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The New York Times
November 13, 2005
The New College Rush Is On
By MARCELLE S. FISCHLER
JUSTIN LI is not due to graduate from Manhasset High School until next June. But he has already mailed his application to the Wharton School, the prestigious business college at the University of Pennsylvania. Weeks ago, in fact.
"I want to go so badly that I am applying early," he said.
By getting his application in before Nov. 1 and promising that he will attend Wharton if he is accepted, Mr. Li, 17, hopes he has improved his odds, even if only slightly.
It is college frenzy time, especially for students who hope to attend the nation's most selective universities - the kind of students the Island's high schools turn out in abundance. More Long Island seniors are sending applications in early, hoping to gain an edge over their most formidable rivals: one another.
At Manhasset High School, two out of every five seniors this year are applying either for early decision, like Justin Li, or for a similar but less-binding arrangement called early action, which allows the student to wait until April, when colleges notify the bulk of their applicants, before making a commitment to attend. Applications for early decision or early action are usually due by Nov. 1 or Nov. 15, depending on the college.
"There is a certain amount of anxiety, and for some, a sense of panic that it would be their best shot," said Jane Grappone, a guidance counselor at Manhasset High.
How much does it help? In a 2002 study, Harvard University estimated that applying early improved the odds of acceptance as much as a 100-point increase in a student's SAT score would.
"I hope it will help me get in," said Michelle Sullivan, 17, another Manhasset senior, who applied for early decision at Duke University.
She has an A-plus average and a combined SAT score of 2220 (out of a possible 2400), edits a school magazine, plays varsity sports and spent the last two summers doing community service work in Costa Rica.
But at least three other students at Manhasset are applying for early decision at Duke, as are many more from around the Island.
"There are so many good schools on Long Island, and a lot of people are qualified," Ms. Sullivan said. "I am at a disadvantage."
That flood of gold-star students, armed with great grades and top SAT scores, may indeed work against Long Islanders. Many of the most competitive universities try to make their incoming freshman classes a mix of students from all over the country, limiting the numbers they accept from any one area.
Julie Peterson, a spokeswoman for the University of Michigan, which is a hot school among Long Island students, said that the large volume of applications her university receives from the New York suburbs raised the bar for students from the area. And that is on top of the disadvantage all out-of-state applicants face at a university that reserves two-thirds of its places for Michigan residents.
"Beyond that, we do look for geographic diversity," Ms. Peterson said. "Students who come from schools from regions where we get hardly any applicants at all get some additional consideration, because we are looking for that mix in geography."
Applying early can be a way to sidestep the problem of too many Long Islanders applying to the same highly selective colleges, like Yale. "We look for a geographic distribution in the overall admitted class, but we are not so focused on that with respect to the early-action pool," said Jeffrey Brenzel, Yale's dean of admissions, adding that the university has no specific geographic quotas.
To improve their chances further, for both early decision and regular applications, some Long Island students and their guidance counselors are behaving like many other Long Islanders: they're being pushy. "For seniors, we make contacts with admissions officers to advocate for the students," said Ron Rini, a guidance counselor at Valley Stream Central High School. "We'll give a heads-up."
Mr. Rini said he was about to go to bat for Ran Li, a Valley Stream senior with a weighted grade average of over 100. Mr. Li plays the violin, scored 2320 on his SAT and was just named a regional finalist in the Siemens-Westinghouse math, science and technology competition.
"I am going to call and update them on this information and go into his research project a little bit," Mr. Rini said. "It's not just about the G.P.A. and the test scores; it's what this student can bring to the table that other students can't."
Mr. Rini said that in addition to writing the usual recommendation letters, he would be making phone calls for 25 to 40 of the 90 seniors he advises.
"Usually, for the top kids, if it is an Ivy or an N.Y.U. type of place, and it is possibly considered a 'reach' school, we will give it a little push," Mr. Rini said.
Such lobbying is a growing feature of the admissions game.
"We are getting more calls and letters on behalf of students," said Barbara Gill, director of admissions at the University of Maryland. The university enrolls more students from New York than from any other state besides Maryland, and the majority of the New Yorkers hail from the Island.
"We are also seeing an increase in the number of students who visit the campus who are interested in spending more one-on-one time with an admissions staff member, in the hopes that will separate them from other applicants," Ms. Gill said.
Kitty Klein, director of guidance and counseling services for the Manhasset School District, said she advises all students to follow up their applications with a phone call to show how eager they are.
In hopes of building name recognition, Justin Li wrote a thank-you note to the Wharton representative who visited his school and later sent an e-mail message with a few questions.
"It's aggressive," he said. "You don't want to feel like you are at a disadvantage because other people are doing something that you are not."
