Getting In: The Not-So-Secret Admissions Process
No one can get into UW-Madison these days ...
Admissions counselors live to crush dreams ...
A good word from a Hollywood film star is all it takes to get in ...
That essay you’re asked to submit with your application — nobody will read it ...
If you’ve heard such claims and believed them, it’s time for a reality check.
By Michael Penn MA’97
On the topic of college admissions, the last thing people need is more advice. For that, they can turn most anywhere — to bookstores, where yards upon yards of glossy volumes promise to reveal the secrets of university admissions offices; to universities themselves, with their countless brochures promising the idyllic college experience; to pricey private coaches, who charge thousands of dollars to usher students through the process; or even to well-meaning friends, who swear they know somebody who knows somebody who can help.
Particularly in fall, as high school seniors begin to prepare applications to college — and national magazine editors correspondingly roll out their annual getting-into-college issues — there seems no shortage of public opinion on university admissions.
Admissions counselors live to crush dreams ...
A good word from a Hollywood film star is all it takes to get in ...
That essay you’re asked to submit with your application — nobody will read it ...
If you’ve heard such claims and believed them, it’s time for a reality check.
By Michael Penn MA’97
On the topic of college admissions, the last thing people need is more advice. For that, they can turn most anywhere — to bookstores, where yards upon yards of glossy volumes promise to reveal the secrets of university admissions offices; to universities themselves, with their countless brochures promising the idyllic college experience; to pricey private coaches, who charge thousands of dollars to usher students through the process; or even to well-meaning friends, who swear they know somebody who knows somebody who can help.
Particularly in fall, as high school seniors begin to prepare applications to college — and national magazine editors correspondingly roll out their annual getting-into-college issues — there seems no shortage of public opinion on university admissions.
But a glut of advice does not necessarily mean a wealth of it.
Like water, a little of it can sustain you; a lot can drown you.
When On Wisconsin determined to take a closer look at UW-Madison’s admissions practices, this reality weighed on our minds. The university often gets knocked for admissions decisions that seem mysterious and arbitrary, yet when we started asking around, we were struck by how much people thought they already knew about how those decisions are made. People swore knowledge of secret formulas and hushed policies that govern the process. The urban legend on this subject is, to say the least, rich — and, in many cases, dead wrong.
At UW-Madison, the competition for admission is keener and the expectations higher than ever before. For most applicants, there is precious little room for missteps, especially ones that could be avoided with a better understanding of the process. And so, we offer advice: not about how to get into UW-Madison, but about how much attention students and parents should pay to all those pieces of advice they’re likely to receive and all those myths they are likely to hear. Which ones are helpful? Which ones are misguided? In our opinion, the real key to UW-Madison’s admissions policy is in knowing the difference.
Like water, a little of it can sustain you; a lot can drown you.
When On Wisconsin determined to take a closer look at UW-Madison’s admissions practices, this reality weighed on our minds. The university often gets knocked for admissions decisions that seem mysterious and arbitrary, yet when we started asking around, we were struck by how much people thought they already knew about how those decisions are made. People swore knowledge of secret formulas and hushed policies that govern the process. The urban legend on this subject is, to say the least, rich — and, in many cases, dead wrong.
At UW-Madison, the competition for admission is keener and the expectations higher than ever before. For most applicants, there is precious little room for missteps, especially ones that could be avoided with a better understanding of the process. And so, we offer advice: not about how to get into UW-Madison, but about how much attention students and parents should pay to all those pieces of advice they’re likely to receive and all those myths they are likely to hear. Which ones are helpful? Which ones are misguided? In our opinion, the real key to UW-Madison’s admissions policy is in knowing the difference.
MYTH: It’s a secretive process.
Refreshingly, no. UW-Madison has no star chamber admissions committee or murky decision-making authority. For applicants to the freshman class, initial admissions decisions are made by one of twenty individual counselors who are responsible for reviewing applications from specific geographic regions. The UW’s admissions Web site (www.admissions.wisc.edu) highlights which counselors will read which applications and how to contact them. It’s not at all unusual for students to carry on a dialogue with their admissions counselors for months before they file applications.
Refreshingly, no. UW-Madison has no star chamber admissions committee or murky decision-making authority. For applicants to the freshman class, initial admissions decisions are made by one of twenty individual counselors who are responsible for reviewing applications from specific geographic regions. The UW’s admissions Web site (www.admissions.wisc.edu) highlights which counselors will read which applications and how to contact them. It’s not at all unusual for students to carry on a dialogue with their admissions counselors for months before they file applications.
Nor are those counselors holed up in some dungeon. Okay, technically, the Office of Admissions is housed in a former armory, UW-Madison’s historic Red Gym. But there counselors greet a stream of prospective students, and they also hit the road to visit some three hundred high schools — including two hundred in Wisconsin — and two hundred college fairs each year. With more than 24,000 students expected to apply for approximately 5,600 spots in the freshman class, they’re not just drumming up applications. They’re out there to talk frankly about what it takes to be admitted to UW-Madison. Their go-to handout, a sheet titled “Freshman Admissions Expectations,” features a chart that places odds of admissions on students who fall into particular ranges of class rank, grade point averages, and test scores. For a student in the ninetieth percentile of his or her class and a 29 on the ACT college entrance exam, for example, the chart suggests an 80 percent likelihood of admission. A student in the seventieth percentile with a 26 ACT score, on the other hand, ranks a 20 percent chance.
Of course, those aren’t the only factors counselors consider. And the estimates can shift if more students apply than expected, as has been the case in recent years. But there’s no secret about what qualities admissions counselors are looking for. Just ask them.
