For seniors and their families, December can be a season of highs and lows. At this time of year, students are powering through finals, celebrating acceptances, regrouping from disappointments, finishing off applications, and feeling the anticipation of months of waiting for final decisions in the application process.
As we look ahead to 2024 here are our hopes for the admissions process and what families can do in the face of uncertainties –
Transparency:
There is an unfortunately growing trend of opacity about college admissions data as more colleges, especially elite ones, move to withhold reporting of their admissions data. Our hope is that colleges will transparently share their data – number of applicants, acceptance rates for each round of admissions, including early decision and early action, and data on the test scores, grades, and other characteristics of admitted applicants. It’s only fair for students to have the data to realistically assess their chances of admission.
Candor:
We hope that in 2024 colleges will be candid with students and families about their expectations for students, their policies about testing and the role that test scores play in actual admissions decisions, their intentions for early action and early decision pools, and their notification dates. Every bit of information supports students in making their own best decisions.
Recalibration:
While college admissions offices often say there are no specific standards for admission, and all applicants are evaluated holistically, we also know that application numbers are increasing consistently year over year. Admissions readers tasked with processing all these applications are often spending less than 10 minutes, and sometimes even less than five minutes, per application. Unless admissions offices can commit to devoting significantly more time to processing a student’s experiences, perspectives, and contributions, then it remains unfair to ask students to pour so much into supplemental essays, case studies, video entries and more. More often than not, decisions made in this context are driven by the quick glimpse of a test score or the rigor of an academic program, rather than the true nuances of who a student is and what they bring to the table.
What are students & families to do?
Although so many pieces of the admissions process stand to improve, students and families are not powerless to shape a sane and even meaningful admissions process.
First and foremost, we encourage students and parents to let go of the hype that surrounds hyper-competitive admissions. Instead, hone in on what matters most to you in the quality of experiences and community on a campus. Find colleges that align to these values –your values – at every admissibility level, and trust that you will shape a rich life, full of growth and opportunities whether or not you attend a college with a tiny acceptance rate and a huge sticker price. Consider some of the colleges that might not make the tippy top of the acceptance rate arms race, but do align with the kind of experiences you seek to have in your college life and education. Many of these schools, even those with acceptance rates above 50%, are wonderful places to learn and grow and launch your future. Many of these schools are seeking interesting, hard working, curious and caring students, and many of them have scholarships to offer to entice those same students to enroll.
TBU Advisors are experienced in supporting students to navigate their college choices and personal best fit. Our passion is helping you make a plan that takes the overwhelm out of the process, empowers you to become your own best you, and puts your best self forward in your admissions process & applications.
If you’d like to explore working with a TBU Advisor, get in touch here and we will look forward to connecting with you.
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