Ms. Klein said counselors in her district might call colleges on students' behalf as well, depending mainly "on how anxious the student and how dire the need."
"It's an extra step," she added, especially of the attempt to boost early-decision applicants. "It's picking it up a notch where, in comparison to the pool of applicants going in for early decision, they are also making a phone call to say, 'Don't forget me.' "
Susan E. Donovan, the dean of admissions at Syracuse University, wrote in an e-mail message that in her case, the extra calls aren't necessary: applying for early decision is proof enough of a student's eagerness. But she said that some schools do take frequent calls and letters into account.
"With electronic applications proliferating and students applying to a greater number of colleges, predicting the yield on admitted students becomes more difficult," Ms. Donovan wrote. "For this reason, some colleges and universities are considering 'expressed interest' in their deliberations."
Maybe not for long, though. "If this practice continues to become more widespread," she wrote, "savvy students will simply overwhelm the colleges with visits, e-mails, and phone calls! When that happens, the whole strategy will become meaningless."
Guidance counselors are also visiting colleges and meeting with admissions directors to help promote their students.
"We give a gift from the school," like a T-shirt or a mug, "so they remember the name of the school, " Mr. Rini said. This year, he said, he is visiting schools in or near Washington, like Georgetown, George Washington, American University, Maryland and Towson.
"If they get an application from one of our students, they may say, 'Valley Stream, I met with one of those counselors; let's take a look,' " Mr. Rini said.
Still, at some of the most competitive colleges, all the networking and lobbying may be for naught. Dr. Brenzel of Yale said his university receives "an enormous amount of over-the-transom mail in support of applications," but pays attention primarily to a student's official school report and teacher recommendations.
"That's what matters," Dr. Brenzel said, adding that he thinks most guidance counselors understand that calling to crusade for a student "is not a strategy that is welcomed."
David Hawkins, director of public policy for the National Association for Admissions Counseling, a professional association based in Alexandria, Va., said the tide of applicants would run high this year. Though high schools are producing about as many graduates now as they did in the mid-1970's, 12 to 15 percent more of them are going straight to college.
"We are seeing a record number of students enrolled in postsecondary education," Mr. Hawkins said.
Sterling transcripts are also more common: some 41 percent of college-bound seniors will have averages of A-minus or better this year, compared with 31 percent a decade ago, according to Ivywise.com, a private Manhattan-based college admissions advisory service.
As a result, some guidance counselors urge students to get applications in as early as September, especially to schools like Michigan, which has rolling admissions.
"The faster you get an application in, the faster you hear, " said Candy Weingarten, a guidance counselor at Jericho High School. Of 54 students from her school who applied to Michigan last year, 38 were accepted and 17 are now enrolled there, she said.
But Ms. Peterson, the Michigan spokeswoman, said that while it did not hurt to be among the early birds, neither was it sure to help. "The deadline is Feb. 1, and all students who apply before the deadline get equal consideration," she said.
To make sure that nothing goes awry, Bellport High School takes a very active role in the application process for its students. Charlie Graziano, chairman of the school's guidance department, discourages students from applying online, using what is known as the common application for hundreds of colleges. Instead, Mr. Graziano tells students to complete paper applications and has his staff spend hours combing through them before mailing them for the students.
"We go through everything - every letter, every essay, every point that they have to fill out," Mr. Graziano said. "We make sure it is done correctly and accurately and properly. We want to make sure they represent themselves the best possible way."
In Valley Stream, Mr. Rini invites students as young as seventh graders to attend college fairs, like one with 115 college representatives held at Central High School on Nov. 3 Beginning in the eighth grade, parents are advised to have their children take the strongest academic course program they can. College meetings for parents start in the 10th grade. Juniors are advised to take the ACT college admission test as well as the more-usual SAT, and have the better score reported to colleges.
"The key is to start earlier, to get them to buy into the process earlier," Mr. Rini said. "Instead of thinking about it in the 11th grade, we start in the 8th grade."
Christine Goodbody, 17, a senior at Babylon Junior-Senior High School, fell in love with Princeton on a visit last summer. She has a 4.0 grade-point average and scored 2350 on the SAT.
"When you apply to a school like Princeton, there are so many kids with perfect scores," she said. "So you need the extracurriculars and community service and leadership positions, and other things that set you apart."
Ms. Goodbody has those, too: class president for last three years, 10 varsity letters in three sports, president of her school's chapter of the National Honor Society. And she plays alto saxophone.
But even with all that going for her, she is looking for a good "safety school" while she waits to hear from Princeton.
"You don't know who they will see something special in," Ms. Goodbody said. "I'm comfortable even if I do get rejected or wait-listed, because I know that I have done everything I could do to get accepted."
