Frankly, I’ve been waiting a long time for this to happen. Colby’s nearby “cousins” (Bowdoin and Bates) were among the earliest of the selective schools to allow students to apply test-free while Colby clung to its requirement.
Note, however, that a test-free policy isn’t the get-out-of-jail-free card that some seniors assume it is. They will still need to distinguish themselves from “competitor applicants.” And, when students look a lot alike on paper (not that anyone uses paper anymore!), test scores can be one way that admission folks separate the top contenders from the masses.
Of course, strong students with so-so test scores shouldn’t shy away from Colby or from any other test-optional institution and shouldn’t feel obligated to include test results with their applications. But they should go that extra mile to emphasize what sets them apart from the crowd.
Interesting, Colby should see a good bump in applications with this news. When they eliminated their app fee and writing supplement (I think at different times?) apps increased, and they are receiving the most applications of the 3 Maine Nescacs (but have the lowest yield, see below. Class of 2022 applications were 12,313 with 1,602 acceptances for 13% acceptance rate. That was a double digit increase over prior years apps. https://www.colby.edu/news/2018/03/23/demand-for-colby-rises-among-high-achieving-students/
Huge increases in apps at Bowdoin and Bates too, with a significant decrease in acceptance rates. Bowdoin class of 2022 9,081 apps, 932 admits for 10.3% acceptance rate https://www.bowdoin.edu/admissions/glance/index.shtml
Bowdoin has the highest yield of 55% (511 students/932 accepted), followed by Bates at 550/1368 and haven’t seen colby’s class of 2022 size, but estimated at 500, which would give a yield of 31% (500/1602).
Agreed Bowdoin has best location, and the waterfront science center is another advantage. I have always assumed Colby gets the most apps because there is no app fee or writing supplement. Bowdoin has $65 app fee plus optional writing supplements, Bates $60, no supplement.
It is interesting to see how these things play out @Publisher Will see what happens with this year’s application volume now across these 3 schools, as well as other peers. It is surprising to me that Colby already gets double the apps of Hamilton for a similar size class, to take one example.
A couple of points here. First, President Greene has implemented a number of innovative programs at Colby, one of which was the downtown Waterville residences. As a result, and perhaps for other reasons, Colby changed its total size from about 1850 to around 2000.
Colby has had no application fee since the mid-2000s at least. Like many colleges, in 2011 the supplemental essay was dumped for a shorter statement, which later also was dumped. My suspicion is that Colby became test optional to increase further the reported test results of applicants (which are already fairly high). Test optional status did not immediately increase Wesleyan’s overall application numbers (although it has a few years post test optional status), but it definitely raised the reported test scores of admitted students.
^It should be noted that Wesleyan first-years are required to submit their aptitude test scores once they matriculate. Counter-intuitively, going test-optional actually encourages more people to use their scores as a hook.
“Bowdoin has the highest yield of 55% (511 students/932 accepted), followed by Bates at 550/1368 and haven’t seen colby’s class of 2022 size, but estimated at 500, which would give a yield of 31% (500/1602).”
Class of 2022 at Colby appears to be at 580 students from what I have seen (my child attends), giving a yield of 38%.
The Colby bump is more about Matt Proto (admissions dean) than the President. Every year since his arrival, he’s removed an obstacle for applications (remove essay, remove fee, remove test scores). His last position was head of admissions marketing for Stanford.
To ensure they have a reasonable yield and solid test stats, half of the class of 2022 came in ED.
In the end, I would suggest very few kids will find acceptances without scores, but hundreds or thousands of kids with less competitive test scores will take a shot at (what keeps showing up as) a more selective LAC in Maine that you don’t have to write an essay for and don’t have to pay to apply.
@Mwfan1921 I think a good bit of the differential lies in Hamiltons location. If you are looking at LAC’s it’s kind of a rite of passage to do the Maine schools tour, and if you are going up there you might as well do all 3. If you have a liberal mindset then Colgate is probably not a must-see, leaving Hamilton as a long trek out from anywhere to see one school.
I also think Colby has more admissions associates that travel afar and talk about the school, and more PR in general - I have heard of several who applied having never seen the school but heard about it. I do not hear of Hamilton having that level of outreach nationwide. Simply put, Colby is a more recognizable name. D goes to Hamilton, and when I tell someone where she goes and they are stumped an easy out for me is to say “it’s kind of like Colby” and that gives them a frame of reference (although I personally do not think Hamilton is like Colby at all!).
Our family has visited all three these past three years and like all 3 LAC’s . Interested in how you regard them having said your D attends Hamilton. Our general sense is that in terms of diversity and socio/cultural norms: Colgate leans Right and Hamilton sits Left with Colby in a balanced Middle. Speaking generally of course.
Huge generalization always dangerous!), but I feel like in terms of socio/cultural norms, Hamilton is more in NY’s orbit and Colby is more in Boston 's.
@parentgeorgia I’ve found that what people see in schools is often a reflection of themselves and the filters they walk through life with - so I will give it a go with the caveat that this is through our family filter.
On one hand, you can view it as Hamilton sits left of Colgate and Colby, but not nearly as left as Wesleyan and Vassar. But what struck us is that Hamilton is really more of a melting pot of diverse individuals, with some students as right as Colgate and Colby and some as left as Wes and Vassar. Both Colgate and Colby were somewhat more homogeneous than Hamilton, quite a bit mainstream in the vibe of the students, and seemed less intellectual for intellectual sake. I know others on this board feel differently, but that stuck us pretty strongly. As I’ve ventured before I think this is also reflected in the architecture of the schools, with Colgate and Colby having very cohesive classic campus aesthetics and Hamilton reflecting that it is comprised of joining two schools with vastly different architecture. But I think there are plenty of right-leaning Hamilton kids, but there are perhaps more artsy kids at Hamilton than Colgate and Colby. I’ve heard one Colby student describe Colby as a school “where normal people go” and that rang true of our experience both of the students, the vibes, and the architecture. But coming from NYC we would use words such as suburban and mainstream instead of “normal”!
In general, I think Colby and Colgate are fairly similar in terms of their place the left/right spectrum, and it’s Hamilton that sits in the balanced middle.