Early decision group expands 12%

Author: Adam Schaffer

With the first round of applications due Nov. 15, the College's Department of Admissions and students worldwide are bracing for what promises to be the most competitive application season in history.

According to Dean of Admissions Bob Clagett, applications "are running 12 percent ahead of where we were on the same day a year ago for Early Decision (ED) 1 applicants." He cautions, however, that this increase "will not necessarily translate into a 12 percent increase in ED 1 admits."

Nevertheless, the trend over the past decade has been an overwhelming increase in applicants. Even in the last three years, Middlebury has seen a 12 percent rise in applicants. Clagett sees these increases as a direct result of Middlebury's rise in popularity, which he says can most likely be attributed to the College's strength in environmental science, international studies and languages as well as infrastructural improvements.

Colleges and counselors alike are trying to ease the stress felt by students.

Dr. Denise Pope, founder of Stanford University's Challenge Success program, is trying to change how students define success.

"College admission is how a lot of people are defining success these days," said Dr. Pope in an interview with the New York Times. "We want to challenge people to achieve the healthier form of success, which is about character, well-being, physical and mental health and true engagement with learning."

The admissions office is also trying to help reduce stress, making a list of "The Top Ten Ways to Enjoy the College Admissions Process". The admissions staff, and college counselors from around the country, are emphasizing the multitude of colleges available to prospective students.

"And don't forget that the quality of your educational experience," the College's Web site explains, "is far more up to you than it is up to the institution that you attend."

Looking back, Sam Michelman '12 applauds Middlebury for "having one of the best admissions philosophies … they were truly the most holistic evaluators of an application." This realization of judgment being based upon "the whole candidate" reduced stress for students like Michelman.

But can the cultural significance students and parents attach to "elite" schools be substituted with an emphasis on finding the "right fit" college? "Probably not," conceded Clagett in an e-mail.

The College is also seeing changes as a result of the economic situation. In an effort to cut spending, travel by admissions representatives was decreased by 40%. However, because Middlebury's outreach efforts were so broad in past years, this decrease still leaves the College making more visits than many of its peer institutions.

While both President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz and Clagett are opposed to any change in the College's need-blind status, Student Government Association President Bobby Joe Smith '09 is unsure of how safe the status really is.

"Not all of the trustees had the same sentiment [as Liebowitz and Clagett]," he wrote in an e-mail, "or at least they did not believe the College would be able to adequately address the budget deficit without having to make some changes in the admissions process, or even the need-blind status."

These decreases in funds for travel could lead to decreased socio-economic diversity as "the school generally has to put more effort, and therefore money, into drawing high school students from large urban communities out of the cities to rural Vermont," according to Smith.

Despite the financial difficulties, Clagett and the Admissions staff say they remain dedicated to accepting "the most interesting, eclectic and diverse new first-year class" possible.