114. MVCAP fyi

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1. Over All, Colleges Accept an Average of 2 of 3 Applicants, by Jacques Steinberg on The Choice: Demystifying College - http://nyti.ms/brt1HG

‎"In its annual “State of College Admission” report, which is being released Wednesday afternoon, the National Association for College Admission Counseling has tallied a fresh statistic that underscores the above point: The average acceptance rate at four-year colleges and universities was 67 percent for last fall’s freshmen class. For those families fixated on the nation’s most selective colleges — some of which accepted fewer than 10 percent of those who applied last year — such figures are probably of little comfort. But for others seeking to take a broader view, that 67 percent acceptance rate should be of some solace."

2. A Father's Acceptance: His Son Won't Follow His Ivy Footsteps, by Dave Marcus - http://nyti.ms/asjPrF

"For seven years, I’ve crisscrossed the country, discussing what I learned while writing two books about teenagers. Help your children find their hidden talents, I advise parents. Teach your children to be independent. Don’t live your dreams through your son or daughter.... Somewhere in my files, I have a photo of my son, Benjie, and me on the steps of the admissions office of my alma mater, Brown University. We were framed by glowing yellow forsythia, and I was beaming. Benjie was two weeks old."

3. Measuring 2-Year Students' Success - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/awMeel

‎"Supporters and critics of community colleges alike question the merits of the primary success metric currently produced by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System: the "federal graduation rate," the completion rate for first-time, full-time students who earn credentials within 150 percent (recently changed to 200 percent) of the generally accepted amount of time it takes to complete. (In other words, four years for a two-year degree, and eight years for a four-year degree.) Supporters say the current data don't reflect the good work the colleges do, failing to account for the many students who transfer to four-year institutions without degrees, and the many students who come to the institutions for something less than a degree -- a certificate, or even just some retraining -- and get what they wanted. Critics argue that better data would simply provide clearer evidence that community colleges are failing in their mission, reinforcing what are terribly low completion rates. . . ."

4. Early Decision Bounces Back - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/aq0xAh

"During 2009, 47 percent of colleges reported an increase in the number of early decision applications they received, about the same proportion as the previous two years. But 65 percent of colleges with early decision reported admitting more students through the process in 2009, compared to only 43 percent reporting such increases the year before. And the gap is growing between the admissions rates for early decision and regular applicants at the same institutions. Colleges with early decision admit on average 55 percent of all applicants, but 70 percent of early decision applicants.In another data point on the return of early decision, in 2009 only 5 percent of colleges with the option reported admitting fewer applicants that way than they did the year before. In each of the previous three years, more than 30 percent of colleges reported such a shift."

5. Young Men Earn Fewer College Degrees: Report http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/20/men-college-degrees_n_769838.html

"According to the American Council on Education's analysis of 2008 data, 33 percent of men aged 25 to 34 hold postsecondary degrees, compared to 40 percent of men aged 55 to 64. Women, on the other hand, continue to exceed older generations in levels of higher education -- 42 percent of 25 to 34 year old females have a college degree, as opposed to 34 percent of those aged 55 to 64. This pattern is consistent across ethnic groups, with the exception of Asian-Americans, for whom both younger men and women earn undergraduate degrees at higher rates than their older counterparts."

6. The Latest Scoop on College Admissions, by Lynn O'Shaughnessy http://t.co/OEtFKI9

"The number of graduating high school students peaked at 3.3 million in 2009 while at the same time the recession made it more difficult for families to afford colleges. Higher-ed observers had predicted that students would limit their college choices and, sure enough, a significant minority of colleges have experienced that retrenchment. Twenty nine percent of colleges and universities said they experienced a drop in applications in 2009. That is the largest number of colleges to report fewer applications than at any time since 1996."

7. 10 Reasons to Attend Canadian Universities, by Lynn O'Shaughnessy - http://t.co/hJVul1N

". . .To help get some answers about Canadian colleges, I sought out Whitney Laughlin, a veteran college consultant who is a leading expert on universities north of the border. Here are 10 reasons why Laughlin, who has offices in Santa Fe, NM, and Victoria, British Columbia, believes American teenagers should explore universities in Canada."

8. Early-Decision Programs May Lift Odds of College Admission, by Jacques Steinberg - http://nyti.ms/9RwQk3

"A report released Wednesday by an association of guidance counselors and admissions officers could be worth a look. It provides new evidence for those who believe that applying to college early in the academic year — or, more specifically, submitting applications under binding early-decision programs — increases the likelihood of acceptance. Nearly three of every four students who applied last year under such programs, which are offered by many of the nation’s most selective colleges, were accepted, compared with just over half who applied to the same colleges in the main application round, according to the annual report, “The State of College Admission,” by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. All told, the percentage accepted last year in the early-decision round, in which those accepted are compelled to withdraw all other applications and enroll, was 15 points higher than in the main phase. And that gap is rising, the authors said. In fall 2006, 61 percent, on average, were accepted early, compared with 53 percent in the regular pool."

9. The Economy and College Admissions, by Beckie Supiano http://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/the-changing-state-of-college-admissions/27569

"During the 2009 cycle, the number of students graduating from high school in the United States reached a peak of 3.33 million; the number of high-school graduates is projected to decline through 2014-15. In recent years, many colleges have seen their application numbers increase as more students graduated from high school and as students applied to more colleges. This year, 65 percent of colleges reported an increase in the number of applications received. But despite the peak number of high-school graduates, 29 percent of colleges reported a drop in the number of applications they received, the highest share reporting a decline since 1996. That finding, the report’s authors suggest, could be the result of changed student behavior because of the recession. In a survey the association conducted last year, many counselors reported that more students were considering two-year colleges or were looking at public colleges rather than private ones because of cost considerations."