"You're In, But There's A Catch"

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Skidmore College has been offering January admissions for the past 20 years. Like Skidmore, more colleges these days now delay admissions:</p>

<p>
[quote]
As high school seniors open their admissions letters, more and more are being invited to wait awhile, to come to campus in January or February rather than September...</p>

<p>January admission programs used to be offered mainly by a few select schools in the Northeast, said Steven Roy Goodman, a college admissions consultant in Washington, but the practice is spreading across the country because it is seen as a way to fill beds.</p>

<p>With fewer students opting to spend an entire year abroad, and with more choosing to leave for the spring semester, colleges are likely to have empty beds in the second semester.</p>

<p>"January admission is more than just an enrollment-management tool; it is a huge money maker for universities," Goodman wrote in an e-mail.</p>

<p>The growing practice also benefits students, Goodman said, because "it opens up more freshman beds, which at the end of the day benefits more freshmen."</p>

<p>Goodman said it also may be that some colleges use January admissions "to fudge" their numbers, often not including the grade point averages and SATs of these later admissions in their freshman-year statistics...</p>

<p>At Middlebury College in Vermont, which has one of the longest-running second-semester admissions program, admissions staff member Bert Phinney said the program has allowed the college to fill beds in the spring, when many students go abroad, while also letting in a larger number of students.</p>

<p>"There is no substantive difference" between those admitted for September and those who come in February, Phinney said.</p>

<p>If there is any difference, Phinney said, it is that the college tries to select students for second-term admission who might see a semester off as a chance to do something exciting, such as traveling, doing an internship or studying elsewhere. He said the college helps students find out about programs but does not offer a specific fall program, as Skidmore does.</p>

<p>The "Febs," as they call these students, "come in with experience under their belt and typically take this place by storm," said Phinney.</p>

<p>Among the colleges offering spring admissions are Colby College in Waterville, Maine; Dickinson in Carlisle, Pa.; Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y.; and Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y...

[/quote]
</p>

<p><a href="http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-janadmissions.artmar30,0,3487678.story?page=2&coll=hc-headlines-life%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-janadmissions.artmar30,0,3487678.story?page=2&coll=hc-headlines-life&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

2

<p>Interesting. I wonder how they figure out which students would "see the semester off as a chance to do something exciting," and which will be disappointed not to be starting in the fall.</p>

3

<p>Berkeley did this, too, to a close family friend.</p>

4

<p>It's very common at Berkeley. Student forums also confirm this.</p>

5

<p>Could anyone tell me where I can find a list of all colleges accepting students for the Spring semester, instead of going by the website of the individual schools? Thanks.</p>

6

<p>Common with USC.</p>

<p>See this thread: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=318581%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=318581&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p>

<p>January admits are for students who don't quite have the credentials of regular admits but USC believes can do the work. </p>

<p>Middlebury is well known for its winter (February?) admits.</p>

7

<p>My D at Northeastern tells me she played with three prospective NEU freshmen & potential squash team members -- all of them January admits. D was bummed, because all 3 girls are terrific players - who will miss half the season (it starts in October...)</p>

8

<p>Brandeis has been known to do this too. Very disappointing for the kid who gets the BIG envelope with the words, "You're In!"</p>

9

<p>We've heard of it at Clemson, too...</p>

10

<p>Here's my question: Should colleges who have second-semester admits have a check-off box on their applications so that only students who say they would consider a winter admit be accepted this way?</p>

11

<p>Sly_vt,
Perhaps give the kids an option for fall/winter semester admittance. There are probably some kids out there who would like a semester off to decompress, make $$, travel, etc. On the other hand, it could be a logistical mess for smaller colleges who only offer certain classes one semester a year (esp. intro/sequential classes).</p>

12

<p>UCSD sometimes offers winter quarter admissions.</p>

13

<p>I'm detecting a concern that there's something wrong with winter admissions. </p>

<p>Other than being temporarily upsetting to the students what's wrong with it? From the students' point of view they get into a school that might otherwise reject or wait list them. From the college's point of view it's good enrollment management and a way of being able to accept qualified students than they might be able to if they just limited admissions to the fall.</p>

<p>Right?</p>

14

<p>sly_</p>

<p>Spring admits at Cal are on the lower end of the app pool, so checking a box won't work.</p>

<p>tsdad: fall football and the early frosh bonding experience is important for many. Moreover, spring admits can mess up the academic calendar, particularly at smaller schools which won't repeat Chem 1A in the spring.</p>

<p>OTOH, if its a dream school, admission is admission even if delayed.</p>

15

<p>And at Cal at least, there's the option of going to the CC in Berkeley and being housed somewhere near campus. I even think the Jan admits were housed together so they had their own camaraderie. (There was a girl asking all sorts of questions about it when we were there, only reason I know.) It didn't actually sound like that bad a deal.</p>

16

<p>Middlebury, a small school, clearly has worked out the calendar thing. </p>

<p>Missing out on football at USC or Cal would be a big thing, but I think as you say if it is
[quote]
a dream school, admission is admission even if delayed.

[/quote]
</p>

17

<p>I would have been thrilled to receive a letter telling me I was invited to begin college in January! An extra 4 months to do whatever I wanted?!? Sounds fantastic.</p>

18

<p>My D was admitted for Spring '08 at University of Maryland College Park. They have a program called Freshman Connection where spring '08 admits can still take classes on campus (after 3PM ) with other kids in the same program. They have all of the rights and privileges as a fall admit except no housing.
D will live in a great apt for a semester - or longer if she likes it- but she has the option to move onto campus in the spring.
At first she was upset - but now she realizes that this is much better than being waitlisted or rejected.
The people who work in the Freshman connection office are fantastic - they estimate 400 kids will take part in the program so instead of being part of an incoming class of 4000 - she'll be part of a class of 400.
All in all - it works for us.</p>

19

<p>"January admits are for students who don't quite have the credentials of regular admits but USC believes can do the work."</p>

<p>But I don't quite understand such reasoning. They'll have better "credentials" if waiting 4 months? (Unless admission is contingent upon further coursework, a different matter.)</p>

20

<p>I think it all has to do with the SATs and GPAs that schools report for their incoming freshman class which is based on Fall Admits. The kids in the spring admits (and my kid is one of them) just didn't have that SAT that the school was looking for.
It's a definite win/win for the schools - they get the high SAT/GPA for fall - but since they know from past history that there will be "x" amount of beds available in the spring- they're able to fill those empty spaces.
In the case of UMD-CP - they've gone even further - for Freshman connection kids, they use classrooms that would normally be empty in the afternoons and evenings - plus have 400 more fall tuition payments without having to provide housing.
Apparently it's modeled after a program at Berkeley that's in it's 20th year.<br>
My daughter is thrilled because she won't have to take any 8AMs!</p>