Well… Schools and colleges that admit from the WL will have higher acceptance rates than they sent out on M10.
College admissions are really interesting. There are actually fewer students applying overall but the top schools (100?) are getting more applications. TO at those that didn’t offer that before allowed kids who would have self-screened out of some to throw their hats in the ring. Really curious to see what lasting change this has going forward.
I think that what many colleges have found is that being highly selective attracts applicants. If that many people want to go there, it must be good and the students must be the cream of the crop kind of thinking.
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Two variables; 1) were the number of spots open the same as past year…I have a feeling it was less.
2) It was easier to apply this year. So did the number of applications per student increase?
No way of knowing the answer.
I think kids thinking that test optional means “anything goes” is potentially a huge factor.
It might mean that for qualified applicants the competition has not gotten significantly stiffer. It’s not as though the most selective schools admitted solely based on test scores before this year - they’ve always taken into account grades, strength of curriculum, ECs, letters of recs, etc. Low test scores can be a red flag… or not, depending on context.
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SPS - “little less than 12%” from SPS Zoom
SPS 12%
Deerfield 13.8%
Groton 9%
Choate 12%
Exeter 10.6%
Lawrenceville 15%
Hotchkiss 13%
Thacher 9.8% with a 79% yield, apps up 25%
PA shared that applications were up 18% though haven’t yet shared an acceptance rate (or at least not that I’ve seen).
Middlesex was reportedly 13%
That is pretty crazy. I think they were at 20% - big jump!
Does anyone know if the schools in general had less spots this year?
I still think there will be volatility this summer due to the pandemic (mostly internationals).
I’m not sure about schools in general, but I know Hotchkiss overenrolled their freshman class last year. It might have been similar at other schools too.
@Canuckdad No, I haven’t heard anything about schools having fewer spots.
There are always schools that over enroll a class here or there but that is totally random and not based on covid or across the board.
I think the international effect is somewhat baked in (fewer applications) but I have not heard of a class size reduction if that is what you mean.
Some schools hedged last March and moved kids off the WL before acceptances went out, only to end up over enrolled. I think this happened primarily with local(ish) kids. In these cases, 10th in particular was likely more competitive this cycle.
Same north of the border last year. One prep was over-enrolled so much they took over the “principal’s” residence.
It is possible that schools are trying to keep more social distance in dorms for health reasons. And that could mean fewer students. Or at least limiting the risk of overenrollment.
But overall, they are set up for a certain #of students so I don’t think they can sustain deliberate under-enrollment for any extended period of time.
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You can also lock in a lower student population AND then if covid circumstances change open up off of a WL. Schools know there will always be students available in June. Right now, the worse possible thing for a school is over enrollment.
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Sort of. The WL thing is a bit of a gamble for the school. The longer they wait, the lesser the chance the student they would have liked is still uncommitted.
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Does that mean that the acceptance rates next year will be about average for schools that overenrolled last year?
I think Loomis this year was 20% give or take
Over the weekend I was informed that last year the yield rate on International students was around 50% which was excessively low (with reason, of course). Accordingly, there were less spots for internationals this year at some schools (not all) and more for domestic boarders.
