Colleges Trying to Firm Up Shaky Freshman Enrollment - Page 3

kayf · 08-14-2009, 11:07 PM

Big G == I suspect schools are being extra careful to make certain all spots filled. As to better school, research I have seen (which dealt with race, not exclusively socioeconomic class) seemed to indicate better school MORE important for kids without connections.

ilovetoquilt22 · 08-15-2009, 02:11 AM

my Ds school had nore kids accept than they anticipated, apparently alot more, so lots of forced triples...going to be an interesting year

bclintonk · 08-15-2009, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigG

My D has already had a couple of solicitations to apply for transfer to schools where she was waitlisted and then denied.

Is this usual?

Interesting. I suspect it means the schools making the transfer pitches really need the extra tuition revenue, but don't want to have expansion affect their freshman stats. US News doesn't measure transfer stats. Consequently, transfers go "under the radar" in the US News rankings; the only stat they affect is S/F ratio and since that's expressed in whole numbers and doesn't count for much of the school's total in any event, it can easily be jockeyed to a point where it won't adversely affect the school's overall ranking. If the school were to admit those very same students as freshmen it would affect not only S/F ratio but also SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile medians, class ranks, and admit rate.

Some schools have been playing the transfer game for years. Others are just catching on now as they scheme to increase tuition revenue without adversely affecting their US News ranking. Just another example of how the so-called "objective" US News stats are easily manipulable and frequently manipulated.

I wouldn't hold it against the particular school, though. It's just part of the game. If this gives your kid an opportunity to attend a school s/he really wants, go for it.

kayakmom · 08-15-2009, 10:23 AM

wow..i don't know whether i would be offended or not but i guess it's just business...

Modadunn · 08-15-2009, 10:31 AM

Anecdotal: A friend of mine's D who had really wanted to go to Colgate (applied ED, Deferred, waitlisted and then denied) ended up at Syracuse (or was it Ithaca?). In any event, halfway through her freshman year, Colgate wrote her a letter asking her to consider transferring to what had been her first choice. But by this point, she felt at home and loved the school (which only confirms the adage that everyone is at their first choice come October) and did not apply for transfer.

bird rock · 08-15-2009, 12:49 PM

^^Thanks for passing that on, and thanks for telling us the name of the college. It's a very good data point to have. I wonder if others have had similar experiences.

livesinnewjersey · 08-15-2009, 05:23 PM

The President of Villanova said their summer melt was not happening as expected, more forced triples. He attributed to them having such a hot basketball team.

BigG · 08-15-2009, 11:08 PM

I have mixed feelings about all this. It is perversely enjoyable that some adcoms are "sweating". It is sad that significant numbers of young people are being jerked around.

Incidentally my D's SAT's would shift the 25% to 50% range of any school upward (very slightly in some cases LOL).

Kajon · 08-16-2009, 12:47 AM

In today's economy people have adjusted their spending habits and are just being more frugal all around. I think it is NEXT years private school enrollment that is going to see the bigger hit. If I were in charge of a college the first thing I would do is to put a big red "accepted" stamp on all the apps that come in early this fall requesting zero financial aid.

swimcatsmom · 08-16-2009, 01:17 AM

My friend's daughter, a sophomore at a fairly expensive private school (just under $40k COA) , got an email offering to pay her and her room mate to relinquish their contract for their dorm and move off campus. Sounds like they must have more coming in than expected. They decided against it as they had to make a quick decision that did not give them time to actually find an off campus apartment. Doesn't sound like they are hurting to much.

livesinnewjersey · 08-16-2009, 09:46 AM

Kajon I think you are right. Now that we have been in a recession for a while, parents and their kids are getting used to the fact that the world has changed. Tightening belts is a reality (lawn services canceled , memberships canceled, restaurant dinners not happening, even water bottle sales down!).

Mom & dad, and the Joneses, do not have the money,do not have a job and are not quite sure if it will ever come in again. $50K a year is just not happening.

I feel badly for the parents whose kids were already away in a bubble at 50 k schools. They missed the family lesson on frugality. Those college kids and their peers have had the luxury rugged pulled out from under them and it won't be easy to go back w/out the spending $ swagger they've enjoyed for the previous 2-3 years.

kayf · 08-16-2009, 10:07 AM

Swimcatmom,

Depending on school, 40K may be a value.

NewHope33 · 08-16-2009, 12:55 PM

^^^^ I also think Kajon is right. Maybe it's simply a tri-state thing, but the financial system here is off-track ... with many policies changed and many past options no longer available. Yes I believe the rules have changed, and this can't bode well for many schools' premium priced product. I'm not saying the product's not worth the money ... simply that the environment that made $50K/year schools "doable" for many parents has been significantly degraded.