Anonymous
01/05/2026 14:30
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Plenty of schools have problems predicting yield even with the help of their expensive enrollment management consultants. Actual early results for "Early Action" would go a long way toward increasing that yield, as many students would not bother with RD apps if they didn't have to.
Schools that release "Early Action" in January and even February, sorry, there's nothing helpful about that for the applicant, beyond - maybe - giving them an answer a few weeks before RD results come in. Schools like UVA, yes, I'm looking at you, but there are several others, mostly publics that offer EA merely as a tool to spread out their application review.
What are your solutions for them getting through tens of thousands of applications before the holidays?
Have one deadline that doesn't pretend to give an "early" result. "EA" is misleading.
I mean, January and February ARE earlier when decisions come out in late March for a lot of these schools.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 14:23
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Offer ED at every school.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 13:09
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Plenty of schools have problems predicting yield even with the help of their expensive enrollment management consultants. Actual early results for "Early Action" would go a long way toward increasing that yield, as many students would not bother with RD apps if they didn't have to.
Schools that release "Early Action" in January and even February, sorry, there's nothing helpful about that for the applicant, beyond - maybe - giving them an answer a few weeks before RD results come in. Schools like UVA, yes, I'm looking at you, but there are several others, mostly publics that offer EA merely as a tool to spread out their application review.
What are your solutions for them getting through tens of thousands of applications before the holidays?
Have one deadline that doesn't pretend to give an "early" result. "EA" is misleading.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 13:02
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Anonymous wrote:- JHU summer tour - before tour, my kid and 3 other kids met with an undergrad and had bubble tea at sat and talked for an hour. Obv JHU not in danger of attracting students, but my kid said the tour was not impressive, but just talking to that kid was really helpful.
- I dont know why more schools dont sell their strengths. If a family has driven all the way to get to xyz, If your food is really good, give a lunch coupon with every tour. If the dorms are nice, show them. It's weird that the tour is so similar all the time.
- All schools should let the kids pick what tour group to go with. 16-17 yos are really turned off when they want to be paired with that theater guy from LA and they are stuck with the poli sci girl from Dallas - or vice versa.
All of these. It feels like it would require so little work to make the tour experience 10x better and I can’t figure out why schools even don’t do the basics.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 12:54
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Anonymous wrote:Plenty of schools have problems predicting yield even with the help of their expensive enrollment management consultants. Actual early results for "Early Action" would go a long way toward increasing that yield, as many students would not bother with RD apps if they didn't have to.
Schools that release "Early Action" in January and even February, sorry, there's nothing helpful about that for the applicant, beyond - maybe - giving them an answer a few weeks before RD results come in. Schools like UVA, yes, I'm looking at you, but there are several others, mostly publics that offer EA merely as a tool to spread out their application review.
What are your solutions for them getting through tens of thousands of applications before the holidays?
Anonymous
01/05/2026 12:43
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
I would build a really strong, competitive, free summer program for some major. Something that would be respected nationally. I don't care if it's Dental Sciences at Marquette or Greek at St Johns College.
Make it a thing where kid would be, if I could get into the dental thing at Marquette, it would show Johns Hopkins I was serious about sciences and it's a little different than just med school, although I want to go to med school.
Then just roll out the red carpet for those kids. Id build some soft power.
Make it a thing where kid would be, if I could get into the dental thing at Marquette, it would show Johns Hopkins I was serious about sciences and it's a little different than just med school, although I want to go to med school.
Then just roll out the red carpet for those kids. Id build some soft power.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 12:41
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Anonymous wrote:- JHU summer tour - before tour, my kid and 3 other kids met with an undergrad and had bubble tea at sat and talked for an hour. Obv JHU not in danger of attracting students, but my kid said the tour was not impressive, but just talking to that kid was really helpful.
- I dont know why more schools dont sell their strengths. If a family has driven all the way to get to xyz, If your food is really good, give a lunch coupon with every tour. If the dorms are nice, show them. It's weird that the tour is so similar all the time.
- All schools should let the kids pick what tour group to go with. 16-17 yos are really turned off when they want to be paired with that theater guy from LA and they are stuck with the poli sci girl from Dallas - or vice versa.
+1 DD goes to a less selective LAC. What really helped her feel like it was a good fit was a day long visit where she sat in on a class, met with a professor in her major, and had lunch with two students in her major.
We toured a lot of LACs and I really appreciated those that were clear about their strengths. Especially at a small school, you know there are stronger departments. Washington College, for example, was very clear that they had three "centers of excellence" -- environmental science, history, and creative writing. They had special spaces for all of those, high school summer programs, and targeted scholarships. DD didn't end up there but it was in the consideration set until the end (looking at strong ES programs).
Anonymous
01/05/2026 12:34
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Intense exposure to the college admission process, understanding of college life, careers available and pathways, financial aspects of college and life after college starting from HS.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 12:32
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Plenty of schools have problems predicting yield even with the help of their expensive enrollment management consultants. Actual early results for "Early Action" would go a long way toward increasing that yield, as many students would not bother with RD apps if they didn't have to.
