In today's world, the word "competitive" is not just a characteristic one may possess, it is a lifestyle. More and more recently, being a smart, well-rounded high school student is often not enough to get into their college of choice. All of this hype revolves around parental hopes that their child will have a better shot at getting into their most coveted school, a once manageable goal that is becoming increasingly difficult.
Boston College is one such desired institution for many high school students across the country. Due to this, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of applications BC has received. In 2003, the University received 22,500 applications. Five years later, the University Admissions Office has received 11,000 more applications and has only admitted roughly 7,000 students each year. This makes the stakes higher than ever.
This trend, however, is not BC specific. Other leading universities such as Harvard, the University of Chicago, and Northeastern have also reported that they had received more applications this year than in previous years, only making it that much more difficult for top students to attend the university of their choice.
This ongoing trend of increased disappointment in those students who had their hearts set on a certain institution, has been said to have several causes. The rigorous recruiting of the top universities and the advent of the online application are two such theories.
The much more general explanation is that more students are applying to colleges than there were in their parents' generation; a college education has increased in importance throughout the years. This trend was partly responsible for Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Virginia's decisions to forgo their early action policies.
Because of this exponential growth in applicants, these universities have to deny admission to thousands of qualified students.
Allison DeMaio, A&S '09, is one such case. After applying to Georgetown and being rejected, she had to choose between Marquette and BC. "It was a hard decision between BC and Marquette because it was the difference between staying in my comfort zone and going to a place all my friends were and going far away from everything I knew," she says.
Her denial from Georgetown, although perhaps not too much of a surprise because of the reputation of the School of Foreign Service, was still heartbreaking.
For a student who is well-qualified, DeMaio received the short end of the stick. She admits that the fact that more students are applying to college was a decisive factor in why she is now an Eagle instead of a Hoya.
"I just wasn't that top-tier candidate they were looking for, and I really didn't stand out too much despite good grades and lots of involvement in high school," she says.
Although DeMaio never reapplied, she insists that she can always go there eventually. "I figure that if I really want to go there, there is always grad school, which will probably happen at some point," she says.
Likewise, DeMaio knows people that she thinks were shortchanged by BC. "I remember thinking that people from my high school should have gotten in. My best friend Maura didn't get in, but she got into Georgetown and was a National Merit Finalist."
Some students, unlike DeMaio, do choose to reapply or get in off the waiting list. In the case of BC, the University Admissions Office will accept roughly 100 transfer students each year. Although their academic credentials vary - some transfer after freshman year, others later in their academic experience, most of these students enter in the fall semester; a lesser percentage choose to enroll in the spring.
BC's Committee on Transfer Admission helps the process; the members review each of the transfer applications individually. Although focus is placed upon the college records, SAT or ACT scores, high school record, essays, recommendations, activities, and work experience are factors that are also considered. It is a selective process and each student's application is weighed carefully.
The greater the period of time a student has been away from high school, the greater emphasis is placed on performance and experiences since high school. If they did not get in when they applied as a senior in high school, and have chosen to reapply, the University Admissions Office assumes that they have tried to improve their standing since their last attempt for admission.
Many of the students who have transferred to BC have admitted that although it is a difficult process, the University has a very strong sense of community, which is helpful and reassuring. BC is well aware of the fact that transfer students feel like freshmen, and therefore try to be accommodating.
The transfer population at BC is slim and it is easy to feel left out. Their early experiences here parallel the freshman experience.
Jason Fiddler, A&S '09, admits that transferring can be a hassle. "I had a weird situation transferring, in which I tried to transfer for the fall semester my sophomore year, but they didn't accept me but told me they could guarantee me admission for the following semester [spring '07].
"The first few weeks here at BC were tough. Being a transfer, you're being thrown into a whole new place again, just like at the beginning of freshman year, except this time you're not around a bunch of kids in the same situation as you are."
Whether, like DeMaio, a student does not get into their college of choice but chooses to stay, or like Fiddler, chooses to transfer, the increase in college applications has caused in many students to be hesitant when applying to colleges.
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