Of course, those aren’t the only factors counselors consider. And the estimates can shift if more students apply than expected, as has been the case in recent years. But there’s no secret about what qualities admissions counselors are looking for. Just ask them.
“When I have a question, I know I can call them directly, and we don’t get that kind of attention from everybody,” says Jim Conroy, chair of post-high-school counseling at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. “Some big state schools, I have no idea who to call. It’s like a black hole. That’s never been the case with Madison.”
MYTH: A formula determines whether students are admitted or denied.
Not true — and if it were, you’d have to wonder why the university keeps twenty people around just to read undergraduate applications. Wouldn’t it be easier to load a bunch of numbers into a database and spit out decisions?
Ironically, the likelihood-of-admission chart mentioned above may share some of the blame for this misconception. Some parents and guidance counselors believe the table — developed in part to answer concerns that UW-Madison fudged too much on admissions criteria — is actually what UW’s admissions counselors use when making decisions to admit, postpone, or deny admission. It isn’t. Their evaluation is much more comprehensive and, ultimately, much more human.
MYTH: A formula determines whether students are admitted or denied.
Not true — and if it were, you’d have to wonder why the university keeps twenty people around just to read undergraduate applications. Wouldn’t it be easier to load a bunch of numbers into a database and spit out decisions?
Ironically, the likelihood-of-admission chart mentioned above may share some of the blame for this misconception. Some parents and guidance counselors believe the table — developed in part to answer concerns that UW-Madison fudged too much on admissions criteria — is actually what UW’s admissions counselors use when making decisions to admit, postpone, or deny admission. It isn’t. Their evaluation is much more comprehensive and, ultimately, much more human.
Counselors do have general guidelines at the start of each admissions cycle, notes admissions director Rob Seltzer. The guidelines offer an idea of how tight or lenient counselors need to be to meet the office’s goals, and they establish a measure of consistency, ensuring that all counselors are using the same yardstick in their first-glance assessment of an application.
But those guidelines are just a starting point. As they read applications, counselors weigh many other factors, from the competitiveness of an applicant’s high school to unique aspects of an applicant’s character that come through in personal statements. It matters, for example, whether a student took the most challenging courses available. It matters whether he or she was involved meaningfully in extracurricular activities or just joined a bunch of clubs to pad a resume. It matters whether a student held a part-time job or managed other family responsibilities along with school.
“That’s relevant to us, because it tells us something about a student’s work ethic and what challenges they’ve had to face while earning the grades that they’ve earned,” says Provost Patrick Farrell. “We want to look at the entire student, because that gives us a much better sense of the overall likelihood of success for this student at our institution.”
But those guidelines are just a starting point. As they read applications, counselors weigh many other factors, from the competitiveness of an applicant’s high school to unique aspects of an applicant’s character that come through in personal statements. It matters, for example, whether a student took the most challenging courses available. It matters whether he or she was involved meaningfully in extracurricular activities or just joined a bunch of clubs to pad a resume. It matters whether a student held a part-time job or managed other family responsibilities along with school.
“That’s relevant to us, because it tells us something about a student’s work ethic and what challenges they’ve had to face while earning the grades that they’ve earned,” says Provost Patrick Farrell. “We want to look at the entire student, because that gives us a much better sense of the overall likelihood of success for this student at our institution.”
The approach is sometimes called holistic admissions, in that it entails a review of the whole person, not just his or her academic credentials. Tom Reason ’76, associate admissions director and a twenty-one-year veteran of the office, says it’s far more art than science. “Academics are always the first and foremost thing for us to consider, but even within that, there is great variability in how students are assessed and the curriculum offered,” he says. “To have a purely objective measure just wouldn’t work.”
Sheri Albers, a former high school guidance counselor, learned that firsthand when she joined UW-Madison’s admissions office in 2004. She was among those who had thought the university didn’t do a good enough job of explaining what factors matter in admissions decisions. She says she now realizes that “it is much more complicated than people think, and it’s not always easy to put into black-and-white terms. That doesn’t mean that it’s secretive or underhanded. It’s just not a formula.”
MYTH: UW-Madison has raised its admissions criteria in recent years.
Not exactly. The bar applicants need to clear to be admitted to UW-Madison is unmistakably higher than in years past, but the university didn’t put it there. A crush of applications did.
Sheri Albers, a former high school guidance counselor, learned that firsthand when she joined UW-Madison’s admissions office in 2004. She was among those who had thought the university didn’t do a good enough job of explaining what factors matter in admissions decisions. She says she now realizes that “it is much more complicated than people think, and it’s not always easy to put into black-and-white terms. That doesn’t mean that it’s secretive or underhanded. It’s just not a formula.”
MYTH: UW-Madison has raised its admissions criteria in recent years.
Not exactly. The bar applicants need to clear to be admitted to UW-Madison is unmistakably higher than in years past, but the university didn’t put it there. A crush of applications did.
In 2007, UW-Madison received 24,521 applications for freshman admission, the highest number in history. That number bested the previous high of 22,816 set in 2006, which broke the record of 21,682 set in 2005. Applications are up 88 percent since 1985, and they’ve jumped 37 percent since 2000 alone.
The number of places available to those applicants, on the other hand, isn’t growing. Every year, after considering factors such as advising capacity, housing availability, and space in required courses, UW-Madison sets a target for freshmen enrollment. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, that number sits at around 5,600, meaning more students are applying for the same number of spots. When that happens, standards are bound to rise — and so they have. In 1985, the average freshman who enrolled at UW-Madison ranked in the seventy-ninth percentile of his or her class and got a 24 on the ACT. By 2007, those averages had climbed to a percentile rank of 89.4 and a 28 ACT score.* And while in 1985 UW-Madison admitted about 83 percent of those who applied for spots in the freshman class, in 2007 its acceptance rate was just 56 percent.