Schools that release "Early Action" in January and even February, sorry, there's nothing helpful about that for the applicant, beyond - maybe - giving them an answer a few weeks before RD results come in. Schools like UVA, yes, I'm looking at you, but there are several others, mostly publics that offer EA merely as a tool to spread out their application review.
Schools that release "Early Action" in January and even February, sorry, there's nothing helpful about that for the applicant, beyond - maybe - giving them an answer a few weeks before RD results come in. Schools like UVA, yes, I'm looking at you, but there are several others, mostly publics that offer EA merely as a tool to spread out their application review.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 12:31
Subject: Re:Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Offering coupling more minors/certificates and internships with majors that guarantees good jobs on graduation.
More work experience in college tied in with local businesses and govt.
For local HS students - continuation of career readiness programs that start from HS.
The aim should be
- affordability,
- smooth transition from HS to college - especially for first gen or poor student
- making every degree more marketable by coupling education with work skills and experience.
- work with local industry and local govt to develop local industries and need for skilled employees
- have strong programs to also teach adulting skills to people. Mainly regarding physical health, finances, civic duties, some degree of laws and mental health.
More work experience in college tied in with local businesses and govt.
For local HS students - continuation of career readiness programs that start from HS.
The aim should be
- affordability,
- smooth transition from HS to college - especially for first gen or poor student
- making every degree more marketable by coupling education with work skills and experience.
- work with local industry and local govt to develop local industries and need for skilled employees
- have strong programs to also teach adulting skills to people. Mainly regarding physical health, finances, civic duties, some degree of laws and mental health.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 12:21
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Anonymous wrote:Imaging all the schools that struggle to meet the admissions goals (getting heads in beds at high enough revenue per kid). So not T30 schools. Schools that may be more like T100 - known but not super selective.
What are some things you've seen or thought of that would make sense for more schools to do
Do instate T100 schools really have difficulty? SDSU is ranked 109 and in CA you still need a 3.9 or 4.0 if you are out of the service area. The problem with lower ranked private universities like USD or USF is the cost / value rank issue. Very few people are willing to pay full or even 3/4 or half of the tuition for the lower ranked private universities.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 12:12
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Anonymous wrote:Early and guaranteed acceptance is a big deal. I live away from the dmv now but our local Jesuit college has a deal with local Catholic archdiocese and private Catholic high schools that if kids get a certain GPA they receive an automatic admit in the fall and an early aid package. This helps them scoop up 3-5 kids from every HS every year who are smart but not brilliant (solid A-/B+ grade range with typical extracurriculars) who wouldn’t easily get in via early admissions to top 30 schools. It’s a 2nd tier school even within our city so it’s a boost for both students and the school.
I think boys especially want to get this over early. And colleges are having a hard time finding boys. I see at our HS, a lot of boys wanting to wrap it up asap, often undershooting for what they think is a safe bet.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 12:10
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
- JHU summer tour - before tour, my kid and 3 other kids met with an undergrad and had bubble tea at sat and talked for an hour. Obv JHU not in danger of attracting students, but my kid said the tour was not impressive, but just talking to that kid was really helpful.
- I dont know why more schools dont sell their strengths. If a family has driven all the way to get to xyz, If your food is really good, give a lunch coupon with every tour. If the dorms are nice, show them. It's weird that the tour is so similar all the time.
- All schools should let the kids pick what tour group to go with. 16-17 yos are really turned off when they want to be paired with that theater guy from LA and they are stuck with the poli sci girl from Dallas - or vice versa.
- I dont know why more schools dont sell their strengths. If a family has driven all the way to get to xyz, If your food is really good, give a lunch coupon with every tour. If the dorms are nice, show them. It's weird that the tour is so similar all the time.
- All schools should let the kids pick what tour group to go with. 16-17 yos are really turned off when they want to be paired with that theater guy from LA and they are stuck with the poli sci girl from Dallas - or vice versa.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 12:08
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Early and guaranteed acceptance is a big deal. I live away from the dmv now but our local Jesuit college has a deal with local Catholic archdiocese and private Catholic high schools that if kids get a certain GPA they receive an automatic admit in the fall and an early aid package. This helps them scoop up 3-5 kids from every HS every year who are smart but not brilliant (solid A-/B+ grade range with typical extracurriculars) who wouldn’t easily get in via early admissions to top 30 schools. It’s a 2nd tier school even within our city so it’s a boost for both students and the school.
Anonymous
01/05/2026 12:03
Subject: Amateur Admissions Parents - what are some tactics you think colleges should try.
Imaging all the schools that struggle to meet the admissions goals (getting heads in beds at high enough revenue per kid). So not T30 schools. Schools that may be more like T100 - known but not super selective.
What are some things you've seen or thought of that would make sense for more schools to do
What are some things you've seen or thought of that would make sense for more schools to do