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Post by alum on Dec 11, 2020 11:50:16 GMT -5
I would be interested in learning how applications at HC and other schools are going for the class to enter in 2021. See this article from the Connecticut Mirror indicating that the percentage of students who have filled out a FAFSA has fallen precipitously. ctmirror.org/2020/12/11/college-financial-aid-applications-down-16-this-school-year/Presumably, if they are slow to fill out the FAFSA, kids will be slow to apply to colleges as well. Hopefully this is just a blip and will pick up as the future becomes clearer. might one of the factors in the FAFSA process be that it would be based on the 2019 tax return?And by taking a gap year, the possibly lower income 2020 tax year would be used? That might be a good strategy for families that have taken a financial hit. In addition, they will hopefully have time to dig out of a hole. I hate this damn pandemic and what it has done to so many great families.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Mar 9, 2021 18:01:20 GMT -5
About 6500 applicants. ED applicants down about 25 percent, about 370 accepted. Class size sought is 820 students, not including about 70 from class of 2024 who deferred and will now be class of 2025. Looking at transfer students to help reach goal of 820.
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Post by matunuck on Mar 10, 2021 21:33:46 GMT -5
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 10, 2021 22:23:13 GMT -5
Informative article. BC has come a long way from the days their grads used verbs sparingly.🙂 Back in the day you'd have people like Billy Bulger, former Mass. Senate President and President of UMass who were Irish Catholic from a Boston neighborhood or suburb and were "Triple Eagles" or "BC all the way" going from BC High to BC to BC Law with little emphasis on national recruiting. There were more than enough Catholics within an easy commute to Chestnut Hill to suffice.
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Post by hcpride on Mar 11, 2021 5:23:39 GMT -5
About 6500 applicants. ED applicants down about 25 percent, about 370 accepted. Class size sought is 820 students, not including about 70 from class of 2024 who deferred and will now be class of 2025. Looking at transfer students to help reach goal of 820. Interesting. Last year we had 7,087 applicants. (Two years ago it was 7200.) Another Crossports thread ( here) discusses predictions for this cycle and notes that applications are way up at certain schools (Colgate a whopping 102%, Harvard 42%, Boston College 36% for example). ED info is not good news either. (Last year we accepted 413 of 542 applicants [76%] in this key group.) Beyond the obvious financial benefits, schools can substantially lower their acceptance rate and substantially increase yield by increasing the ED numbers. Note: Don't know if this has been posted but our 2020-2021 CDS is posted ( here).
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Mar 11, 2021 7:27:07 GMT -5
About 6500 applicants. ED applicants down about 25 percent, about 370 accepted. Class size sought is 820 students, not including about 70 from class of 2024 who deferred and will now be class of 2025. Looking at transfer students to help reach goal of 820. Interesting. Last year we had 7,087 applicants. (Two years ago it was 7200.) Another Crossports thread ( here) discusses predictions for this cycle and notes that applications are way up at certain schools (Colgate a whopping 102%, Harvard 42%, Boston College 36% for example). ED info is not good news either. (Last year we accepted 413 of 542 applicants [76%)] in this key group.) Beyond the obvious financial benefits, schools can substantially lower their acceptance rate and substantially increase yield by increasing the ED numbers. Note: Don't know if this has been posted but our 2020-2021 CDS is posted ( here). ED applications were down 25 percent. Given the class of 2024 values in the Common data Set, a 25 percent drop in applications would suggest that nearly all who applied ED were admitted. One caveat though, this year there was ED I and ED II, so I don't know what the total was for both. The provost did say that regular applications made up for most of the ED shortfall. There were no high school visits, nor were there campus visits. So little ability to sell the brand. HC is shooting for a class size of 820, BUT I believe that includes about 70 admits from 2024 who deferred and will be re-classified as class of 2025 when they enroll in the fall. I think that the drop in applications is partly, if not primarily, due to Ann's historic approach, --that of treading long familiar paths to high schools and prep schools, and doing little outreach, using PSAT scores for example, to students in schools other than those along the familiar paths. So even less ability to market the brand. I think it telling that HC recently created a vice provost for enrollment, and brought in a new person, an outsider, to fill it. No stats on number of foreign applicants. which for some schools other than HC, may be way down.
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Post by matunuck on Mar 11, 2021 7:52:23 GMT -5
I’ve said this for years: HC admissions needs a major reboot, particularly how it markets the school and its approach to other regions of the country that are growing in population.