“It’s not like we’re sitting here every year saying, ‘How can we increase our standards and make people really irritated with us?’ ” says Kelly Olson ’99, an assistant director of freshman recruitment. “It’s totally out of our control.”
The number of places available to those applicants, on the other hand, isn’t growing. Every year, after considering factors such as advising capacity, housing availability, and space in required courses, UW-Madison sets a target for freshmen enrollment. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, that number sits at around 5,600, meaning more students are applying for the same number of spots. When that happens, standards are bound to rise — and so they have. In 1985, the average freshman who enrolled at UW-Madison ranked in the seventy-ninth percentile of his or her class and got a 24 on the ACT. By 2007, those averages had climbed to a percentile rank of 89.4 and a 28 ACT score.* And while in 1985 UW-Madison admitted about 83 percent of those who applied for spots in the freshman class, in 2007 its acceptance rate was just 56 percent.
“It’s not like we’re sitting here every year saying, ‘How can we increase our standards and make people really irritated with us?’ ” says Kelly Olson ’99, an assistant director of freshman recruitment. “It’s totally out of our control.”
What’s behind the surge in applications? For one thing, more students are heading to college now than in the past. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 3.3 million students will graduate from high school in 2008, up from 2.6 million in 1997. And more than 60 percent of these students plan to go to college, compared to slightly less than half of the class of 1974.
Moreover, the difficulty of getting into — and paying for — America’s top universities is creating a trickle-down effect for many states’ flagship universities. When considering applying to Big State U or Harvard, where only about one in ten applicants is admitted and the tab for four years of tuition is nearly $150,000, more top students are choosing Big State U. “Costs have spiraled so unbelievably that these big public universities look like great bargains, and people are thrilled to go there,” says New Trier’s Jim Conroy. He counts UW-Madison among a group of “seven or eight flagship universities that have gotten really tough to get into. Students who were accepted even four or five years ago aren’t going to get in today.”
Moreover, the difficulty of getting into — and paying for — America’s top universities is creating a trickle-down effect for many states’ flagship universities. When considering applying to Big State U or Harvard, where only about one in ten applicants is admitted and the tab for four years of tuition is nearly $150,000, more top students are choosing Big State U. “Costs have spiraled so unbelievably that these big public universities look like great bargains, and people are thrilled to go there,” says New Trier’s Jim Conroy. He counts UW-Madison among a group of “seven or eight flagship universities that have gotten really tough to get into. Students who were accepted even four or five years ago aren’t going to get in today.”
But perhaps the biggest factor in the flood of applications is the ease of filling out applications online. Universities have put application forms, recommendations, recruiting guides, and even campus video tours on the Internet, making it far easier for students to research and apply to a boundless array of schools. While past generations applied to two or three colleges, now five, six, or seven is the norm. More than 25 percent of students admitted in 2005 had filled out more than five applications, according to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program.
And this raises a fascinating aspect of the admissions game. When universities admit students, they know some of them will ultimately opt to enroll elsewhere, so they offer admission to far more students than they actually have room for. It’s like inviting three hundred people to a reception knowing the hall holds only two hundred: you’re gambling that some won’t accept the offer. With students fanning out more applications, admissions officials have had to readjust their estimates about how many students they need to admit to fill their classes. In recent years, for instance, UW-Madison has admitted more than 13,000 students — more than the total number who applied in 1985. So even as it’s gotten more competitive, UW-Madison is admitting more students than ever before.
And this raises a fascinating aspect of the admissions game. When universities admit students, they know some of them will ultimately opt to enroll elsewhere, so they offer admission to far more students than they actually have room for. It’s like inviting three hundred people to a reception knowing the hall holds only two hundred: you’re gambling that some won’t accept the offer. With students fanning out more applications, admissions officials have had to readjust their estimates about how many students they need to admit to fill their classes. In recent years, for instance, UW-Madison has admitted more than 13,000 students — more than the total number who applied in 1985. So even as it’s gotten more competitive, UW-Madison is admitting more students than ever before.
MYTH: The UW turns away students with perfect GPAs.
It depends on what you mean by perfect. If it’s a 4.0 grade point average, then yes, UW-Madison does in a few cases reject students with 4.0s. But remember, in a lot of high schools, a 4.0 GPA isn’t perfect anymore. Many schools now hand out above-scale bonuses for honors classes, meaning that applications these days are full of impossible-sounding GPAs like 4.3s and 5.0s.
Admissions counselors say they’re frustrated by what they see as a pervasive trend toward higher marks across the board in secondary schools. One recent ACT study indicated that high school grades have inflated 12.5 percent since the early 1990s. At many high schools, merely average students have 3.7s and 3.8s, creating a logjam of kids with similarly unblemished transcripts — and little way for counselors to distinguish them. “I review one state where I don’t think I’ve ever seen a C on a transcript,” says admissions counselor Bobbie Jean St. Arnauld ’02. “I don’t think they’re doing those kids any favors.”
“There’s so much compression at the top that, these days, if we see some Bs, we might have to say, ‘Forget it,’ ” says admissions director Seltzer. “That’s the business we’re forced into. Twenty years ago, a 3.1 was great. You were working hard and doing good work. Now, that 3.1 is a 3.9.”
It depends on what you mean by perfect. If it’s a 4.0 grade point average, then yes, UW-Madison does in a few cases reject students with 4.0s. But remember, in a lot of high schools, a 4.0 GPA isn’t perfect anymore. Many schools now hand out above-scale bonuses for honors classes, meaning that applications these days are full of impossible-sounding GPAs like 4.3s and 5.0s.
