Selective College Admission: Five Important Tips. August 28, 2017 August 29, 2017 Webinar: Sept 8, 2017

Transcription

1 Selective College Admission: Five Important Tips August 28, 2017 August 29, 2017 Webinar: Sept 8, 2017

2 A few important notes : Our priority in the college counseling program at Minnetonka High School helping the student to find the right fit! Our hope to focus on going to a college that is a good match, not to focus on getting in. Every student is encouraged to follow this admission mantra -- You apply for admission to a college because you would like to go there!

3 Categories of selectivity - examples Most selective acceptance rate below 15% (Harvard, Princeton, University of Chicago, Yale) Highly selective acceptance of 15-30% (Carleton, Colgate, Davidson, Emory, Georgetown) Moderately selective acceptance of 31-60% (Boston University, Macalester, Providence, St. Olaf) Selective acceptance of 61-90% (Drake, Hamline, Iowa State, Marquette, Nebraska, Univ of St. Thomas)

4 Most selective University of Chicago freshman class of 1,591 Applicants 31,484 Admitted 2,499 (8%) SAT mid-50th R&W M ACT mid-50 th Top 10% 98%

5 Highly selective Carleton College freshman class of 567 Applicants 6,485 Admitted 1,467 (23%) SAT mid-50th R&W M ACT mid-50 th Top 10% 75%

6 Moderately selective Boston University freshman class of 3,629 Applicants 54,781 Admitted 17,871 (32%) SAT mid-50th R&W M ACT mid-50 th Top 10% 63%

7 Selective Drake University freshman class of 767 Applicants 4,959 Admitted 3,419 (69%) SAT mid-50 th R&W M ACT mid-50 th Top 10% 37%

8 Early Decision and Regular Decision PERCENT OF CLASS FILLED FROM EARLY DECISION ED TO RD ACCEPTANCE RATIO SCHOOL EARLY DECISION ACCEPTANCE RATE REGULAR DECISION ACCEPTANCE RATE American University 85% 23% 46% 3.7 Amherst College 40% 12% 38% 3.2 Barnard College 35% 14% 47% 2.4 Bates College 50% 19% 66% 2.7 Bowdoin College 27% 13% 47% 2.1 Brown University 22% 8% 40% 2.8 Bucknell University 60% 28% 47% 2.2 Carleton College 34% 19% 38% 1.8 Claremont McKenna College 32% 7% 68% 4.7 Colorado College 28% 14% 53% 2.0 Dartmouth College 26% 9% 45% 2.9 Davidson College 43% 17% 58% 2.5 Duke University 24% 9% 47% 2.5 Common Data Set

9 Early Decision and Regular Decision PERCENT OF CLASS FILLED FROM EARLY DECISION ED TO RD ACCEPTANCE RATIO SCHOOL EARLY DECISION ACCEPTANCE RATE REGULAR DECISION ACCEPTANCE RATE Harvey Mudd College 18% 12% 39% 1.5 Haverford College 51% 19% 50% 2.7 Kenyon College 66% 24% 52% 2.8 Lehigh University 59% 23% 52% 2.6 Middlebury College 43% 13% 66% 3.4 Pomona College 20% 8% 48% 2.4 Skidmore College 66% 27% 51% 2.5 Swarthmore College 34% 11% 52% 3.1 University of Pennsylvania 23% 7% 54% 3.3 Vanderbilt University 24% 9% 55% 2.6 Washington University in St. Louis 38% 15% 35% 2.5 Wesleyan University 42% 16% 55% 2.7 Williams College 40% 16% 42% 2.6 Common Data Set

10 Naviance/Family Connection

11 A few national statistics (reality check!) Enrollment in US colleges and universities Total undergraduate 17,056,087 Public 4-year institutions 8,355,114 Public 2-year institutions 6,215,666 Private 4-year institutions 4,040,671 Private 2-year institutions 50,049 For-profit, 4-year institutions 1,123,605 Almanac Issue, August 2017 Chronicle of Higher Education

12 Enrollment at Minnesota colleges and universities Total undergraduate 310,266 Public 4-year institutions 133,175 Public 2-year institutions 123,012 Private 4-year institutions 70,598 For-profit 4-year institutions 100,305 Almanac Issue, August 2017 Chronicle of Higher Education

13 Other key data items: 6-year graduation rate (in USA) at 4-year institutions 59.8% 6-year graduation rate in Minnesota 63.2% Percent of first-year students who attend college within 100 miles of home 53% Percent of students who applied to five or fewer colleges/universities 64.7% Percent of students who are attending their first or second choice college 83%

14 Resources for research on selective colleges Fiske Guide to Colleges Princeton Review: The Best 381 Colleges Barron s Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges The Insider s Guide to the Colleges

15 Fiske Guide the top rated guide to the Best Colleges (about 300 schools) up to 15% acceptance rate from 15 to 30% acceptance rate from 31 to 60% acceptance rate from 61 to 99% acceptance rate

16 Five Important Tips for Selective Admission 1. Students/parents need to be on the same page for college cost, affordability, and financial plans 2. Take an appropriately challenging course of study, with as much rigor as possible 3. Visit the campus a great measure of demonstrated interest 4. Be nice to the admissions representative who comes to MHS (get their business card and send them an !) 5. Take special care with the why us? essay, or the what would you add to the Class of 2022? essay

17 Bonus round: Five More Important Tips 6. Beat the application deadline by a few weeks, or more if it s due on January 1, send in your application by Dec Pick teachers who know you well for your recommendations and talk to them early on! 8. Expand your college list to include both competitive options and likely options. Be realistic with your list!! 9. Examine closely the early decision/early action options this could determine the outcome of your admission! 10. Spend as much time thinking about going to a college as you spend thinking about getting in to a college.

18 Final thoughts The goal of the college admission office is to enroll a well-rounded class a community of individuals who add a unique talent or characteristic to the class. The operative question in selective and highly selective admissions is: What will this student add to our college? Make your case why is this college a good match for you?

19 In America, people succeed because of the quality of their character, not the fame of their college. Know that what you do in college is a better predictor of future success and happiness than where you go to college. (from the Education Conservancy.) Phillip Trout College Counselor Minnetonka High School collegeguy@minnetonkaschools.org