Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion college acceptance rates

I did a search on this topic before I started another one since we kind of beat this to death but I just read the NY Times articles
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/u...-acceptance-rates-hit-new-lows.html?_r=0

And Stanford's acceptance rates dropped to 5%, Harvard, Yale 6%. And they just keep dropping. It makes you wonder what the student body is made of when you get to these levels. Who are these kids?

Good artilce about some of the issues at hand.

“Kids see that the admit rates are brutal and dropping, and it looks more like a crapshoot,” he said. “So they send more apps, which forces the colleges to lower their admit rates, which spurs the kids next year to send even more apps.”

As to who are these kids? They are the compliant ones. The kids who have learned to dot every I, cross every T, and spend their H.S. years studying and doing extracurricular activities. I've seen complaints from professors that the students they are getting aren't critically thinking the way students have in the past. And despite the students sky high 4.35 GPA's and 10 AP's, many of these students seems less ready for college than in years past.

One reason they have dropped so low is because of the Common Application. But basically they are the same kids they have always been -- top scores, top grades, excelling at unusual ECs, fantastic recommendations. Some are athletes, URMs, and legacies. They get far more qualified applicants than they can accept, so they can really pick and choose based on the finest detail.

If anyone is interested in seeing more detail on admissions breakdowns, looking at the Common Data Set for a college is a good way to do that. Google " Common Data Set" to find them. Almost every college has this available.

We just didn't stress over this during our 2nd kid's recent college search (PG). We picked some elite colleges where she thought she would be happy, but also a range downward in both academics and cost/possible merit aid. She got in everyplace and had her choice. She didn't think Stanford or the Ivies would be a fit for her, so didn't actually apply to any (but did to some top LACs and research universities).

Perhaps, but average college GPAs have continued to increase at the most selective schools, and graduation rates are very high. Since the BA is a less well defined credential than an MD, schools can define the level and quality of work that most students actually do as A-level college work.

Dean Says Median Grade at Harvard College Is A-, Most Common Grade Is A
By MATTHEW Q. CLARIDA and NICHOLAS P. FANDOS
Harvard Crimson
December 4, 2013

Not sure what you're trying to say here. The higher grades are due to grade inflation; this process has been documented pretty thoroughly.

But...but...if you are only selecting the very highest quality student, they should all have higher grades!

I mean, if there is a deep pool of Top Shelf students, manufactured using the highest quality craftsmanship, coupled with modern technology and quality control procedures, who is capable of getting an A+ in all classes...and you fill your university with only this Top Shelf student, then the average grade will, by definition, be an A+.

What am I missing?

You forgot to put garlands on the A+s. Shame! The students will cry.

Shouldn't there be trophies? Stickers, at the very least.

Shiny iridescent stickers!

Because college is exactly like high school! Just more of it!