Admissions News & Updates
“This Is Peak College Admissions Insanity”
“Selective college admissions have been a vortex of anxiety and stress for what seems like forever, inducing panic in more top high school seniors each year. But the 2023-24 admissions season was not just an incremental increase in the frantic posturing and high-pressure guesswork that make this annual ritual seem like academic Hunger Games. This year was different.”
—Daniell Currel, The New York Times, May 1, 2024
“Harvard announces return to required testing: Leading researchers cite strong evidence that testing expands opportunity.”
“Students applying to Harvard College for fall 2025 admission will be required to submit standardized test scores, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences announced on Thursday. This new policy will be applied to the Class of 2029 admissions cycle and will be formally assessed at regular intervals.”
—The Harvard Gazette, April 11, 2024
"Elite College Admissions Have Turned Students Into Brands”
“Applying to college has always been about standing out. When I teach college essay workshops and coach applicants one on one, I see my role as helping students to capture their voice and their way of processing the world, things that are, by definition, unique to each individual. Still, many of my students (and their parents) worry that as getting into college becomes increasingly competitive, this won’t be enough to set them apart.”
—Sarah Bernstein, The New York Times, March 31, 2024
“Brown University Will Reinstate Standardized Tests for Admission”
“Brown University will reinstate standardized testing requirements for admission, joining Yale, Dartmouth and M.I.T. in backtracking on ‘test optional’ policies adopted during the Covid pandemic.”
— Stephanie Saul, The New York Times, March 5, 2024
“How to Fix College Admissions Now”
“With the Supreme Court’s recent ruling striking down affirmative action, the world of college admissions is poised for a transformation — which could also be an opportunity. We asked experts to offer their ideas on how higher education should move forward from here.”
— Opinion section, The New York Times, July 7, 2023
“Harvard united in resolve in face of Supreme Court’s admissions ruling”
“University ‘remains steadfast’ in commitment to campus that reflects wide range of backgrounds and experiences”
— Christina Pazzanese, The Harvard Gazette, June 29. 2023
“The application essay will become a place to talk about race.”
“However, the chief justice also warned anyone who might be thinking that the essay could be used as a surreptitious means of racial selection.”
— Stephanie Saul, The New York Times, June 29, 2023
“Supreme Court rejects race-based affirmative action in college admissions”
“The Supreme Court on Thursday held that admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina that relied in part on racial considerations violate the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection, a historic ruling that will force a dramatic change in how the nation’s private and public universities select their students.”
— Robert Barnes, The Washington Post, June 29, 2023
“Affirmative Action Supreme Court Strikes Down Race-Based Admissions at Harvard and U.N.C.”
“The 6-3 ruling could drastically alter college admissions policies across the country. Criticizing the decision, President Biden said this was “not a normal court” and directed the Education Department ‘to analyze what practices can build a more inclusive and diverse’ student body.”
—New York Times, June 29, 2023
“Let’s Smash the College Admissions Process”
“Within days or weeks, the Supreme Court is going to render a decision on the future of affirmative action in higher ed. … maybe we can all take this moment to reimagine the college admissions process itself …”
David Brooks, The New York Times, June 1, 2023
“Colleges Will Be Able to Block Out a Student’s Race on Admissions Applications”
“If requested, the Common App will conceal basic information on race and ethnicity — a move that could help schools if the Supreme Court ends affirmative action.”
— Anemona Hartocollis, The New York Times, May 26, 2023
“Can the Meritocracy Survive Without the SAT?”
“The rapid abandonment of the SAT and ACT as requirements for college admissions, to the point where more than 80 percent of four-year colleges didn’t require a standardized test for admission in the coming fall, is a milestone in the history of the modern meritocracy.”
— Ross Douthat, The New York Times, April 29, 2023
“The College Board Will Change Its A.P. African American Studies Course”
“The course had run into criticism from scholars, who accused the board of omitting key concepts and bending to political pressure from Gov. Ron DeSantis.”
— Dana Goldstein and Stephanie Saul, The New York Times, April 24, 2023
“What to know about Harvard’s case in Supreme Court”
“Lower courts, along with over 40 years of precedent, have approved using race as one factor among many in admissions”
—Christina Pazzanese, The Harvard Gazette, October 28, 2022
“Colleges that ditched test scores for admissions still struggle with bias”
"Without SAT and ACT scores, [one college admissions officer] explained, the job of admitting students had become more subjective and more time-consuming.”
— Jill Barshay, The Hechinger Report, October 17, 2022
“At the Edge of a Cliff, Some Colleges Are Teaming Up to Survive”
"Faced with declining enrollment, smaller schools are harnessing innovative ideas — like course sharing — to attract otherwise reluctant students.”
— Jon Marcus, The New York Times, October 6, 2022
“The 2022-2023 Common App Essay Prompts"
“The Common App essay prompts will remain the same for 2022-2023. Because as we enter the third year of a global pandemic, consistency is not a bad thing.”
— Scott Anderson, The Common Application
“Understanding the Different Kinds of College Applications”
“Types include The Common Application, The Universal Application, Individual College Applications, The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success Application, and A Shared Application for a System of Colleges.”
— Nicole Kelman, MEFA
“The Different Types of College Admissions Deadlines”
“You might see a few terms that are unfamiliar to you. Here is an outline of the different types of college application deadlines: . . .”
— Jodi Okun, ThoughtCo.
“Despite Years of Criticisms, the U.S. News College Rankings Live On”
“Columbia University skidded to No. 18, suggesting that the ratings may be flawed and easily manipulated. But for many families, the list is a marker of prestige.”
— Stephanie Saul, The New York Times, September 15, 2022
“Harvard gets broad support in admissions case”
"Corporations and higher education, legal, civil rights, religious groups file briefs backing policies to Supreme Court”
— Christina Pazzanese, The Harvard Gazette, August 3, 2022
“The Best Extracurricular May Be an After-School Job”
“Lots of American teenagers need to work after school to help support their families. But there’s a case to be made that those who don’t need to work should get a job anyway.”
— Pamela Paul, The New York Times, July 30, 2022
“A growing number of Americans are questioning the value of going to college”
“The share of Americans who believe colleges and universities have a positive impact on the country has dropped by 14 percentage points since 2020.”
— Pooja Salhotra, NPR, July 26, 2022
“Harvard files brief with Supreme Court in admissions case”
“President Bacow: ‘Enrolling a divers student body is central to fulfilling our educational mission.’”
— Christina Pazzanese, The Harvard Gazette, July 25, 2022
“Opinion: Asian American Student Success Isn’t a Problem”
“Over the past three years, as universities across the country have abandoned standardized test requirements and moved toward more holistic models for admission, a persistent yet largely unexamined question has arisen: Would these changes be happening if white students were at the top of the academic food chain?”
— Jay Caspian Kang, The New York Times, July 14, 2022