Admission update No. 2

Admit rates at many University of California campuses reached record lows this year, but the numbers at private institutions have also been dramatic.

Yale's applications increased 18 percent over last year, and the acceptance rate dipped to a new low of 8.3 percent. Ten years ago, Yale received about half as many applications and had an acceptance rate that was more than double this year's rate.

Harvard also had an 18 percent increase in applications over last year, but the school accepted 110 fewer students this year, resulting in a record low 7.1 percent admit rate.

Stanford received a record number of applications and accepted 9.5 percent, the lowest rate in the school's history. USC had 2,000 more freshman applications this year and admitted a record low of 21 percent, down from 25.3 percent last year.

Even colleges that are not as well known, like Skidmore and Hamilton, had record low acceptance rates of fewer than 30 percent.

But it's not just students who are feeling the pressure. In recent years, a number of colleges have ended up with more freshmen than admissions officers anticipated. Nobody likes a housing crunch and overcrowded classrooms. The commitment to avoid over-enrollment is why Harvard accepted fewer students this year.

Part of the problem has been demographic. Even though the number of students applying to college is expected to peak nationwide in this year or the next, competition for admission to highly selective colleges is not likely to decrease in the near future.

It's not just the quantity, but the quality of students. More than 2,500 Harvard applicants scored a perfect 800 on the SAT critical reading section, and 3,300 scored 800 on the math. More than 3,300 applicants were ranked No. 1 in their high school classes. Since Harvard admitted just 1,948 students, it's clear that many outstanding students were turned down.

There are several new developments making the job even tougher for admissions officers.

A number of highly selective schools, including Princeton, Harvard and University of Virginia, eliminated their early notification programs this year. Students who previously would have applied early to one college applied to more schools. Admissions officers who in prior years might have locked in a third of their freshman class early had no guarantees this year.

Recent changes in financial aid policies at many of these elite colleges may also encourage more admitted students to enroll as families find they can actually afford the schools.

Students respond to the unpredictability of admissions decisions by applying to more schools, and admissions officers at many colleges respond to the unpredictability of how many students will enroll by being conservative in their admission offers, knowing they can fill in the class from the wait list. In recent years, some schools took none or very few students from the wait list, but that may change this year.

Admissions officers at many elite schools have increased their wait lists because they know that many of the students they accepted have also applied and been admitted to other highly competitive colleges.

Yale wait-listed more than 1,000 students this year, up 22 percent from last year. Princeton's wait list is up 93 percent, to more than 1,500 students. Amherst placed 1,400 students on its wait list, but has a goal of 440 students for the entire freshman class. Even if admissions officers do take students from their wait lists this year, the vast majority of these excellent students will still not be offered admission.

With so many highly qualified students applying for limited spaces, it's especially important that students apply to a range of schools. There are several great options, especially since the students who are no longer getting into the most selective schools are raising the quality of many other colleges.

If students make thoughtful, informed choices, they can be confident that they'll be admitted to colleges where they can be happy and successful.

Audrey Kahane, MS, MFA, is a private college admissions counselor in West Hills. She can be reached at (818) 704-7545 or audreykahane@earthlink.net.