Not all colleges had more early applications. Yale saw an 18 percent decrease in Early Action applications, which is probably because Harvard offered an Early Action option this year, and these schools don’t allow students to apply early to other colleges.  The new Harvard early option probably also accounts for modest decreases in Early Decision applications at Columbia and University of Pennsylvania.  But all of these schools may see increases in Regular Decision applications.  Students need to submit their strongest applications.

That’s why it’s important to keep working throughout this month.  Getting a rejection in mid-December can be a crushing disappointment, and it is very hard to recover from that emotional blow and do your best work on seven other applications when you have just two weeks till the early January deadlines.  While it may be difficult to push yourself to work on applications now while you’re waiting to get into your favorite college, it will be much harder after a rejection.  If you have finished your other applications and you are denied or deferred by your early school, you will be very relieved that your applications are ready to submit.  Best case scenario is that you are accepted at your early school, and in that case you will be so excited that you won’t care about the unnecessary work you did on other applications.

Students who did not submit early applications really have no reason to wait, and if they haven’t completed an application yet, it’s especially important to get started.  In addition to writing essays, you need to complete the activities/community service/work experience section, and you want to write those descriptions concisely and accurately.  Admissions officers appreciate an application that is clear and easy to read.  Print out the application so you can proofread it.  You may find that some of your activity descriptions are cut off, requiring you to rewrite them.  All of this takes time.  Add the stress of rushing to finish seven supplements in the last few days and you are more likely to make mistakes.  You also risk your computer or the server crashing, or a winter storm that knocks out your electricity right before the application deadline.  

Once you submit the Common Application to one school, you cannot make changes to that application.  If you applied Early Decision/Early Action and now want update your awards, activities or test scores, or would like to tailor your application to one college, you can create an alternate version.  After you log in, go to the Instructions page and scroll down to “Application Versions” for step by step instructions.  The alternate version will have all the information from your first version and you can edit as you wish.  However, any documents you uploaded will not transfer to the alternate version, so be sure to upload your essay to the alternate version.

Remember that with the Common Application you need to submit the application, supplement and payment separately.  Students sometimes think that once they submit payment, the application automatically follows.  Since it can take up to 48 hours for your payment to be processed, waiting until the day of a deadline means your application might not be submitted in time.  Check the My Colleges page to confirm that your applications have been submitted.  You can also see if your counselor and teacher have submitted their forms.

If you have questions as you’re working on the Common Application, the “Help” button at the top of the Common Application will take you to the Applicant Support Center.  If you don’t find the answer to your question there, you can contact technical support.

When you look at the numbers, it seems like we’re in for another very tough year. Some highly selective private schools have been reporting significant increases in applications.

Applications are up 15% at Harvard, and the admit rate will likely fall from last year’s record 6.9% to a new low of 6%. Yale is also having another record year, with applications up 5% over last year.

With more than 30,000 applications, Northwestern is up 11% this year, but what’s even more daunting is the fact that this is double the number of applications the school received just five years ago.

My alma mater, University of Pennsylvania, has also crossed the 30,000 mark this year, with applications up 14% over last year.

New York City remains a popular destination. Columbia’s applications are up a whopping 32% this year. Applications increased more than 11% at NYU.

But rural New Hampshire is also drawing students. Dartmouth’s applications are up 16% this year, and California is now the most represented state.

Duke is up 10% over last year, and the school’s applications have risen 50% in the last three years.

In California, applications are up almost 7% at Stanford and more than 6% at USC.

The increases are not limited to the most elite schools or to schools of a particular size. Applications are up more than 13% at Northeastern University, perhaps in part because students concerned about job prospects after college appreciate the school’s co-op program, which provides work experience that enhances resumes.  

American University’s new test optional program may have contributed to the 10% increase in applications at that school.

Some small liberal arts colleges saw big gains, including a 22% increase in applications at Colby and a 28% increase at Dickinson.

Of course, not every school received more applications this year. Tulane’s applications are down 13%. Colgate and Cornell had small decreases in applications.

And since much of the increase in applications can be attributed to anxious students applying to more schools, colleges may end up accepting additional students from waitlists when students who have multiple acceptances choose other schools.

