<p>I went to high school in the 70s. I remember going to the guidance counselor’s office to do research on schools (that was were the brochures were). Once you got interested in a school you wrote a letter or sent in a post card to get the application. I was in a private school in CA and most people stayed in CA. I was one of the exceptions who went to the east coast.</p>
<p>I remember that tuition at most elite university’s was between $3,000 and $4,000. It was relatively expensive to apply in those days. They usually had an application fee of $30- $40.</p>
<p>You took the SATs no more than 2 times usually in your senior year. I was an exception and tool it three times - twice in my junior year. In those days 1200 or above was a good score and above 1300 was excellent. Above 1400 usually let you pick where you wanted to go if you had good grades. The elite schools usually had a median SAT of between 1250-1350. </p>
<p>I remember not seeing the school I chose to go to until the day I stepped on campus at the beginning of my freshman year. Campus visits were limited to the local universities. For me that meant Stanford, Berkeley, UC-Davis and Santa Clara (my safety). You didn’t do formal tours but really just visited the campus because you knew someone there. When you applied to the UC system, you ranked your schools in order of preference and if you were accepted in your first school none of the others saw your App.</p>
<p>Mid 1980s. My college search consisted of me standing at the Waldenbooks and looking through the college guide without buying it. I looked at the lists of the highly selective engineering schools, then had to flip pages to the back to see if they were withing a 3 or 4 hour drive of the house.</p>
<p>I applied to 4: Cornell, RPI, Clarkson and Bucknell. Cornell rejected me outright - I didn’t realize they required teacher recommendations until a few days before they were due. I was waitlisted by Bucknell, but by then they were off of my list. The preppiest girl I knew said her sister was there and liked it but it was too preppy for her.</p>
<p>I, along with most of my graduating class, took the May SAT junior year, then 3 Achievement Tests in June. A few kids retook the SAT in October senior year, but only if they bombed. We heard of the ACT but were told that it was more for midwest colleges. Nobody I knew took it.</p>
<p>My dream schools growing up (in Philly) were U Penn and Princeton. Toured both as part of my college tour, and told my mother that Princeton was “too rural” for me. God. What an idiot. (Though it was a lot more off the beaten path in those days.) I absolutely could have gotten in in those days. Excellent students really did have their pick of the litter for the most part.</p>
<p>A poster was asking about deferral or waitlist:
In early-mid 1980s, at UCSB, my friend got a conditional acceptance. Accepted as long as the Sr yr math and english class averaged a 3.5. She did not meet it, and thus could not attend UCSB (I thought it was subconscious sabotage). Ended up having to go to San Diego State University (SDSU) – PARTY SCHOOL!! Oh, wait, so is UCSB…But in those days, SDSU was known as much more of a party school than UCSB was. She eventually transferred and graduated from UC Berkeley.</p>
<p>@ Magnetron. I never bought the book either! lol With the money I’ve spent on review/college books for my son in the past 2 years - SAT, ACT, AP, subject tests, how to write an essay, colleges that change lives, top 367 college, colleges that promise you’ll be a millionaire by the time you’re 20 - I could have probably paid for my freshman year at college in 1986!</p>
<p>Solid suburban NJ district in the early 80’s. I was NMSF (don’t think anyone suggested that any of the 7 of us fill out the finalist paperwork,) took the SAT 1x, father refused to fill out the FAFSA since he didn’t want people knowing our financial business, mom used purse strings & guilt to avoid me going away to school. Knowing what I know now about FA, NMF and assorted other college admissions tidbits, I probably would have had some great choices. Oh well, it all worked out ;)</p>
<p>I only applied to 2 schools (both NJ privates, mom didn’t want me going to a public.) They both came to my hs on certain days & you made an appointment in the Guidance office. The GC had a copy of the student folder. Adcom looked at that, talked to the student for a few minutes & told you on the spot if you were in or not. Easy peasy. </p>
<p>I don’t think our HS had AP classes. I was honors math/science from middle school on & thinking about our top students (Val, Sal, etc.) they were all in my classes & if anyone was going to take an AP class it would have been them.</p>
<p>I do not remember filling out any forms for NMF, either. Granted, that was a long time ago.</p>
<p>I applied to three schools, one of which was Harvard. Back then, I guess they sent brochures to the schools of students who qualified for NMSF. At any rate, the glossy crimson mailing arrived at my high school, addressed to me. I thought it was a joke, but my guidance counselor made me apply. I compare the frenzied atmosphere now to my utter cluelessness back in the day, and I still cannot believe I was accepted.</p>
<p>I took the SAT once (mid-700s on both parts) as well as the ACT. I had to take three achievment tests, but I cannot even remember which ones I took. I know I did not study for them and I had no idea if they were important or not. It is strange to see the proliferation of 800s now. I seem to recall that the year I graduated there were two or three students nationwide who scored 1600 on the SAT. One of those students was in my freshman class, and I remember that everyone whispered in amazement at this accomplishment. </p>
<p>My high school offered, I think, three AP classes. At many other area schools, the principals had not even heard of AP exams.</p>
<p>I remember when USNWR published the first year of its college ranking issue. I looked to see where my college was ranked, and thought to myself, “Who are they to rank all these colleges?”
