2018 Admissions Report & the Importance of Crafting the College List

March Madness most commonly refers to that pretty big NCAA basketball tournament that catches our attention for a few weeks, but it can also describe this time of year in college admissions. The last two weeks of March is generally when most colleges send out their decision letters to anxious, yet hopeful seniors, dreaming about celebrating acceptances to their top choices. However, over the years, as more and more students apply to colleges with the ease of the Common Application and Coalition, not to mention an increase of international students, many colleges have become much more competitive. Schools that would have been a slam dunk admit in years past, are becoming as tough to get into as sinking a half court shot.

Because of this, and looking towards the future, knowing that it will most likely continue to become more and more selective, it is essential to find colleges that are less selective, but still have everything you need in a college to be happy. When crafting a college list, it is ideal to have about 8-10 schools on there. Of those schools, at least three of them should be schools that you are certain to be accepted into...but you would love to attend! In today's world of college admissions, schools that may be in your target range or those that are reach schools, are becoming less and less likely to work out. It is not because you aren't a great student and super involved...it is purely a numbers game. Colleges are receiving thousands and thousands of additional applications than in years past...but still accepting the same amount of students, therefore, driving down admissions rates.

In addition to securing three "likely" schools, always remember to show every college you apply to some love. Make sure their admissions counselors know you would absolutely love to attend, and give them some school-specific reasons why their college is the best fit for you. Really showing your interest could help in the end, especially if you are a borderline admit. With all of this said, I want to share with you the most recent admissions statistics for 2018 at a handful of schools. Although the colleges range in selectivity, one thing you will notice is that all of their applications are going up and their admissions rates are going down:

Boston College: This year, BC received over 31,000 applications for just 2,300 freshmen seats. This is an increase of 9% in applications, and they offered admission to just 8,400 applicants, which decreased their admissions rate to 27%. Their average SAT score for admitted students was a 1448 and the average ACT was a 33.

Duke University: This year, Duke received 33,300 Regular Decision applications, just about 3,000 more than last year. They hope to admit about 2,400 of these applicants, which represents a 7% admit rate...whereas their Early Decision admit rate this year was 22%.

Georgetown University: Last year, Georgetown had about 21,000 total applications...but this year that number increased to 23,000, and 3,312 of those students were accepted, representing a 14% admit rate.

UNC-Chapel Hill: UNC received a school record 43,000 applications this year, which is up from 6% last year.

Northeastern University: Northeastern, who continues to amaze us with their numbers, received over 62,000 applications, and will be offering admission to just 19% of their applicant pool.

Providence College: Providence College received just over 11,400 applications this year, and will be admitting 48.9% of those students. 34% of the Class of 2022 has already been enrolled to PC through Early Decision I & II.

University of Richmond: Richmond has their largest and strongest applicant pool in university history, with nearly 12,000 applications. Of those applicants, only 29% were accepted...who boasted a middle 50% SAT of 1360-1490 and ACT of 31-34.

Villanova University: Villanova isn't just dominating the NCAA tournament, they also had their best year ever in college admissions. They had a record high number of applications, with 22,727, which went up 7.65% from last year. For the first time ever, they offered Early Decision, and 24% of their freshmen class will be coming in through ED. The overall admit rate was 28%, which is down from 43.2%, from just two years ago! Their middle 50% for the SAT was 1380-1490 and for the ACT was 32-34.

Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech saw a historically large and competitive applicant pool with over 32,000 students applying for just 6,200 available freshmen seats. Although the last few years, VT's admissions rate was around 70%, this year it dropped to 56%.

Wesleyan University: Wesleyan received 12,788 freshmen applications, which is the largest number in school history, a 3% increase from last year. Just 1,779 were offered admission, just a 14% admit rate.

Joseph D. Korfmacher