On the public side, despite concerns about budget cuts impacting the quality of education at public colleges in California, the University of California has received 6% more applications this year, with some campuses reporting double-digit gains. Freshman applications are up 11% at San Diego, close to 8% at UCLA, 6% at Davis, and roughly 5 percent at Berkeley and Santa Barbara. Irvine and Santa Cruz had more modest increases in freshman applications. With continuing budget problems, UC won’t be able to admit larger freshman classes this year, so competition for admission will be intense.

Much of the increase at UC was driven by applications from high school students outside of California. Applications from in-state students were up 3.6 percent over last year. Freshman applications from international students were up by almost 23 percent over last year, and out-of-state freshman applications climbed nearly 11 percent. These numbers are in response to a new push by UC to recruit nonresident students, who pay much higher tuition.

The good news is that while there may be more competition for students applying to UC, public universities in other states that are also experiencing budget problems are recruiting out of state students as well, creating opportunities around the country. Honors programs at some public universities can offer the small classes, personal attention and sense of community of a small, liberal arts college. Many of these schools offer merit scholarships to out of state students, which can bring the cost down considerably. Some schools lock in tuition for four years, so families can plan on relatively stable costs, though room and board will still go up each year.

So when April comes around, and you read about the record low acceptance rates at colleges, don’t panic. As the admissions officers at yesterday’s meeting made clear, there are many great schools that remain accessible and affordable.

Schools that offer the binding early decision plan also saw substantial increases in applications. University of Pennsylvania had an 18 percent increase in early decision applications this year, and the admit rate dropped from 31 to 26 percent. Duke received 13 percent more early decision applications. Northwestern had a whopping 26 percent increase and Vanderbilt’s early decision applications were up more than 30 percent. While these elite schools promise to meet full financial need, even schools that do not guarantee to meet full need, like Brandeis and George Washington, received more early decision applications. But not all early decision schools saw their numbers go up. Brown and Cornell had small decreases in their early decision applications.

There are several likely reasons for the increasing popularity of early admission programs. Early action applicants can have an acceptance before winter break, which lowers stress. Early decision acceptance rates are higher at some colleges, which may fill more than a third of the freshman class early. Students who are hoping to get into the most selective schools feel pressure to apply early, even before they have thoroughly researched colleges, because they don’t want to miss out on the admissions edge they could get by applying early decision. Families see a diploma from an elite school as job insurance, and are often willing to commit to one of these expensive schools. More generous financial aid policies at the most selective schools enable needy students to apply without worrying about comparing financial aid packages. 

There are benefits for colleges too. Admissions officers lock in a healthy percentage of the freshman class and don’t risk losing top students to other colleges. They see students who apply early decision as excited about attending the college and likely to contribute to campus life.

But there are other reasons for the high ED admit rates, including the fact that the early decision applicant pool is stronger. These are the most motivated students, who often have strong transcripts and test scores as well as impressive extracurricular accomplishments. Recruited athletes are also in the early pool, and there may be a good number of legacy applicants, and both of these groups can boost acceptance rates. 

While applying ED can be helpful, it does not guarantee that you will have better prospects for admission. Sometimes it makes more sense to take the SAT or ACT one last time, earn top grades during fall semester and apply regular decision.

Juniors who want to apply early should start preparing now. That includes setting up a standardized testing schedule and earning the best possible grades this year. Winter break is a good time to think about what you want in a college and to research the schools that seem interesting. Once you have a list of schools that you would like to visit, you can plan a college tour for spring break. If you find one school that you love, you will be ready to apply early.

Four campuses – Davis, Irvine, Merced and Santa Barbara – will again guarantee admission to students who are Eligible in Local Context (ELC). Students who are in the top four percent of their class will be notified of their ELC status in the next month.

Students who want to try the SAT or ACT again can take the tests as late as December. You only need to send scores to one UC campus and they will be available to other campuses.  

Most UC campuses will use waitlists again this year to manage enrollment, though only Davis and Santa Barbara actually took students from the waitlist last year.

While students who will be applying to enter UC in 2012 (current juniors) won’t be required to submit Subject Test scores, some campuses may recommend Subject Tests for students applying to certain majors. For example, engineering schools are likely to recommend the Math 2 exam.

