It's been a long winter . . .At this point in the process, colleges have notified students who applied using Early Action, Early Decision I and Early Decision II options. Yet many apps put in motion quite some time ago are still in play; those students await word on deferrals or Regular Decision submissions. It's March, and the wait is almost over. Soon it really will be spring, and we can move on.
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Class of 2029: Results, Already!
As discussed many times in this blog, public research universities have never been more popular. They tempt students with their warm communities, stellar sports and strong spirit and present multiple application options through which they screen applicants.
Let's start with perennial favorite U Michigan. U-M reports a record number of applicants for Fall 2025 in all groups: in-state, out-of-state and international, with the out-of-state number up 11 percent. For the last five years, freshman applications rose 36 percent!
Then there's UT Austin, which reported a 24% jump in out-of-state applications. At the University of Georgia, that number rose some 17 percent, resulting in a 23 percent Early Action acceptance rate.
"If our class is full only of students that are well rounded, it could get a little bit boring. We like edges and we like passion! As a result, think about what makes you special and tell that story in your application through your activities, coursework, and essays. That will help us get to know the authentic you." - Georgia Admissions
While U Florida hasn't shared numbers, we know the severe restriction on non-residents has hampered many students who see the allure of going south to Gainesville. (Note: Chris Malachowsky, a Gator alum and NVIDIA co-founder, was key in spearheading the arrival of a new HiPerGator AI 2.0 supercomputer to help UF "position itself as a national leader in AI education and research.")
Most universities will release Regular Decisions between now and the end of the month, so stay tuned!
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AI: A Roadblock or an Opportunity?
The other day, I watched AI Vision: From Presidents to CIOs, a webinar hosted by education author Jeff Selingo that featured Northeastern's president Joseph Aoun. Readers of this blog - and my students - are familiar with admissions issues at Northeastern, including use of N.U.in to accept students, confusion about assigning priorities to campuses when applying and the lack of a supplemental essay. Of course, I was curious to hear more about how this aggressive marketer is tackling artificial intelligence.
For Aoun, AI represents an opportunity for higher ed and not the gloom I often hear about. Instead, he believes that "AI is going to lead us to question the relevance of higher education . . . I believe that higher education will become more relevant than ever because it’s not about knowledge; it’s about the integration of knowledge.”As a counselor, I believe colleges must ensure that students master communication, data analysis and critical thinking skills. Aoun's version - and what he touts about the Northeastern experience - is that students master what he refers to as humanics, that is, "tech literacy, data literacy and human literacy," which results in the "ability to be creative to be entrepreneurial, the ability to work in teams, to be culturally agile, the ability to be global, the ability to understand context and move from one context to another.”
To Aoun, curriculum is a "balance between human agencies and AI agencies,” while the university's combined majors - as opposed to double majors - include both AI and each type of literacy. I took a look at their programming and found 199 combined majors. (Examples include Criminal Justice and Journalism, Math and Psychology, Computer Science and Economics.) For undergrads, there is also an AI concentration in computer science, a minor in AI Applications, and, importantly, AI woven into the coop learning and extracurriculars. Aoun stated that faculty and students attend AI bootcamps. We'll be wAIting for results!
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The Common App Personal Essay in March?
This college counselor is ready! Last week, CA announced that its essay prompts will remain the same, and the Additional Information Essay will max out at 300 words - good enough for my students. While the Writing section has contained an optional Covid prompt, formally known as Community Disruption, applicants will now be able to address a "challenges and circumstances” question.
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The Latest AP: It's All About (the) Marketing.
Thanks to @Brad Schiller, I recently became aware of the College Board's latest: a course called AP Business Principles/Personal Finance. Seriously? While great for career understanding, it sounds mighty introductory for a college equivalent, and many high schools offer courses like this already. But in its race with ACT, College Board will pull whatever is necessary to grab attention - and revenue.CB tells us that the course, which will launch in 2026-27, "introduces students to the fields of entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, accounting, and management through real-world business application, case studies, and project based learning." Other AP courses are on the horizon, including two in cybersecurity that will be selectively piloted next year: AP Cyber: Networking and AP Cyber: Security.
By the way, CB, I like your little, career-focused boxes.
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Testing, Testing. For Some, It's No Longer an Option.
It's been five years since things shut down, including live college visits and standardized tests. While some colleges were already test-optional or didn't value testing as much as their peers, others relied on SAT or ACT results when making decisions. At this time of year, well before apps go live, we expect to hear from some institutions about changes to their testing policies.
Sure enough, two popular colleges with unCommon applicants are going back to testing, including U Miami. Beginning in 2025-26, the only students who don't need to submit scores to the U are those applying to speciality programs (e.g., music, architecture) and international students. The University of Pennsylvania joined its elite colleagues: "By returning to a testing requirement, Penn aims to remove uncertainty for applicants trying to decide whether to include their test scores." No kidding!
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Like Marine Biology? Try W&M!
The charming College of William & Mary always had an array of strong programs for their happy students. Now, thanks to a $50 million grant, W&M is launching an undergraduate degree in Coastal and Marine Sciences. (Its Batten School of Costal & Marine Sciences had already offered a Marine Science as a minor as well as grad degrees in partnership with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.) The program is "designed for students who truly want to ‘get into the weeds’ and explore all of the ways in which marine and coastal sciences impact everything from sea level rise and biodiversity to the management of natural resources and industries that are critical to economies and peoples’ way of life,” according to its director.
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Go Global - and Save!
While some students are lured in by Southern colleges, others are thinking more globally, much to the delight of their parents. As discussed by Bloomberg, College at $100,000 a Year is Driving More U.S. Students to Europe. Learn in the land of Will and Kate? Their alma mater St Andrews costs about $46,000. For a liberal arts education at Oxford, the tab might be around $54,000, which is "relatively expensive in European terms but still less than most private colleges in the US.” Your student just needs to be accepted, which is no small task (probably 9 percent). Like Canadian institutions McGill or Toronto, Euro colleges are for students who have a good idea of their course of study and are very self-motivated.
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Hopefully, March Madness will bring closure to applicant families. Should you need to discuss your student's results or your future applicant's journey, don't hesitate to reach out.
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