Admissions

The college admissions process is incredibly stressful. I think we all assume that if we don't get into the college of our choice our lives will be ruined and we will be miserable for the next four years.
Seton Hill was not my first choice college. In fact, I applied here on whim - I'd thrown away all the mail I'd gotten from SHU in my junior and senior years because I was certain I'd get into my first choice school. The over Thanksgiving break my senior year, Admissions sent me an application and promised me a feww waiver. I was bored, and the application was brief, with no required essays or letters of recommendation, so I filled it out and sent it in. I was accepted to SHU - and offered excellent financial aid - at just about the same time I was wait-listed by Grove City, my dream school.
Did I cry? Sure. Could I have gotten into Grove City if I had stayed on the waiting list? Probably. Instead, I decided I didn't want my life to be on hold indefinitely, so I came to SHU with a plan to work my rear off for a year and reapply.
No I'm almost done my sophomore year. I never reapplied to Grove City. I never will. In fact, on graduation day 2008 my parents may have to physically drag me out of Farrell Hall. I've been insanely happy here. High school seniors, take heart. I never wanted to come to Seton Hill. I did anyway. Now I can't imagine being anywhere else. It may not seem like it when you're reading brochures and taking campus tours, but you'll probably be happy wherever you go. College is what you make of it. Wherever you go you'll run into great new friends and professors who care. Also, wherever you go, the food will probably suck, but you will learn to eat it. Good luck to all of you, and try to remember that people are pretty much the same wherever you go.

As a high school senior (who will be coming to SHU), I see both sides. Personally, I didn't stress too much. I found SHU, wanted to come here, and put in my full effort. In complete honesty, I didn't apply anywhere else. Risky, but effective.

Unfortunately, most my friends haven't been so lucky. Those with 4.3 GPAs, outstanding extra-curriculars, a good sense of direction and where they want to go in life are rejected from their top schools over and over again. For example, my friend Ann-Marie wishes to be a doctor. With her 4.4 GPA, 1550 SATs, involvement in orchestra, student council, choir, NHS, and out of school activities that included volunteering at hospitals and working blood drives kept her out of all schools except Penn State.

No wonder people stress out over it! We work out butts off for four years, and get rejected.

Colleges are just requiring higher standards. The problem is they don't make it completely clear what they're looking for. Each college is different, but one would assume someone like Ann-Marie could get into somewhere other then PSU. But she couldn't.

That's why people stress out.

Thank goodness for SHU. I only felt a little stressed before my music audition. Otherwise, I felt extremely confident and cared for, which really helped me out!

Thanks girls for responding!!
I know that this is a hot subject now with the media somewhat 'over dramatizing' the situation. The best advice I can give is to research each individual institution that you apply to.
I also recommend asking and Admissions Counselor if a current student could possibly contact them and talk with them about their experience once they have been here. This is also a great way to find out about your school of choice. I wish you all the best of luck, and don't get discouraged!

Being accepted into college used to be a big deal. Used to be that is. Believe it or not, just 30 years ago, only the very best students got accepted to college. Today however, most colleges-- aside from the small handful of selective name brand schools-- are open admissions. That means they will take anyone with a high school diploma or GED. According to the Peterson's Guide to College Admissions, more than 80 percent of our institutions of higher education admit virtually all of their applicants. Many people ignore the reality and focus on the competition to get into the snobby schools. But the Ivies are the exception and not the norm.

Of around 3,500 “nonprofit” colleges in the country, only about 150 accept fewer than half of the applicants they receive. Most have “Open Admissions” meaning; we don't care who you are, just bring your checkbook.

I'm intriguted by some of your comments, April. I tried to find publication information on your book, _College is for Suckers_, but I couldn't find an entry for it on Amazon.com, or any publication info on your website. And do you have any connection with Ted Rall, who wrote an article called "College is for Suckers" several years ago?

I can't speak for the other colleges, but as a member of SHU's academic standards committe (the body that considers the applications of students whose qualifications fall on the borderline -- perhaps they fall short in grades but have great recommendations, or they have a low SAT score but great grades), we regularly decline applicants whose records suggest they would be better off attending a community college for a semester, and then perhaps reapplying to SHU if they decide that they really do want to do college.

Are we less selective than the Ivies are? Of course. Still, numerous times, I've said at meetings, "We could take this person's tuition money and let them play on the sports team they're dying to play on until they flunk out after a semester or two, but what good would it do them in the long run?"

I chose an English major, not because I thought it was a fast track to riches and power, but because I wanted an environment where I could study and learn and discuss things that I thought really mattered, with people who had similar interests.

I never expected that my English BA or MA would magically open doors for me, but I did end up using my writing skills to land a good part time PR job, that turned into a full-time Assistant Director position that I was in the running for when I left that job to enter the Ph.D. program.

Speaking specifically of the English Ph.D., I've heard that for every two grad students who starts the Ph.D. program, only one will finish, and for every two that finish, only one will end up with a tenure-track job. I remember reading about a glut of MBAs. I suppose that starting out, everybody feels that they're going to be one of the lucky ones, and it can be a shock when you come up against the competition.

The world needs its doctors, lawyers, nurses, physicain assistants and dieticians, as well as its artists, psychologists, poets, mathematicians, historians and teachers. Are those students suckers? Of course not. Some of these professions require the resources and equipment of a university setting, though of course others don't. Some college courses teach you skills you'd learn on the job if you got hired in that area, but part of the value of a liberal arts education is that you take classes in subjects that you'd otherwise never be exposed to.

College isn't the only way to pay the bills, and I certainly don't recommend college for people who don't know what they want to do with their lives. There are far less expensive ways to find yourself.

If the bottom line is what's most important to you, then there are definitely cheaper alternatives to college.

While I agree that these outlets (forums, blogs, etc.) for students can sometimes breed anxiety, I believe they are a great way for students to voice their perspective. Throughout the process, counselors and parents are offering advice, creating to-do lists, and encouraging / prodding students through their admissions applications... all of which is likely needed. However, these forums and blogs allow students to understand that their stresses, their concerns, and their anxieties are not unique. Our Students Speak section on www.CollegeToolkit.com (formerly www.Lunch-Money.com) was specifically designed to allow our student columnists to share what was on their mind. We didn't give them topics; most of our editing was limited to grammatical / spelling corrections; we let their voices and styles shine through. I, personally, have been thrilled with the results. I admit that, sometimes, I have been a little surprised by the stress these kids impose on themselves, but I also have been impressed by the maturity with which they've handled setbacks and approached the entire admissions process.