The average cost of attendance at UC this year is $29,450.  While this is still less than the sticker price of most private colleges, merit scholarships can reduce the difference. Families that can afford it may find that the personal attention at a small college is worth the additional expense, especially for students who thrive in a more nurturing environment.

More colleges, including Columbia University and University of Michigan, will be using the Common Application this year, making it easier to apply to those schools. This means they are likely to see increases in applications.

A number of colleges received more enrollment deposits than they expected and are likely to to exceed their enrollment goals. It may sound like a good problem for colleges, but not having enough space in classrooms and residence halls is a major headache for everyone, so those schools may be more conservative with admission offers in the next admission cycle. That always makes me more cautious and conservative in assessing a student’s prospects for admission. Check out the latest statistics for your colleges, and make sure to include at least one or two schools that are attainable and affordable.

The 2010-2011 Common Application is now available, so students who want to complete a college application before going back to school can go to www.commonapp.org and get started. Some schools already have their supplements online and others should post them in the next few weeks. Applications for schools that don’t use Common App will be available by early September. 

Make sure you register with all your colleges, so you will be notified of admission events this fall. If you won’t be able to visit a college, attending a local information session is an opportunity to learn more about the school and demonstrate your interest, which is a factor in admission decisions at many colleges.

If you are applying to more than four or five colleges with supplemental essays, it’s especially important to pace yourself. Senior year grades are used for admission decisions at many colleges, and if you are taking the kind of rigorous curriculum that admissions officers like to see, the work will pile up quickly. Once school starts, you will be very glad to have some of your college application work out of the way.

Summer melt lowers a school’s yield (the number of accepted students who enroll) and adds to the challenge of meeting enrollment goals. Too many students result in overcrowded residence halls and classrooms, and too few students mean not enough tuition dollars to meet the college’s expenses. While the most elite schools will easily fill in any gaps by admitting students from their waitlists, less selective schools may have a more difficult time meeting enrollment goals.

Applications were up at many schools this year, but the number of high school students graduating high school and applying to college was not expected to be higher this year. The increase in applications was more likely a result of students worried about the competition for admission and about their ability to pay for college. These students applied to more schools so that they would be sure to have choices and could compare financial aid and scholarship offers.

When students submit more applications, they will need to turn down a lot of admission offers, so that even though a college saw an increase in applications, it can end up with fewer incoming students. The pressure to maintain or improve their yield has led admissions staff to reach out to newly admitted students early and often to get students to make a commitment, and concern about summer melt may lead some schools to look for more ways to keep students emotionally invested in attending the school. At least one college is considering assigning roommates earlier in the summer, probably because getting incoming freshmen feeling more connected would make them less likely to change their minds about attending the college.

A number of colleges are still accepting applications. Admissions deans at these schools hope to fill their remaining slots over the coming weeks with additional freshman and transfer students. For students who were not admitted to any colleges, or who are not happy with their college choices, being able to submit additional applications means they still have options if they want to attend a four-year college this year. As of May 4^th, there were 240 four-year colleges still accepting applications for the fall 2010 term. While you won’t see any Ivies on the list, there are many fine schools that have openings. Choices range from small liberal arts colleges like Lewis and Clark to huge public universities such as University of Arizona. While financial aid may be limited at some schools, 239 colleges indicated they do still have financial aid available to students. Housing is available at 236 of the colleges. Some of the schools are open to transfer but not freshman students. The initial deadline for the Space Availability Survey was May 4^th, but waitlist activity has started, and as students shift from one college to another, some schools will be added to the list and others will disappear over the summer, so if you are looking for a college to attend this fall, be sure to check the list regularly at http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Research/SpaceAvailabiltySurvey/Pages/SpaceSurveyResults.aspx. Students who are interested in applying should contact colleges directly, as admissions offices will have the most up-to-date information about space availability and application procedures.

Efforts to increase yield and avoid summer melt are likely to continue next year. Some colleges are paying more attention to demonstrated interest as a way to gauge the likelihood that a student will enroll if admitted. If you haven’t visited a college or attended a local information session, and don’t put the effort into preparing an application that communicates a real understanding of what the school has to offer and why you would be a good match, you could find yourself waitlisted at colleges that will accept students who may have less impressive grades and test scores but who seem more likely to enroll.

