|
Who Gets In? Part I
Recently I was invited to hear James Miller, Brown University's Dean of Admissions, discuss who gets accepted. Dean Miller graduated from Brown University's class of 1973. Before working at Brown, Dean Miller worked as Director of Admissions at Harvard University and Bowdoin College.
Instead of the typical newsletter format, I thought a rough overview of Dean Miller's speech entitled, "Who Gets In?" might be helpful. As his speech was lengthy and detailed, it is presented in two parts. The first part will cover demographic trends in admissions, financial aid and application components.
DEMOGRAPHICS: Trends in Admissions
One of the major factors impacting college admissions is demographics. The year 1995 was a low point with respect to the number of students applying to college. In 2009, 2010 and 2011, 750 thousand to 1 million students will apply to college. In 2008, 25,000 prospective students applied for spots at Brown University. Only 11% were accepted. This demographic trend differs geographically. The northeast is relatively flat with respect to population growth, while California is growing. It is not only the state from which the largest number of applications originate, but it is also the state from which the largest number of students are accepted.
Another demographic trend in college admissions is the fact that there are significantly more females than males on college campuses.
By 2016, almost twice as many women will have attended college than men.. Men, who drop out, are also not going back to college nor do they catch up educationally. Some schools will try to counter this demographic shift by tilting admissions toward men. Brown will not. Brown's applicant pool has favored women since 1993.
Unsurprisingly, the Latino population in college is exploding, while the white, black and Asian populations continue to remain relatively flat.
FINANCIAL AID
When Harvard added $25 million to its financial aid till, other schools, including Brown, felt compelled to follow. Families making less than $60,000 per year pay nothing. Families earning less than $100,000 will not walk away with loans. Non-Ivy League schools are under pressure to meet Harvard, Brown, etc. in their financial aid policies. They have therefore reallocated money from need-based programs to financial aid. Many of the students applying to Brown will get a big award (or full ride) from one of the other schools to which they apply.
APPLICATION COMPONENTS
The admissions process is considered a druid process steeped in mystery.
Transcript: The first thing we consider is your high school transcript-specifically, have you tested yourself. We recognize there is no single national curriculum-but did you push yourself against the curriculum to which you had access? If you are a scientist, did you take a full range of courses in that curriculum? Bailing on subjects early is a BIG PROBLEM.
Standardized Tests: We pay less attention to standardized testing than you might think. Some students take a test more than three times. Based on psychometrics, the study of test taking, one or two times should be it. The bulk of the world will not improve on the test the third time. Despite different testing dates, most institutions consider and combine their applicants' highest verbal, math and writing scores.
Essays: They do not have to be extraordinary works of art. One of the worst we ever received was written in blood. I guess the idea was that the student would give blood, quite literally, to get into Brown. Bottom line: avoid gimmicks--- no writing backwards or in concentric circles. Avoid putting the name of the school in the essay, as it is inevitable that you will forget to change it. Spell check IS NOT FAIL-SAFE. We see a number of candy "strippers" and "marital" arts experts each year.
Teacher Evaluations: Get them early and be sure to write a thank-you note two weeks after you request the recommendation. Not only is it polite, but it serves as a good reminder for the teacher to actually start writing.
Interviews: Interview impressions are helpful and they offer a great sales opportunity for prospective students. Rarely do interviews hurt a candidate. Overall, we tend to be pretty forgiving. We have even admitted a student who threw up on his interviewer.
Supplemental Goodies:
Definitely send it, but know that it will not be returned.
Dean Miller's remarks will conclude in the next Newsletter. | 