Admissions counselors say they’re frustrated by what they see as a pervasive trend toward higher marks across the board in secondary schools. One recent ACT study indicated that high school grades have inflated 12.5 percent since the early 1990s. At many high schools, merely average students have 3.7s and 3.8s, creating a logjam of kids with similarly unblemished transcripts — and little way for counselors to distinguish them. “I review one state where I don’t think I’ve ever seen a C on a transcript,” says admissions counselor Bobbie Jean St. Arnauld ’02. “I don’t think they’re doing those kids any favors.”
“There’s so much compression at the top that, these days, if we see some Bs, we might have to say, ‘Forget it,’ ” says admissions director Seltzer. “That’s the business we’re forced into. Twenty years ago, a 3.1 was great. You were working hard and doing good work. Now, that 3.1 is a 3.9.”
MYTH: Some students get special treatment in the admissions process.
True. Veterans, adult students, students with disabilities, children of alumni, some athletes, some minority students, some exceptional musicians, and students who are the first in their families to go to college all get some special consideration.
If an applicant in one of these groups is clearly admissible, or clearly not admissible, nothing unusual happens; a counselor simply makes a decision and follows the normal process. But in borderline cases, counselors are instructed to give students in these groups some extra consideration when they feel a decision could go either way. “It’s one more penny on the scale,” says associate admissions director Reason. “It’s not a pound on the scale. It’s nowhere near as important as academics. But it’s a penny in their favor.”
True. Veterans, adult students, students with disabilities, children of alumni, some athletes, some minority students, some exceptional musicians, and students who are the first in their families to go to college all get some special consideration.
If an applicant in one of these groups is clearly admissible, or clearly not admissible, nothing unusual happens; a counselor simply makes a decision and follows the normal process. But in borderline cases, counselors are instructed to give students in these groups some extra consideration when they feel a decision could go either way. “It’s one more penny on the scale,” says associate admissions director Reason. “It’s not a pound on the scale. It’s nowhere near as important as academics. But it’s a penny in their favor.”
The rationale for special treatment is that the university believes admitting these students fits with its goal of building a diverse student body. “These are individuals who in their own way can make a specific and unique contribution to the university,” says Seltzer. “They are typically students who are underrepresented [in higher education], and the university and our society say that they should not be underrepresented on our campus.”
Does that mean students in these groups get in with lower grades than others? Occasionally, yes. “But they have some other set of extraordinary qualifications that justifies them being here,” says Reason. “To be a Division I athlete is extraordinary; to be an outstanding musician is extraordinary. These students add something very meaningful to the university.”
Does that mean students in these groups get in with lower grades than others? Occasionally, yes. “But they have some other set of extraordinary qualifications that justifies them being here,” says Reason. “To be a Division I athlete is extraordinary; to be an outstanding musician is extraordinary. These students add something very meaningful to the university.”
Another consideration is that the university often has resources to support students in these categories who might not fit the typical academic profile. The athletic department’s academic services unit, for instance, offers tutoring and study halls for student athletes, which Seltzer says allows for some wiggle room.
“The question is, can they succeed here?” he says. “We will never admit a student if we don’t believe he or she
can succeed.”
MYTH: It’s impossible for regular students to get in anymore.
Impossible? Let’s not get carried away. UW-Madison admits six of every ten students who apply. Compare that to the microscopic acceptance rates for 2006 at places such as Harvard (9 percent), Princeton (10 percent), or Stanford (11 percent). UW-Madison’s 56-percent acceptance rate is on par with its peer flagship institutions, such as Michigan (47 percent) and Illinois (65 percent).
“The question is, can they succeed here?” he says. “We will never admit a student if we don’t believe he or she
can succeed.”
MYTH: It’s impossible for regular students to get in anymore.
Impossible? Let’s not get carried away. UW-Madison admits six of every ten students who apply. Compare that to the microscopic acceptance rates for 2006 at places such as Harvard (9 percent), Princeton (10 percent), or Stanford (11 percent). UW-Madison’s 56-percent acceptance rate is on par with its peer flagship institutions, such as Michigan (47 percent) and Illinois (65 percent).
The trend toward hypercompetitive admissions often gets oversold in the news, because it disproportionately affects private East Coast universities. Admissions aren’t nearly that restrictive at the vast majority of colleges. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, only about one-third of American universities accept fewer than half their applicants, and the average acceptance rate across all four-year institutions is about 70 percent and holding steady.
Another often-overlooked facet to UW-Madison’s admissions crunch is that the number of incoming freshmen that the UW can enroll is limited chiefly by physical space — seats, specifically, in required courses. By their sophomore and junior years, students disperse into thousands of different courses in one hundred and sixty majors, and it’s easier to squeeze in a few newcomers. That means that while it’s difficult to get admitted to UW-Madison as a freshman, it can be easier to transfer in. The university has several arrangements that allow students to attend other campuses for two years before coming to Madison, including direct transfer arrangements with several Wisconsin colleges. While that may not ease the sting of initial rejection for some students, ultimately, no one asks where you started college. They ask where you finished.
MYTH: No one reads personal statements.
Another often-overlooked facet to UW-Madison’s admissions crunch is that the number of incoming freshmen that the UW can enroll is limited chiefly by physical space — seats, specifically, in required courses. By their sophomore and junior years, students disperse into thousands of different courses in one hundred and sixty majors, and it’s easier to squeeze in a few newcomers. That means that while it’s difficult to get admitted to UW-Madison as a freshman, it can be easier to transfer in. The university has several arrangements that allow students to attend other campuses for two years before coming to Madison, including direct transfer arrangements with several Wisconsin colleges. While that may not ease the sting of initial rejection for some students, ultimately, no one asks where you started college. They ask where you finished.