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Post by alum on Mar 11, 2021 8:12:49 GMT -5
Lots of questions to study over the next couple of years:
1. Did schools that stayed open attract more applicants than those that closed? Gut feeling--probably. 2. Were any schools that were already test optional also have dips in applications? 3. What will the be the effect of virtual college visits this past year on retention in the years to come?
I hope the campus is open for tours this summer. I remain convinced that the grounds and some of the buildings sell themselves.
I agree that AM does not seem aggressive enough. I also hope that the financial aid push helps the college go back to need blind admissions and maybe someday no loans.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Mar 11, 2021 8:30:15 GMT -5
I’ve said this for years: HC admissions needs a major reboot, particularly how it markets the school and its approach to other regions of the country that are growing in population. Class of 2023 / Class of 2024Non-resident aliens 33 / 21 Hispanic 119/74 Black 44/22 White 531 / 564 Asian 43 / 22 Massachusetts residents 38% / 56% It certainly appears that the enrolling class of 2024 stuck close to home. Diversity went to hell in a handbasket. Very likely that 75 percent or more of the Black members of the class are student athletes. I can only envision what the class of 2025 will be like. When one factors in that ED represents 40-45 percent of the enrolling class of 2024, and ED was pre-COVID, how did ED become so skewed toward White applicants from Massachusetts?
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bpob55
Crusader Century Club
Posts: 114
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Post by bpob55 on Mar 11, 2021 10:17:23 GMT -5
The 70 students who deferred admission to 2025 make up for about 100 ED applicants with a 70% acceptance rate(about normal for ED). That should neutralize the 25% dip in ED apps.
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Post by purplehaze on Mar 11, 2021 11:23:31 GMT -5
In terms of marketing the HC brand, I can tell you that here in Fairfield County (where the H.S.'s are excellent with many 'full-payers') we really take a back seat to the other PL schools and are not getting the numbers we should. Nescac is also very strong here. Being 2 hours from campus should help but it doesn't seem to.
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Post by hcpride on Mar 11, 2021 11:46:36 GMT -5
The 70 students who deferred admission to 2025 make up for about 100 ED applicants with a 70% acceptance rate(about normal for ED). That should neutralize the 25% dip in ED apps. ED kid$ numbers are not necessarily balanced out by RD kids who deferred. ED is a key category for many reasons.
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Post by timholycross on Mar 11, 2021 12:00:37 GMT -5
I wonder if BC's big bump in applications also included an enormous jump in local applicants.
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 11, 2021 12:33:53 GMT -5
I’ve said this for years: HC admissions needs a major reboot, particularly how it markets the school and its approach to other regions of the country that are growing in population. Class of 2023 / Class of 2024Non-resident aliens 33 / 21 Hispanic 119/74 Black 44/22 White 531 / 564 Asian 43 / 22 Massachusetts residents 38% / 56% It certainly appears that the enrolling class of 2024 stuck close to home. Diversity went to hell in a handbasket. Very likely that 75 percent or more of the Black members of the class are student athletes. I can only envision what the class of 2025 will be like. When one factors in that ED represents 40-45 percent of the enrolling class of 2024, and ED was pre-COVID, how did ED become so skewed toward White applicants from Massachusetts? It might say that Holy Cross is still a strong brand in Massachusetts and in-state media treats us well, but the school has had few accomplishments to promote itself or cause out of state media to take notice of it. At one point during the presidential election I had a running count of seven or eight Northeast schools who had a poll or survey or debate from Sienna to St. Anselm's to Emerson to Marist. HC doesn't do anything there. Many colleges and universities are represented by talking heads in the media about the battle against Covid. HC has nothing there. What's a small LAC to do? Amherst and Williams don't get much media exposure either. Except one time I watched Erin Burnett on CNN interview a professor from Amherst College and tell him that she had gone to Williams. The professor was not impressed. Perhaps we need a Professor who is a Presidential Scholar to make comments everytime a current or recent President makes news. Not that they ever do.🙂 Holy Cross makes occasional news about the battle for the soul of the Catholic Church but that's not really a selling point. And with healthcare a huge worldwide and national issue, HC has passed on any academic healthcare offerings. HC remains great imo, but perhaps a little stodgy.
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Post by efg72 on Mar 11, 2021 14:51:44 GMT -5
They could have added a public health program given the Covid experience, the visibility of Fauci, and the fact that schools with programs in this area have seen applications for those majors more than double
It would also lead to a potential area for a Masters, but why think creatively
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Post by Crucis#1 on Mar 11, 2021 15:07:25 GMT -5
Let’s hope that the new president and new vice provost will foster innovation and creativity to areas that have long resisted change within the institution.
