In February, Can Deferred Students Show their Love?

EI, AI and other issues affecting your student’s candidacy

It's February: a 🩷ly month. As my applicants report in with their Early Action decisions, I advise them on the best way to get through the tail end of this process (see below). But it's not always enough for applicants to show their love - and their talent. Rather, this business is often about satisfying whatever is important not only to admissions but also to an institution's board of trustees. As we await more results, let's take a look at what's going on - and what you should know.

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A Rosy Outlook from Common App. But Do We Love It?

As a counselor, I receive very upbeat emails from Common App. In their January update, Common App tells us that applicant volume is up and that students are applying to more colleges. 

At the same time, author Rich Cohen seems nostalgic about paper apps, which he believes were a rite of passage. In a recent Wall Street Journal article, he explains that when apps were handwritten, a student tended to pick about five choices, but the Common App has changed the entire dynamic. Cohen states, "While seeming to make life easier, it [the Common App] in fact makes it much harder. You don’t pick a school because you love it. You love a school because you picked it." 

Here's what the piece didn't mention: What's fueling app volume isn't just the automation but also the test-optional movement. Besides, would admissions officers be able to read students' handwritten apps?

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Some Admissions Offices are Loving AI, but Where does that Leave Applicants?

It's a topic addressed regularly: the use of AI in admissions. In January, the LA Times characterized AI interviews and essay scoring as contributing to "a new layer in college admissions stress." 

We learn that if Caltech early applicants submitted research projects, they had to interview with an AI-powered voice; faculty and admissions staff then watched the videos. Caltech's dean of admissions explained: “Can you claim this research intellectually? Is there a level of joy around your project? That passion is important to us.” 

Then there's the issue of using AI to read admissions essays, which you might remember from a previous blog post. Virginia Tech stated that it saves 8,000 hours by using an AI and a human essay-reader.

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Campus Expansion: What's Not to Love?

Can't get enough of Vandy? In a recent article, the WSJ confirmed that Vanderbilt is launching a new campus in San Francisco by acquiring California College of the Arts. Under Vandy's leadership, a new campus will be "focused on innovation, arts and design" as it adds some new spark to San Fran. Vanderbilt plans to house both undergrads and graduate students there by the 2027-28 academic year.

Back on the opposite coast, the University of North Carolina will create a "campus extension in Carolina North," which it calls "a generational opportunity to extend UNC-Chapel Hill’s academic mission beyond its historic core into an integrated setting designed for advancing applied science, experiential learning, and team-based discovery." Scheduled to break ground in 2027, the 230-acre location will include more research space, student housing and hotel space.

Meanwhile, there's quite the partnership going on in New York. In "a landmark research partnership to evaluate and accelerate innovations in higher education," NYU is teaming with SUNY to create The Higher Education Design Lab, which "aims to help the entire sector adapt to meet the urgent needs of graduates in a landscape transformed by AI and other technological and cultural influences." Priorities for the lab include orientation programming, career progression and experiential learning.

A few weeks ago, Cornell announced a $371.5 million gift from alum David Duffield, founder of PeopleSoft and Workday. There's already a Duffield Hall, used for nanoscale science and research. Now Cornell Engineering will carry his name. The Big Red alum credits his mentors for his early interest in computing.

Cornell Engineering will benefit from $371.5 million.

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Deferred Applicants Can't Really Show their Love

January and February mark the release of Early Action (EA) decisions by some mighty popular universities, including Michigan, UVA, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech and Maryland. Michigan released in two waves, the first likely containing many holdovers from the Wolverines' new Early Decision pool. UVA, which did away with its supplemental essay, saw an out-of-state volume increase by over 43 percent! (Only 9 percent were accepted.) Georgia Tech admitted 8.0 percent of what it calls the ED 2 group, that is, out-of-state applicants.

Once they've been deferred, can applicants show their love? Just a bit.

• UVA states, "Our instructions are clear that updates are uploaded in your portal, not emailed to admission officers."

• Michigan, not wanting to use the defer word, instead told applicants that it had postponed their decisions: "our preference is to receive only the ECI form, grade updates, or any specifically requested information."

• U Wisconsin-Madison echoed those thoughts, reiterating something all unCommon students know too well: "The most important thing we consider is your self-reported grades."

Badgers love Wisconsin in winter!

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College Board: Loving its Competitive Positioning

We all know the Coke-Pepsi battle that pits College Board's SAT against the ACT, rumored to have nearly gone bankrupt. College Board rolled out its automated, adaptive SAT faster than the streamlined ACT, which supposedly eliminated the need for students to take its Science section. (Tell that to colleges like Boston U that still want it!) How do the volumes compare? Last month, the Washington Post reported a surge in the popularity of the SAT, now taken by 45 percent more students than its rival, telling readers, "The ACT’s ownership change to a private equity firm has also raised concerns about its future.”

BU wants those ACT Science scores!

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Self-Love and Social Media: Who Got In?

Last month, I mentioned the use of Instagram to broadcast college results. It's easy: students access a template, add their results, throw in a photo or two (baby photos are popular) and . . . off it goes for all to see!Since then, I spotted announcements created using a particular template called I Got In. I found the company, (igotin.official) which tells applicants, "Peek into the future and meet your soon-to-be _______ and get a head start."

igotin.official: "North America's all-in-one campus app"

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Does Your Student Love the Idea of the UK for College?

unCommon students are increasingly interested in opportunities to earn their degree from a U.K. university, and they need to understand the associated issues, opportunities and application issues; there are so many significant differences! So this college counselor happily spent two days attending the UK Admissions Academy last week. Hosted by Jackie Christopher, founder of The UK Study Expert, the conference featured not only university officials from across the United Kingdom but also American students who had decided to make the leap. If your student is thinking about college outside the United States, don't hesitate to reach out.

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To make better sense of these issues and understand the college timeline, don't forget to set up something for February. After all, we 🩷 our students!