What Should We Tell Kids About the Growth of "Highly Rejective" Colleges?
Families who attend my college planning workshops may have heard me tell the story of my own college application journey. I was a public high school student with great grades but far from perfect SAT scores. My high school guidance counselor told me that I shouldn’t expect an offer of admissions from Harvard. The rest, as they say, is history. In the past, I’ve used this anecdote to inspire students to shoot for the stars in my work as an independent college counselor.
Here Come the “Highly RejectiveS”
This admissions cycle, however, has made me rethink that choice. 2021 is not 1988, of course. But it’s more than just that. The ballooning number of “highly rejective” colleges has made me question whether this generation of students needs to hear the same message that students needed when acceptance rates at highly selective schools remained in the double digits.
Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash
At 3.5%, Harvard’s was the lowest this year. But more than twenty had single digit rates back in 2019. Universities' test-optional admissions policies this year will cause this number to catapult.
What the Highly Rejective Colleges Mean for How Teens Craft a College List
Jim Jump’s recent Inside Higher Ed piece puts it well:
Has the increased rejectivity produced a better college admissions process?... [D]oes a 95 percent rejection rate produce better classes than an 83 percent rejection rate, or does it increase the sense among the public that the system is rigged?... [A]s a college counselor, I struggle with my responsibility to students and parents. Good college counseling requires a Wallenda-like balancing act between supporting students’ dreams and making sure they understand the reality they face. It would be unethical for me to discourage students from applying to certain schools, but is it ethical to encourage them to apply to schools where their chances are almost nonexistent? How do I avoid feeding the beast of rejectivity?
How Crimson Coaching’s Responding to the Highly RejectiveS’ Growth
The tightrope that I walk as an independent college counselor has always involved encouraging students to take care to choose a well-balanced list of “reach,” “target,” and “safety” schools. This year, however, I’m urging them to reign in the number of “reaches” and add a couple of “safeties” (or, at the very least, to do just the latter).
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Likewise, my role as a college counselor requires reframing beliefs, sometimes held more by parents than by students. We need to shake the belief that only a degree from a “Top 25” school will lead to a happy and successful life. As the number of “highly rejective” schools skyrocket and their acceptance rates plummet, those of us who care about teens can and should use our voices to cut through the noise.
What do I say to today’s applicants in my role as a mentor and college counselor? First, I assure my students that they can have a happy college experience almost anywhere if they consider “fit” over the U.S. News’ (or others’) rankings. (Increasingly, I share with them another anecdote. This one's about me and other Harvard undergrads being profoundly unhappy there.)
Finally, I share the reality about “success” in “the Real World.” No matter where you go to university, if you find a mentor and make meaningful connections with your peers, you’re setting yourself up for success not just at college, but throughout life.
Photo by Monica Melton on Unsplash
What kinds of messages have you shared with the young people in your lives? How have those messages been received? Respond in the comments below!
Till next month, when I’ll share my Top 5 Tips High School Students should do before leaving school for the summer!
Warm regards,