Many Seniors Get Off The Waitlist At Selective Colleges

Top Colleges Dig Deeper in Wait Lists for Students
By TAMAR LEWIN
In what may be a happy surprise for thousands of high school seniors, Harvard plans to offer admission to 150 to 175 students on its waiting list, and Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania each expect to take 90, creating ripples that will send other highly selective colleges deeper into their waiting lists as well.

“This year has been less predictable than any recent year,” said Eric J. Kaplan, interim dean of admissions at Penn, adding that when one college in the top tier goes deep into its wait list, others are affected. “We all need to fill our classes and replace students who have been taken off wait lists at other institutions. The wait-list activity could extend for a significant time.”

Although colleges turn to wait lists to fill out their classes, it is unusual for the most selective to go so deep, college officials say.

For high-school students graduating in an unusually large class and for colleges trying to shape a freshman class, this has been an unusually challenging year, with the changes in early-admissions programs and the broad expansion of financial aid at many elite universities.

Right up until the May 1 deadline for students to respond to admissions offers, colleges have been unsure what to expect.

“Our class is coming in exactly the way we wanted it to, fitting into the plan we had to get to a class of 1,240,” said Janet Rapelye, dean of admission at Princeton, which, like Harvard and the University of Virginia, eliminated early admissions this year.

Ms. Rapelye said that with such a big change in policy, it was difficult to predict results, so “we deliberately aimed to have a slightly smaller group.”

In an e-mail message sent on Thursday to colleagues at dozens of other institutions and passed on to The New York Times, William Fitzsimmons, the Harvard College dean of admissions, said, “Harvard will admit somewhere in the range of 150 to 175 from the waiting list, possibly more depending on late May 1 returns and other waiting list activity.”

AHarvard spokesman said the college had accepted fewer students this year to avoid overcrowding the freshman class.

The Yale dean of admissions, Jeffrey Brenzel, said there would be about 45 wait-list offers this week and probably another round later this month.

Even colleges that had more than filled their freshman classes were wondering how many students would melt away if admitted off waiting lists elsewhere.

“We’re over target right now, so we’re in good shape,” said Rick Shaw, the Stanford dean of admissions. “But I’m keeping a small group on the wait list, because I think there’ll be some impact of wait-list activity at other schools.”

At Dartmouth, Maria Laskaris, the dean of admissions, said although Dartmouth had more than enough accepted students committing, she was “in a holding pattern, because it depends on what other schools do.”

“If they go deep into their wait lists,” Ms. Laskaris said, “there’s a domino effect that has an impact on all of us.”

Amherst College offered admission to 15 students on the wait list Wednesday and expected to make offers to about 10 more. Swarthmore and Pomona planned to take 15 to 20 students from the wait list, admissions officials said.

At Bowdoin College, William Shain said he was slightly over the 480-student target, “but not so much that going to the waiting list is out of the question, if we lost a lot to other schools.”

Some high school guidance counselors said the wait-list activity this year seemed to have occurred especially quickly.

“In the last few years, more and more kids have been getting put on wait lists,” said Margaret Loonam, assistant principal at Ridgewood High School in New Jersey. “Now we’re seeing more get off the wait lists and earlier. It used to be a formal letter.

“But this year, it’s still early May and we’ve had a kid who got a call at home at night saying, ‘You’re off the wait list, do you want to come?’ We’ve already had kids get off waitlists at N.Y.U., B.U., Fairfield and Quinnipiac.”

At the University of Virginia, which also ended early admissions this year, John Blackburn, the dean of admission, said because he had received 3,200 deposits for a target of 3,170 freshman, he might not go to the wait list, unless an unusual number of students defect to other colleges.

Mr. Blackburn said he considered the move from early admissions a success because it seemed that, as hoped, it had brought in more low-income students.

Harvard, which ended early admissions this year and greatly expanded its financial aid to middle-income families, sent out offers of admissions to 1,948 students March 31, for a freshman class that is to number 1,650. Harvard would not say how many students had accepted the admissions offers.

