ED I just Wrapped Up. So Why are Some Student's Posting Acceptances?
It's early November, and I'm already giving thanks. The reason? My students have submitted their Early Decision and priority apps!
Then I look on Instagram and see so many area students posting their acceptances. They're from Wake Forest, which has a rolling Early Decision I. It's rare to have a selective college notify so soon; those WF students are very fortunate. Many applicants are in it for the long haul, monitoring their portals and keeping up their academic performances.
But that's the business of early apps. What about other college issues?
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What's AP in Curriculum?
"Which APs should she take?"Parents often ask the AP question. In a recent study, Empowerly, a West Coast college consultancy, attempted to correlate specific APs with college acceptances. As reported in Inside Higher Ed, "only six particular Advanced Placement courses correlate with a noteworthy college admissions boost." These powerhouse APs: Calc BC, Psych, Bio, Chem, Lang and Stat.
A Colby College professor interviewed for the article noted, “There are reasons why we would think that certain subjects might matter more in admissions than others. It could be that they are signaling certain abilities of students; it could be that admissions officers are trying to balance across majors.”But don't too anxious about the findings. Empowerly's sample is limited to their client base, many of whom are probably from Silicon Valley and highly motivated about STEM and college. Moreover, as noted in the article, "The report acknowledges that the correlation doesn’t necessarily mean that these classes directly caused more students to be admitted."No kidding!
My advice to students: be ambitious, but don't have an AP break you.
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Are Liberal Arts Continuing their Comback?
As noted in last month's post, the media megadoses on Harvard. But at least Harvard recently made the Journal in a good way: freshmen can't wait to take a brutal humanities course! Reportedly, Humanities 10 is oversubscribed. Students can't use devices, must write essays weekly and need to be in class for attendance! Professors are delighted.
Some of UChicago is also moving away from AI. According to the Chronicle, a university report recommends reading spaces that are device-free along with writing labs, reading and writing retreats and intensive short courses emphasizing critical reading and writing.
Not all colleges are going down that path. CU Denver, for example, is launching an AI hub. Walmart execs are creating their own STEM university, the Bentonville Institute of Technology. Purdue is building out a $275 million Health, Science and Engineering hub in Indianapolis.
When it comes to studying computer science, some colleges are creating blended programs. As reported in the Chronicle, major universities strong in tech are offering these majors. At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, for example, students can select from 17 hybrid majors, which include computer science and engineering or computer science and animal science. Michigan, always the innovator, now offers a Program for Computing in the Arts and Sciences (PCAS). It "supports diverse engagements with code, data, algorithms, and their artifacts."
While these universities are planning for the future, some smaller colleges continue to struggle. As reported in the Chronicle, Ithaca College and Bennington College are both facing serious deficits.
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At UC, It's Not Adding Up.
In the University of California system, according to EdSource, students are lacking skills in math. In fact, the number receiving Ds, Fs or dropped math has doubled in the last five years. This includes students in calc, precalc and prep math. According to the article, "Some faculty argue students are unprepared because UC no longer requires the SAT or ACT for admission." Why don't they mention classroom issues and students' study habits?
Hopefully, prospective engineers are doing their math, and that means through calculus. According to Inside Higher Ed, “A study of 292 admissions officers found that the officers were less likely to admit a prospective engineering student if they hadn’t taken calculus—even if their high school didn’t offer the class.”
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Supplemental Essays: the Inside Story
What's an unCommon blog without a mention of supplemental essays? You know I believe every highly selective college should require them. So I was particularly interested when Higher Ed Dive spoke with admissions pros from Michigan, Rice and Georgia about the topic. (For context, Georgia stopped asking students for a supplemental essay for 2026-27, but Michigan and Rice did not.) Here are the takeaways:
Michigan, specifically the Ross School of Business, states that "reviewing applications takes a tremendous amount of time and money, largely because of the supplemental materials." (My students learn so much developing the two U-M essays.)
Rice has three supplemental questions. Its executive director stated that "if prospective students are deterred by carefully considered application supplements, they are probably not strong candidates in a competitive pool." Rice's box, to which applicants upload an image of their choice, also "gives students another avenue to infuse their applications with personality and creativity."
Georgia Admissions explained that by eliminating its essay, it was reducing both employee and applicant stress. As reported, “UGA determined the supplemental essay didn’t provide admissions staff with meaningfully more insight than the Common App essay alone did.” They're likely driving app volume from out-of-staters, not to mention relieving themselves of reading responses to a miserable prompt. (See section below about the Georgia Dawgs.)
All three universities stated that they don't use AI to read applicants' essays, nor do they use AI detection software on submissions.
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Majors: What are the Payoffs?
It's not just LinkedIn or the Journal looking at payoffs by major and college. The New York Times has issued what it calls a A College-by-College Guide to Which Majors Pay Off - or Don't. Their winner: the math major at Duke, who is earning just under $300,000 four years after graduation. Just below them: graduates of CS and engineering programs at Carnegie Mellon. States the NYT, "Your school can make a big difference — or matter very little — depending on the major."
(Something to note: the data is pre-2020.)
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Suddenly, Next Summer? Seriously?
According to the Wall Street Journal, the race is on - for next summer's internships. As of October, prospective investment professionals were already interviewing for internships having acceptance rates as low as 1 percent. To get a jump on the process, students compete for spots in finance groups such as Penn's Quant Club.
Firms don't necessarily use coursework to streamline applicant volume. In fact, some seek chess skills or the ability to solve problems and recognize patterns, even if they've never studied finance.
Ten-week internships, according the WSJ, can pay up to $50,000. Let's hope there's follow-up on what students do with that compensation.
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Prediction Markets: Getting Real or Really Pathetic?
About a week ago, higher-ed publications reported the latest from Kalshi, the predication firm, and it's not about the NFL. Rather, they want customers to bet on college admissions rates! As addressed in the Chronicle, "users would be able to bet on undergraduate acceptance rates at 22 major American colleges, including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton Universities,"
In an absurd justification, Kalshi told Inside Higher Ed, "College admission rates matter economically because they sit at the point where education, labor markets and household finances meet.” You mean a new market segment?
By the way, admissions employees aren't eligible. Also, Kalshi is awaiting approval by regulators.
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Souther Public Research Universities Remain . . . Hot!
We've often discussed students' interest in going South. The other day, the University of Georgia announced a 12 percent rise in in-state and out-of-state applicants. Apps from within Georgia, which made up 65 percent of the volume 12 years back, now account for just 38 percent. However, the university is bound to an 80:20 mix.
In its blog, UGA clarifies its criteria for admission, starting with "grades to grade trends, course rigor, involvement in activities/sports/work, volunteer experiences, and their essays and recommendations." It also mentions that it looks to senior-year grades from some applicants, that is, those they defer.
Georgia, like many other Southern universities, went back to mandatory testing, another way it might sort through app volume.
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Come the last Thursday of this month, we really will give thanks. I am thankful for my students and parents from whom I learn so very much. Please keep in touch, and Happy Thanksgiving!
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