This morning, the College Lady attended a one day conference at American University sponsored by PCACAC (The Potomac-Chesapeake branch of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors). It was incredibly informative, and I wanted to jot down some of the information I received to pass along to my students, and parents out there in cyberspace.
The first presenter was the head of admissions at AU. He focussed on the latest trends that he has noticed this year. As you might expect from reading the latest news, there have been more applications than ever this year. This is a combination of increased marketing by the universities, and also because of what he called "Increased Shopping Rates." I like this term because it really reflects what is going on with students... they are shopping for colleges by sending out apps far and wide, to see what happens. A lot of this ties in with financial aid, and depending on where they get the best offer (including financials)
The other thing he mentioned was that they are noticing a geographic shift in terms of the number of applications, and general population growth/demographics. High School graduation rates in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast have been fairly stagnant, but are increasing in the Western and Southern regions. With more applications coming from those regions, it has become increasingly important to balance their acceptances geographically. Because of these changes, the applicant pool has become more diverse as well. This may mean students who are a little less college savvy, and the college is working to reach out to them earlier. I am sure that this is not unique to AU.
He also mentioned that demonstrated interest from applicants is more important than ever, as admission folks weigh whether the apps they receive are from students who are genuinely interested, or ones who are just "shopping."
All in all, lots of good information and lots to think about in terms of students who will be applying for the 2011-2012 school year.
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