No need to hurry

New admissions system benefits 'U'

As applications continue to pour into the University in record numbers, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has made a change in its admissions procedure. Instead of a rolling process, under which applications were processed as they were received, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will now process applications in four batches. The modified rolling admissions process should have a positive effect on the University.

The modified process will allow the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to better estimate its number of applicants. Because the office will wait to process most applications, it will be able to see sudden surges in the applicant pool. In previous years, the University has experienced problems that come with an incoming class that is too large. This modified admissions process should work to solve the problem of overcrowding in residence halls and classrooms caused by excessive admissions.

The new admissions process also is a fair process. In previous years, qualified students may have been denied admittance later in the year because spots had been filled with students who applied earlier. In the new process, applications for the incoming fall term are only processed four times throughout the year, as opposed to the rolling system under which applications were considered as they were submitted. Each of the four batches of applications should be roughly equal in student strength, giving all applicants an equal chance for admission.

Thus, the real strength in the new admissions process is the eventual improvement of the quality of students admitted to the University. Qualified students applying late will now have an equal chance of being accepted. This should strengthen the student body, and in turn enhance the academic reputation of the University.

The University should be careful as the new admissions process could also be a threat to the quality of the student body. Qualified high school students may become frustrated with the slower admissions process and increased number of deferals. Their frustration could lead them to accept admissions offers at other schools.

Therefore, although most applications won't be processed immediately, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions must stick to its schedule. Any further delay in response time could lead to qualified students being lost to other schools.

With about 21,000 applications expected this year for a first-year class of 5,200, the new admissions process will serve to prevent overcrowding and enhance the overall quality of the students accepted to the University. But with responses taking longer than their previous four to six weeks, the University must be careful not to scare off the students it seeks to attract.

01-28-99