November 13, 2005
The New College Rush Is On
By MARCELLE S. FISCHLER
JUSTIN LI is not due to graduate from Manhasset High School until next June. But he has already mailed his application to the Wharton School, the prestigious business college at the University of Pennsylvania. Weeks ago, in fact.
"I want to go so badly that I am applying early," he said.
By getting his application in before Nov. 1 and promising that he will attend Wharton if he is accepted, Mr. Li, 17, hopes he has improved his odds, even if only slightly.
It is college frenzy time, especially for students who hope to attend the nation's most selective universities - the kind of students the Island's high schools turn out in abundance. More Long Island seniors are sending applications in early, hoping to gain an edge over their most formidable rivals: one another.
At Manhasset High School, two out of every five seniors this year are applying either for early decision, like Justin Li, or for a similar but less-binding arrangement called early action, which allows the student to wait until April, when colleges notify the bulk of their applicants, before making a commitment to attend. Applications for early decision or early action are usually due by Nov. 1 or Nov. 15, depending on the college.
"There is a certain amount of anxiety, and for some, a sense of panic that it would be their best shot," said Jane Grappone, a guidance counselor at Manhasset High.
How much does it help? In a 2002 study, Harvard University estimated that applying early improved the odds of acceptance as much as a 100-point increase in a student's SAT score would.
"I hope it will help me get in," said Michelle Sullivan, 17, another Manhasset senior, who applied for early decision at Duke University.
She has an A-plus average and a combined SAT score of 2220 (out of a possible 2400), edits a school magazine, plays varsity sports and spent the last two summers doing community service work in Costa Rica.
But at least three other students at Manhasset are applying for early decision at Duke, as are many more from around the Island.
"There are so many good schools on Long Island, and a lot of people are qualified," Ms. Sullivan said. "I am at a disadvantage."
That flood of gold-star students, armed with great grades and top SAT scores, may indeed work against Long Islanders. Many of the most competitive universities try to make their incoming freshman classes a mix of students from all over the country, limiting the numbers they accept from any one area.
Julie Peterson, a spokeswoman for the University of Michigan, which is a hot school among Long Island students, said that the large volume of applications her university receives from the New York suburbs raised the bar for students from the area. And that is on top of the disadvantage all out-of-state applicants face at a university that reserves two-thirds of its places for Michigan residents.
"Beyond that, we do look for geographic diversity," Ms. Peterson said. "Students who come from schools from regions where we get hardly any applicants at all get some additional consideration, because we are looking for that mix in geography."
Applying early can be a way to sidestep the problem of too many Long Islanders applying to the same highly selective colleges, like Yale. "We look for a geographic distribution in the overall admitted class, but we are not so focused on that with respect to the early-action pool," said Jeffrey Brenzel, Yale's dean of admissions, adding that the university has no specific geographic quotas.
To improve their chances further, for both early decision and regular applications, some Long Island students and their guidance counselors are behaving like many other Long Islanders: they're being pushy. "For seniors, we make contacts with admissions officers to advocate for the students," said Ron Rini, a guidance counselor at Valley Stream Central High School. "We'll give a heads-up."
Mr. Rini said he was about to go to bat for Ran Li, a Valley Stream senior with a weighted grade average of over 100. Mr. Li plays the violin, scored 2320 on his SAT and was just named a regional finalist in the Siemens-Westinghouse math, science and technology competition.
"I am going to call and update them on this information and go into his research project a little bit," Mr. Rini said. "It's not just about the G.P.A. and the test scores; it's what this student can bring to the table that other students can't."
Mr. Rini said that in addition to writing the usual recommendation letters, he would be making phone calls for 25 to 40 of the 90 seniors he advises.
"Usually, for the top kids, if it is an Ivy or an N.Y.U. type of place, and it is possibly considered a 'reach' school, we will give it a little push," Mr. Rini said.
Such lobbying is a growing feature of the admissions game.
"We are getting more calls and letters on behalf of students," said Barbara Gill, director of admissions at the University of Maryland. The university enrolls more students from New York than from any other state besides Maryland, and the majority of the New Yorkers hail from the Island.
"We are also seeing an increase in the number of students who visit the campus who are interested in spending more one-on-one time with an admissions staff member, in the hopes that will separate them from other applicants," Ms. Gill said.
Kitty Klein, director of guidance and counseling services for the Manhasset School District, said she advises all students to follow up their applications with a phone call to show how eager they are.
In hopes of building name recognition, Justin Li wrote a thank-you note to the Wharton representative who visited his school and later sent an e-mail message with a few questions.
"It's aggressive," he said. "You don't want to feel like you are at a disadvantage because other people are doing something that you are not."
