The one stat that will validate every belief we have about how things have changed....

Applying to College
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<p>So i'm reading along on this interesting, data-laden article in U.S. News about why colleges have become so competitive...and what's ahead for students...it's a good read:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/09/22/is-the-college-admissions-bubble-about-to-burst"&gt;http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/09/22/is-the-college-admissions-bubble-about-to-burst&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>and buried in the article is this quote about how admissions have changed since U.S. News began their rankings.</p>

<p>"In 1988, the acceptance rate for Columbia University in New York was 65 percent."</p>

<p>I mean, whaaat? Seriously? I was in college in the 1980s....and they were taking 65% of everybody who applied? It really puts perspective into what it meant to be accepted to a college back then.....vs today. </p>

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<p>I was reading that article and that statistic really jumped out at me as well. </p>

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<p>Pre Common App</p>

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<p>Most people applied to one — maybe two colleges. If, in 1988, you said you were applying to 15 schools, they would have locked you up.</p>

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<p>Hmm. That seems weird. Then again, that was only the second class that accepted women. I graduated HS in '84 and Columbia wasn’t on my list, in part for that reason.</p>

<p>ETA, I thought it was class of '88, not class of '92 applying in 88.</p>

<p>Back then I did in fact apply to 8 colleges (3 on one SUNY app though) and that was pretty standard at my NYC private school.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>That seems more typical. I think Columbia had other things going on, maybe the co-ed change, maybe not. Yale, by the way, was the only U to turn me down in 1984. I might still be bitter :)</p>

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<p>Yale’s drop off in accept rate happened over twenty years – the bulk of it within the last ten years (Common App, Gilmore Girls, etc.) When I applied in '85, it’s accept rate was 17%. It didn’t dip below 7% until 3-4 years ago.</p>

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<p>Which is why…when my D’s relatives say things like 'you’re a smart girl…your uncle/granddad/family friend made it into an elite college and we’re sure you will too"…I want to say, “buddy, you have no idea…” </p>

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<p>Maybe I misunderstand what US News was referring to.</p>

<p>The class of 1986 Columbia College (last all male class) had 3650 applicants, 1585 were accepted (40%), and 713 enrolled (see columbia spectator archive, 8/30/1982, page 7). People applied to one school above, one at, and one below their scores/grades. So fewer apps/place. </p>

<p>The average SAT was 620 verbal and 660 math for Class of 1986 Columbia College freshmen, when the national average was 424 verbal and 466 math (<a href=“http://www.erikthered.com/tutor/historical-average-SAT-scores.pdf”>http://www.erikthered.com/tutor/historical-average-SAT-scores.pdf&lt;/a&gt;). Careful here as everybody is recentering the old scores all over the net – look at the real averages, not some doctoring afterwards). So Columbia College '86 had +390 over the national SAT average or +43% up. Today the average at Columbia is (?) 740 verbal and (?) 740 math and the national average is (?) 510 verbal and (?) 520 math. So Columbia now is +450 up or +43% up.</p>

<p>What changed? And what was US News talking about?</p>