Today I read that rising one position translates to a one percent increase in applications. It is remarkable how influential this college guide is.</p>
<p>I applied to only one college (where I knew I would be accepted because I was recruited).</p>
<p>I applied to three law schools that I had heard were good–Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and U.Va., the last of which I attended. I was wait listed at Harvard and accepted to the other two. I had no idea at the time that that was a pretty good result! The Ivy League meant nothing to me then.</p>
<p>Took the PSATs and I think twice on the SATs - no prep - no sweat, just pencils. And then typewriter applications/essays on my Dad’s IBM Selectric with carbon paper. Elected to apply to larger schools in the snow belt within one days drive from home and easy drive to Canada. Wound up at Midwestern State school that was fourteen hours drive away from home - perfect. Semester tuition for out-of-state students was $325.</p>
<p>Back then it was all about keeping your 2S deferment to stay out of the jungle.</p>
<p>Today it’s all about rankings, financial aid, and eventual graduate school.</p>
<p>I’m also noticing a really big difference in the “Senior Year” experience. Yeah, there was a little bit of stress leading up to SATs…and while we filled out our 2 or 3 applications…but then you were DONE. Probably by Thanksgiving, if not sooner, Senior year was a smooth coast to June. Today…it’s practically April and we’re still plodding through the application process!</p>
<p>Wow. I wish I could read every single one of these. I may come back later for more. </p>
<p>I think the biggest difference is that many of our parents either didn’t go to college or at best went to the one down the street. They knew nothing about the process and so we in many ways got screwed financially. I applied to 4 colleges,Cooper Union- a free art school, NYU where I was offered a scholarship, Fordham - where I went no scholarship because my family thought it was the most prestigious. I can’t remember the 4 th right now. Maybe Marymount. Anyway, I only lasted a semester and I started over the next fall at a community college because of the commute my grades suffered, and our inability to pay. Also, I took the SAT 2x as I got a low math score first time. My final superstore was 1200 (1986). I remember filling out forms in my word processing machine which I got as a gift Sr. Year of highschool. I needed no correction paper or liquid. </p>
<p>Wanting my kids to have a better experience I did a lot of research (and used my position as an Internet content writer) to interview admissions officers all over the country. </p>
<p>Each kid took PSAT, SAT, and ACT. then they repeated their best test 3 more times to maximize score. They seemed to max out the 4th time doing no better than the previous time. </p>
<p>We then chose colleges based on cost and likelihood of merit awards. They chose colleges based on a combo of major, reputation, and cost. Like me,they kept it to 3 or 4 colleges, most of which offered free applications.
( I should ad that because my kids were homeschooled, private colleges were our best bet for admittance and scholarships. Getting the state grant would be difficult.)</p>
<p>We visited colleges and paid for summer programs so kids could get to know the colleges they were considering. ( I visited The art college with my art teacher.) Also my parents threw away any college solicitation that was too far for a daily commute. </p>
<p>I think I’m still a little bitter about my experience. I worked hard hoping my kids would not be.</p>
<p>I really like the perspective on the process from Andrew Ferguson in his book, Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College. I laughed and laughed, and then started crying when I actually had to face the process with my kids.</p>
<p>MusicMom (Post #5): picking a school because it is pretty? Who does that? Oh … wait … I did, back in 1975. As a junior I tagged along on my senior cousin’s college tour of DC schools. When I was a senior, I did a “tour” of Boston schools by sitting in my uncle’s car, driving up Comm Ave, passing by BU and thinking it was terrifyingly large (through the eyes of a kid from a relatively small town), and then arriving at BC with its protective gates, green grass, shiny white stone buildings, blue sky. In hindsight, as a Jewish kid I definitely should have gone for the large over the pretty, but what did I know? I have no memory of us even getting out of the car, let alone taking an official campus tour. Maybe we did, but zero recollection all these years later. My other choices were equally random. My guidance counselor was a BC alum and he pitched the heck out of the place. I wrote an essay which (having found it a few years ago) today probably wouldn’t get me admitted to a community college. I ended up at BC (and eventually at a top 10 law school). Could I have done much, much worse? Of course. But was this a smart way to pick a college? Absolutely not. When I tell our kids these stories, they just look at me in a combo of horror and awe. I’m wondering tho if maybe there isn’t a happy medium between what we used to do in the old days, and what we all do with/for our kids today.</p>
<p>I applied to one school, which I chose mainly because I liked the school mascot and colors. After a year I realized that was a silly reason to pick a school, so I transferred… to the school where my boyfriend went (it did earn me an MRS!).</p>
<p>The biggest difference I see is the extreme amount of pressure and competition kids face these days. I don’t remember feeling one iota of stress over the college process, and I don’t recall my parents discussing it much at all! Such a different world we live in now!</p>
<p>College admissions selectivity was likely pretty low from the late 1960s to the early 1980s (when today’s parents went to college, if they went), after the expansion of universities. However, universities have not expanded as much since then, but the number of students going to college has increased considerably due to population growth.</p>
<p>My parents had always made it clear that I had to go to college, it was expected. But, I ended up graduating as a Junior in high school and it took us by surprise. We just suddenly realized that I had gone to summer school for 3 yrs and finished all of the courses and graduation requirements. My Mom got all excited and sent me to Spain for one year of college (because we had never even entertained colleges or applications and it was too late). Luckily I had taken the SAT once Junior spring.</p>
<p>While I was in Spain, I got a letter from my Mom with a filled out college application that I had to sign for UC San Diego. Her reasoning “really good male/female ratio”. Never looked at any colleges, didn’t have any way to get information on colleges, so I just went with the flow. They were paying for everything anyway. In those days UCSD only had 7,000 total students and it was much easier to get into now - they even granted me one year’s worth of credit for the Spanish/Literature/History stuff I was studying. But, I do remember showing up and it seemed that everyone on campus was Pre-Med or Biology and I didn’t even know what I wanted to do. Changed my major twice and it still took me 4 yrs to finish.</p>
- I could have probably paid for my freshman year at college in 1986!</p>