How Did We Get Here? - Part 3
Part 3: This Process Is Opaque
In the first part of this series, we discussed the role that the rise of test-optional (it is now optional to submit standardized test scores, SAT or ACT, at most colleges) has played in opening up the applicant pool to highly selective colleges. What can we say about test-optional admissions policies today?
• According to Higher Ed Dive, “Just 43% of applicants submitted entrance exam scores to Common App member institutions for the 2022-23 academic year. This is nearly the exact same share as the previous year but far lower than prior to the pandemic. In 2019-20, nearly three-quarters of applicants sent colleges assessment results.”
• Also, according to this article, “These trends follow a significant number of colleges switching to test-optional policies, which is reflected in the Common App data. Just 4% of their member colleges in 2022-23 mandated admission test scores, down from 55% in 2019-20.”
• In recent weeks, Columbia University, Vassar College, and all of the State Universities of New York (SUNYs) have announced that they will be permanently test-optional.
• Many colleges that are temporarily test-optional are tracking the academic success of their test-optional enrolled students, and that may be why they have not made a permanent decision yet.
While fewer students across the board are reporting scores, those that are reporting them tend to have high scores. This has caused the middle 50% of average test score ranges at many colleges to increase over pre-pandemic levels by about 100 points for the SAT and between 2 or 3 points for the ACT. So, should you even be trying to test? Is it worth it to submit scores? Like in most things for admissions, the answer is that it depends.
• Most colleges are not very transparent about the percentage of students they accept with or without scores. Compass Prep did an analysis last year, which showed that at many places, you are advantaged by submitting a good test score. In reviewing our students this year, many did well applying without test scores. That said, we still think it is very institutional dependent and, moreover, comes down, like most things in college admissions, to institutional priorities.
• Duke was transparent in their Early Decision release this year. They said 60% of applicants applied without test scores, and 70% of admitted students had test scores. Of those admitted to Duke that took the SAT, the middle 50% had scores of 1520-1570. So again, this begs the question, would you submit a score below the middle 50% band of scores? Again, the answer is that it depends, but I would be hard-pressed to find a situation where I did NOT recommend that a student submit a 1500 SAT. In fact, we had a student admitted to Duke who submitted an SAT score below the middle 50%.
• Let’s break this out a bit. Some consultants would advise you not to submit a 1500 SAT to specific colleges or in certain situations or breakdowns. I disagree, and here is why, 1500 is a great score. It is just a few questions from perfect. At some point, we need to be the voice of reason. So many students are struggling with mental health, and now we are going to say near perfect is not submittable! Admissions officers are looking for reasons to admit students, not deny them. Do we think Duke is denying a student based on a couple of errors, and if they are, do you really want to go there?
In the end, here is my short answer about submitting a test score or not. Are you proud of the score you received? Is it reflective of hard work and effort on your part? Do your scores provide good evidence that you are a great candidate for what you want to study? Is it close to the middle 50% test score range of the institution you are applying to? If the answer to these questions is yes, submit your test scores.
So, how many students a college accepts test-optional is not the only statistic colleges don’t necessarily publish. Some colleges publish all their admissions statistics. Some colleges publish some or none at all. What we know, though, is that even for those colleges that publish admission statistics, admit rates are not always what they appear.
• Examples of in-state vs. out-of-state are obvious, but major also plays a significant role or sometimes your gender. The acceptance rate for the University of Washington (U Dub) is 56% if you are from in-state and 50% if you are from out-of-state. The acceptance rate for Computer Science (CS) at U Dub is 23% if you are in-state and 3% for CS if you are from out-of-state.
• Getting into U Dub for CS from out-of-state is harder than getting into MIT!
• Gender can play a significant role in admission rates. In this article from the Brown Herald, they say, “In the 2021-22 application cycle, 6.73% of male applicants were accepted to Brown, while only 4.06% of women were.”
Demonstrated interest (DI) is crucial, even sometimes to those places that say they do not count DI because many colleges prioritize accepting those students who they believe will enroll.
• Colleges are using AI algorithms to determine whether a student they accept will attend.
• We saw super strong students this year waitlisted at places like Case Western, American, and BU who had stronger profiles than those students who were accepted. This is not new. It is the essence of holistic admissions.
Waitlists are being utilized more than ever before.
