"Summer Shoppers" Keep Grinnell Admissions Officers Guessing
The Des Moines Register reports that freshman enrollment is higher at Iowa's colleges and universities this year than it was a year ago, but that admissions officers are unsure of what those figures really mean. It appears that an unknown number of admits sent deposits to multiple institutions, implying that 'real' enrollment figures will not be known until later this summer.
An Iowa State University admissions officer told the Register that campus visits and registrations for summer orientation were up this May. He didn't take that as evidence that everyone who visited campus or registered for orientation was committed to attending ISU, however. He believes that some students are using the orientation session as part of their school 'summer shopping' process.
Jim Sumner, dean of admission and financial aid at Grinnell College, said it was clear that some of Grinnell's incoming freshmen had accepted admissions offers from other institutions as well.
Students gave the Register various reasons for sending deposits to more than one school. Some said they wanted to get a better feel for the communities that schools are located in before making a final choice. Others were hoping to use multiple acceptances as a way to leverage more financial aid from schools.
College and university officials expressed frustration at their inability to nail down a firm fall enrollment figure. Uncertain enrollment figures leave schools guessing how many residential hall places and class seats they will need for the fall.
In the end, however, it's students who suffer if enough admits use double depositing to leave their options open. "The more students are undecided, the harder it is for any university or college to make sure we have appropriate classes and courses," Iowa State University Director of Admissions Marc Harding told the Register. Other admissions officers have pointed out that double-depositing is unfair to waitlisted students who might have been offered class seats held by students who were juggling multiple admission offers.
Source: Shopping Around for Schools," by Lisa Rossi - the Des Moines Register, June 8, 2006.
For more on double depositing, look for out May 16 post in last month's archive.
An Iowa State University admissions officer told the Register that campus visits and registrations for summer orientation were up this May. He didn't take that as evidence that everyone who visited campus or registered for orientation was committed to attending ISU, however. He believes that some students are using the orientation session as part of their school 'summer shopping' process.
Jim Sumner, dean of admission and financial aid at Grinnell College, said it was clear that some of Grinnell's incoming freshmen had accepted admissions offers from other institutions as well.
Students gave the Register various reasons for sending deposits to more than one school. Some said they wanted to get a better feel for the communities that schools are located in before making a final choice. Others were hoping to use multiple acceptances as a way to leverage more financial aid from schools.
College and university officials expressed frustration at their inability to nail down a firm fall enrollment figure. Uncertain enrollment figures leave schools guessing how many residential hall places and class seats they will need for the fall.
In the end, however, it's students who suffer if enough admits use double depositing to leave their options open. "The more students are undecided, the harder it is for any university or college to make sure we have appropriate classes and courses," Iowa State University Director of Admissions Marc Harding told the Register. Other admissions officers have pointed out that double-depositing is unfair to waitlisted students who might have been offered class seats held by students who were juggling multiple admission offers.
Source: Shopping Around for Schools," by Lisa Rossi - the Des Moines Register, June 8, 2006.
For more on double depositing, look for out May 16 post in last month's archive.
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