5-part series on Brown admissions

[fireandrain]

<p>Brown Daily Herald ran part one today: [The</a> Brown Daily Herald - Shedding light on the surge in apps](<a href=“http://www.browndailyherald.com/shedding-light-on-the-surge-in-apps-1.2213792]The”>http://www.browndailyherald.com/shedding-light-on-the-surge-in-apps-1.2213792)</p>

<p>Nothing earth-shattering: </p>

<p>

Higher nationwide application rates, a greater emphasis on recruiting low-income and minority students, and the weak economy — coupled with corresponding high levels of unemployment — have all induced Brown’s largest-ever applicant pool, they said.

</p>

<p>I do think this is reason for concern:</p>

<p>

But even as Brown’s application rate has risen steadily over the last several years, its yield rate — the percentage of accepted students who enroll — has fallen every year since the class of 2010 applied, according to the Admission Office’s Web site.
Only 53.1 percent of the 2,797 students accepted to the current freshman class enrolled, while 58.9 percent of the 2,555 students offered a spot three years ago decided to enroll.

</p>

<p>I wonder with the ability to be more selective, admissions is more interested in impressive applicants who end up at Harvard, for whom Brown is not their number one choice.</p>

<p>I am also taking this opportunity to say, as a long-term alumni interviewer, this year’s admissions season was very tough on us, too. I interviewed 10 students, and not one was accepted. In some cases I was not surprised, even quite glad. But a few of the kids I interviewed, I am shocked and disappointed that they weren’t accepted. I know at least one would have gone had s/he been accepted, and this was an amazing kid. So applicants, take pity on your alumni interviewer – we spend a lot of time interviewing students only to be very disappointed in the end.</p>

[modestmelody]

<p>I had 1/8 get in, very interesting to see how it played out after all that time.</p>

<p>I actually have a fair idea as to why this kid was different from all the others and I’m curious to see the patterns over the next couple of years.</p>

<p>The yield drop is not super concerning because we’re not doing any worse than we used to on cross-admit battles, we just have more cross-admits because more people are throwing in their name everywhere. I do wish we’d do a better job than the, “Why Brown?” essay of assessing whether Brown is a student’s top choice. I personally wouldn’t mind moving to something in between where we are and where UPenn is in terms of using early decision, to be honest.</p>

[mom_in_virginia]

<p>I’m surprised that the adoption of the Common App is rarely mentioned as contributing to the increase in number of apps all around–it’s got to be a factor.</p>

<p>One person cited in the article applied to 26 colleges–you’ve got to be kidding me.</p>