March Madness

The phrase "March Madness" takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to college admission season. With many college admissions decisions coming in this month, the season is already proving to be one of the wildest yet as it draws to a close. The number of applications to the more than 1,000 universities included in the Common Application has increased by 6% over the previous year's already record-breaking level. It's a continuation of a pattern that started in the spring of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic compelled hundreds of highly regarded universities to waive their standardized test score criteria, sparking an increase in applications.

As students pour more applications into the system, colleges are spending more and more time thinking about how to forecast who will actually show up if accepted, and shaping their policies to lock in those students and maintain or increase their yield rates. They have rolled out a complicated menu of admissions options, each with its own requirements, deadlines, restrictions, and risks for students, but all designed to bring as much certainty to the college as possible.

Admissions policies instituted by schools at or near the top of the rankings have ripple effects at less selective schools, which, in turn, also make changes to protect their yield rates. For example, less selective schools have embraced a strategy of increasingly deferring applicants in early rounds to see if they’re serious—or even denying them outright when the school thinks it’s being used as a backup.

Figuring out how to navigate this all can leave applicants and their families feeling like they need a Ph.D. in game theory just to get into college. This is an area where having an experienced IEC (independent educational consultant) such as myself in your corner can be extremely valuable. I can help students figure out what to do when they're deferred or waitlisted, which may include scheduling a campus visit or writing a letter of continued interest (LOCI) to the admissions committee.

For more information about the college readiness and admissions process, use the contact form on my website to schedule your free one-hour initial consultation.

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