This past Tuesday marked the regular decision deadline for applicants to Washington University’s next freshman class.
“We already have a large and strong applicant pool,” said Chancellor Mark Wrighton.
While the data for the entering class of 2007 has not yet been released, Undergraduate Admissions received 22,251 applications for the class entering in the fall of 2006.
Current freshmen have noticed the various ways in which the college application process has changed in the past few years due to greater competition. The deadline reminds current University freshmen of their experiences applying to college.
Freshman Harry Hartfield, who attended a medium sized high school in a small suburban town in New York, said he remembers an end-of-the-year tradition in his high school. Although it was a public school, Hartfield said that college placement mattered greatly.
“We used to have a ‘wall of shame’ where you put your rejection letters up,” said Hartfield. “Only the brave people do it. It dwindles every year because a few people chicken out.”
Hartfield added that he remembers the results of all of the applications’ results.
“Every name and the college the person’s attending are in the school and town newspaper. I can still tell you where every single person in my class went to college,” he said.
Freshman Nicole Salzman also said she remembers the gravity placed by parents and teachers on attending well-known elite schools.
“There was an emphasis on going to the Ivy League schools in my neighborhood,” said Salzman. “Our teachers started talking about colleges first thing in freshman year, so it kind of put the pressure on in the beginning.”
Salzman cited her high school’s tradition of placing students’ photos under the name of the college they will attend on the wall as another source of pressure.
For Isabelle Heye, a freshmen from California who attended an economically diverse public school, college attendance mattered more than college choice.
“In my town, it was a big deal for some families if the student just got into college, because often it was the first time for someone in that family,” said Heye.
Heye recalls how difficult it was for many students to attend elite and expensive colleges.
“Our guidance counselors spent a lot of time stressing financial aid,” she said. “It was a big issue. I had many friends who couldn’t go to certain schools because they couldn’t afford it.”
Salzman remembers similar financial issues at her high school.
“I had a friend who didn’t fall into the category of full financial aid here, so he didn’t end up coming to Wash. U.,” she said.
Salzman noted that her state school, the University of Florida, had once been the backup school for most of its in-state students.
“Because there are so many more applicants, you really can’t count on that anymore,” she said. “Now there is stress that you can’t even get into your state school.”
Salzman also noted the Common Application as another drawback of the application process because it easily allows students to apply to multiple schools without researching their possible caveats, such as high tuition.
“It’s a disadvantage for people who can’t pay for all the schools they applied to,” she said. “I think it is much better to have a specific application for each school.”
But Hartfield sees the Common Application’s advantages.
“I think the Common App helps everyone,” he said. “Colleges get more applications that way and can reject more students to boast a lower acceptance rate,” said Hartfield.
Despite its high tuition cost, Heye and Salzman agree that the opportunities offered by the University’s close-nit community outweigh its financial drawbacks.
“I really enjoy that the classes are small here,” said Salzman. “Your professors really know you well. You get learning opportunities that you wouldn’t get at a huge state school. I’ve had chances where I have been challenged in ways that I wouldn’t have in big lecture settings.”