Large increase in applications this year

Prep School Admissions
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<p>Tomthecat started a thread mentioning record applications at Andover. I know that the same thing is being experienced at other top schools besides Andover. I thought I would start a thread for discussion of applications/acceptances for this year for ALL schools.</p>

<p>Here's the comments I posted on another thread:
I would expect waitlists to be VERY long this year. That is the way schools can manage yield. </p>

<p>By all accounts, I have heard that all the top tier schools are setting application records this year.</p>

<p>From what I have heard and read, a lot has to do with the economy and the impact on public schools. With public school funding being cut, parents are worried about their child's education. </p>

<p>It would be interesting to note whether a larger percentage of the increase in applications is coming from full pays or those needing FA. My guess is that acceptances for those students needing FA will be even more difficult then usual vs. full pay candidates.</p>

<p>One thing I do wonder is how schools are dealing with this increase in applications? How do they possibly give them all a fair read when Andover, for example, looks to have 1,000 more applications than last year?</p>

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<p>How they deal with the applications is a good question. I know that certain elements of the process, such as interviews, have showed signs of strain - Andover has had to rely on many alumni interviews rather than interviews with people from the office. I don’t think anyone expected this large a jump in applications, but as far as I’ve been told, everything else in the process has been running smoothly. Busily, yes, but effectively.</p>

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<p>and this just had to happen the year I applied… oh well :stuck_out_tongue:
I can still hope</p>

<p>^
200th post :D</p>

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<p>Cool down. Before seeing the break down numbers, I don’t know what to take of it. </p>

<p>I know the numbers of applicants from China increased several folds every year for the last couple of years. One school (2nd tier) said three out of four applicants this year are from China. Does it affect domestic students that much?</p>

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<p>Wait Tom, in your point of view what would be the decision making factor in the application process ?</p>

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<p>I just posted this in the other thread, but it is probably more appropriate here. I think the information regarding the shared candidate profile may explain some of the increase. The article also discussed a “flight to quality”.</p>

<p>From SPS newspaper:
Due to over-enrollment, admissions for new forth formers (especially girls) will be especially competitive this year. According to Mr. Bonhom, about 450 students started the admissions process for the forth form. A number of those students will not apply, but that is still a large number of students for very few spots.</p>

<p>While there will be an appreciable difference in the number of new forth formers, the numbers for third form will be relatively stable. “We’re trying to make sure its’s about 50-50 for boys and girls this year,” says Mr. Bonhom. Since the number of new fifth formers is always small, admissions for fifth form will not be greatly affected.</p>

<p>In general, the number of students applying to St. Paul’s is exceptionally high this year. “Numbers are up, including fourth form,” Mr. Bonhom reports. Although St. Paul’s has always had one of the highest number of applicants int he Ten Schools Admissions Organizations, there are many more applicants this year than usual.</p>

<p>The increase in applications is most likely due to the newly-created shared Candidate Profile. This profile is akin to a Common Application for prep school admissions-the profile is also accepted by Deerfield, Groton, Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville, Andover, Exeter, and Taft. "Now, students who might not have applied to St. Paul’s before are more willing to fill out an application, " says Mr. Bonhom.</p>

<p>The admissions office is making an effort to keep the third form to roughly 100 students, and keeping the school size down to about 520 students. With more students applying for less spots, “St. Paul’s is going to be a more selective school” says Mr. Bonhom.</p>

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<p>Swissbrit, there is no sole determinant.</p>

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<p>this is bad news for me :(</p>

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<p>The increase in international applicants is one contributing factor. That individuals applying to more schools trying to secure a spot in the increasingly competitive process is another.</p>

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<p>@Creative: I’d be interested to know if private day schools are experiencing the record application explosion as well. If so, the trend may lend credence to the idea that more families are foregoing the local publics for what they perceive as “better” alternatives. </p>

<p>@Emdee: I never heard of this new Candidate Profile (out of the application loop). Do you know if this is also via TABS, like the Common App??</p>

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<p>nyceloj: it’s not, its the TSA’s own version</p>

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<p>Oh good !</p>

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<p>IMHO, does the shared candidate profile really make much of a difference? It really is only your data - personal info, ECs, etc. That part doesn’t take too long to complete. Each school still has its own essays which are the time consuming part.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I don’t buy the shared candidate profile bit either. I mean, my son filled in separate ones for each school just so they would have it in electronic format. It didn’t take that much time.</p>

<p>I think it may have more to do with the general decline in public education, especially the trend towards heterogenous grouping. I mean, our school doesn’t even have honors sections! Kids from all over the curve are lumped in together. </p>

<p>Everybody is valuable, but not everybody is the same.</p>

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<p>neato- The fact that your school does not even have honors sections is appauling, in my Public High School 70% of students take all honors classes and they offer numerous AP’s and the IB Diploma, so I feel kind of bad knowing that there are public HS with nearly no Advanced courses. But I heard that colleges look at your courseload and if they see that you took the most rigourous courseload that was availble to you, they won’t hold it against you. So it is not all that bad.</p>

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<p>If 70% of the kids at your school take all honors classes, they’re not truly honors classes. They’re normal classes and the 30% of kids who don’t take them take remedial classes instead.</p>

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<p>agree</p>

<p>10char</p>

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<p>Tom if you do not believe me i can pm you the Name of my Public High School…</p>

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<p>Ohh Ok after having looked around apparently I was a little bit wrong, 60-70 % of kids in my public HS take most of their classes in either Honors/AP/IB, but obviously my school does offer normal classes for those who do not meet the requirements.</p>

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<p>I believe you Swissbrit, but I also agree with Tom. For your school it’s regular and the rest is remedial, for your school.</p>

<p>Honors should be like, top 10-20%. If that many kids are in honors, it not really an honor (relative to your school). Andover doesn’t have honors classes (does it?) because it’s an all honors type of school. Sadly, this is not the case at my son’s current school. When 40% of his class has an average>90, statistically, that means that the classes are being taught to about the 20th percentile of the group. Getting high honors isn’t much of an honor. Perhaps if they had honors level classes, there wouldn’t be so many kids on the honor roll (does anyone follow me? :slight_smile: )</p>