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The Changing Selectivity of American Colleges (2009) [pdf]

9 points by wallflower 12y ago

bane 12y ago
Interesting paper. My anecdata: I went to a boring state school. At one point it was not much more than a finisher 4-year school for commuters and people transferring from the local community college. I went there when it was a little more established and at least had a few proper dorms, I was a transfer from a community college (which meant I skipped all of the selectivity issues). Going for my M.S. was easy, the school assumes if you graduated with a B.S. from one of their programs than you should be qualified for an M.S. without taking a standardized entrance exam. So I "applied" and started going to class the next semester. These days it's harder. The school has become more selective -- about 60% acceptance rate -- which puts it in league with schools like University of Illinois -- Urbana-Champaign, University of George, Texas A&M, Rutgers and slightly more selective than Michigan State, University of Vermont, University of Colorado and much more than Drexel, University of Missouri, Auburn, Loyola, Oklahoma, Kansas or Arizona State. I have a number of peers with undergraduate degrees and high-GPAs from top-tier schools who can't get admission into a Master's program, or second Undergrad program at my University, even after multiple attempts and "settle" for other schools nearby that, paradoxically, are better known nationally and rank higher. Their personal results seem to befuddle the U.S. News data on national rankings (though there may be local effects, my University is apparently a top-5 school for my state now). I feel like I'm riding a prestige wave I didn't get on. I grew up poor and was just glad to have the opportunity to go to college, even if it was a marginal state school. I get recruiters hitting me up for not much more than the school I went to and when I went looking for my last job, a topic of major interest in the interviews was my schooling. So it really has grown up and become more selective as a school, and my understanding is that the direction the school wishes to go is to become even more selective and become a proper Tier-1 institution...to the dismay of many of my fellow alums due to the future opportunities it will no longer afford incoming students.

9 points by wallflower 12y ago

bane 12y ago

Interesting paper. My anecdata: I went to a boring state school. At one point it was not much more than a finisher 4-year school for commuters and people transferring from the local community college. I went there when it was a little more established and at least had a few proper dorms, I was a transfer from a community college (which meant I skipped all of the selectivity issues). Going for my M.S. was easy, the school assumes if you graduated with a B.S. from one of their programs than you should be qualified for an M.S. without taking a standardized entrance exam. So I "applied" and started going to class the next semester. These days it's harder. The school has become more selective -- about 60% acceptance rate -- which puts it in league with schools like University of Illinois -- Urbana-Champaign, University of George, Texas A&M, Rutgers and slightly more selective than Michigan State, University of Vermont, University of Colorado and much more than Drexel, University of Missouri, Auburn, Loyola, Oklahoma, Kansas or Arizona State. I have a number of peers with undergraduate degrees and high-GPAs from top-tier schools who can't get admission into a Master's program, or second Undergrad program at my University, even after multiple attempts and "settle" for other schools nearby that, paradoxically, are better known nationally and rank higher. Their personal results seem to befuddle the U.S. News data on national rankings (though there may be local effects, my University is apparently a top-5 school for my state now). I feel like I'm riding a prestige wave I didn't get on. I grew up poor and was just glad to have the opportunity to go to college, even if it was a marginal state school. I get recruiters hitting me up for not much more than the school I went to and when I went looking for my last job, a topic of major interest in the interviews was my schooling. So it really has grown up and become more selective as a school, and my understanding is that the direction the school wishes to go is to become even more selective and become a proper Tier-1 institution...to the dismay of many of my fellow alums due to the future opportunities it will no longer afford incoming students.