Competition for admission in reputed colleges have increased and admission officers try different ways of choosing from a surplus of talented applicants, colleges began to move away from identifying and admitting the “well-rounded” student and instead began to concentrate on enrolling a “well-rounded class” of students who stood out in specific ways. The ramifications of this increase in the competition for admission and shift in admissions philosophy. Needless to say, if we do not have a strong academic background, sufficient financial resources, and proficiency in the English language, we will be at a disadvantage in the admissions process.
Many parents are struggling to find a way to pay for their children's college education. This is a cost that seems to increase, even when wages don't. Kids who do well in school have many options to consider when entering college, including merit scholarships and grants. One option is the Academic Competitiveness Grant. This grant is added to the other federal grants that your student can get after filing the FAFSA, and it rewards them for their good academic effort.
As the letter indicates, parents tend to be too much preoccupied with, and emotionally invested in the college admission prospects of their progeny. Such a reality daily confounds our work in schools, starting with preschool-parental nervousness about whether a child is reading yet, eventually blossoming into full-fledged, and often counterproductive, parental obsession with college admissions during the secondary-school years.
Competition at the nation's most selective colleges is intense and, some would say, out of control. The frenzy is fueled by a burgeoning population of high-school students competing for a fixed number of seats, compounded by cutbacks in financial aid and a growing belief that the right college is crucial for success. Add in a multibillion-dollar industry of marketers, college consultants and test prep companies, plus rankings in U.S. News and World Report which rates colleges on factors such as applicants' grades and SAT scores, and the percentage of students rejected and you have an admissions scene run amok.
The number of talented high school seniors applying to college in the United States has continued to rise each year. Over the next few years, the total number of high school graduates is projected to rise by ten percent, as is the subsequent number of students applying to college and that means thousands of more applicants.
While there’s enough space for all those additional students in schools across the country, the most desired schools can’t accept everyone. Admission committees must weed through a significant number of applications to determine who gets accepted and who doesn’t.
Colleges take the competition among high school seniors for slots at their schools very seriously. Over the years, many schools have altered their recruiting tactics to fit the market. By turning themselves into brand names and offering incentives such as free airline tickets and college weekends in their efforts to enroll the most desirable students.
The competition to get into college has always tilted in favor of the rich and this is a disturbing scenario to deal with.
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