IMPORTANT!! AP Testing Locations

2008 AP Testing Locations- Please Post!!

Day/Date/Time Test Name Location

Mon. 5/5 A.M. AP Government- MPR
Mon. 5/5 P.M. AP French Lang - Library
Tues. 5/6 A.M. AP Spanish Lang- K1, K2
Last Names A-Ma - K1
Me-Z-K2
Tues. 5/6 P.M. AP Statistics- Library
Wed. 5/7 A.M. AP Calculus AB Big Gym
Calculus BC Big Gym-Small Gym
Thurs.5/8 A.M. AP English Literature- Big Gym
Fri.. 5/9 A.M. AP U.S. History- Big Gym, S. Gym
Fri. 5/9 P.M. AP European History- Library
Mon. 5/12 A.M. AP Biology- MPR
Mon. 5/12 P.M. AP Physics B- MPR
Tues. 5/13 A.M. AP Chemistry - Library
Wed. 5/14 A.M. AP English Lang.- MPR
Wed. 5/14 P.M. AP Art History- E2
Thurs.5/15 A.M. AP World History- MPR
Fri. 5/16 A.M. AP Spanish Lit.- Parent Center

Interesting article

'Stealth Applicants' Are Changing the Admissions Equation
Growing numbers of students who apply unexpectedly complicate colleges' plans


