Less Recognized Changes in Admissions This Cycle

Navigating the puzzle of college admissions is more complex than ever.

With many students and their families getting ready to receive Early Decision and Early Action results, while many others continue to work on their applications, we felt it was a good time to highlight some of the lesser-known trends in admissions this year.

Standardized testing, the popularity of the south and direct admissions have been widely discussed as impacting this admissions cycle. The increasing role of AI in the admissions process has also been frequently mentioned. Although these trends are significant, particularly how AI and technology in general are changing how students should interact with their target schools, there are other changes worth understanding if an applicant wants to increase their odds of success.

Much like other parts of the admissions process the importance of essays is changing. While the consensus opinion is that essays are increasingly important the truth is much more situational as a number of top schools have deemphasized or eliminated supplemental essays completely. The reasons why schools have deemphasized essays are varied. While a recent article in Inside Higher Ed points to a number of colleges following in the footsteps of schools like Williams College and eliminating essays that might expose them to DEI related litigation there are other reasons things are changing. Duke University has stopped scoring essays because of the influence of AI and admissions consultants that they feel make essays inauthentic. The competition for applicants and a desire to make it easier for students to apply has also been highlighted as a reason for eliminating essays. Regardless of the reasons, this cycle has seen schools like Brandeis, Chapman, Northeastern, TCU, Tulane as well as the University of Virginia and University of Washington eliminate essay requirements. In our opinion, applicants need to develop a better understanding of where essays ‘matter’ and how to best manage their time.

Another trend is the growing evidence of tuition sticker shock and its effect on the popularity of colleges, with international and public flagship schools significantly outpacing generally more expensive private non-profit institutions. Canadian and U.K. universities have recorded a surge in applicants from the U.S., experiencing high double-digit year-over-year growth. Recently, The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported updated enrollment trends that showed public schools outpacing private non-profit schools as well. Dramatic shifts in popularity can greatly influence applicant strategy and success, and need to be better understood by applicants

Finally, with roughly 30 percent of the top ranked schools in the U.S. News and World Report ranking of national colleges and universities now accepting optional Glimpse videos, the trend towards a video component in the application process is undeniable. With schools like Bowdoin, Brown, The University of Chicago, Claremont McKenna, Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt and Swarthmore all encouraging brief student videos, many students will need to know how to present themselves effectively in a new format. A format that seems less ’optional’ than most colleges claim it is. Importantly, the number of schools using self-recorded videos in undergraduate admissions is growing and extends well beyond the top 10 ranked colleges and universities.

While changing international and state school admissions dynamics, the reduced importance of essays at a surprising number of schools and the growing importance of video submissions are less discussed, they are trends impacting admissions this cycle. For those that need help piecing together the admissions puzzle, we are available.