Stanford Class of 2017 Acceptance Rate: 5.7%, Lowest Ever

[creekland]

Here's the flip side of this:

http://finance.yahoo...WVRhQ4ATw3QtDMD

 

On another group I am on someone posted the idea that by spiraling up on numbers of applications each student submits we get the low acceptance rates, but because students apply to so many schools this is followed up by low enrollment rates. This hit both schools and students, and in my opinion there is only way down and that is for both to back down.

 

Decide in advance how many schools your student will apply to and stick with that. If necessary you could go up one school, but make the student decide.

 

That links to the same article mentioned in post 98 of this thread. ;)

[Nan in Mass]

the idea that many colleges make money off applications is put to rest.

 

 

It worries me that there is a layer of businesses between the applying student and the college - the college board company, whoever owns the systems used by the common app, the various rating systems, advertising agencies, etc. If someone is going to make money from the students applying to a particular college, I would rather it were that particular college. It feels like there is a layer in the middle taking money from both parties (but I might be wrong?). College is expensive enough without adding that layer. I understand why colleges might like to pay someone to do some of the sorting for them by aquiring and distributing test scores, and I understand that the original idea behind the testing was to even up people's chances a bit, but it has become rather a powerful, self-perpetuating entity, especially when put together with other self-perpetuating entity like businesses involved with the common app. Put together with the invasive CSS form, the potential for mining the data is huge. The potential privacy issue is huge. What a lot of trust we all seem to have in "the system".

 

I like that some colleges are test-optional. I like that some colleges use their own application. I like that there is a snail-mail option for the common app. It just so happened that we were able to minimize our participation in this middle layer but part of that was just the sort of colleges that interested my children. Mine took only the PSAT and SAT. They avoided the common app where possible and when they needed it, we downloaded it, filled it in, printed it, and snail-mailed it. It is Kludgy and glitchy but it can be done. We did it because we had too many attachments for my husband's liking. He works with systems of paperwork. It was rather nice not to have to bother with more tests or the whole online application system, though. It felt more straightforward, somehow.

 

I am waiting to see if the system positive-feeback-s itself until it self-destructs or whether the participants will decide not to play the game and seek alternate routes.

 

Nan

[Brenda in MA]

I like that there is a snail-mail option for the common app.

Nan

 

 

Just FYI for those reading this who have children applying to college this coming fall of 2013 -- The Common App is doing away with the option to print out and mail in the forms. It all has to be submitted on-line. Here is a link to a memo describing some of the changes:

 

https://www.commonap...CA4/AppMemo.pdf

 

Brenda

[Nan in Mass]

 

 

Just FYI for those reading this who have children applying to college this coming fall of 2013 -- The Common App is doing away with the option to print out and mail in the forms. It all has to be submitted on-line. Here is a link to a memo describing some of the changes:

 

https://www.commonap...CA4/AppMemo.pdf

 

Brenda

 

Grrrrr...

[Gwen in VA]

Just FYI for those reading this who have children applying to college this coming fall of 2013 -- The Common App is doing away with the option to print out and mail in the forms. It all has to be submitted on-line. Here is a link to a memo describing some of the changes:

 

https://www.commonap...CA4/AppMemo.pdf

 

Brenda

 

Nooooooo! Despite three older kids and 14 college apps, I have somehow only been involved in three or four online apps. I was hoping to go the snail-mail route this time too.

 

:scared: :banghead: :scared:

[Candid]

 

That links to the same article mentioned in post 98 of this thread. ;)

 

Sorry ! I missed that. Please forgive me.

[creekland]

Sorry ! I missed that. Please forgive me.

 

 

Eh - nothing to forgive to be honest. I can't count the number of times I've missed things... so I'll admit to considering it "normal" (and if not, don't blow my illusion!!!).

 

I just thought if you wanted to see some of the discussions about it you might want to go back and see a couple of the posts immediately afterward.

[Candid]

 

Eh - nothing to forgive to be honest. I can't count the number of times I've missed things... so I'll admit to considering it "normal" (and if not, don't blow my illusion!!!).

 

I just thought if you wanted to see some of the discussions about it you might want to go back and see a couple of the posts immediately afterward.

 

I did go back and look!

 

I feel like someone needs to tell both sides to stand down. BUT I am definitely more cynical about the college side because they have big financial incentives to get more and more people to apply. Students see their whole life down the drain and get scared.

[Laura in CA]

This has me counting my blessings. Hubby has always been able to relocate anywhere we want (more or less). There are definitely benefits to having a job that is needed, literally, everywhere. (Civil engineering to anyone who is curious - if there's water, wastewater, or environmental stuff and people, someone designs it.)

 

 

That's cool ... and guess what my older son has decided to major in? (he'll start college this fall) -- civil engineering! :D

Definitely a versatile major!

 

But we're not complaining about my husband's narrow physics specialty -- more just stating a fact. He did an extended "post-doc" at a place like CERN; both of our sons were born in Europe. It was incredibly lovely, and we got to learn another language. If it weren't for family here, and the high COL there, we might still be overseas ... :)