By ERIC HOOVER

Jeff Rickey is a numbers guy. But three years ago, a colleague asked him about something he'd never counted: applicants who came out of nowhere.
The question intrigued Mr. Rickey, dean of admissions and financial aid at Earlham College, in Indiana. He found that 17 percent of the college's applicants that year had not called, taken a tour, or requested a viewbook — nothing.
Since then, Earlham has seen a steady increase in "stealth applicants," the term some admissions deans use to describe students whose applications are their first contact with colleges. This year stealth applicants filed 35 percent of the 1,869 applications Earlham received.
That jump reflects a national trend, according to a new Chronicle survey of admissions deans and enrollment managers. Forty-one percent of respondents said the number of stealth applicants had increased greatly at their colleges over the past 10 years, and an additional 37 percent said the number had increased somewhat. The uptick was more pronounced at private colleges than at public ones, the survey found.
Technology has fueled the trend. Students can find tons of information about colleges while surfing the Web. "Students," says one admissions consultant, "can find you on Google even if they can't find you on a map." Many institutions allow students to file free electronic applications, and some do not require students to register first. And the Common Application, an online admissions form accepted by hundreds of colleges, has simplified the process.
For colleges, those developments pose challenges. In the competitive admissions market, getting more prospective students is a bonus. But out-of-the-blue applications also complicate the jobs of admissions officials, who traditionally have known at least something about applicants long before their applications arrive.
Tracking students' visits and requests for information allows colleges to predict how many applications they will receive each year. Applicants who act as "secret shoppers" until they finally apply, however, warp those estimates, as well as the formulas colleges use to estimate their all-important yield rate (the proportion of accepted students who choose to attend).
"The most significant challenge facing admissions is the changing nature of our admissions procedures," wrote a male admissions official from a religious college, in response to an open-ended question in the Chronicle survey. "The recruitment funnel no longer exists, and students approach institutions of higher education when they are ready."
Like many deans, Mr. Rickey long depended on that funnel, which systematically narrowed a large pool of prospective applicants down to a relatively small number of enrolled students. Now, as more students enter the funnel near the bottom, admissions offices have less control over the end result.
"For colleges that try to bring 100-percent science to the admissions process, it is very disruptive," Mr. Rickey says. "It adds more art to the equation."
As at many other colleges, Earlham's yield rate for stealth applicants is lower than that for other students. Last year 18 percent of admitted stealth applicants enrolled at Earlham, while 27 percent of traditional applicants did so.
Stealth applicants are one reason Earlham has struggled to accurately predict its overall yield rate over the last decade. That number has been as high as 34 percent and as low as 23 percent. With a pool of only about 1,200 admitted students last year, those variations have significant financial consequences.
So, as its applications have increased in recent years, Earlham has admitted more students than before to fill its classes. The college recently started using a waiting list for the first time, to hedge against the uncertainty of yield predictions.
On average, stealth applicants that the college admits have slightly lower SAT scores and grade-point averages than other students who enroll. Still, Earlham engages all applicants with the same vigor, Mr. Rickey says. When stealth applicants apply, the college sends them information about the campus and encourages them to visit. Some who cannot make the trip are strong candidates: Earlham has found that international students, who account for 14 percent of its enrolled students, are more likely than domestic students to file applications without previously contacting the college.
Unlike some colleges, Earlham does not consider "demonstrated interest" — students' efforts to show a college that they are serious about enrolling — when it reviews applications. Generally, applicants show interest by attending information sessions, visiting a campus, contacting admissions officers, or signing in on a college's Web site. At Earlham, however, Mr. Rickey is wary of penalizing applicants, such as first-generation students, who do not know how to work the system.
"Education is a high-priced, intangible product," Mr. Rickey says, "and students will make decisions for their reasons, not ours, just as they are conducting searches for their reasons, not ours."
Many other colleges, however, use demonstrated interest to identify applicants who have little or no intention of enrolling. More than a third of respondents in the Chronicle survey said the perceived likelihood that an applicant will attend was at least a "moderately important" factor in admissions decisions.
At a time when many students file numerous applications, measuring their interest is a crucial way to determine who's a serious applicant and who's a frivolous one, says Brenda Harms, a consultant for Stamats Inc., a marketing company that works with colleges.
This year some colleges reported double-digit increases in applications over last year. Was that something to celebrate? "It's tentative good news," Ms. Harms says. "But I wouldn't get the parade together until you've drilled down to see how many applications you might convert to honest-to-goodness applicants."
Some colleges use simple strategies, such as sending applicants a form to fill out and mail back, or asking students to answer questions about their extracurricular activities. Many do not respond, but those who do may persuade that college to keep their names in the statistical hat.
At other colleges, measuring an applicant's interest is built into the design of applications. Last year Kenyon College introduced a supplement that students must complete in addition to the Common Application. The supplement asks applicants to answer one of four questions, such as this one: "Along the edge of ancient maps it used to say 'Here there be monsters.' What does it say at the edge of your map, and why does it say that?"
Kenyon introduced the essays to evaluate an applicant's fit for the campus, not to weed out the uncommitted. (Stealth applicants make up about 15 percent of its overall pool.) But admissions officials there believe the requirement inevitably functions as a kind of funnel — students who aren't fairly serious about Kenyon aren't likely to sit down and write an essay about metaphorical monsters.
There's no formula for evaluating interest, says Michael B. Sexton, dean of admissions at Oregon's Lewis & Clark College, where the percentage of stealth applicants is in the high teens.
Mr. Sexton might look skeptically on an application from a student who lives in an area that Lewis & Clark regularly visits but who had not previously established contact with the college. "We might wonder," he says, "if we're just an extra box that someone checked off on the Common App."
Then again, sometimes a stealth applicant from as close by as Eugene is also a very serious applicant. The college also takes into account the circumstances of students who can't build relationships with the campus before they apply because they lack the means or the savvy, or they live too far away.
"We do have some students from Alaska," Mr. Sexton says, "who go on to become scholarship winners."

UCLA Admissions Data for 2008 Admitted Students

Apr. 14, 2008

UCLA admissions data show high academic quality for 2008 admitted students

Number of African American and Latino students admitted increases

UCLA, the most popular campus in the nation, with 55,397 freshman applicants, announced today that it had admitted 12,579 prospective freshmen for fall 2008. Of these students, 18.1 percent, or 2,164, were underrepresented minorities — a 1.5 percentage-point increase over last year.

