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April 27, 2006
Wait, I need to make a decision?
One week until May 1 and thousands of students have yet to decide what college they wish to attend. Some students haven't decided because they can't get themselves to say no to one of their choices. Some haven't decided because they are holding out hope for more aid or to be taken off the dreaded waitlist........
No, Albright does not have a waitlist, but it is my job to keep up to date on what other schools are doing in order to educate families. National trends are that more and more students are being put onto waitlists and there is very little chance of them being taken off. Waitlists provide a security blanket for some schools mainly becuase it is becoming more and more difficult to predict how students will make their decisions.
More and more students are applying to college and those that are apply to more colleges than ever before. Almost 20% of students will apply to more than seven colleges this year. Because of this students have more options and a college's yield (percentage of accepted students that take the offer) will go down. This forces some colleges to offer more waitlist spots but it doesn't necessarily mean that a waitlist student will get the call they desire. Many colleges can't afford to bring in more or less students than their targeted goal. To many may mean housing problems and too few may mean budget cuts. Thus the waitlist provides that safety net for a enrollment director. If a school is short they may pull some students off the list and offer them admission, if they are where they need to be they just inform students that no one is coming off the waitlist.
Some schools put hundreds of students on their waitlist and may only take a handful off. Some schools waitlist students as a type of consolation. Trying to tell them that they certainly don't want to deny them but they just don't have the room. In any situation the outcome is generally unfortunate for the student and causes stress.
I don't like the waitlist because it creates false hope for thousands of students, but it is necessary because of the business side of college admission. As for Albright, we will generally offer an extension of our May 1 deadline for families that aren't able or ready to make a decision by May 1. But eventually you will have to make a decision! And remember, there are no bad decisions in terms of college. The experience and education will be a positive one if you make it so!
Posted by Chris Boehm at 9:41 AM | Comments (0)
April 19, 2006
Decisions, decisions, decisions
Can you think of another profession where the success of an entire year’s work is in the hands of 17-year-old students as they make the monstrous decision of where they are going to attend college? Well, that is my life. Our office has put thousands of hours in at college fairs, high school visits, reading applications, returning phone calls and emails, interviewing students, and a lot of other things. And it will all be judged on May 1, our deposit deadline.
For those of you still struggling with this decision, I am empathetic. It has to be a struggle because I’m sure the schools that you are down to you really like. Let me give you this piece of advice: You can’t make a bad decision. Colleges and universities are great places to be and if you go in with an open mind you will be successful 99% of the time. If you are still considering Albright please think about one last visit. Maybe coming up unannounced and just walking around. Whatever you wish, please just contact us. If you need time past May 1 please call the office and discuss those options with an admission counselor.
We had over 200 accepted students on campus for our Preview Day on the 8th. It rained all day. I think it even sleeted for a while. Even if Mother Nature didn’t assist us I still think that everyone got a good introduction to the College and I had a great time meeting as many students as I could. Of course it was 65 degrees and gorgeous on Sunday.
Lots of travel next week. I will be at Fashion Industries High School in New York on Tuesday, Bethlehem Catholic High School on Wednesday, Wilson West Lawn High School on Thursday (if the teachers don’t strike!) and we have a Junior Open House with about 150 families on Saturday.
Posted by Chris Boehm at 2:59 PM | Comments (0)
April 6, 2006
R-O-C-K in Reading!
Little bit of a personal entry here. But I'll still try and tie it into Albright and admission work. One of the great new (fairly new) things here in Reading is the Sovereign Center. The Center holds anywhere from 5,000 to 8,000 (est.) people depending on the function. It is a great entertainment source for everyone in Reading (including Albright students and employees).
My wife, mother-in-law and I thoroughly enjoyed a John Mellencamp performance Tuesday night. Yes I am dating myself. I enjoy the music of the 80s. Mellencamp had a lot of fun with the crowd and seems to enjoy performing and he has some local ties; his wife grew up in Gilbertsville, only a couple miles down the road. I enjoyed getting out and having a nice dinner with family at the Ugly Oyster.
The Center has been a great event area that we didn't have five years ago. New Albright students are benefiting from it in several ways. It obviously is a nice source of entertainment, but has also been a nice resource for employment and internship opportunities. Especially in the event planning and sports management fields.
Big weekend coming up! Saturday over 225 families are registered for the Preview Day for accepted students. Before I get to that I will be at St. Marks High School in Delaware tonight and Delsea Regional High School in New Jersey tomorrow morning. Busy week!
Posted by Chris Boehm at 8:34 AM | Comments (0)