DP: Early admissions apps fall 2.5 percent

<p>Early applications to Penn dropped slightly this year, admissions officials announced yesterday. </p>

<p>Overall, the University received 4,001 early applications this fall, down about 2.5 percent from last year’s 4,120 applications.</p>

<p>While the College and the School of Nursing both saw drops, applications to Wharton and to the Engineering School increased.</p>

<p>Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson said he expects to admit between 20 and 30 percent of the early applicant pool, which will fill close to half of the Class of 2011.</p>

<p>Stetson added that this year’s overall decrease - which follows a 21-percent surge last year - came as no surprise. </p>

<p>Admissions officials anticipated the drop because last year’s high level of selectivity, which resulted from the increase, most likely discouraged some students from applying to Penn, Stetson said.</p>

<p>Increased selectivity one year “tends to soften the number [of applications] just a bit” the following year, he said.</p>

<p>Despite the overall drop, this year’s applicant pool is more geographically diverse than last year’s, he said.</p>

<p>Nineteen states - including Texas, Arizona and Virginia - saw record numbers of applicants. The number of international applications also set a record, rising 13 percent to reach 599.</p>

<p>This year was also “one of the few times” that Penn has received at least one early application from every state, he added. </p>

<p>The number of African American applicants rose 20 percent, to 209. Applications from Hispanic, Asian and Native American students remained relatively stable.</p>

<p>Experts disagreed over whether last year’s selectivity is a valid explanation for the drop.</p>

<p>David Mason - president of New Jersey-based admissions consulting company College Research Consultants - said Penn’s high selectivity last year could be a valid explanation for the drop in applications, adding that he believes prospective applicants do get discouraged when they look at the Ivies’ low acceptance rates. </p>

<p>But Jeannie Borin - president of the California-based College Connections admissions consulting company - said Penn’s surge in applications last year was likely not a major deterrent, since fluctuations in a school’s selectivity are not highly publicized. </p>

<p>Prospective applicants may have known that Penn experienced an application frenzy, but they would not have known exact numbers or details, she said.</p>

<p>Stetson said he believed that this fall’s national debate over early admissions programs - sparked by Harvard University eliminating the practice for the next cycle and Princeton University planning to follow suit a year later - was not a factor in Penn’s early-application drop this year.</p>

<p>Mason agreed that Harvard and Princeton’s announcements did not have much impact this year, since they occurred too late to make a significant difference in students’ decisions. </p>

<p>Borin, however, said she did notice many students and parents “feeling insecure about how stable the early programs” are in general, she said.</p>

<p>This perception may have prompted some students to forego applying early, she said.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, Borin added, the 100-applicant drop at Penn was not significant.</p>

<p>“It’s nothing Penn is doing wrong,” she said.</p>

<p>Early applicants will be able to check their admissions status at 5 p.m. on Dec. 14.</p>

<p>I guess the whole, lack of Asian applicants thing was false?</p>

<p>And whoo! Drop in College applicants.</p>

<p>And a 20-30% acceptance rate ?! What the--</p>

<p>fill half the class... 4000 applicants... class size is about 2500... so that would have to be more than 30% cuz 30% of 4000 is only 1200, and they have to fill 1250... so like, 32% ish</p>

<p>wow....stetson sed b/w 20-30.....but if the math is right then i have a little bit more hope</p>

<p>wow, whatever happened to the decrease in asian applicants???</p>

<p>yea i know...the original article that appeared on bloomberg had the numbers right but the numbers wrong.</p>

<p>Harvard reported a 3.5% increase in SCEA applications, to 4005 from 3869 (Harvard Gazette, 11/30/06).</p>

<p>Yale reported a 13% decline in SCEA applications, to 3541 from 4084 (Yale Daily News, 11/17/06).</p>

<p>Princeton reported a 2% increase in ED applications, to 2275 from 2236 (Daily Princetonian, 11/22/06).</p>

<p>Stanford reported a 5% increase in SCEA applications to 4733 (Daily Princetonian, 11/22/06).</p>

<p>Brown reported a 2.5% decline in ED applications, to 2317 from 2378 (Brown Daily Herald, 11/27/06).</p>

<p>With over 4000 ED applications this year, Penn's numbers still look pretty good.</p>

<p>Penn aims for a class of 2350 to allow room for transfer students so 1175 divided by 4001 equals 29%. Of course, this assumes equal numbers of applicants to all the four schools which probably isn't the case</p>

<p>" While the College and the School of Nursing both saw drops, applications to Wharton and to the Engineering School increased."</p>

<p>Well, one has to consider the fact that there was a big increase in international apps., who the majority of probably apply to Wharton, because of its reputation. Also, international applicants have lower accpetance rates, so that might help out Wharton apps. a little. Otherwise, I hope it didn't increase by much and if it did, they admit more.</p>

<p>getcrunk, good point...that makes me feel slightly better</p>

<p>gah, an increase in applications to SEAS? :(</p>

<p>increase in female apps to SEAS? I hope not! :(</p>

<p>Increase in wharton apps? increase in int'l apps? wow.. im screwed.</p>

<p>it's okay - you're mexican! Everybody loves mexicans!</p>

<p>wow damn an increase in SEAS apps. i doubt the ED number for SEAS was way over 300 (probably less than 400, hopefully ><), but still, damn :(</p>

<p>so how many applicants to each school do you guys think?</p>

<p>out of 4000 total, id guess 1300 wharton, 2300 college, 350 engineering, 50 nursing?</p>

<p>that sound like reasonable estimates? those are completely random figures btw, perhaps there are more wharton and college, perhaps less, who knows. perhaps SEAS got more, nursing more. whatever, but im interested in what your predictions are per school :)</p>

<p>post your thoughts!</p>

<p>I'm not going to guess numbers...but that looks probably fairly accurate</p>

<p>i joined the facebook group
but anyway i cant believe i missed the whole race chat</p>

<p>Yay haha.. thanks venus... you cheered me up!</p>

<p>Wharton apps up. excellent (NOT!) but oh well, I'll find out next week</p>

<p>one...more...week...........</p>