YCBK 167: Yes, It’s Harder to Get Into Highly Selective Colleges Today

In this episode you will hear:   (08:17) In this week’s news segment, an article from Education Next “Yes, It Really Is Harder to Get into Highly Selective Colleges Today” by Michael Petrilli. The conventional wisdom is that it’s now much harder to be accepted into highly selective colleges and universities than it was a generation ago. According to the median SAT scores of most of the 100 top national universities and 50 top liberal arts colleges (as determined by the 2020 US News and World Report college rankings) – by measure - scores for the most selective institutions have risen significantly over the past generation. Meaning, it really is harder to get into such schools today than thirty years ago. Mark and Dave discuss this and they talk about what are the implications of this.     (33:23) We’re in chapter 167 of 171 Answers – how to tap into a college’s most valuable resources. Mark and Anika discuss many invaluable resources that can help students to graduate and have a great college experience, but often go neglected and even ignored.   (47:19) This week’s question asks about need-blind vs. need-aware admissions and if Mark truly believes if schools are need-blind as they claim. Mark divides the college universe into three groups based on the claims they make about need-based aid and meeting need. Mark then discusses whether the colleges in each grouping live up to their claims.   (01:23:42) Mark continues his interview with Julia Hutchinson a high school senior from Wisconsin - A creative approach to learning what the students are like at the colleges on your list (Part 2 of 3). If you want to know how to really understand how schools on your college list are different, this is an interview you will really benefit from listening to.    (01:33:08) Recommended resource: This is a new Amazon Prime TV show that takes 60 minutes per episode to tour various college campuses. You get introduced to about ten students who attend the college and you get to really learn a lot about each college. You also get to see the campus, just like on a real college tour.     Don't forget to send your questions related to any and every facet of the college process to: . Music is by SENA HERO/Victor-Alan Weeks. If you enjoy our podcast, would you please do us a favor and share our podcast both verbally and on social media? We would be most grateful! To access and best utilize the transcripts of each podcast, please do the following: Go to  Click the Transcripts tab, from the top menu by the Episodes tab Click on the transcript for the specific episode you are interested in, just click on the image or by the word “Transcript” You will see a Share icon, a download option, a link to Apple podcast and you will see a magnifying glass Use the magnifying glass to search for any word. If that word was used in the episode, it will show up, highlighted in yellow. You will also see a timestamp so you can see the exact minute and second this word was spoken. If you click the word highlighted in yellow, the podcast player will start playing right at that word. You can stop it from playing by clicking the pause button.  Note: The transcription accuracy is about 90%, so you will see some spelling errors and errors in translation going from voice to print. We are excited to give our listeners a chance to play a role in shaping what topics we discuss, so please send us your ideas for college spotlights, articles for discussion and recommended resources. You can let your voice be heard by completing this survey. Just put the following link in your browser and give us your honest feedback. We thank you in advance. Every episode of Your College-Bound Kid will align with a chapter from the book 171 Answers to the Most-Asked College Admission Questions. To get a copy go to Amazon and click:   If you want to place a bulk order, you will save money by purchasing this book at 171answers.com. Every penny goes to The Atlanta Mission, a Christian organization that helps over 1000 homeless residents every day.  If you want to see what future episodes will discuss in the book chapter section,  just go to 171answers.com and then click the red button "See exactly what 171 Answers covers"