Colby is poised to have the lowest acceptance rate of any LAC this year

[Anonymous]

Some may criticize Colby for waiving application fees and not requiring additional essays, but they have been successful in their goal of recruiting and selecting a diverse class without stigma or barriers to entry.

The Class of 2027 represents more than 450 high schools, 40 states, and 50 countries. Fifteen percent of the Class of 2027 are Pell grant recipients, 17 percent will be the first in their families to attend college, 40 percent of American students self-identify as students of color, and non-US citizens make up 12 percent of the class.

[Anonymous]

Colleges with no application fees
-Tulane, Grinnell, Carleton, Reed, Kenyon, Smith, Wellesley, Denison,CWRU, Macalester, Colorado, Mount Holyoke

Colleges without supplement essays
- Middlebury, Bates, Wesleyan, Grinnell, Hamilton, Kenyon, Oberlin, Skidmore, Denison, Connecticut

None of these has as low acceptance rate as Colby.
Yield rate last year was near 54%.
People are not stupid.
There must be several reasons why Colby is so popular.

[Anonymous]

We didn't consider application fees when DC applied to college. An frankly, don't know any families (including those we know applied for aid) who let those fees hold them back from applying to a college.

DC had a 3.9 gpa and a 1540 SAT. Didn't apply to any other NESCAC because after looking at several of them, said if he was going to New England, it would only be to Colby. He entered Colby in a class with 90% having graduated high school summa cum laude.

Colby is enjoying a lot of attention in the DC area in recent years. Now that I have a kid there, I'm seeing the tshirts and bumper stickers everywhere.

[Anonymous]

I would say removing the barrier of an application fee actually walks the walk of promoting diversity. This is a good thing. Most of the NE LACs don't have supplemental essays and all are test optional. If you have toured the NESCACs - you know they are all amazing schools. Some have better facilities but all offer a solid education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they admit a large percentage through ED? If so, their overall admit rate will be very low. Especially if they don’t charge an application fee and/or require supplemental essays. Not sure what Colby does.

No fee or supplemental essay. They exploit the system as much as possible to push their acceptance rate low.

This. It’s all about marketing

[Anonymous]

Such poise!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say removing the barrier of an application fee actually walks the walk of promoting diversity. This is a good thing. Most of the NE LACs don't have supplemental essays and all are test optional. If you have toured the NESCACs - you know they are all amazing schools. Some have better facilities but all offer a solid education.

Wow! Great point that you took only 9 months to formulate: did Colby marketing pay for this thread resurrection?

[Anonymous]

Why, for the umpteenth time in the past two days, is a year-old long thread being bumped? Is there nothing of interest that is current?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why, for the umpteenth time in the past two days, is a year-old long thread being bumped? Is there nothing of interest that is current?

Why does Colby have such a low admissions rate? Maybe because of aggressive marketing like this.

[Anonymous]

Here is a school profile on Colby that has stats on the Class of 2027. Might be helpful to some. https://afa.colby.edu/apply/college-profile/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why, for the umpteenth time in the past two days, is a year-old long thread being bumped? Is there nothing of interest that is current?

Why does Colby have such a low admissions rate? Maybe because of aggressive marketing like this.

Because they play games. Note they don't release their Common Data Set, unlike nearly every other school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just returned from graduation of great Colby kids. The ease of admission process clearly swelled the applicant ranks, but the bottom line is that the average SAT is now over 1500, and now the students' ability is on a par with the other leading New England schools like Dartmouth, Amherst, Bowdoin, Yale, etc.
Most seemed to lack professional plans, but they seemed a joyful lot.

This is an important consideration that suggests for many that the experience is mostly a continuation of high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just returned from graduation of great Colby kids. The ease of admission process clearly swelled the applicant ranks, but the bottom line is that the average SAT is now over 1500, and now the students' ability is on a par with the other leading New England schools like Dartmouth, Amherst, Bowdoin, Yale, etc.
Most seemed to lack professional plans, but they seemed a joyful lot.

This is an important consideration that suggests for many that the experience is mostly a continuation of high school.

Oh jeezus h.

Yeah, only little Colby has kids who don't express their future plans to a near stranger.... WTF is it with you people? Is it rejection bitterness?

Two seconds of google: "93% of the Class of 2022 were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation."

https://afa.colby.edu/outcomes/#:~:text=Colby%20graduates%20earn%20a%20median,within%20six%20months%20of%20graduation.

Whatever it is, your points are pathetic and WEAK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just returned from graduation of great Colby kids. The ease of admission process clearly swelled the applicant ranks, but the bottom line is that the average SAT is now over 1500, and now the students' ability is on a par with the other leading New England schools like Dartmouth, Amherst, Bowdoin, Yale, etc.
Most seemed to lack professional plans, but they seemed a joyful lot.

This is an important consideration that suggests for many that the experience is mostly a continuation of high school.

Oh jeezus h.

Yeah, only little Colby has kids who don't express their future plans to a near stranger.... WTF is it with you people? Is it rejection bitterness?

Two seconds of google: "93% of the Class of 2022 were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation."

https://afa.colby.edu/outcomes/#:~:text=Colby%20graduates%20earn%20a%20median,within%20six%20months%20of%20graduation.

Whatever it is, your points are pathetic and WEAK.

Please consider enrolling in anger management therapy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do they admit a large percentage through ED? If so, their overall admit rate will be very low. Especially if they don’t charge an application fee and/or require supplemental essays. Not sure what Colby does.

No fee or supplemental essay. They exploit the system as much as possible to push their acceptance rate low.

This. It’s all about marketing

The Colby campus, new facilities (athletic and performing arts), new initiatives (in AI and arts) are the marketing. It’s a college that is gaining popularity and notoriety among high school students.