The time is now.
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Post by td128 on Mar 11, 2021 15:16:50 GMT -5
not a surprise
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Post by crossbball13 on Mar 11, 2021 15:42:20 GMT -5
1- Colgate and bc were open during first semester
2- Colgate and bc went test optional got the first time in forever
Good for them. You’re on the tee box, rougeau
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Post by higheredguy on Mar 11, 2021 16:00:18 GMT -5
Great observations by all. HC needs to increase its recruitment effort and change the direction of its admissions marketing policies. Another thing to point out, the goal of 820 students is misplaced. Housing and class scheduling are a mess because there are too many students.
Those are issues that need to be solved alongside the low application numbers (hire more professors and figure out an on-campus housing solution).
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Post by hcgrad94 on Mar 11, 2021 16:11:27 GMT -5
In terms of marketing the HC brand, I can tell you that here in Fairfield County (where the H.S.'s are excellent with many 'full-payers') we really take a back seat to the other PL schools and are not getting the numbers we should. Nescac is also very strong here. Being 2 hours from campus should help but it doesn't seem to. Interesting. What are those numbers you reference?
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Mar 11, 2021 17:32:37 GMT -5
Great observations by all. HC needs to increase its recruitment effort and change the direction of its admissions marketing policies. Another thing to point out, the goal of 820 students is misplaced. Housing and class scheduling are a mess because there are too many students. Those are issues that need to be solved alongside the low application numbers (hire more professors and figure out an on-campus housing solution). Holy Cross' budget is predicated on an enrollment of 3200-3300, x percentage of whom are full pays. Reduce enrollment, and the budget goes into the red. A consequence of budgets in the red are fewer faculty not more. HC this fiscal year has a revenue shortfall of about $30 million; much of that is the result of students not paying room and board to the college during the first semester. HC is about to spend $300 million on residence hall construction, and re-construction. Class scheduling is probably a mess, but this is because of COVID restrictions, that have reduced classroom capacity. So a class with an enrollment of 25 can't squeeze into a classroom with a capacity of 15, instead of the usual 30 student capacity. HC tacitly, if not explicitly, acknowledges this, which is why there is a two-term summer session this year, the first term of which begins before commencement. And there is no added tuition charge.
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Post by matunuck on Mar 11, 2021 19:21:20 GMT -5
Roughly 20 percent of Wesleyan University’s student body comes from the West, the same percentage as from New England. That wasn’t always the case. Wesleyan obviously executed a plan that appears to have largely worked. Whatever plan we have to reach other regions simply isn’t working well enough. And, no, I don’t buy that somehow we won’t be able to succeed because of blah blah blah.
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 11, 2021 20:34:46 GMT -5
They could have added a public health program given the Covid experience, the visibility of Fauci, and the fact that schools with programs in this area have seen applications for those majors more than double It would also lead to a potential area for a Masters, but why think creatively A pharmacy major leading to registration (and these days a Doctorate) would have been a suitable professional level entry into health related education but several years ago the Mass College of Pharmacy expanded to Worcester so that ship has sailed. The Anthony S. Fauci School of Public Health remains a good choice to venture into health related studies. The JD Power School of Business also has a nice ring to it, but as you said why be creative or use the connection to well known alumni to help promote the school when there are so many deserving dead Jesuits to name things after.😊
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Post by newfieguy74 on Mar 11, 2021 20:50:46 GMT -5
Roughly 20 percent of Wesleyan University’s student body comes from the West, the same percentage as from New England. That wasn’t always the case. Wesleyan obviously executed a plan that appears to have largely worked. Whatever plan we have to reach other regions simply isn’t working well enough. And, no, I don’t buy that somehow we won’t be able to succeed because of blah blah blah. This is an interesting stat. Wesleyan has a good reputation but I struggle to see how it's more desirable than HC. It is located in the extremely unexciting Middletown, CT. The campus is far less attractive than HC. It's endowment (I believe) is just a little larger. It is D3 in sports. So it does seem that they have a plan and they execute it well.
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 11, 2021 21:20:53 GMT -5
Wesleyan has been part of the "Little Three" with Williams and Amherst since 1899, so at least by association if not in fact they are an Ivy League level small liberal arts college academically, although I suspect they are third among the three in most rankings. Athletically Little Three championships are held in 26 sports so they offer robust opportunities for student athletes to compete. Their endowment does trail the other two by quite a bit.
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