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In the absence of the SAT, we had to look at other components and data.

Shawn Abbott, Temple University

A ‘gobsmacking' number of students in need aren’t applying to college. Are we missing 'an entire generation'?

Laura Pappano, The Hechinger Report (source)

Applying to college has always been harder for first-generation and low-income students than for peers with greater access to support at every step of the process. This year, data shows, that gulf has widened.

Laura Pappano, The Hechinger Report (source)

Applying to college has always been harder for first-generation and low-income students than for peers with greater access to support at every step of the process. This year, data shows, that gulf has widened.

Angel Pérez, CEO, National Association for College Admission Counseling

College admissions offices still struggle to level the playing field for students within a system in which various forms of privilege confer advantages on some groups at the expense of others.

Art & Science Group LLC, Social Capital and College Choice: The Impact of Privilege on the College Selection Process

All the differences between white students (and especially Black students) point to more sophistication about applying to college, not to better preparation for college.

David Strauss, Arts and Sciences

To attract, enroll and serve a more diverse student population, colleges and universities will need to make strategies aimed at leveling the playing field, making education more accessible to students who do not enjoy the same privilege.

Art & Science Group LLC, Social Capital and College Choice: The Impact of Privilege on the College Selection Process

In communicating with students from underserved populations, [students] are less likely to rely on familiar social networks and seek out information from other sources. Colleges will need to find more ways to personalize interactions.

Art & Science Group LLC, Social Capital and College Choice: The Impact of Privilege on the College Selection Process

Between complex application requirements, the high cost to apply, and the lack of transparency and support built into the system, I find the college admissions process to be the perfect recipe for inequity

Anonymous Student

The online application system is so confusing- there is no guidance book as what we have to d and what to expect / prepare.

Anonymous Student

As an international student, understanding the applying process was confusing as there is an overwhelming amount of information regarding the applying process on university websites and I would easily get lost.

Faiz Syed, University of California, Berkeley (source)

Some universities require tons of documents…high school transcripts, essays, letters of recommendations, and standardized test results. This stage took time, energy and money.

Faiz Syed, University of California, Berkeley (source)

There were two major challenges for me—deciding which schools to apply to and crafting the personal statement to give a solid representation of me and the way I view the world.

Kale Hyder, B.S. Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University (2021) (source)

Having to learn things like how to pick schools that align with your needs and wants, what early action applications are or how to understand a college’s tuition and fees is a barrier first-generation students must contend with.

Theodora Vorias, Michigan Daily

My school didn’t really tell us what we needed to do to apply (to college), so a lot of students felt overwhelmed.

Anonymous Student

Each application is judged in far less time than it took to prepare. Especially at highly-ranked schools, there are far more highly qualified applicants than the school can possibly admit.

Jeff Erickson, CS professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (source)

In our combined decades of guiding students through the application experience from both sides of the admission desk, we have watched as the messages we offer get lost in translation.

Brennan Barnard, Director of College Counseling, Derryfield School (NH) & Rick Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admission, Georgia Tech (source)

It’s easy to be frustrated with a process that’s not easily understood and dependent on the institution. It’s easy to make sweeping generalizations about the 4,500 or so post-secondary institutions in the US.

Jana Nicole, Associate Director of Admission, Hiram College