The number of African American freshmen admitted rose to 440 (3.7 percent), up from 407 (3.5 percent) last year, while the number of Latino/Chicano admitted freshmen increased to 1,682 (14.1 percent), from 1,474 (12.7 percent) in 2007. Native American freshmen numbered 42 (0.4 percent), compared with 45 (0.4 percent) last year.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said that the university is especially pleased that the number of African American and Latino/Chicano freshmen who applied to UCLA and were admitted increased again this year.

The chancellor said that university administrators, along with students, alumni, faculty and staff, are now working to encourage the talented students who were admitted to enroll at the university for the fall quarter.

"We were very impressed with the academic qualifications of all the applicants, and we look forward to an outstanding group of freshmen this fall," Block said. "Every student who was admitted is not only extremely qualified academically but also demonstrates special talents and interests that will enhance both their own college experience and the quality of campus life at UCLA."

Janina Montero, UCLA's vice chancellor for student affairs, praised the involvement of the African American community, alumni, students and faculty in helping to assure that many highly qualified African American students applied to UCLA, which helped boost the number of African American freshmen who were admitted. As with last year, prominent alumni and friends of the university are providing funds for scholarships to African American freshmen who elect to attend UCLA in the fall.

"Their participation has been invaluable," Montero said of all those who stepped forward. "While there is still work to be done in terms of encouraging these students to decide to come to UCLA next fall, we are extremely grateful for the interest and dedication of the broader UCLA family."

This is the second consecutive year that UCLA has used a "holistic" process for evaluating applications, in which each application is read and considered in its entirety by two trained readers; in previous years, two readers reviewed student academic records while a third reviewed life challenges and other personal achievements. The UCLA Academic Senate made the change because the faculty believed a more individualized and qualitative assessment of each applicant's entire application would better achieve the University of California Regents' goal of comprehensive review. The holistic approach emphasizes students' achievements in the context of opportunities available to them and how students have taken advantage of those opportunities.

Reflecting an increase in the overall number of applications, the university was able to admit 22.7 percent of all those who applied, compared with 23.6 percent last year. Those admitted must file a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) by May 1. The university expects a class of approximately 4,700 to begin their studies in September.

Academically, UCLA's admitted freshmen were again very strong. The overall grade-point average was 4.34, compared with 4.29 last year. The average composite score for the SAT reasoning test remained steady at 2,000, out of a possible 2,400. The average math score was 683, the average reading score was 653 and the average writing score was 664 — all approximately what they were last year. Admitted freshmen took an average of 19.9 honors courses and completed nearly 50.9 college preparatory semester courses — far above the minimum of 30 that is required.

Of the admitted students, 4,804, or 40.2 percent, were Asian American — approximately the same level as the last four years. Asian Americans made up 42.8 percent (4,975) of the admitted freshman class in 2007, 45.6 percent (5,390) in 2006, 42.5 percent (4,710) in 2005 and 42 percent (4,049) in 2004.

The percentage of whites/Caucasians was approximately the same as last year: 33.1 percent (3,953), compared with 33.2 percent (3,860) in 2007. That compares with 32.1 percent (3,791) for 2006, 33.6 percent (3,723) for 2005 and 33.5 percent (3,230) for 2004.

In other categories, admissions data show that 7.4 percent (885) of admitted applicants declined to state their race or ethnicity and that 1.2 percent (138) identified themselves as "other."

Information about admitted California freshmen at University of California campuses is available at www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/fall2008adm.html . More than 60,000 high school seniors were offered admission at UC campuses.

UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of nearly 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer more than 300 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Four alumni and five faculty members have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

NOTE: Fall 2008 figures are extracted from March 31 files and do not reflect final figures. The data used reflect information about domestic students, except for the total numbers of applicants and admits, which include international students. This year's figures are compared with official data from 2007. Admissions numbers will change slightly, with final official data available in October 2008. Data provided by the University of California Office of the President are for California residents only.

Scholarship Deadllines Approaching

Hope Christian Scholarship-
Friday, April 18- You do not need to be Christian to apply

Telesis Scholarship-
Up to $10,000. Deadline is April 15.