MYTH: No one reads personal statements.
False. For better or worse, counselors do read personal statements, and in hundreds of cases, it’s for worse. Many applicants simply recite their extracurricular activities or fall back on uninspired chestnuts such as, “I want to go to UW-Madison because I really love the Badgers.” Some don’t even bother writing one at all.
“To me, that says that they’re just not serious about coming here,” says St. Arnauld. “We really rely on that personal statement to get a better sense of where the applicant is coming from and where they are going.”
Sure, a Hemingwayesque personal statement won’t make up for major deficiencies in other parts of an application, but it’s curious that so many students squander a golden opportunity to market themselves. Especially in cases where students have holes in their applications that might leave a counselor wondering — such as a dip in grades due to an illness — a personal statement is a chance to say, “Let me explain ...”
MYTH: It pays to apply early.
In terms of affecting the odds of admission, no. Being the first application in the door may save some headaches, but it makes no difference in the decision.
“To me, that says that they’re just not serious about coming here,” says St. Arnauld. “We really rely on that personal statement to get a better sense of where the applicant is coming from and where they are going.”
Sure, a Hemingwayesque personal statement won’t make up for major deficiencies in other parts of an application, but it’s curious that so many students squander a golden opportunity to market themselves. Especially in cases where students have holes in their applications that might leave a counselor wondering — such as a dip in grades due to an illness — a personal statement is a chance to say, “Let me explain ...”
MYTH: It pays to apply early.
In terms of affecting the odds of admission, no. Being the first application in the door may save some headaches, but it makes no difference in the decision.
UW-Madison uses a rolling-decision system, which means that it reviews applications as soon as they are complete, rather than lumping them all into one or two evaluation periods. Students who complete their applications during the filing period — typically September 15 through February 1 — usually receive decisions within four to six weeks, and the admissions office guarantees that they’re no more likely to be admitted or denied whether they file early or late in that window.
But what if the freshman class fills up early? This is why the university postpones decisions for some students. Counselors are somewhat conservative in admitting students in the rolling period, helping to avoid filling the class prematurely. Postponed applications are reconsidered once the deadline has passed and admissions officials have a better sense of how many more students they can admit.
MYTH: Minority students get in with lower grades than some white students who are rejected.
As noted above, this can be true, and it’s one of the most controversial aspects of UW-Madison’s admissions policies. To foster campus diversity, the university does give some preference to qualified students in targeted minority groups, and, as a result, students who are African-American, Latino, Native American, or Southeast Asian do sometimes get in with the same academic numbers as a white student who is postponed or denied.
But what if the freshman class fills up early? This is why the university postpones decisions for some students. Counselors are somewhat conservative in admitting students in the rolling period, helping to avoid filling the class prematurely. Postponed applications are reconsidered once the deadline has passed and admissions officials have a better sense of how many more students they can admit.
MYTH: Minority students get in with lower grades than some white students who are rejected.
As noted above, this can be true, and it’s one of the most controversial aspects of UW-Madison’s admissions policies. To foster campus diversity, the university does give some preference to qualified students in targeted minority groups, and, as a result, students who are African-American, Latino, Native American, or Southeast Asian do sometimes get in with the same academic numbers as a white student who is postponed or denied.
That doesn’t mean those students aren’t qualified to attend UW-Madison. The vast majority of students who apply these days are: they’ve demonstrated a capacity to handle the curriculum and would likely do just fine as UW students. There just isn’t room for them all, and so each year, a lot of otherwise deserving students aren’t admitted. What university officials don’t like is the suggestion that academic numbers should be the only factor in selecting which of those qualified applicants to enroll.
UW-Madison operates under the principle that students learn most when they’re surrounded by a diverse group of peers who can challenge their presumptions and offer unique perspectives. When forced to choose among a bunch of qualified applicants, the university’s admissions policies do give an edge to students who could add something unique to the educational environment.
“A student’s race is never, on its own, a deciding factor,” says Provost Farrell. “But if we can build more diversity into our student population, we want to do that, because we think it provides a better quality education for all the students here.”
UW-Madison operates under the principle that students learn most when they’re surrounded by a diverse group of peers who can challenge their presumptions and offer unique perspectives. When forced to choose among a bunch of qualified applicants, the university’s admissions policies do give an edge to students who could add something unique to the educational environment.
“A student’s race is never, on its own, a deciding factor,” says Provost Farrell. “But if we can build more diversity into our student population, we want to do that, because we think it provides a better quality education for all the students here.”
The use of race in admissions, however, is a deeply divisive practice that faces a cloudy legal future. Opponents claim racial preferences are counterproductive and inherently unfair, and voters in Michigan, California, and Washington have approved ballot initiatives banning their use in state institutions. In fall 2006, Wisconsin lawmakers created a special legislative committee to study the issue, and the group has sought input from Ward Connerly, a vocal critic of affirmative action who helped mobilize public opposition in California and Michigan. In July 2007, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued an informal legal opinion that an admissions policy can use race as one of many factors when assessing an individual application for freshman admission.
At the same time, university officials are hearing warnings from businesses that increasingly value multicultural fluency in their employees. “When we talk to employers about what skills they want to see in our graduates, the ability to work with people from different backgrounds is very high on their list, sometimes even higher than some of the technical and academic skills that we spend a great deal of time and energy having students learn here,” says Farrell. “Our students need to be prepared for that, and I think we would be enormously handicapping their future if we can’t provide that kind of experience for them.”
