What's Old is New Again

I've said it before but I'll say it again: All the articles about how this year's admission numbers are tougher than ever could have been written (and probably have been) every year for the past 10 years. I have a WSJ article from 2001 that reads like it was written yesterday, although with smaller different numbers of course. What does it all mean? Have hordes of college-age applicants been left to forage in the countryside instead of going to college? Have the numbers of seats in colleges expanded to accommodate all those new students? (We know that the actual number of bodies as well as applications has risen.) Where IS everyone??

Access and "access"

Colleges and universities, as well as the College Board, like to boast about how they've widened access to college with their recruitment and testing policies. They say that because they reach out to more students (especially those from lower-income and minority backgrounds) those students are able to attend college in greater numbers. Access is the big buzz word now, with the number of minority students growing and the ranks of the middle class struggling more and more to find ways to pay for college.

But although providing more generous financial aid packages and paying more attention to non-mainstream students are fine, what really needs to be done to improve access is to actually provide it, in other words, to open the gates wider and let more students in. Just increasing the largesse you give to the under ten percent of applicants you accept doesn't improve access, it simply makes life easier for those who managed to squeeze through the entrance. Having more Hispanic students in the pool doesn't mean you've provided them greater access, just that you're allowing them to be part of the crowd. Real access means, you're going to let them in in greater numbers.

Several years ago, when Lawrence Summers was still president of Harvard, he spoke at a College Board conference about the need for places like Harvard to provide greater access to non-majority students. After his talk he took questions, and I asked, "Who are you NOT going to take so Harvard can let more of those students in?" (Clearly, if you only have a limited number of spaces, an group that gains will do so at the expense of others.) He replied, "This is why I hate Q & A!" And of course he had no way to answer, because he would have had to talk about possibly accepting fewer athletes, or legacies, or geniuses.

There are signs that the gates might be opening slightly, though. Stanford recently revealed it was thinking about increasing the size of its freshman class. Other colleges have floated the idea as well (I should say "well-known" colleges; the ones who always have the masses mobbed outside the gates) and this is all to the good. Even though the actual number overall is minute, the discussion is a good one if it centers around how these top of the pole colleges (as in being on top of the totem, or prestige, pole) can provide true access, i.e., entry, to their campuses for non-mainstream students. The idea should not be just to reshuffle the positions among the already-privileged but how to make room for deserving students with fewer advantages. I look forward to the debate.

Mobbing the Ark

The colleges and universities we always hear about (Ivys, Little Ivys, etc.) as well as lesser-known colleges are reporting record numbers of applicants this year. Amherst has a record-shattering 7,500 apps; when I was an admission officer there in the 90s we were amazed when we broke 5,000. It does seem like quite a maelstrom of people rushing to get on board.

But I can't quite figure something out. Many schools are saying that their applications are way up because Harvard and Princeton and UVa gave up their early admission plans, so all those students who would have been accepted (and presumably attended) are now flooding other schools with their applications. However, the number of students who would have been accepted early at these schools is so minute I can't see how they alone would account for the rises in applications. So we can say that all students who would have applied early at those schools are making multiple applications to many more schools. Fair enough, but I still can't see how that accounts for the mobs of applicants. Harvard and Princeton account for a tiny fraction of overall college applicants each year and an almost microscopic number of acceptances. So what's really happening?

If Johnny Jones with his 4.0, perfect SATs, and world-beating resume applies to Harvard early admission and gets in, then he's 99% likely not to apply anywhere else. Fine. Now there's no EA at Harvard, but he's still a world-beater, so is Harvard not going to take him? Well, he doesn't know, so he sends out maybe 10 applications instead of just the one that would have gotten him into Harvard early. OK. Now let's say Harvard used to take 1,000 applicants early and 900 of them committed. And let's say that without EA all those 900 submit 10 applications instead of 1; that's 9,000 more applications all around (and probably only to the other Ivys, etc.) That doesn't account for the rises at the other schools or those lower on the prestige pole.

So I still can't account for all the extra applications except to say that students must be applying to a larger number than ever before. Combined with a larger population, that could make sense, but it still doesn't feel right, because except for the truly desperate, I don't think most students submit more than 5-7 applications on average. And those are usually the ones aspiring to go to the top of the pole colleges.

So while I'm sure there are more applications being made to more schools, I'm not sure Harvard, Princeton, and UVa's getting rid of early programs has anything to do with it.

New Name Suggested for Community College System in Alabama

This from today's Tuscaloosa News:

"Postsecondary Education Chancellor Bradley Byrne wants to change the name of the two-year college system from The Alabama College System to the Alabama Community College System."

"Martha Simmons, the system's communications director, said the name change will better reflect the role the system plays and will describe a more definitive role when marketed."

That is the extent of what's in the news. It sounds as though it is the right move as it does provide a name that matches their mission. Film at 11.

What Courses Should I Take?

The question came up often when I was an admission officer and even more when I was a high school college counselor: "What courses do I need to take to get into college?" The variant of this question is, "Is it better to take AP and honors courses and get Bs or lower level courses and get As?" Every college representative has the same answer(s): Take the most challenging courses you can and do your best in them; we'd like to see you take AP courses and get As. (Cue courtesy laughs...)

As far as they go, these answers are truthful. Colleges want to see that students are challenging themselves and demonstrating how serious they are about their academics. This is really true for every school of whatever "ranking." No college wants to have layabouts on campus just taking up space in class, if they decide to attend at all. But there's more underlying those questions that complicates the answers and muddies the motivations of the questioners.

