has become hyper-competitive because of increased demand, static supply, and a higher number and quality of top applicants.  As a result, schools once considered second-tier have record low acceptance rates.  While lower student populations forecast for the next few years could have some impact, most of these trends will not abate any time soon.

We discourage students from applying to schools simply because they can, because the school has a certain status and they want to be able to say, “I got into ________.”  It simply is not fair to other applicants to apply to a school for a spot you have no intention of filling.  Remember — this could come back to haunt you, as other students take up spots that could be yours at your first choice school!

Instead, we encourage students to spend more time focusing on researching schools and targeting only those that hold promise as a “good fit” based on specific criteria unique to the applicant.  Only seek admission to schools that are good fits and that you would attend if accepted.

But students continue to ask, “will I be able to get into my well-chosen first choice school?”  The top 50 schools will remain difficult because the admissions system drives students to apply to and attend these schools.  The top 50 have long reputations for excellence, which creates opportunities and connections other schools cannot provide.  At the same time, schools in the second-tier also provide wonderful educational experiences which only grow as more and more college-eligible students choose to attend college.  Because the top 50 have not decided to expand the size of their entering classes, and because students with great academic credentials will still attend college, we are seeing a dramatic change in the quality of applicants at schools in the second-tier.  Consequently, schools in the second-tier have become more selective, and will continue to do so.  Importantly, the difficulty is relative — while single digit acceptance will continue to rule at the very top, second tier colleges will still admit 55-70% of applicants.  The main difference in second-tier schools:  their student populations are becoming stronger overall, which only enhances the academic experience of all who attend.

Increased competition encourages all schools to raise their game.  Since the demand for such quality will not decrease any time soon, the heigtened competition is having the effect of increasing the level of selective and high quality schools across the country.  The key for students in this new environment is to find that good fit in a larger pooling of schools.

So…students need to up their credentials to remain competitive, and also increase the amount of research into schools prior to targeting schools for admission.  We can tell you from years of experience in the process that the key to success is early preparation, which requires focusing on credentials in freshman year (that is right…those grades count too!), test prep in the sophomore year and college research in the junior year (first semester rather than end of second semester).

Bottom line…do not get discouraged.  This challenge is not an immovable obstacle, but one that can be met with planning, perseverance and persistence!