Communication Skills

Applying to Highly Selective Colleges & Universities Jessica Avila-Cuevas University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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What are Highly Selective Institutions? Understanding their selectivity What Highly Selective Institutions look for in applicants Strategies for students and parents

What is a selective institution? College selectivity is a measure of how difficult it is for students to get admitted. Much of the anxiety about “getting in” comes from students who are applying to a few colleges that admit few students. Typically, if a school admits fewer than 50% of applicant pool it’s considered “selective.” Source: Strategic Enrollment Management, Hossler & Bontrager, 2015

Examples of “Selective” Institutions ➔

Most Selective - Admit few than 33% Ivy leagues, Military Academies, Stanford, UChicago, Vanderilt, Northwestern, Pomona, Michigan

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Highly Selective - Admit 33% to 50% UW-Madison, Boston University, The OSU, UIUC, Wheaton College, Purdue

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Selective - Admit 50% - 75% University of Colorado, IL Wesleyan, Loyola-Chicago, UIC, DePauw, Michigan State, Elmhurst College, Valparaiso

Institutional Priorities Highly selective schools are trying to craft their campus communities “Decisions about whom to admit and what criteria to use depend on the societal role the institution is required, is compelled, or chooses to pursue” (as cited in Hossler & Bontrager, 2015).

At a most highly competitive school, candidates are compared to each other and read in a competitive pool. Institutional priorities will be considered: ➔ Special Talents ➔ Development issues ➔ Diversity: religious, geographic, ethnic ➔ Gender balance ➔ Balancing academic program enrollments

Highly Selective Admissions

Some Trends & Statistics (from 2000 to 2017) Brown: 32,723 apps Admitted 2,617 (8%)

Harvard: 39,506 apps Admitted 1,976 (5%)

16,808 apps & 16% admit in 2000

18,691 apps & 10.5% admit in 2000

Stanford: 44,073 apps Admitted 2,203 (5%) 18,363 apps & 13% admit in 2000

What Causes These Trends? Highly selective institutions are getting more applicants than ever before Even though more students are applying, these top-ranked schools haven’t substantially increased the size of their incoming classes. “The top 20 national universities in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, for instance, enroll only about 100,000 students out of 17 million undergraduates nationwide”

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/10/13/the-science-behind-selective-colleges

Increases in First-Year Freshman Application Submissions 1995 - 2016

Source: NACAC Admission Trends Survey, 2018

These institutions represent the most competitive and sought after higher educational experience in the country. Before you jump into this highly competitive arena, do some soul searching to see if the quest for this school is truly the appropriate path to take. The benefits may be wonderful, but the emotional cost may be significant.

How do HSCUs admit students? ➔

Courses Taken

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Grade Trends

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Test Scores

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Extra-Curricular Activities

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Student Essays

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Recommendations

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High School

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Geographic Distribution

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Demonstrated Interest

Balancing Schools ALL students who apply to several of the most selective schools need to have appropriate match and safety schools. Students need to find match and safeties which have similar academic and social ambience as the most selective schools and apply to one of them as well.

Steps Students Can Take To Be An Effective Self-Advocate Maintain a rigorous, realistic, and well-balanced academic program throughout the senior year. Take on leadership roles in school and community service activities. Strategize effectively with regard to standardized tests

More Strategies (student) ➔

Research colleges, their selectivity, and how they match to you

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Make sure to include safe, match, and reach schools. (Consult your school counselor for assistance)

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Be cognizant of dates/deadlines, APPLY EARLY!!!!

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Explain any challenges the admission office should take into consideration

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Take the lead in building relationships with admission officers.

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Make use of the high school visit, college fairs, campus visits and area-wide receptions.

Parents, what can you do to best support your child? Make sure your child (and yourself) have researched a real range of college options If you visit, visit a range of schools - not just the impossible ones That midrange schools match dream schools Help your child understand the unpredictability of the process and prepare for possible disappointment

More Strategies (parent) ➔ Affirm that you will be proud of your child no matter what the outcome! ➔ Absolutely avoid comparison with siblings, cousins, and friends of children. ➔ Affirm that you will be proud of your child no matter what the outcome!!!!!!! (this was not a typo)

Questions?

References Hossler, D. & Bontrager, B (2015). Handbook of strategic enrollment management. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. NACAC Admission Trends Survey. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.nacacnet.org/globalassets/documents/publications/research/2018_soca /soca18.pdf. Selingo, J.J. (2017, October 13). The science behind selective colleges. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/10/13/the-science-be hind-selective-colleges/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.524ac09e0b5d.