At the same time, university officials are hearing warnings from businesses that increasingly value multicultural fluency in their employees. “When we talk to employers about what skills they want to see in our graduates, the ability to work with people from different backgrounds is very high on their list, sometimes even higher than some of the technical and academic skills that we spend a great deal of time and energy having students learn here,” says Farrell. “Our students need to be prepared for that, and I think we would be enormously handicapping their future if we can’t provide that kind of experience for them.”
MYTH: UW-Madison caps the number of students who can be admitted from one high school.
There is no shred of truth to this rumor, which stubbornly persists in some of the UW’s largest feeder schools. It’s so widely believed that Reason was asked by the UW Board of Regents to defend the policy at a meeting last year. “It’s just absolutely false,” he says. “Why would we do something like that?”
For one thing, UW-Madison’s rolling-decision setup would make quotas logistically difficult. If the university could admit only fifty students from, say, Madison’s West High School (often the top high school in terms of the number of students who apply to UW-Madison), what might happen if it hit that mark in November? Anyone applying after that date — even the school’s top scholars — would have to be turned down.
As it is, 110 of the 184 students who applied from Madison West in 2007 were admitted, a 60 percent acceptance rate that exceeded the overall average by four percentage points.
MYTH: Back in the day, UW-Madison let everybody in.
There is no shred of truth to this rumor, which stubbornly persists in some of the UW’s largest feeder schools. It’s so widely believed that Reason was asked by the UW Board of Regents to defend the policy at a meeting last year. “It’s just absolutely false,” he says. “Why would we do something like that?”
For one thing, UW-Madison’s rolling-decision setup would make quotas logistically difficult. If the university could admit only fifty students from, say, Madison’s West High School (often the top high school in terms of the number of students who apply to UW-Madison), what might happen if it hit that mark in November? Anyone applying after that date — even the school’s top scholars — would have to be turned down.
As it is, 110 of the 184 students who applied from Madison West in 2007 were admitted, a 60 percent acceptance rate that exceeded the overall average by four percentage points.
MYTH: Back in the day, UW-Madison let everybody in.
Well, not quite. Up until the mid-1980s, UW-Madison did guarantee admission for Wisconsin students who graduated in the top half of their high school classes. That’s certainly not the case anymore — nor, really, should it be.
Looser admissions policies had a deleterious effect on the university and its students. During the 1980s, undergraduate enrollment ballooned to nearly 31,000, and by fall 1985, there were 6,815 freshmen on campus. Students had a hard time finding space in desired courses, and many had to delay graduation to finish up requirements. “We had a lot of complaints from students, parents, and legislators,” says Farrell. “For many students, it was not the quality of educational experience we’re capable of providing. The numbers were not well controlled, and we’re not anxious to repeat that.”
A state legislative audit in 1986 recommended trimming enrollment across the UW System by about seven thousand students, ushering in the modern age of enrollment management. UW-Madison, in fact, now has a Division of Enrollment Management, which includes the offices of Admissions, Student Financial Services, the Registrar, and Integrated Student Information Services. “Having these four key units working together makes it possible for us to make enrollment decisions within the context of how they will impact the whole university, not just the freshman class,” says Joanne Berg MBA’01, vice provost for enrollment management.
Looser admissions policies had a deleterious effect on the university and its students. During the 1980s, undergraduate enrollment ballooned to nearly 31,000, and by fall 1985, there were 6,815 freshmen on campus. Students had a hard time finding space in desired courses, and many had to delay graduation to finish up requirements. “We had a lot of complaints from students, parents, and legislators,” says Farrell. “For many students, it was not the quality of educational experience we’re capable of providing. The numbers were not well controlled, and we’re not anxious to repeat that.”
A state legislative audit in 1986 recommended trimming enrollment across the UW System by about seven thousand students, ushering in the modern age of enrollment management. UW-Madison, in fact, now has a Division of Enrollment Management, which includes the offices of Admissions, Student Financial Services, the Registrar, and Integrated Student Information Services. “Having these four key units working together makes it possible for us to make enrollment decisions within the context of how they will impact the whole university, not just the freshman class,” says Joanne Berg MBA’01, vice provost for enrollment management.
UW System campuses now set enrollment targets based on how many students they can serve without diminishing the quality of their education; for UW-Madison, that means scaling back undergraduate enrollment to around twenty-eight thousand. By doing so, the university also rids itself of some of the obstacles undergraduates used to face in completing their degrees. More students have been able to graduate on time, allowing the university to nudge up the size of the freshman class, from around 4,600 in the early 1990s to approximately 5,600 this year.
“It makes this a very efficient place,” says Reason. “Because the nature of students here is so highly qualified, we graduate at a very high rate. The net result of that is that more students are able to come.”
MYTH: Applicants from outside Wisconsin are taking up spots that could go to state residents.
“It makes this a very efficient place,” says Reason. “Because the nature of students here is so highly qualified, we graduate at a very high rate. The net result of that is that more students are able to come.”
MYTH: Applicants from outside Wisconsin are taking up spots that could go to state residents.
Maybe, but it’s a simplistic answer to a complicated question. UW-Madison seeks to enroll students from outside Wisconsin for three main reasons: one, it creates a diverse student body that enriches the college experience; two, it brings bright young people to Wisconsin, and oftentimes, they stick around and make meaningful contributions to the state; and three, non-residents pay higher tuition rates that help defray the costs for in-state students. (At press time, it was estimated that in-state students would pay $7,188 in tuition for 2007-08, about half the actual cost of education at UW-Madison. Non-residents would pay $21,438.)