Ms. Klein said counselors in her district might call colleges on students' behalf as well, depending mainly "on how anxious the student and how dire the need."
"It's an extra step," she added, especially of the attempt to boost early-decision applicants. "It's picking it up a notch where, in comparison to the pool of applicants going in for early decision, they are also making a phone call to say, 'Don't forget me.' "
Susan E. Donovan, the dean of admissions at Syracuse University, wrote in an e-mail message that in her case, the extra calls aren't necessary: applying for early decision is proof enough of a student's eagerness. But she said that some schools do take frequent calls and letters into account.
"With electronic applications proliferating and students applying to a greater number of colleges, predicting the yield on admitted students becomes more difficult," Ms. Donovan wrote. "For this reason, some colleges and universities are considering 'expressed interest' in their deliberations."
Maybe not for long, though. "If this practice continues to become more widespread," she wrote, "savvy students will simply overwhelm the colleges with visits, e-mails, and phone calls! When that happens, the whole strategy will become meaningless."
Guidance counselors are also visiting colleges and meeting with admissions directors to help promote their students.
"We give a gift from the school," like a T-shirt or a mug, "so they remember the name of the school, " Mr. Rini said. This year, he said, he is visiting schools in or near Washington, like Georgetown, George Washington, American University, Maryland and Towson.
"If they get an application from one of our students, they may say, 'Valley Stream, I met with one of those counselors; let's take a look,' " Mr. Rini said.
Still, at some of the most competitive colleges, all the networking and lobbying may be for naught. Dr. Brenzel of Yale said his university receives "an enormous amount of over-the-transom mail in support of applications," but pays attention primarily to a student's official school report and teacher recommendations.
"That's what matters," Dr. Brenzel said, adding that he thinks most guidance counselors understand that calling to crusade for a student "is not a strategy that is welcomed."
David Hawkins, director of public policy for the National Association for Admissions Counseling, a professional association based in Alexandria, Va., said the tide of applicants would run high this year. Though high schools are producing about as many graduates now as they did in the mid-1970's, 12 to 15 percent more of them are going straight to college.
"We are seeing a record number of students enrolled in postsecondary education," Mr. Hawkins said.
Sterling transcripts are also more common: some 41 percent of college-bound seniors will have averages of A-minus or better this year, compared with 31 percent a decade ago, according to Ivywise.com, a private Manhattan-based college admissions advisory service.
As a result, some guidance counselors urge students to get applications in as early as September, especially to schools like Michigan, which has rolling admissions.
"The faster you get an application in, the faster you hear, " said Candy Weingarten, a guidance counselor at Jericho High School. Of 54 students from her school who applied to Michigan last year, 38 were accepted and 17 are now enrolled there, she said.
But Ms. Peterson, the Michigan spokeswoman, said that while it did not hurt to be among the early birds, neither was it sure to help. "The deadline is Feb. 1, and all students who apply before the deadline get equal consideration," she said.
To make sure that nothing goes awry, Bellport High School takes a very active role in the application process for its students. Charlie Graziano, chairman of the school's guidance department, discourages students from applying online, using what is known as the common application for hundreds of colleges. Instead, Mr. Graziano tells students to complete paper applications and has his staff spend hours combing through them before mailing them for the students.
"We go through everything - every letter, every essay, every point that they have to fill out," Mr. Graziano said. "We make sure it is done correctly and accurately and properly. We want to make sure they represent themselves the best possible way."
In Valley Stream, Mr. Rini invites students as young as seventh graders to attend college fairs, like one with 115 college representatives held at Central High School on Nov. 3 Beginning in the eighth grade, parents are advised to have their children take the strongest academic course program they can. College meetings for parents start in the 10th grade. Juniors are advised to take the ACT college admission test as well as the more-usual SAT, and have the better score reported to colleges.
"The key is to start earlier, to get them to buy into the process earlier," Mr. Rini said. "Instead of thinking about it in the 11th grade, we start in the 8th grade."
Christine Goodbody, 17, a senior at Babylon Junior-Senior High School, fell in love with Princeton on a visit last summer. She has a 4.0 grade-point average and scored 2350 on the SAT.
"When you apply to a school like Princeton, there are so many kids with perfect scores," she said. "So you need the extracurriculars and community service and leadership positions, and other things that set you apart."
Ms. Goodbody has those, too: class president for last three years, 10 varsity letters in three sports, president of her school's chapter of the National Honor Society. And she plays alto saxophone.
But even with all that going for her, she is looking for a good "safety school" while she waits to hear from Princeton.
"You don't know who they will see something special in," Ms. Goodbody said. "I'm comfortable even if I do get rejected or wait-listed, because I know that I have done everything I could do to get accepted."