That doesn’t mean you should feign interest in schools you really don’t care about. Instead, take time to research and choose your colleges carefully, so that you can prepare an authentic application for each school. Rather than applying to 15 or more colleges, limit your applications to those that you really know and are excited about. You will have a less stressful and more satisfying college application process.

Then there are the reports of this year’s admission decisions, which only add to the stress. Applications were up at many selective colleges, pushing acceptance rates at some schools to record lows.

Applications increased at all UC campuses. UCLA received 57, 578 freshman applications, and Berkeley had a record 50,312 freshman applications this year.  Harvard and Stanford saw applications increase by roughly five percent.  Both Princeton and University of Pennsylvania received over 4,000 additional applications this year, close to a 20 percent increase at each school.  Brown and University of Chicago each had increases of more than 5,000 applications.  Even a relatively modest 3 percent increase at Columbia means 750 additional students competing for admission.

You can blame California for some of the increases. The state’s ongoing budget crisis and severe funding cuts at California’s public universities have led more California students to apply to out of state schools. Anxiety about the competition for admission and the desire to compare financial aid packages and scholarship offers may also be leading students around the country to apply to more colleges.

When applications increase, acceptance rates decrease. At Penn, the admit rate dropped from 17.1 percent last year to 14.2 percent this year. Stanford admitted 7.2 percent of applicants, while Harvard’s acceptance rate dropped just under 7 percent, a record low for the school.  Georgetown had a 19 percent admit rate. University of Virginia admitted 24 percent of out-of-state applicants. Duke’s admit rate dropped from last year’s 17 percent to a new low of 15 percent.  One of the most dramatic decreases in acceptances was at University of Chicago, where 27 percent of students were admitted last year and only 18 percent this year.

The cycle seems poised to continue, as this year’s low acceptance rates will raise anxiety to even higher levels, and students will think they need to apply to more schools next year. While colleges may be able to boast of increasing selectivity, this situation really is not good for anyone. Families are more stressed, and when students apply to more colleges each year, admissions officers have a harder time predicting which students will accept an offer of admission.

Admissions officers at schools that are just below the super-selective level can find it especially difficult to distinguish serious applicants from the students who just want a “safety” school. This can lead some colleges to waitlist “stealth” applicants, those who have not had any contact with the school other than submitting an application. Admissions officers want to protect their yield, which is the number of students accepting an offer of admission. Stronger students may be waitlisted, while others with lower grades or test scores are admitted. The seeming arbitrariness of admission decisions raises anxiety for the next year’s applicants, who then think they need to apply to more colleges because they have heard stories of students with stellar academic records not being admitted to colleges they thought were safe bets.

So we have admissions officers and families worrying about numbers and taking actions that can raise anxiety levels on both sides. For students, one of the problems with applying to too many schools is that you are more likely to submit the kind of generic application that will get you waitlisted. Even if you are applying to schools that use the Common Application, you will need to write additional essays for many of the colleges. Preparing a strong application requires research, so that you can write very specifically about why you and that college are a match. Students who apply to 15 colleges rarely put that kind of effort into each application. You might believe you can do a really great job on all your applications, but most students start to feel burned out by the time they are working on their eighth or ninth application.  

This process doesn’t need to be so stressful. Juniors who have visited colleges in recent weeks should think about what they liked at each school. Beyond prestige, what is it that appealed to you at the school? If you identify the characteristics you want in a college, you can find schools of varying selectivity that have those features. Then you are ready to create a balanced list, with several highly likely, match and reach schools. The exact distribution may depend on your tolerance for rejection. Some students want to have a lot of acceptances, in part because their preferences may change by next year and they want to have options. It may also be important to compare financial aid and scholarship offers from different schools. Others only need one or two schools where they know they’ll be accepted and then they want to try for a lot of reach schools. If you choose carefully and plan on applying to somewhere between six and ten schools, you should be able to put your best effort into each application and have a successful college admission process.

Applications from California students are up 22 percent this year at University of Washington and 24 percent at Arizona State University. University of Virginia is reporting a 24 percent increase. My alma mater, University of Pennsylvania, saw a 22 percent increase in applications from California students. Nearby Swathmore received 16 percent more California applications this year, and at Colgate, applications from California students are up 15 percent.

