<p>A Swattie passed along some stats for the Class of 2010 overheard at the celebration party after mailing "the letters" on Monday. These are second-hand, so don't quote me, but:</p>
<p>a) The overall acceptance rate is 18%. This jives with the record 4900 applications posted in another thread. Applications were up 20% over last year. I didn't get a number, but early decision applications were through the roof -- as someone had posted here back in December.</p>
<p>b) 15% of the accepted students are first-generation college students.</p>
<p>c) 52% of the accepted students are minority non-white applicants.</p>
<p>22% is right for the fall of 2005. It was 25% for fall 2004. I think it was 24% for fall 2003, but I'd have to look it up.</p>
<p>The lowest as far back as 1970 was for fall 1998 when the acceptance rate was 20%. Swat was taking its turn at the #1 spot in USNEWS at the time, which tends to inflate application numbers -- although probably doesn't increase the numbers from people who have actually researched the school. International numbers especially float with the rankings.</p>
<p>I guess the moral of the story is: if you get in, thank your lucky stars. If you don't, you shouldn't take it as a personal rejection. The numbers are brutal -- especially for white US applicants. Out of 4900 applications, I figure Swat accepted fewer than 435 Caucasian US citizens.</p>
<p>Jim Bock in the admissions office has to be shocked at a 20% increase in applications over last year. That's not a number that anyone would predict, although they probably saw it coming with a huge increase in early decision apps.</p>
<p>I can't really pinpoint anything that would drive that kind of increase. There were no changes in any "rankings". The only thing I can really figure is that the admissions masssacres at Yale, Harvard, Princeton, MIT over the last couple of years have gotten students and guidance counselors rethinking their overall strategies. I don't know...</p>
<p>isn't there a baby boom? or something? i know a lot of asian parents planned to have their children in 1988 so they would be "dragon" under the chinese zodiac.</p>
<p>hey toffee, you're right. i'm not chinese (i'm korean) but i know about this! not only was 1988 a dragon year, it was a "golden dragon" year (apparently, haha) which comes once every 5 cycles (so once every 60 years). so in china and korea at least, i know there was a pretty significant spike in births in 1988. but also yeah, there was just a big baby boom in the late 80s according to my mom. after 2008/2009 it's supposed to cool down a bit... if things keep going at this rate, no one will be going to college!</p>
<p>swarthmore was highlighted in the annual newsweek "hot" colleges issue. that may be one reason for the increase. there has also been talk about the "baby boom" effect that will see apps continue to increase until 2009. there is also the possibility that swarthmore did a better recruiting job than the other places. having attended "mission admission" in may (i think, or april, i don't remember exacty) and having attended similar days at williams and others, i have to say that swarthmore did the best job of the bunch. i was particularly turned off by the admissions representative at williams who, when we gathered in the auditorium, told us to look around the auditorium and know that 4 out of 5 of the people there will not be at williams next year. although it is statistically true, i found that to be obnoxious. their answer to what is there to do at williams was, williams students liked to enjoy each others company, no outside stimulus was needed. what a bunch of jerks.</p>
<p>So does anyone know waitlist statistics? Son got waitlisted, unfortuately. It was his top choice. He visited twice but we are not in a financial position for him to apply ED. Any idea how many students are offered the waitlist, how many usually accept the waitlist and how many are usually drawn from the waitlist. I know that it is a very iffy thing depending on overall yield. But if they offer waitlist to 500 kids, then we know the chances of getting off are slim. </p>
<p>If he decides to pursue the waitlist, what additional things should he send? He recently won his large high school's short story contest. Should he send the story or just the fact that he won? He sent 3 recs with the original application. Should he look for another? Other things to send?</p>
<p>Smaller percentage (higher number of applicants) of ED admits at HYPSM means that each applicant rejected or deferred who would have otherwise submitted only one application ends up submitting 6-10 at schools that aren't their first choices. Not necessarily more applicants to selective colleges overall: simply more applications. The results are that there are many more applications, but selectivity doesn't actually go up - there is less chance of any one school snagging the one student they actually want, and less chance of the student getting the one school they actually want.</p>
<p>In other words, the law of diminishing returns overtakes college admissions, and as the number of applications goes up, the results are less salutary than they might have been otherwise.</p>
<p>I am really sorry to hear that your son was waitlisted.</p>
<p>Here are the stats from last year:</p>
<p>Total applicants: 4085
Total acceptances (on or before April 1st): 899</p>
<p>Waitlisted: 959
Accepted spot on waitlist: 358</p>
<p>Additional acceptances from waitlist: 18</p>
<hr>
<p>The 18 acceptances off the waitlist was at the low end of the range over the past seven years or so. The high is about 50. The average is somewhere around 30 (from memory). I believe that virtually all of the 18 accepted off the waitlist last year happened pretty early -- like in early April. I think some of those were athletic recruits where they knew right away that they had lost one guy and moved to the next recruit within a week. They were above their targeted freshman enrollment by 9 students on June 1st and had little summer melt, ending up 6 students over their target. They just never had any slots open up.</p>
<hr>
<p>If your son decides to go onto the waitlist, communicate a clear first choice in the letter to the regional admissions rep. Keep them posted of anything that could provide ammunition -- such as the poetry contest. When things die down in a couple of weeks (the adcoms are fielding calls up the wazoo for a week or two), e-mail the regional rep and continue to demonstrate interest and keep yourself visible. </p>
<p>Realistically, the waitlist acceptances are going to be used to fill specific slots that they didn't fill after the yield shakes out. So, I do think it's important to psychologically "move on" and get excited about the other other options. Hanging onto hope for a waitlist acceptance gets in the way of that. Consider an acceptance off the waitlist as a bonus out of the blue if it were to happen.</p>
<p>
[quote]
In other words, the law of diminishing returns overtakes college admissions, and as the number of applications goes up, the results are less salutary than they might have been otherwise.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Mini:</p>
<p>I agree with that completely. As the number of shotgun applications per student increases, the ability of the system to accurately match up students and colleges with specifically good "fits" and interest levels decreases. </p>
<p>The system would work more efficiently if each student applied to one first-choice reach, one first-choice match, and one first-choice safety. The total number of applications in the system would plummet and the system would be vastly more predictable for students and colleges alike. Cut the number of apps per student by two-thirds and the system would feel much less "random".</p>
<p>That's why I am a fan of binding early decision (despite its inappropriateness financially for some applicants). It is the purest form of matching available in today's system.</p>