<p>I am not convinced flagship publics are a lot more formalistic than elite privates. Yes, elite privates have more admissions staff in proportion to applications. Yes, they work hard to publicly present an image of careful consideration of each application. But consider that (1) the admissions staff at an elite private college also spends a good part of one's time marketing (although they don't often call it that), and that both public and private get a huge number of applications. </p>
<p>I would not disagree that a good part of the process is formula driven. Just consider what everyone says about their process: grades, class rank, test scores are the most important factors. These are quantitative and lend themselves to formulistic approaches for triage of applications (near auto admit, auto deny, closely examine...) But it is what happens next, on a much smaller subset of applications that can be much more holistic.</p>
<p>How much in practice? Only the adcoms really know, and they are not talking. But I do think that if a college goes through the effort of gathering softer, more holistic data, that they are likely to use it in some cases. Otherwise why bother?</p>
<p>newmass >>> I am not convinced flagship publics are a lot more formalistic than elite privates. Yes, elite privates have more admissions staff in proportion to applications. Yes, they work hard to publicly present an image of careful consideration of each application. But consider that (1) the admissions staff at an elite private college also spends a good part of one's time marketing (although they don't often call it that), and that both public and private get a huge number of applications.</p>
<p>I would not disagree that a good part of the process is formula driven. Just consider what everyone says about their process: grades, class rank, test scores are the most important factors. These are quantitative and lend themselves to formulistic approaches for triage of applications (near auto admit, auto deny, closely examine...) But it is what happens next, on a much smaller subset of applications that can be much more holistic.</p>
<h2>How much in practice? Only the adcoms really know, and they are not talking. But I do think that if a college goes through the effort of gathering softer, more holistic data, that they are likely to use it in some cases. Otherwise why bother? <<<</h2>
<p>I think that some publics may use a "holistic" approach when they need to fill certain department majors that aren't that popular (like "Russian Studies" or something like that - nothing against Russian Studies - just using an example of a rather unique major.)</p>
<p>But, out of the fear of lawsuits, many state funded colleges are forced to at least try to "toe the line" and admit those who are the most qualified by a certain set of standards. </p>
<p>Of course, as has been mentioned before, athletes don't seem to always have to meet those "standards." I don't know what UC's rules are about admitting athletes for their football teams and the like.</p>
<p>
[quote]
As with any campus tour, you get a lot of numbers at SUNY Binghamton, the top-rated school in the State University of New York system.</p>
<p>Theres the average grade-point average for incoming students (93 or 3.5), the number of applications last year (26,500), the acceptance rate (39 percent), where the metropolitan area ranks in safety among the nations midsize cities (11), and where Kiplingers Personal Finance ranked the university nationally in terms of value (1).</p>
<p>But for the slightly shellshocked parents taking the tour on Friday, peering nervously at the daily disaster on the television screens where the tag on CNN read Financial Crisis and You, chances are the number that made the biggest impression was this one: 16,452.</p>
<p>Add a dollar sign, and its the annual tuition, fees, room and board at a time when the price tag at most competitive private colleges is nearing $50,000.</p>
<p>The result is one more number: a roughly 50 percent increase in applications so far this fall as college-savings plans melt away, parents worry about job security and price becomes a major factor in the college-application anxiety pit, even for well-off families, in a way it has not been in the past.</p>
<p>Can you afford not to choose Binghamton? reads the leaflet university officials hand out at college fairs.
<p>That affected nearly 6,000 students, who had to find another way of paying their college tuition if their federal loans didn't cover the full cost, Payne said.</p>
<p>"From what we've seen so far, many students were able to find some ways to manage the college costs," she said.</p>
<p>A quarter of those students put their tuition on credit cards, Payne said. The survey also revealed that a quarter of the students weren't sure how they were going to pay their tuition for the second semester, she said.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>One of the most important things students can do to prepare themselves for the job market is to do an internship in their field before graduating. That helps prepare students for the workplace environment and often can help build a network, she said.</p>
<p>"Oftentimes, a lot of students end up getting full-time job offers as a result," she said.</p>
<p>Megan Hales, employer relations and recruiting coordinator for the University of New Hampshire, said there is a reduction in the number of jobs available for students across the board. On average, companies with which the university partners are hiring 50 percent fewer employees, she said.</p>
<p>"There are positions out there, just not as many," she said.</p>
<p>I have not posted in quite a while. DS was considering attending expensive out of state schools, Rice, Boston Univ, Vandy and a few others. He would have been competitive and probably accepted. </p>
<p>I was worried about transportation costs, his level of debt etc since we have no savings and was relying strictly on merit aid and federal aid. At one point I think he was considering being deeply in debt by the time he graduated. </p>
<p>I let him know that I would support his choice whatever it may be but that he needed to think carefully about the impact the debt would have on him later. He plans on attending graduate school and I'm sure will have debt from that.</p>
<p>In the end he decided to apply at only our state flagship Univeristies, The University of Alabama, and The Univeristy of Alabama at Birmingham. Both are large well known public universities. Both have ample research opportunities, good honor colleges, and extremely generous merit aid offers for qualified students.</p>
<p>He will be able to attend tuition free and may also get his housing paid for. He is also applying for all of the local scholarships available in our area in hopes that his books will also be paid for. </p>
<p>Since making his final decision he seems perfectly happy and can't wait for HS to be over.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone who is still in the decision making mode.</p>