Article about Naval Academy inflating numbers of applications

[Anonymous]

It sounds like some colleges -- most notably the Naval Academy -- use an unorthodox approach in counting how many applications they receive, which has the effect of boosting the school's selectivity rank. Using the unorthodox approach, the Naval Academy claims it admits only 7.5% of applicants, but using a more traditional approach, it's admissions percentage is actually 24.9%. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/naval-academy-other-colleges-at-odds-on-when-an-application-counts/2011/12/22/gIQAB4DBLP_story.html

The U.S. Naval Academy received 19,145 applications for the class that began in fall and accepted 1,426. Its admission rate was 7.5 percent, one percentage point lower than Princeton’s. Or was it? Academy leaders acknowledge that only 5,720 of those applications were complete. The rest, more than two-thirds of the total, were partial applications that never reached the university’s admissions board and were never seriously considered. ...

Academy officials say there is good reason for unfinished applications. ... But the school’s unconventional approach puts it at odds with convention in college admissions. The admissions community has gone to great lengths to define what does, and doesn’t, constitute an application so that colleges cannot game the system. The appearance of selectivity can give a school an edge over its competitors. The accepted definition, embraced by the federal government and collegiate rankers, states that an application should count only if it is “actionable,” meaning the applicant has provided enough information for the college to make an informed decision.

[Anonymous]

Another follow-up article from a USNA professor in today's Washington Post, with criticism on several issues beyond just fudging the admissions statistics -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/college-inc/post/naval-academy-professor-a-veneer-of-selectivity/2011/12/29/gIQA9droQP_blog.html?wprss=college-inc

It’s still unclear what our true selectivity is, because though only about 5,700 applications (out of more than 19,000 claimed) go to the Admissions Board, I know from my own time on the Board that not all of these are complete either. More relevant may be the fact that about 1,900 applicants are deemed “fully qualified,” and about 1,500 are accepted. It’s not hard to be “fully qualified.” All it requires is SAT scores above 600, a B average from an undemanding high school, and some pushups. So our true acceptance rate may be over 50 percent.

[twentysomethingmom]

Interesting article. I've actually suspected this for a while. When our cousin got into West Point in the early 2000s, my brother and I were like... um... HOW? His GPA was under a 3.0. His test scores were good, but not really good enough to make up for a sub-3.0 GPA. He tried really hard at sports, but he was not a natural athlete. He had no leadership positions, though he joined a lot of extracurricular activities and volunteered once a week at church. It was bizarre. I always thought those academies were on the level of Ivy Leagues.

[Anonymous]

twentysomethingmom wrote:Interesting article. I've actually suspected this for a while. When our cousin got into West Point in the early 2000s, my brother and I were like... um... HOW? His GPA was under a 3.0. His test scores were good, but not really good enough to make up for a sub-3.0 GPA. He tried really hard at sports, but he was not a natural athlete. He had no leadership positions, though he joined a lot of extracurricular activities and volunteered once a week at church. It was bizarre. I always thought those academies were on the level of Ivy Leagues.

This is how.

GO NAVY!

[Anonymous]

Yeah, but Fleming, the only faculty member they interview/quote has an axe to grind with the Academy so isn't exactly a neutral party. He's got a bee in his bonnet about how the academy admits too many minority applicants of low quality, has spoken extensively to the press about that, sued the university, settled, etc. There may or may not be merit to his claims but it's not as if the journalist spoke with a disinterested observer, as it were. (I think mostly there's not too much merit to his complaints as divergence in student quality is mostly due, I reckon, to the need for students to get recomendations from their member of congress. This ensures geographic diversity but means, in effect, that students are mostly only competing against applicants from their Congressional district. Locally, this means, if you're competing against kids from, say, Van Hollen's district, in MD, it's really tough but no so much if you're applying from DC where Holmes Norton's office puts out requests soliticting applications to the academies.)

[Anonymous]

I know people who got into USNA and West Point who were very average in everyway and they were all white. Too many times people assume the ones who "get in easy" are minorities. That is not the case with the academies. Nearly any legacy can get in.

[Anonymous]

interesting article. You will note that the best of the "best of the best" at the academies truly are smart:

Ranking College Number of Rhodes Scholars
1 Harvard 323
2 Yale 217
3 Princeton 192
4 West Point 85
5 Stanford 82
6 Dartmouth 60
7 UChicago 45
8 Brown 45
9 Virginia 45
10 Naval Academy 43

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:interesting article. You will note that the best of the "best of the best" at the academies truly are smart:

Ranking College Number of Rhodes Scholars
1 Harvard 323
2 Yale 217
3 Princeton 192
4 West Point 85
5 Stanford 82
6 Dartmouth 60
7 UChicago 45
8 Brown 45
9 Virginia 45
10 Naval Academy 43

Perhaps. Note however that the state and district-based selection zones makes comparison difficult.
http://www.rhodesscholar.org/winners/college-and-university-winners/
Note also that the Rhodes selection criteria place very heavy emphasis on athletics and public service, which might also skew the selection process in favor of service academies. Not to take anything away from the people there, but there are reasons the numbers come out this way ....

[Anonymous]

Don't you need a recommendation from a congressman or senator for the academies? How does that play into the number of "applicants"?

[Anonymous]

Each of the service academies, like the US Naval Academy, without a doubt admits over 500 of the Nation's best and the brightest each year in graduating classes targeting about 1,000. Certainly, the fact that it is a 4-year scholarship worth hundreds of thousands of dollars & fast tracks graduates into technical careers with exceptional opportunities like flying tactical aircraft, operating nuclear submarines, or leading Marines & Naval Special Operators (SEALs & EOD) is attractive. The difficulty is in measuring the amount of candidate interest since the application process is significantly greater- than any other civilian school. (which takes writing an essay & maybe an interview) To become successful in becoming fully qualified for academy admission means: 1) starting earlier (no later than junior year), 2) applying for Summer Seminar in Feb 3) only 1,800 applicants get to begin the lengthy application process in June in their junior year living & indoc/evaluation for 5 days run by Midshipmen on campus) 4) sending in an application that notifies the school to Blue & Gold Officers of serious candidates to interview 5) Beginning the appointment process to contact Congressman & Senators to determine their deadlines & requirements 6) scheduling an session to be grade in physical fitness by a teacher 6) Obtaining multiple letters of recommendation. (Math,
English, Personal, Leadership) 7) interviews by Congressman's hand-picked selection teams & repeat at the Senator level 8) Thorough Medical Examinations- including vision, drug free, & history, like asthma 9) Multiple SAT's & ACT's with highest scores on any used for comparision / evaluation by the academy, Note: of the available direct entry spots, 40% maybe unavailable due to candidates unsuccessful in previous year, attending colleges, in military service, receiving foundation financed support at prep schools or, attending the US Naval Academy Prep School (NAPS) in Newport, RI ~with graduates gaining Secretary of the Navy appointments. Besides Rhodes, Marshall, & Truman scholars-- Academy grads are highly competitive at Post Graduate institutions like any of the most selective Ivy's.