Before each new admissions cycle, UW-Madison’s leaders weigh those factors and make a strategic decision about how many out-of-state students to enroll. A Board of Regents policy limits the university to having no more than 25 percent of its undergraduate enrollment come from out of state (except for Minnesota students, who are counted as residents under a reciprocity agreement between the two states), but in recent years, UW-Madison has been a couple of ticks below that cap. As of fall 2006, 22.8 percent of undergraduates were classified as non-residents; 66.7 percent were Wisconsin residents, and 10.6 percent hailed from Minnesota. However, because out-of-state students typically graduate more quickly than in-state students, the percentage of non-residents in the freshman class is sometimes higher. Of the 5,643 students who enrolled as freshmen in fall 2006, 1,634, or
29 percent, were non-residents.
Before each new admissions cycle, UW-Madison’s leaders weigh those factors and make a strategic decision about how many out-of-state students to enroll. A Board of Regents policy limits the university to having no more than 25 percent of its undergraduate enrollment come from out of state (except for Minnesota students, who are counted as residents under a reciprocity agreement between the two states), but in recent years, UW-Madison has been a couple of ticks below that cap. As of fall 2006, 22.8 percent of undergraduates were classified as non-residents; 66.7 percent were Wisconsin residents, and 10.6 percent hailed from Minnesota. However, because out-of-state students typically graduate more quickly than in-state students, the percentage of non-residents in the freshman class is sometimes higher. Of the 5,643 students who enrolled as freshmen in fall 2006, 1,634, or
29 percent, were non-residents.
Whether those students are getting in at the expense of more-deserving Wisconsin residents is debatable. On one hand, students from out of state don’t appear to have some of the academic credentials of their in-state peers. Among new freshmen in 2007, Wisconsin students came in with better average high-school GPAs (3.79 to 3.53) and higher average class ranks (90.9 to 86.2) than non-residents, although lower average ACT scores (27.9 to 28.2). On the other hand, such comparisons can be misleading. More than half of out-of-state students attended high schools that do not compute class rank, for instance, and grading standards vary widely from school to school. The fact that out-of-state students graduate more quickly suggests that they are competitive with in-state students, says Farrell.
“There’s no benefit to us to admit out-of-state students who are not every bit as well qualified as in-state students, or conversely,” he says. “We want to admit excellent students from both groups, because our faculty count on that kind of preparation. We can’t afford to have different standards and expect that to be accommodated in the way we teach our courses.”
It’s also not the case that UW-Madison has suddenly become inaccessible to Wisconsin students. In 1987, the university enrolled about 5.5 percent of the state’s high school graduating class, and that number has wandered little during the past two decades: the most recent figure, for the class of 2007, was 5.1 percent.
“There’s no benefit to us to admit out-of-state students who are not every bit as well qualified as in-state students, or conversely,” he says. “We want to admit excellent students from both groups, because our faculty count on that kind of preparation. We can’t afford to have different standards and expect that to be accommodated in the way we teach our courses.”
It’s also not the case that UW-Madison has suddenly become inaccessible to Wisconsin students. In 1987, the university enrolled about 5.5 percent of the state’s high school graduating class, and that number has wandered little during the past two decades: the most recent figure, for the class of 2007, was 5.1 percent.
MYTH: Connections with important people can get you in.
This may be the case in some admissions offices, but UW-Madison’s is famously immune.
In an age when both public and private universities are more dependent on individual philanthropy, a decision to admit can become a valuable commodity, for which wealthy donors might offer, or threaten to withhold, millions of dollars. In his 2006 book The Price of Admission, which documents the eroding wall between the admissions and fundraising functions at America’s elite universities, journalist Daniel Golden argues this game of quid pro quo is “increasingly tainting college admissions, undermining both its credibility and value to American democracy.”
At UW-Madison, however, the wall appears intact. Numerous university officials in both admissions and fundraising told us that admissions decisions are sacrosanct from outside influence.
This may be the case in some admissions offices, but UW-Madison’s is famously immune.
In an age when both public and private universities are more dependent on individual philanthropy, a decision to admit can become a valuable commodity, for which wealthy donors might offer, or threaten to withhold, millions of dollars. In his 2006 book The Price of Admission, which documents the eroding wall between the admissions and fundraising functions at America’s elite universities, journalist Daniel Golden argues this game of quid pro quo is “increasingly tainting college admissions, undermining both its credibility and value to American democracy.”
At UW-Madison, however, the wall appears intact. Numerous university officials in both admissions and fundraising told us that admissions decisions are sacrosanct from outside influence.
“It’s a source of pride at the UW that you can’t buy your way in,” says Walt Keough ’69, MBA’78, a vice president at the UW Foundation. Keough says he will contact the admissions office on behalf of a donor to check an application’s status or make sure it is complete. “We try to make the process more personal for them,” he says. “We are very concerned that our donors know that we appreciate them, but at the same time, we’re clear with them that appreciation can’t extend to admissions decisions.”
All of the admissions counselors we talked to confirmed that they feel free to render decisions without outside influence. Many say they have encountered letters of recommendation from prominent politicians, business leaders, and other recognizable names in application files, but they insist those applicants aren’t treated any differently as a result.
“I got a recommendation letter from Dustin Hoffman once,” says counselor St. Arnauld. “I was very excited when I got it. But it didn’t get [the applicant] in. She was postponed.”
“Not a whole lot impresses us,” adds assistant director Olson recruitment. “The whole influence factor just isn’t really a value of the state of Wisconsin, and I think we walk the walk of that every day.”
MYTH: My son or daughter isn’t emotionally ready to be turned down by the university.
All of the admissions counselors we talked to confirmed that they feel free to render decisions without outside influence. Many say they have encountered letters of recommendation from prominent politicians, business leaders, and other recognizable names in application files, but they insist those applicants aren’t treated any differently as a result.
