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Selective college admissions: a peek behind the curtain

September 2nd, 2015

Many people believe it is more difficult to get into college than it was 10 or 15 years ago.  And there’s truth to this belief within the cadre of best-known colleges.

Why are some colleges and universities becoming more selective?  There are several reasons for this change and Vanderbilt University provides excellent illustration in this article.  We think you’ll gain useful insight into the selective admission process at Vanderbilt and, by extension, other schools around the country as you read about the changes that have led to a dramatically different admission landscape.  We’re grateful to Vanderbilt for pulling back the curtain on what is viewed by many families as a rather opaque process and for emphasizing the importance of finding the right fit on student and college side alike.

Reading this article, I was reminded of my many years on selective college admission committees at Tufts, Brandeis and Washington University in St. Louis.  I can vouch for the accuracy of the process described!

Published by Vanderbilt Magazine, Summer 2015

In the space of about a decade, Vanderbilt has gone from being a regional darling—What’s that quaint old saying? “The Harvard of the South”?—to a fierce global competitor in its own right.

No longer content to live in the shadow of any other institution, today Vanderbilt vies for the absolute best students anywhere in the world, attracting them with academic, cultural and financial-aid offerings that make even the most determined Ivy aspirants think twice.

Read more at Vanderbilt Magazine >>

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