National Public Radio (NPR) has a great series of programs discussing the many pitfalls and approaches to undergraduate college admissions. It is a very informative and direct piece that takes a lot of the “spin” out of the process. The programs can be found here. Although this series is not explicitly about International Students, the admissions lessons and information in the programs has very general appeal. I would particularly like to recommend parts 1-4. To give you a bit of a taste -
Competition at the nation’s most selective colleges is intense and, some would say, out of control. The frenzy is fueled by a burgeoning population of high-school students competing for a fixed number of seats, compounded by cutbacks in financial aid and a growing belief that the right college is crucial for success. Add in a multibillion-dollar industry of marketers, college consultants and test prep companies, plus rankings in U.S. News and World Report — which rates colleges on factors such as applicants’ grades and SAT scores, and the percentage of students rejected — and you have an admissions scene run amok.
Consider this: Last year, 22,753 high-school students applied to Harvard; 2,109 got in. That’s 9.3 percent. Yale accepted 8.9 percent – the lowest percentage of applicants admitted in its 300-year history. Now let’s put things in perspective: A typical college accepts more than two-thirds of its applicants. Most community colleges have open admissions – and for every 100 college students, 46 go to community college. And in the end, despite the college frenzy, only slightly more than one-quarter of Americans over age 25 have bachelor’s degrees.
In a seven-part series, NPR explores alternatives to the college admissions game — from deciding not to apply to Harvard to deciding not to apply anywhere. We’ll have stories about students at competitive high schools who are applying to colleges their friends never heard of.
We’ll hear from college presidents and deans who feel the admissions process has been hijacked by marketers – and who are learning how hard it is to take back control. One university dean says kids are so packaged these days that applicants – all with good grades, recommendations and extracurricular activities – tend to look the same. That dean designed new essay questions to help the school identify future leaders.
