Many high school seniors and their parents probably believe and even assume that the majority of colleges and universities get so inundated with college applications, that the institutions of higher learning reject most of the applicants that apply.
But, according to a recent article by Lynn O’Shaughnessy on the Money Watch website, this is not the truth and colleges are actually a buyer’s market. She says that most schools accept the majority of their applicants, while the college administrators continually “live in fear” that they won’t attract “enough” freshmen to meet the admission figures that they need to attain.
A new survey of admission directors conducted by Gallup that was overseen by Inside Higher Ed, a respected trade publication, found some interesting information.
O’Shaughnessy said that during the last admission season, 59% of admission directors at state and private institutions reported that they didn’t reach their enrollment goals by May 1, which is the traditional day when applicants must submit their deposit for the college or university that they have decided to attend. In addition, 46% of the admission directors also mentioned that they were very concerned about meeting their targets for the 2013-14 admission season.
And, according to O’Shaughnessy, one of the most alarming tidbits is that 29% of admission directors acknowledged that they even continue to recruit students to attend their college after the May 1 deadline. This practice, says O’Shaughnessy, is an indication that colleges are desperate to fill their freshmen classes, especially since household incomes remain stagnate and the price of attending college continues to increase.
A few other things the survey pointed out is that colleges think other colleges aren’t telling the truth about their admissions data, and that colleges are making greater efforts to recruit the higher-income students.
The main point is that if you think that you may not get into that dream college that you want, you still need to apply. It is important to also apply to a number of back up schools so when it comes time to make that decision, you will hopefully have a number of options from the schools that have accepted you. Remember that if you are applying to a California college, most of the deadlines are approaching fast.