I have heard people saying that certain years at certain schools for some reason a huge pool of talent made it especially difficult to get in. While I agree that admissions are (for the most part) getting more difficult over time, I doubt that these statements are really true. Are people just trying to comfort each other?
Is it actually possible that a college could experience a year where suddenly they are flooded with a bunch of better than usual applicants?
Any examples you can think of?
The most prominent example I have heard is apparently Baylor was very difficult to get into in 2013.
Here are a few examples. Often it can be connected to changes in admissions procedures such as a waiver in application fees or a dropping of supplemental essays combined with more marketing of the school leading to a sharp increase in applications year over year:
http://kenyoncollegian.com/2014/01/23/applications-soar-for-class-of-2018/
https://www.colby.edu/news/2015/01/22/applications-colby-college-class-2019-soar/
The opposite can also be true. Dartmouth experienced a 14% decline in apps after the Rolling Stone article came out about it’s Frat culture, and other issues.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-02-10/dartmouth-freshman-applications-drop-14-prompting-scrutiny
http://www.dartblog.com/data/2014/02/011326.php
I would agree with Colby class of 2019. The school was a clear match for my D and she was outright rejected. This happened to a few schools on her list that we thought were pretty “sure bets” although we knew nothing was 100%. I think 2019 was a tough year for many applicants. Wonder how 2020 will shape up?
Baylor? Really? It seems like everyone we know who applies gets in. I never realized they were that selective. Good to know!