APPLICATIONS GROWTH Class of 2012

Parents Forum
321

<p>another factor for the applications increase model....</p>

<p><a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/bal-te.flutie24mar24,0,5456928.story%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/bal-te.flutie24mar24,0,5456928.story&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>1st half of the article

[quote]
It turns out there's some basis for the long-held belief among college admissions officials that the better their schools' teams do in high-profile sporting events, the more applications they'll see.</p>

<p>Until recently, evidence about the "Flutie Effect" - coined when applications to Boston College jumped about 30 percent in the two years after quarterback Doug Flutie's "Hail Mary pass" beat Miami in 1984 - had been mostly anecdotal.</p>

<p>So two researchers set out to quantify it, concluding after a broad study that winning the NCAA football or men's basketball title means a bump of about 8 percent, with smaller increases for more modest success.</p>

<p>"Certainly, college administrators have known about this for a while, but I think this study helps to pin down what the average effects are," said Jaren Pope, an assistant professor in applied economics at Virginia Tech who conducted the study with his brother Devin, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.</p>

<p>They compared information on freshman classes at 330 NCAA Division I schools with how the schools' teams fared from 1983 through 2002. Among their conclusions in a paper that is to be published this year in Southern Economic Journal: </p>

<p>• Schools that make it to the Sweet 16 in the men's basketball tournament see an average 3 percent boost in applications the next year. The champion is likely to see a 7 percent to 8 percent increase, but just making the 65-team field will net schools an average 1 percent bump. </p>

<p>• Similarly, applications go up 7 percent to 8 percent at schools that win the national football championship, and schools that finish in the top 20 have a 2.5 percent gain.</p>

<p>There has been wide debate over the legitimacy of the Flutie Effect, especially when it comes to whether schools should pour money into athletics programs with the hope of reaping the benefits of a winning team.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>

<p>a Fox article on the same research, focusing on March Madness:
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,341370,00.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,341370,00.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
— All 64 schools in the NCAA basketball tournament had a 1 percent increase in applicants each year.</p>

<p>— Sweet Sixteen schools had a 3 percent application increase.</p>

<p>— Final Four schools had a 4 percent to 5 percent increase.</p>

<p>— The NCAA championship winner had a 7 percent to 8 percent increase.

[/quote]
</p>

322

<p>I am a former director of college guidance. Even though the number of applications at Providence may have decreased overall, the competition seems much stiffer this year than what I knew it to be in the past. As Mr. Lydon noted, only the most serious applicants are applying.</p>

<p>A very talented friend of my daughter's with board scores in the high 600s and low 700s, a rigorous course of studies, as well as leadership positions, sports and strong extra curriculars was wait-listed. </p>

<p>Finally, I agree with the post made by tokenadult, #270.The base acceptance rates do no reflect who is coming forward and applying. Based on what I knew about the process, I was encouraging my daughter to apply to Ivies. She knew better and chose schools that she thought were a fit and was ultimately successful in her strategy. </p>

<p>Lucky me.... my son is applying next year, projected to have the greatest number of college applications ever.</p>

323

<p>Xiggi-</p>

<p>Do you know where I could find application growth rates (2011=>2012) for the top 10 Southern universities?</p>