Is it more difficult to be accepted at a top college or graduate from that college?
<p>It's much more difficult to be accepted to a top colleges. The colleges like HPYS have the highest graduation rates in the country: typically around 94-97%.</p>
<p>Some of the easiest colleges to get into have some of the lowest graduation rates. That's largely because many of the students are unprepared and unmotivated. In addition, some colleges with easy entrance rates are mandated to have easy entrance rates -- such as public institutions with open enrollments. They can't handle the flood of students who enter, so aren't motivated to keep the students around.</p>
<p>The most difficult colleges to gain entrance to view themselves as preparing leaders of all kinds for the world, and they have a vested interest in having those carefully selected, very bright students graduate. The students also are very highly motivated and bright. The best predictor of college grades is high school grades, and therefore the colleges with students who did best in h.s. are likely to also have the students who do best in college.</p>
<p>In terms of percentages, it's much more difficult to be accepted by a top college than to graduate (10-15% of those who apply are accepted, while 90%+ of those who attend graduate).</p>
<p>In terms of sheer effort and hard work, it's much more difficult to work four years of your life to graduate from a top school than it is to spend a couple of days writing neatly on the application.</p>