The College Crunch: Why Getting In Has Gotten So Tough

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_16/b4030065.htm?chan=search

For many American families, March Madness refers not to a basketball tournament but to the ever-increasing anxiety in the weeks before colleges mail their acceptance letters. As dean of admissions at a prominent U.S. university, I hear the complaints firsthand. Last week my office sent disappointing news to more than 15,000 students—including almost 800 valedictorians—applying for admission to Duke University.

With the second-highest number of applicants in our history (19,170 for only 1,665 spaces), we had little choice. And my school is not unique. Record numbers of students are applying to record numbers of schools. So many students—not just good ones, but exceptional ones—are getting rejected by so many colleges. That has caused many students and parents to feel the whole college-admissions process is high-stakes, random, or unfair.

In fact, it is far from random, and it helps to look at how the process evolved. In the 1980s, all of us working in college admissions were petrified at the then-declining number of 18-year-olds. There was talk of colleges closing because there wouldn't be enough students to fill the available slots. So we all ramped up recruiting, more students applied, and most colleges survived intact. In fact, they thrived. And we all learned that a larger pool of applicants yielded a more talented and engaged class that was closer to our ideal. So nobody wanted to turn back the clock; if anything, we increased recruitment even more. As a result, the past 20 years have seen a jump in the number of college applications far exceeding the rise in the number of 18-year-olds. And colleges don't expect to reduce their recruiting efforts anytime soon.

Recently, a self-perpetuating element has come into play as well: Selective colleges attract more applicants simply by virtue of their ever-increasing selectivity. And anxious students, less certain of their chances, apply to more colleges, resulting in even greater selectivity at a wider number of colleges—and more anxiety.

Ultimately the admissions process lies (somewhat uncomfortably) at the intersection of the interests and aspirations of individuals, institutions, and society. We should not be surprised that both applicants and colleges act in their own self-interest, just as we expect businesses to compete, consumers to be savvy, and society to allow as much choice as possible. And most admissions staff consider a wide range of factors in the admissions process, a task more complex and personal, and less predictable, than admitting students on the basis of their academic work alone.

That's not all bad. For years, many of us have made a conscious effort to bring together on campus students of varying backgrounds, values, and experiences, enhancing their education and their preparation for the real world. We've worried about pricing out the middle class. And, keenly aware that the admissions process does not take place on a level playing field, colleges have been more active in reaching out to talented students who might otherwise be overlooked. This expanded access has meant more competition for a relatively fixed number of slots at some schools.

Still, we in admissions need to support the calls for colleges to be more transparent in their decisions and more reasonable in their expectations of students, for parents to help their children relax a bit, and for high schools to focus more on the process of education than just the results.

Finally, we need to remind ourselves that the media's focus on a very small number of so-called elite colleges and the public's obsession with seemingly objective college rankings, dramatically distort the public's understanding and appreciation of the many exceptional opportunities for higher education available in our country. There are dozens, if not scores, of good options for virtually every student who wants to go to college. Every senior can find more than a few colleges that would be comfortable, challenging, and affordable. The more we keep this in mind, the easier it will be to remember that the quality of an education has more to do with a student's work than with a college's name. The beneficiaries, of course, will be our children.

Nickname: mm
Review: As a Duke grad, father of a Duke grad and of another student accepted at Duke this year, I have an acute understanding of this issue. It is not only the panic for selectivity that causes application creep. The cost of an elite education has grown far beyond the growth of inflation and wages. I am not poor, but $50,000 a year is a huge burden for our family. My son applied to 12 schools in search of a financial package that would allow him to graduate with a manageable debt. Colleges must lead the way to find affordable loans and grants to make college possible for many thousands of students who are being burdened unconscionably.

Date reviewed: Apr 9, 2007 7:35 PM
Nickname: BarryMelrose
Review: Another self-serving piece by yet another admission guy that tells readers nothing, while managing to sneak in his message about how selective his school is. It's marketing, not journalism and Duke U. should be sent a bill, just like all the other advertisers.

Date reviewed: Apr 9, 2007 7:15 PM
Nickname: Finn McCool
Review: Mr. Guttentag's final paragraph should be required reading for high school seniors and their parents. Riding in to work on a Boston area commuter boat this morning I overheard a group of 40-something dads bemoaning their son/daughter's angst over not getting into this or that "elite" college. I literally snorted a laugh...but otherwise restrained myself. Many of these kids would doubtless find this Commonwealth's world-class public university a marvelous option -- brimming with new experiences and academic programs that are - in fact - far superior to many of the so-called "prestigous" private schools in the region. But thanks to the ridiculous rankings racket they overlook it and get caught up in the destructive, delusional, and obscenely expensive rat race that is now the college application process. Let's call it for what it is: baseless snobbery.

Date reviewed: Apr 9, 2007 1:35 PM
Nickname: Peter
Review: Thank you for your article. Can you outline what you are doing to fulfill your pledge to "support the calls for colleges to be more transparent in their decisions and more reasonable in their expectations of students, for parents to help their children relax a bit, and for high schools to focus more on the process of education than just the results"? Can you cite (without naming) a student who got into Duke who had no outstanding talent or connections or potential donor family, and did well but not excellent and not extensively involved in extracurriculars?
Date reviewed: Apr 9, 2007 5:01 AM
Nickname: castlebuilder
Review: We are paying tutors $$$ to teach children standardized tests; teachers are creating course content geared to AP tests and children and their parents are feeling increasing pressure to create 'resumes' instead of building sandcastles and dreams. What happened to playing out side after school? Downtime? Good old vegging out? I certainly don't know many adults who want to be in their office from 8am until 11PM...so why do we expect our children to go to school, have several hours of after school sports and or activities and then several more hours of homework?? Drink anyone? They are.....no wonder. All so they can get into the college that makes their parents feel good? Is this really necessary for preparing for college?

Date reviewed: Apr 9, 2007 2:40 AM
Nickname: Jim
Review: Students need to think outside the box when selecting where to go to University. Bill Gates, Mr. Kroc ( MCDonalds)and Bono are proof that where you go to school does NOT determine your success since they did not have a Degree. It is what you do not where you study.

Date reviewed: Apr 8, 2007 7:18 PM
Nickname: candide
Review: All one needs for a good college education is: a competent faculty, a good library, and a conducive environment. Top colleges are not necessarily the best but students and especially their parents want the advantages of top colleges: contacts with influential people and job possibilities. The whole system is corrupt and parents are to blame as much as any other group.

Date reviewed: Apr 7, 2007 6:21 PM
Nickname: anand
Review: sir you talking about a ratio or about 1 in 12 students getting admitted for the college in India where I am from to get through elite institutes of global repute we have a ratio of about 1 in 450+ ....
Date reviewed: Apr 7, 2007 2:32 PM