I’m seeing this trend with my students, who have applied to more schools around the country than in previous years. Tuition may be higher than you would pay at UC or CSU, but some schools are offering generous scholarship and financial aid to lure students, and if you can be assured of graduating in four years, attending college outside of California can be a smart move.

While Yale’s applications are down (by less than one percent), applications are up 20 percent at Brown, 19 percent at Princeton, 17 percent at University of Pennsylvania, five percent at Harvard and Cornell, and four percent at Dartmouth. Stanford reports a four to five percent increase in applications. Applications are up a whopping 42 percent at University of Chicago, probably the result of more intensive recruiting as well as Chicago’s switch to the Common Application. Applications are up 15 percent at Middlebury, 10 percent at Connecticut College, six percent at Wesleyan and three percent at Williams College and George Washington University. Many public universities, including Penn State, University of Virginia and the University of California system are also seeing increases in applications.

More applications will mean lower acceptance rates. Duke’s applications are up 11 percent this year, and its acceptance rate will likely fall from 18 percent last year to 15 percent this year. Johns Hopkins has received 13 percent more applications and since the University was overenrolled last year and will be more cautious this year, the acceptance rate will probably fall from last year’s 27 percent to 17 or 18 percent. George Washington University also had a higher than expected yield last year, and with a three percent increase in applications this year, the acceptance rate is likely to fall there as well.

There are a number of explanations for the increases in applications. Students who are anxious about admission prospects or want to compare financial aid and scholarship offers are applying to more colleges. Concern about the budget cuts at California’s public universities is contributing to the rise in applications around the country. UC is currently overenrolled by 15,000 students, meaning the system gets no funding for those students. Last year, UC reduced freshman admission by 2,300 across all campuses and another 1,500 slots will be cut this year. The CSU system is reducing enrollment by 40,000 over two years. Private colleges and many public universities in other states have received more applications from California students this year.

Some of the increase in applications can be attributed to more aggressive recruiting, as college enrollment managers worry about filling seats in a still struggling economy. Public universities that are getting less state funding are seeking more out of state students, who pay much higher tuition. All schools are recruiting more international students, who do not qualify for federal financial aid and generally pay full fare.

Applications from out of state students are up at many University of California campuses, so despite the severe budget problems, the perception of a quality education and the allure of warm, sunny weather is still drawing students to the West Coast. Students from New Jersey may have a better chance of being admitted to Berkeley this year, but getting admitted is only the first hurdle. Cuts in course offerings have made it difficult for students at California’s public institutions to get the classes they need, and staff furloughs are impacting student services.

It’s not just public institutions that are suffering a loss of revenue in this economy. Charitable contributions to colleges were down 12 percent in 2009. Alumni giving rates fell to 10 percent. All colleges have been affected, and have had to find ways to cut expenses. Even wealthy institutions have put plans for new buildings on hold, cut programs and laid off staff. Financial aid is the last thing anyone wants to cut, and many schools are increasing their financial aid budgets. But last week, Williams College, one of the elite schools that had implemented a no-loan financial aid policy several years ago, announced it will go back to including loans in financial aid packages beginning with students applying next year. I would not be surprised to hear similar news from other colleges.

But the news isn’t all bad. While public institutions are forced to cut enrollment when they have budget cuts, private colleges that don’t have big endowments depend on tuition, and must maintain their enrollment or add students to ensure sufficient revenue to fund their budgets. At colleges that are not super-selective, enrollment managers are concerned about filling seats, and that means students who would not have been admitted two years ago have much better prospects this year, especially if they don’t qualify for financial aid.

The other good news for students who don’t need financial aid is that merit scholarships are still going strong. Two of my students have already been awarded $25,000 a year, and many others have received awards in the $10,000 to $15,000 a year range. Private schools need to be competitive with public institutions, and by offering scholarships to students who will still pay more tuition than students with huge financial need, they draw students whose families are able to pay a little more for the benefits of a private college experience. In a still shaky economy, merit scholarships are more appealing than ever. Even California parents who attended public institutions and thought their children were headed for UC or CSU are now worried about the quality of education at our public universities, and the ability of students to graduate from these schools in four years, and many of them are now see merit scholarships as a way to make a private college education affordable.

Of course, a scholarship isn’t a reason to choose a school that doesn’t meet your needs, but with careful planning, students can find schools that are both good matches and affordable.