"If there is a glimmer of brightness in the current plague besetting the planet, it may be that high school seniors in the United States are suddenly more likely than ever to get proverbial “fat envelopes” or acceptance letters from their dream schools, as colleges send out final letters of admission in the coming weeks.
‘We were already in a very new and uncertain world of higher education enrollments, caused by the demographic shift and the high cost of higher education,’ says Bill Conley, vice president of enrollment for Bucknell University, a selective liberal arts college with an enrollment of 3,600 in rural Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. ‘So this [pandemic] comes along and throws it very much into the food blender, you know, when it was on just a little bit of mince, it is now on full grind.’
As a result, Bucknell and many other schools, unable to court prospective enrollees with festive campus “admitted students days” or even routine campus tours, will be increasing the number of students they send acceptance emails to in an effort to ensure that they yield enough to fill their incoming classes." …
https://www.forbes.com/sites/schifrin/2020/03/22/coronavirus-silver-lining-easier-to-get-into-many-top-colleges/#341ea73e5930
interesting article. basically it says that internationals can’t get student visas right now; and that could cause universities to dip more into the waitlists.
Do you think that Universities are actually changing their admission offers this week to reflect that new policy as of 3 days ago? Or will colleges still offer internationals admission, and then just increase the waitlist numbers?
Not sure if an increase in acceptance rates will play out because many colleges have contingency plans that the international students they accept (and those that deposit/enroll) will do remote learning in the Fall should visas be a problem.
The corona virus thing became serious only in last couple weeks (and its changing by day if not by hour). Most colleges may have had their lists finalized by then - don’t think universities went back and redid their admit lists. Note that most univ are following original schedule in releasing the results. If there are any changes to the admission chances - it may come from student side (viz. some students may now be reluctant to go for an expensive or far-off college). Anecdotally, all of my kids friends are sticking to their original plan as of now (even the ones going to far-off and expensive schools).
IMO, the only change this year maybe that a bit more waitlist activity - universities already have a stunningly loooong waiting lists and they maybe able to use them a bit more. Don’t think it will have any reasonable effect to qualify it as a silver lining.
What is wrong with this thread. I can’t get it to mark as read. Keeps showing 3 new posts, but it’s the same 3 that I’ve already read.
eta: well posting seems to have fixed it for me atm
This is a helpful thread in that, it gives me hope that my son will be accepted off the waitlist at his choice school in D.C. I’m sure you’ve all heard it before, my son, my daughter, they’re smart, talented…etc. Well, I suppose I’m the same but one thing my son has going for himself is that he’s exceptionally charming and articulate but given that the school in D.C. didn’t care to do any interviews, it renders that part of him irrelavant, unfortunately. He’s a very sharp young man, knows more at his age about our political system and an understanding and complete grasp of the Supreme Court and related legal matters than I would ever hope to know. He won his moot court case against ivy league bound kids going away. A Congressman spoke at his school and was so impressed with my son’s answers and follow up to his questions that he called the school the following day and offered my son an internship. While my son’s SAT of 1390 isn’t best, nor his 3.7?? GPA, although taking many very difficult AP classes, I’m surprised he didn’t get into six other schools he applied to. We have a decision to make because we need to put a deposit down on his back up of a back up school. Going through this process last year with an older son, although he applied as an athlete, I’m disappointed with this entire process. I also have to add that while they’re supposed to, I don’t think those evaluating applicants consider the high school and rigor vs other high schools. Hopefully an opportunity will present itself.