COLLEGE PLANNING
Changes in
COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
E
By Jim Paterson
ven with so much change in higher education, many experts say colleges often still look for the same fundamental things in applicants: good citizens with solid academics who will fit in on their campus. But the process a student will use to find the right college, connect with it and apply – that’s changing. After years when the system stayed pretty much the same, in the last decade we’ve seen a variety of new initiatives. This includes efforts to obtain diversity on campus or make certain that enrollees are leaders in extracurricular activities, to social media access and application platforms with new technological advantages that allow students to explore colleges more easily and more thoroughly, or provide the school more detailed information in new ways. The biggest changes seem to be in
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two areas: academic numbers and technology. “I think the current trends will continue and we’ll see colleges deemphasize standardized test scores and other traditional academic markers of success,” says Sara Garcia, a policy analyst for postsecondary education with the Center for American Progress. “In the meantime, technology will keep changing the process.” She believes colleges will move away from relying on grades and SAT and ACT test scores, and even away from expecting lists of extracurricular activities or a family connection at the school. That’s also the view of Robert Massa, senior vice president for enrollment and institutional planning at Drew University near New York City and formerly head of enrollment for Johns Hopkins and Dickinson, and one of the founders
Magazine • Fall 2018 • www.nextstepu.com
of a group of college officials hoping to move them away from a heavy reliance on academics. “Perseverance, diligence, self discipline, determination, decency and kindness to others – these types of traits help students adapt to their environment, deal with set-backs, overcome frustrations, relate to others and enjoy being part of a campus,” he says. “Colleges are starting to recognize that students with those values are a good fit– and they stay.” Other experts, however, say competitive colleges will continue to emphasize student academic success because it is a good way to screen candidates and they believe a reliable gauge of a student’s success in college. A detailed article in the New York Times (https://nyti.ms/2yklYI7) recently about the application process concluded that any shifts in priorities,