Kaiser Permanente Scholarship for Latina Nursing or healthcare field
Deadline: May 31

Avar Press Essay Competition- Essay Writing
Deadline May 15

Jack & Jill of America- Arican American senior going to a 4-year college or university. (2) $1,500 scholarships

HACU Hispanic Assn. of Colleges and Universities with Southwest Airlines

HACU has teemed up with Southwest Airlines to provide students with socio-economic need, 4 roundtrip tickets to their postsecondary campus. The deadline to apply is May 30. Please see Mrs. Drell in the College Office for an application. Do not miss out on this wonderful opportunity.

Seniors and Parents Taking Road Trips to Colleges!! You must read this!!

by Marcy Black

ONE IOWA DAD REMEMBERS THE COLLEGE ROAD TRIPS WITH HIS DAUGHTER AS “ … THE BEST DAYS I HAVE EVER LIVED.” HE SAID, “SHE SPENT MOST OF HIGH SCHOOL IN OPEN REBELLION. THIS TIME TOURING COLLEGE CAMPUSES BEGAN A HEALING PROCESS. LOCKED INTO THE FAMILY CAR TOGETHER, WE BEGAN TO REESTABLISH COMMUNICATION.”

Three out of four schools report more prospective students are visiting campus each year.

Driving past the tidy farms of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, my 17-year-old daughter asked if we could pull over to watch a family of Amish women in bonnets and long dresses. I asked how she’d feel if folks pulled off the road to watch her at home.

A few days later we cruised through a gritty barrio neighborhood of Hartford, Connecticut. “Slow down,” she said. “I want to read the signs.” We crept past the bodegas and restaurants so she could practice her Spanish.

These were two very different glimpses of America and two learning experiences for my teenager, who had spent her life in small-town Maine. They were opportunities stemming from that most unique road trip – the college tour.

These tours open a rare door, giving parents a chance to bond with their offspring before they leave the nest.

CAMPUS VISITS
In spring and fall, hordes of high school students hit the highway with their parents to visit colleges and universities across the country. Three out of four schools report more prospective students are visiting campus each year. Would-be applicants check out schools that they’ve classified as “reach,” “likely,” and “safety.” Accepted seniors compare colleges to decide which one they will attend.

These tours open a rare door, giving parents a chance to bond with their offspring before they leave the nest. If not planned carefully, they also can lead to sulking and screaming, and I’m not just talking about the teens.

PLANNING
You can lay the groundwork for college trips on the Internet. School admission offices provide extensive resources. First, see if students are on campus when you plan to visit. Note the schedules for campus tours and informational sessions; some require advance registration. If you sign up online, you may receive maps and parking passes in the mail.



Try to grab a meal in the cafeteria and engage some students in conversation. They are the most authoritative source of information about the campus environment.

Few schools offer or require interviews, but some are available on campus. Spaces are limited, so sign up early.

Don’t attempt to visit more than two schools a day. Allow extra time, as tours and informational sessions frequently run late, and traffic may be erratic. Plot your routes and book hotels in advance. Some places offer discounts for local college visitors, so mention the area schools you’re touring.

Practicality dictates that a driving trip should focus on schools in a single geographic area. You can tighten your net by concentrating on schools that meet particular criteria.

DRIVING TOGETHER
Being in close proximity with your teen for hours at a time can be a trial or an opportunity. Steven Roy Goodman, an educational consultant and admission strategist in Washington, D.C., cautions about “the power dynamic of the road trip” in the parents’ car, with parents driving, buying the gas, and choosing the radio station. No wonder teens tend to plug into their MP3 players and snooze in the back seat. Remove the ear buds and cell phone, let your teen ride shotgun – or drive – and you’ve got his or her attention.

Topics for talk are as vast as the American landscape through which you’re driving. Take the opportunity to ask what your offspring is looking for in a college, a career, or a friend.

AT THE SCHOOLS
Once you arrive on campus, let your teen register at the admissions office. Schools keep track of all contacts with applicants. In a recent survey, 46 percent of schools said campus visits have a positive influence on the admissions decision.

