I am a believer that each college has the right to decide on their own admissions strategy. ED, EA and RD (with the many variations), Spring scholars, Global scholars, Satellite campuses.
Discuss institution you think have pushed things a little too far, and why do you feel that way?
Has it worked for them, or has it backfired?
I’d add the “free application” on the Common App that leads to lemming like applying and the resulting “high selectivity” that many schools tout as proxy for excellence.
I think your wording implies a certain level of “over-success” or, at least unintended consequences, in terms of the results of the strategy. If that’s the criterion, I have my own list of usual suspects.
I don’t know. Northeastern shows 5.6%. I assume that’s for the main campus.
Many on here say they game because of the various programs but I assume that the 5.6% is Boston only. Others say no. Their rate is much higher.
Then what is it ?
The ‘ease’ of applying has increased apps at many schools, especially those with no essays. And then there’s ‘top’ schools mailing fee waivers to targeted families in wealthy zip codes.
Many tie low admit rates to higher rank or perception of excellence. I wouldn’t call it gaming but rather smart strategy.
I think UChicago ED0 for students who attend a summer pre-college program is pushing things. No idea if it has been successful admission wise or if it pushed people to do their (not cheap) summer program. Without knowing more, it just doesn’t sit quite right with me but admittedly I have no strong ties to the school. (Feel free to convince me otherwise.)
I assume you are talking about the CDS. The number of applications in the CDS is the total applications they received. The CDS admits and enrolls are Boston only. The admits and enrolls don’t include NU IN or any other program where the student wouldn’t start in the fall and/or in Boston.
Most/maybe all schools that have spring starts or fall starts in another location do not include those students in the admit or enroll numbers in the CDS, but they do include the applications of those students in the total app number.
So, we have acceptance rates that are artificially lower than they actually are.
Chicago is going to do what they are going to do, but I just wanted to note they do provide financial aid for the summer programs. And some are less costly (shorter term and/or online only.)
tell me more
Kind of crazy to read that, even though I know it is true. Has anyone every attempted to pull those out. Feel like Vanderbilt is doing it for the first time with their 4%… but why? They were doing just fine.
Sometimes institutional reporting peeps will give you the numbers.
I don’t have any inside baseball on Vandy.
Are people applying not for Boston Fall ? I get other programs don’t count those kids also weren’t accepted for what they applied for - Boston and Fall.
It doesn’t seem ethical that they would use an expanded group for applicants and another for admits.
This is in their website for ‘24. I’d assume it to be Boston.
NUin is a money grab. They are letting in kids who can pay I’m guessing.
Tulane is not the only one, but when they take an EA deferral and suggest they apply ED2… we can say ED is fair, but I think that is just wrong. Has it backfired… maybe hurts brand, but has not hurt their results as of yet.
At Northeastern, applicants have their choice of programs to apply to. Northeastern does offer some applicants a program that they did not apply to.
Hence why some say ‘gaming’.
Since we have talked about this before, it’s clear you don’t believe what I am saying. So, I would encourage you to contact Northeastern institutional reporting and ask your questions.
I agree that this is wrong, especially at a school like Tulane that doesn’t meet full need and routinely offers less merit aid to ED applicants. I have less of an issue with schools that meet full need which suggest a switch to RD2 app. I just have a small sample size, but the students who made the switch to ED2 [under pressure, because that’s what it always feels like to a HS senior] have been more likely to ultimately transfer as well.
I’m simply saying that I believe the apps #s are people applying to Boston and getting into Boston - for the Fall semester. Not alternative programs.
Many game - bit that doesn’t mean altering apps. Wash U, Chicago - with their late please of app waivers to kids in rich areas that never expressed interest. That’s gaming. Many game.
That helps them lower admit rates.
That’s not unethical. You all are saying NU is altering rates.
Gaming is simply marketing. Lower admit rate often =s exclusivity in the minds of your customers. Nothing wrong with pursuing that.
I understand what you are saying, and I am telling you that is incorrect. That app number reflects all apps, to all undergrad programs.
Then it should reflect only those admits to the program they chose, not alternatives.
Private colleges do have a “right” to do anything with admissions that isn’t actually illegal, but I have a right to not like everything they do.
And I don’t really like ED in general. EA, fine. Rolling, fine. Transfer, satellite, and late-start options of all sorts, fine.
ED, though, is such a one-sided deal in favor of the colleges that to me it feels inherently coercive. And I think it is encouraging a lot of kids to make binding decisions before they have really completed a reasonable process for deciding.
OK, then yes, within that framework, some colleges seem to lean into pushing kids to make premature decisions even more than others. So I also do not at all like the Chicago ED0 thing. I cringe every time I hear about colleges contacting applicants directly to try to persuade them to convert a non-binding application into a binding application. I don’t like it when they imply applying ED can help in some ill-defined way that is impossible to verify. And so on.
By not reporting spring admits (NUin, etc) as admits, they are following the same rules as other schools. The difference is in the number of spring admits, which seems to be quite high for Northeastern (my D said everyone she knew got in to NUin)… but all schools with spring admits have this reporting problem, because the CDS format is designed for fall admits. The solution is for all schools to report their spring admits.
I dunno. I just think it’s kind of perverse to hold yourself out as one of only a handful of universities that will put you in touch with an industry that offers sufficient income to justify its high COA and then feign “surprise” that no one goes into government service, no one goes into teaching, no one goes into foreign service - you name it. I’m lookin’ at you SMHYP…