“I got a recommendation letter from Dustin Hoffman once,” says counselor St. Arnauld. “I was very excited when I got it. But it didn’t get [the applicant] in. She was postponed.”
“Not a whole lot impresses us,” adds assistant director Olson recruitment. “The whole influence factor just isn’t really a value of the state of Wisconsin, and I think we walk the walk of that every day.”
MYTH: My son or daughter isn’t emotionally ready to be turned down by the university.
Actually, most are. It’s the parents who seem to have the most trouble with it. Admissions counselors say most complaints they receive after a denial come from parents, not from students. “It speaks volumes when a parent is writing an appeal letter, rather than a student,” says St. Arnauld. “It says to me that the student has accepted it and moved on, but the parent hasn’t.”
Although college admission has grown increasingly competitive — as reported repeatedly in the media — denials still genuinely shock some parents, who may have seen older children, or perhaps themselves, get admitted with lesser qualifications. “We hear from a lot of people who just can’t believe it,” says Seltzer. “They’re alumni, and they expected their kids to come here. You can understand their disappointment.”
At the same time, he says, parents could avoid the letdown by understanding the reality that UW-Madison’s expectations have changed — and likely will continue to do so. He says his office now attempts to reach out to students as early as the ninth grade to explain the standards they’ll need to reach during high school if they want to be admitted.
“If you wait until senior year to call me, at that point, there’s not much I can do,” says Seltzer. “I’m just explaining the ‘no.’ ”
Counselors say the appropriate role for parents is to stay in the background, informed about what’s happening, but never in the driver’s seat of the process. “Most of the parents I hear from are not in a good place to support their kids,” says Olson. “Instead of being a cheerleader on the sidelines, it’s like it’s their application. Some of them are completely out of control.”
And that brings us to this ...
Although college admission has grown increasingly competitive — as reported repeatedly in the media — denials still genuinely shock some parents, who may have seen older children, or perhaps themselves, get admitted with lesser qualifications. “We hear from a lot of people who just can’t believe it,” says Seltzer. “They’re alumni, and they expected their kids to come here. You can understand their disappointment.”
At the same time, he says, parents could avoid the letdown by understanding the reality that UW-Madison’s expectations have changed — and likely will continue to do so. He says his office now attempts to reach out to students as early as the ninth grade to explain the standards they’ll need to reach during high school if they want to be admitted.
“If you wait until senior year to call me, at that point, there’s not much I can do,” says Seltzer. “I’m just explaining the ‘no.’ ”
Counselors say the appropriate role for parents is to stay in the background, informed about what’s happening, but never in the driver’s seat of the process. “Most of the parents I hear from are not in a good place to support their kids,” says Olson. “Instead of being a cheerleader on the sidelines, it’s like it’s their application. Some of them are completely out of control.”
And that brings us to this ...
MYTH: It’s a perfect system.
College admission is ultimately a human process, and humans are prone to the fallibility that defines us. No one gets it right all the time.
In 1965, a scrawny California kid with a C average in high school applied to the prestigious film program at the University of California at Los Angeles. He was rejected, and so he went to California State at Long Beach. Later, he tried to transfer into another top-shelf department, the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Again, he was denied, and so Steven Spielberg had to make do with his second-rate education.
There are plenty of cases like Spielberg’s — smart, tough, ambitious students who are bound for glory despite less than stellar credentials. Yet students, parents, and, in many cases, universities themselves persist in believing that admission to the best college represents a sink-or-swim moment in a teenager’s life. This single decision is inevitably defined in terms of winning and losing, with social status and a ticket to the academic promised land going to those who get into their top-choice schools, and with humiliation and an overwhelming sense of failure to those who don’t.
“People who get that [rejection] letter from us view it as a comment on a student’s quality, on his or her history, and on the likelihood of future success,” says Provost Farrell. “It’s none of those.”
That admissions decisions often swing on the narrowest of margins should temper those feelings of failure, but ultimately, behind each application that lands at UW-Madison’s door is one face and one hope — and one decision that really matters.
But the final lowdown about UW-Madison’s admissions process comes down to this: demand exceeds supply, so admissions counselors have to make tough calls about which students get in. And they do so every day, using the best tools they have: numbers, words, instinct, and experience.
College admission is ultimately a human process, and humans are prone to the fallibility that defines us. No one gets it right all the time.
In 1965, a scrawny California kid with a C average in high school applied to the prestigious film program at the University of California at Los Angeles. He was rejected, and so he went to California State at Long Beach. Later, he tried to transfer into another top-shelf department, the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Again, he was denied, and so Steven Spielberg had to make do with his second-rate education.
There are plenty of cases like Spielberg’s — smart, tough, ambitious students who are bound for glory despite less than stellar credentials. Yet students, parents, and, in many cases, universities themselves persist in believing that admission to the best college represents a sink-or-swim moment in a teenager’s life. This single decision is inevitably defined in terms of winning and losing, with social status and a ticket to the academic promised land going to those who get into their top-choice schools, and with humiliation and an overwhelming sense of failure to those who don’t.
“People who get that [rejection] letter from us view it as a comment on a student’s quality, on his or her history, and on the likelihood of future success,” says Provost Farrell. “It’s none of those.”
That admissions decisions often swing on the narrowest of margins should temper those feelings of failure, but ultimately, behind each application that lands at UW-Madison’s door is one face and one hope — and one decision that really matters.
But the final lowdown about UW-Madison’s admissions process comes down to this: demand exceeds supply, so admissions counselors have to make tough calls about which students get in. And they do so every day, using the best tools they have: numbers, words, instinct, and experience.
