Universities Weblog

If you read my last post (if not, just scroll down a bit), then you know I think the media has overblown the hysteria surrounding competitive college admissions. Well, it turns out someone agrees. Today's Inside Higher Ed lead story argues the same point. Witness:

Anecdotes of little Suzy and her 4.2 GPA getting rejected from Princeton aside, however, admissions experts say that, for the vast majority of students, thinking that college is harder to get into this year is, in fact, "in your head," or at least your headlines. And many say that they are worried that these headlines can discourage students who not be aiming for Princeton, but who need to find a good college fit.

The Washington Post article focuses mostly on the acceptance rates at some of the most selective institutions in the country, like Dartmouth College and Yale University. "The media often covers the most selective, expensive institutions where the odds of getting in are the smallest," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. A Nexis search of The New York Times for the last 60 days turns up 379 uses of "Harvard," and 122 uses of "Staten Island." "It can have an adverse impact in terms of the general impression, by osmosis, for people for whom it's a non-issue."

And experts say it is a non-issue for most students. Of around 3,500 nonprofit colleges in the country, only about 150 accept fewer than half of the applicants they receive. Some admissions personnel worry that the admissions hysteria is trickling down and could be discouraging some students and parents.

Nassirian wants students to know that "the Ivies are the exception, not the norm." One recent New York Times article, entitled "To Land a Top College, Students Cast Wider Net," reports on "a significant number of students" who "apply to many, many more" colleges sometimes because they're nervous that they might not get any acceptance letters.

Read on here.

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