Most of the time, the courses questions come as much from parents as from students, and what they're really asking is, "What do I (or my child) have to do to get into YOUR college?" It's a question that tries to suss out the secret formula that will ensure entry into a particular college, not to just any college. In the world of strategic planning, it takes every ounce of data to put together a (hopefully) unassailable application to the Oz college.

Clearly, the jokey get-an-A-in-AP answer doesn't really cut it, nor should it. The cruel fact is that a student can fit a college's profile to a T or even better and still not be accepted for any number of reasons. Those reasons may not even have anything to do with academics. So the search for an answer to these course questions is always futile. Any answer you get begs the question and leaves you no more in the know than before.

These questions also betray a stunning misunderstanding of academic work, seeing it as simply a stepping stone to college, rather than an activity that may have intrinsic value. This attitude degrades a student's high school performance, no matter how good it is, and deflates even the best student's sense of worth. Trying to connect taking certain courses with admission to a particular school turns the whole enterprise into a scramble for position as you claw your way up the ladder of "success." It also encourages that utilitarian thinking to persist through college: Taking only the courses necessary for a good grade or for the best overall GPA.

Notice that I said admission to a particular school in the preceding paragraph. Going about things this way is a virtual guarantee of failure and frustration. However, if you can let go of the desire or need or obsession to attend a specific institution, you can immediately breathe more easily and go about your work with a lighter heart and a less worried mind. If you simply do your best where you are, all the while striving to challenge yourself and improve, you will actually have plenty of colleges to choose from and you'll be more satisfied in the long run. If you're willing to attend any school that's appropriate for you and that you believe will help you develop your talents, then you can relax and focus on the present, not on some uncontrollable future. Students I've worked with who have adopted this attitude have been immeasurably happier than those who stake their performances on getting into Oz College. Ironically, getting in often leaves those latter students feeling empty and dissipated, while the former wind up confident and happy, knowing that they'll be able to take advantage of any opportunities that come their ways.

I've often said (not to my former audience of insecure, status-anxious, controlling parents) that the best way to deal with college admission is to forget about it. Taking a Zen-like approach really makes more sense than agonizing over every detail scheming to get into the "right" school. Live in the moment, enjoy your activities, don't do anything you don't feel committed to, and ask colleges to accept you as you are, not as you think they want you to be. That makes a lot more sense than stretching yourself out on the Procrustean bed of college profiles. Take the AP course if you want the challenge! So what if you get a B or even a C! Maybe you'll realize how much there is to learn and want to go further next time. There are plenty of colleges out there who will support you in your search.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College Considering Bridgeway College Name Change

For several years, Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Minnesota has been considering a change of name that would accomplish three things. One: drop the "community college" designation to favor just "college." Two: rebrand itself with a new identity. Three: reduce any confusion between the college and two other educational entities with similar names.

The original name choice was Ardent College; however, this has been scrapped in favor of Bridgeway College. While intensive research has been conducted by the school, no concrete decision has been made on whether to continue with the present name or become Bridgeway College. The school provides their research procedures and rationale on their website. Although having known of this possible change, I did not include this school in my research as the name change was not definite.

See Anoka-Ramsey CommunityCollege Name Change Process

and

Questions and Answers.

Florida's Indian River Community College hopes to drop the "Community" Designation

Florida's Indian River Community College began offering classes in its newly approved Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree program today. This step is positioning the school for a new name: Indian River College. Unlike community colleges in a number states that have dropped the "community" designation, Indian River has justified the move based on its approval at the baccalaureate level by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The Florida legislature will vote on this change during the 2008 session. If passed, IRCC will begin phasing in the adjusted brand name.

See First day Of IRCC BachelorҀs Degree Classes Marks Historic First for College and Community

and

Indian River Community College Begins Bachelor's Degree Program

Utah Valley State College to become Utah Valley University

Utah Valley State College gears up for its 6th name change to Utah Valley University on July 1, 2008. Over the years, the school has transitioned from a site offering vocational classes, to a technical college, to a community college, to a state college, and will become a university. In 2007, the Utah state legislature and governor approved the offering of a Master's in Education and the move to university status.

The plan to move to university status appears to be well coordinated and better documented than any institution I've seen in recent time. The website dealing with this change is "chock full" of useful information that would benefit any school considering the "college-to-university" metamorphosis. I wish that I had known about this change while in the research phase of my dissertation. Needless to say, I am impressed with the attention to detail to which this institution has committed itself and the administration's willingness to provide this info to stakeholders. In a word, "Impressive."

See the following:

Top Ten FAQ's About UVU.
University Status Commentary.
Documentation.
Governance and Administration of Higher Education in Utah.
Students' FAQs
Communities of Engaged Learners Initiative.
Marketing and Promotion.

The school appears to be using a "Translucent Warning" brand implementation strategy (Kaikati & Kaikati, 2003) in the process of changing its name. By keeping the primary identifier of "Utah Valley," but the dropping of "State," this is an example of what I termed as a minor-complex name change. See Chapter Three: Realizing the "College-to-University" Change from my dissertation. This chapter outlines the various brand implementation strategies and types of name changes instituted when colleges transitioned to a universities.

See USVC edges toward university debut by Brittani Lusk of the Daily Herald