<p>A friend of mine was accepted to a highly selective school but received a letter with their acceptance that they were to start with a small group in January instead of in the fall. Has anyone heard of this and why some colleges do this?</p>
<p>You may never know the real reason the school makes such an offer, but one thing is clear: Such an arrangement is entirely for the school's benefit. Some possible rationales:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Many schools that might have a lack of space for housing will have openings in the spring as upperclass students go on off-campus study. So this is a way to maximize their income.</p></li>
<li><p>Students that they might want to attend, but who might bring down their average SAT scores, can then attend without that school worrying they will impact their US News rankings. (A "backdoor" method of entry, basically.)</p></li>
<li><p>Alternatively, it may help a school boost selectivity for the following incoming class. If it fills its fall class, but is able to get an extra group of income generating students to attend in the spring, it can reduce the class size the following fall.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>This isn't to say that your friend should not consider such an offer. However, that friend should really do some homework about what their experience will be like. From a social perspective, they might be left out of a lot of opportunities. From an educational perspective, they might lose out on the benefit of taking classes where their new college student status is acknowledged. </p>
<p>Weighing the options, it may not be a good idea, but it wouldn't necessarily be a negative if your friend could use the Fall to their benefit.</p>
<p>collegebound, one of the very top(!) students in my d's class was asked to to come for spring semester at UC Berkeley. (!) I was shocked, myself. It was because of the admissions pressure on the fall semester for that birth year. (Sheer numbers.) I'm going to assume that will happen also for the '07 and '08 admissions years.</p>
<p>I've actually heard of this happening more than once, and more than just at UC. So, yes I agree with massguy: I think this may have been a housing concern. Berkeley, for example, is currently building new housing & has been doing so over the last couple of years. It may be that they anticipate some of that being completed mid-year, and/or some students graduating mid-year.</p>
<p>Until now I have only heard of Colby doing that. How many other schools postpone some student's enrollment to the spring semester?</p>
<p>Middlebury, among others. It has had "Febbies" (their nickname for spring starts)for a long time. Berkeley and UCSD have been admitting students for spring for the past several years. A number of LAC's do it. I believe it is primarily a space thing (classes and housing) as there is simply more space in the spring due to mid-year graduation, semesters abroad, dropouts, etc. Socially it may be an issue initially, but academically it should make no difference in the long run. Some students would rather go to their school of choice through this back or at side door than not go there at all. The schools have orientation programs for these small groups and while they miss out on the hoopla of the beginning of the school year in the fall, they are looked upon and looked after as it is in the school's interst for spring admits to be successful.</p>
<p>Just as a note, the one time it could cause problems academically, is that certain courses, particularly foreign languages, are often set up such that Level 1 is only fall semester, Level 2 only spring...same with 3 and 4. But obviously that would only be a problem if you wanted to take classes that work that way, felt compelled to start your freshman year (for a major, etc.), and did not have the credentials to place out of the first level. But it's still something worth checking on.</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at UCB, living in a suite. One of his suitemates is a January admit.</p>
<p>This suitemate didn't miss out on anything, though. He arrived in August like everyone else and took classes through UCB extension for the fall semester. This semester he is taking regular classes.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the information. That makes sense. Especially about housing</p>
<p>I think USC also offers spring admits. At UCB, they say they can offer spring admits due to graduations opening up space at mid term. If you like the school, go for it. By Feb. 1st, everyone is on the same campus doing the same thing anyways.</p>
<p>berkeley has been doing that for awhile i believe. my mom who went to college in the 70's said she could have gone to berkeley if she started second semester too a few years later it happened to her cousin</p>
<p>i've heard of UCB doing that, but from personal experience, i haven't heard of a top20 college doing that.</p>
<p>Wash U in St. Louis has January admits...They call them JProgs...(January program).</p>
<p>I was told that Michigan State U accepted students for 2nd term start last year. Guess it's not just the selective schools doing it. Maybe they figure they'll get a number of drops from 1st term & have space.</p>
<p>My neighbor was asked by Ohio State to start mid-year. They blatently told him why to: his grades wern't up to par. Both of his parents are alumni, and his sister was attending at the time, so they gave him leeway because of that. However, I guess his grades were crummy enough that even the heavy weight of legacy didn't help get him in for fall. They simply asked him to enter sping, and that way he wouldn't lower their average admission numbers.</p>