Informational sessions and campus tours often follow one after the other. For the most part, let your teen ask the questions. You may choose to rest while your teenager tromps around campus. If you take a tour, wear your walking shoes.

Try to grab a meal in the cafeteria and engage some students in conversation. They are the most authoritative source of information about the campus environment. Ask about what happens on weekends. Is there a big Greek influence? Are professors approachable? Read the student newspaper. Scope out the neighborhood.

Your teen should carry a notebook to jot down impressions after each visit. That’ll help them keep recollections straight after visiting multiple schools.

LISTENING
Sometimes a student reacts to a school with his or her gut. My daughter was turned off by one campus where all the students looked like they stepped out of a J.Crew catalog. If your teen is put off by graffiti on the sidewalks or the icky rice pudding in the cafeteria, you have to accept his or her judgment. Likewise, you can rejoice when your teen notices smiling faces on every student or the wealth of activities advertised on bulletin boards.

You never know what’s going to resonate. That’s why campus tours are so important.


Soon your child will be leaving home, family, and adolescence behind. A driving trip to explore your teen’s educational options may help shape your future relationship with that fledgling adult.


10 COLLEGE TOURING DON’Ts AND DO’s
“Don’t be your child’s secretary. Let them take the lead contacting schools, scheduling visits, and asking questions.”
Katherine Cohen, CEO of IvyWise and ApplyWise.com
Do have your teen sign in and try to meet your regional representative in the admissions office. Don’t leave campus without the school knowing your child has been there.
Don’t visit more than two schools a day.
Do take a separate campus tour from your child so you can “ask the embarrassing questions, which will save him or her some mortification.”
Joan Pfeffer, Director of College Guidance, Laurel School, Shaker Heights, OH
Don’t judge a school solely on the basis of the tour guide – or the weather – during your visit.
Do have your teen contact a department head to arrange to sit in on a class. That can establish a personal relationship with an ally come admissions time.
Don’t ask, “What did you think?” on your way out of the campus parking lot. Give your teen time to process the visit.
Do – if at all possible – leave much younger siblings at home. “They won’t remember the colleges when it’s their turn, they’re likely to feel resentful, and you won't have to monitor their behavior at the motel.”
Dick Tobin, Director of College Counseling, Greenhills School, Ann Arbor, MI
Don’t forget to schedule some fun to defuse the stress of the trip. “Take time to see some sights or have a quiet meal together at a nice place.”
Katherine Sillin, Director of College Counseling, North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, ME
Do make sure your teen gets cards from the tour guide and “writes thank you notes to anyone who interviews them or arranges to let them sit in on a class.”
Cristiana Quinn, College Admission Advisors, Providence, RI

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SERENDIPITY
Don’t let a tight schedule prevent you from taking advantage of serendipity. One of my sons cemented his interest in attending Boston University when the student guide leading a large group encouraged him to tour the College of Communications. We extended our visit to allow him an impromptu, one-on-one tour of the facility.

Another time, my husband and I sent our daughter on the walking tour of a hilly campus while we basked in the sun on benches in front of the admissions office. Striking up a conversation with a friendly fellow with a briefcase, we discovered we were chatting with the university president.


SELECTED SAMPLE ITINERARIES Small-Town Pennsylvania Schools
Lafayette College in Easton
Lehigh University in Bethlehem
Moravian College in Bethlehem
Muhlenberg College in Allentown
Bucknell University in Lewisburg
Dickinson College in Carlisle
Gettysburg College in Gettysburg
Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster

Engineering Schools in the Northeast
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA
Tufts University in Medford, MA
Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA
Binghamton University (SUNY) in Binghamton, NY
Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY
Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY
Southern California Schools
University of California Los Angeles
University of Southern California in Los Angeles
Occidental College in Los Angeles
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena
Whittier College in Whittier
Chapman University in Orange
Claremont Colleges (Pomona, Scripps, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer) in Claremont
University of California San Diego
San Diego State University

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