• Consider a waitlist a polite “you are qualified, but we do not have room for you.” This year we saw way fewer denials and a LOT more waitlists.
• Boston College put 4500 students on their waitlist last year for a class of only 2050 students, and they took no one off the list!
• Two years ago, Babson offered 3,015 students a spot on the waitlist for a class of only 650 students. 1,210 accepted their spots. They admitted one student off of the list!.
• We also saw a significant trend of deferring an early application student to the regular round and then waitlisting them.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: THIS PROCESS IS NOT ABOUT THE STUDENTS; IT IS ABOUT Colleges and their needs. Waitlist movement is not predictable year to year. It is all about how well a college has predicted its yield for that individual year. The college wants a HUGE waitlist because it allows them to continue to shape their class. Maybe the tuba player for the band that they accepted has chosen to go elsewhere; the college simply needs to go to their waitlist and look for another tuba player. The debate kid they accepted chose to go elsewhere; the college gets out all their debate kids and decides whom to take. They have too many kids with financial needs, so they decide to accept a few more full-pay kids. Again, this is not about individual kids; this is about WHAT THE COLLEGES NEED.
I highlight all of this because not being admitted can cause students a lot of anxiety. This whole process has just gotten to be too much, and I worry a lot about kids and their mental health. Sometimes knowing this is NOT about you can lessen the load. Kids are going to get some disappointing news in this process. Our students who were accepted to the most selective colleges in the country were also NOT admitted to many others and waitlisted at a bunch. That is this process, but I promise that students who apply to a well-balanced list will always have really good choices in the end. If you want to avoid disappointment and stress, apply to less selective colleges. The VAST majority of colleges in this country are not very selective. If you do your research and find one that aligns with your priorities, I promise you will still receive a FABULOUS education. If you have not read it before, please read Frank Bruni’s book “Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania.”
Selective colleges are often disheartened that they need to turn down so many amazing kids every year, so what can they do? More colleges are getting creative. They are offering admittance to additional campuses, or for different start dates, or guaranteed transfers. THIS IS A POSITIVE THING. Colleges are trying to accommodate more students, but it can be super confusing and frustrating to students and families because colleges are not always very transparent.
• A good example of this is Northeastern University. We have heard that Northeastern accepted 20,000 students to its different NU and Global Scholars programs. That is again because admit rates are not always what they seem. Northeastern does not include these programs in their 6.5% acceptance rate.
• The University of Florida even has a program where you get admitted to do your first two years online while living right across the street from campus.
• Colleges like these creative solutions because they can service more students and don’t need to include those admits in their acceptance rates.
• The University of California colleges came out a few weeks ago with its first guaranteed transfer system for qualified applicants.
• Colleges where we have seen guaranteed transfer options: GA Tech, University of Rochester, Boston University, Cornell, USC, Loyola Marymount University, and Northeastern.
• The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is telling students they can get off the waitlist if they are willing to do their first semester abroad with Verto Education and then start on campus in January.
More colleges are releasing offers in batches or sending likely letters to entice top candidates.
• St. Lawrence started releasing decisions to some of their favorite candidates as early as late January. William & Mary sends likely postcards. The Ivies have sent likely letters for years.
• The University of Delaware released in batches all fall. They got so many applications in the regular decision round that they have denied a huge amount and are not even letting some know until mid-April because they simply can’t get through them.
• What can students do about this? Be prepared; you might not hear your decision when your friends and classmates do, and that is super stressful.
More colleges are going to direct or closed majors for very popular/impacted subjects. What does that mean? You must apply to these majors as a first year, and you cannot transfer into them from another major at the college. There are only so many spots for those popular subjects, and so many students want to study them.
• Some of the most impacted majors are Computer Science, Engineering, especially biomedical engineering, Business, Nursing, Film, Architecture, and certain performing and studio arts.
• Some examples of direct computer science majors would be Carnegie Mellon, the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, the University of Texas Austin, the University of Michigan, and our example above, the University of Washington.
• These direct, impacted majors and where it is harder or easier to switch can take a lot of work to decipher.
The admissions process has become incredibly challenging to navigate. This is where it is essential for students to have a counselor, mentor, parent, or friend to advise them. Your first line of defense should always be your high school counselor. Then, get to work researching colleges. There are some terrific free social media sites where you can ask questions. Please reach out if we can help, and be on the lookout for our next blog series on what you can do to prepare for your admissions journey.