“Is College Really Harder to Get Into Than It Used To Be?”
By: Jacoba Urist
Commentary by: Sam Smathers 4th
URL:http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/04/is-college-really-harder-to-get-into-than-it-used-to-be/360114/
It is
popular to think that it is much harder to get into schools today than it was
ten to fifteen years ago. People claim that every freshman class is more
esteemed and smarter than the last, but Urist says otherwise. He says that
because the normal amount of schools that students apply to has increased that
because of this the percent acceptance rate drops because there are more
applications to each school. He says that schools want to say that every class
is smarter than the last because colleges are businesses and saying that tends
to make students perceive the school to be of higher quality than it may
actually be.
I think
that kids are faced with a lot more challenges today than kids of twenty years
ago. We are expected to do a lot more in regards to extra circulars that
weren’t expected of kids twenty years ago. I think that this makes it harder to
get into your top school because your top school is someone else’s safety
school, and because everyone applies to six or seven schools, some girl could get
into all of the schools she applied to and then take up seven spots that could
be given to someone else.
Funny, I was just talking in general to my parents today about how kids today have more activities outside of school than they did. Back then, our parents were told to go outside and make their own fun. I don't know about college, since I think colleges are typically prestigious. But high schools today have really up'd their game....maybe more so than they need to, at least academically speaking.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you said about people taking up spots that could have gone to others. With college quickly approaching, articles like this one catch my eye as I try to find a way to get into the schools I'm looking at.
ReplyDeleteI might also add that it has become increasingly financially challenging to attend college, and thus many students are expected to not just get into prestigious schools but receive scholarship to attend said schools.
ReplyDeleteApplying to more schools also means that students have to meet more requirements. Every school seems to be slightly unique in one aspect or another in applying.
ReplyDeleteAshley Barnes, 2nd
I agree. Applying to college has definitely become MUCH more competitive. Just the number of students applying, not taking into account the quality of the students applying, is something that worries me about applying for college.
ReplyDeleteI think it is true that it is harder to get into college, at least because of competition. Plus, each school tends to have a different way that you need to apply (like an extra essay). Additionally, we are expected to volunteer and participate in various clubs.
ReplyDelete