In an email, Margit Dahl, the Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University, agreed with me, at least partially. She said she would attribute this growth in college applications at least in part to “the continuing increase in the number of high school graduates nationally,” a trend which she predicts may continue for the next couple of years.

On the other hand, an admissions officer at Middlebury College, felt that it was not an increase in the number of students applying to college; rather, a similar number of students were applying to more schools. .

One point both agreed on: There was no exact reason for the increase in applications this year. Dahl offered that “more students are applying to more colleges because of the uncertainty they feel in the admissions process.” With top institutions barely reaching the double digits in admissions rates – Yale hit a record low of 8.6% accepted this year – there is no sure thing in the admissions process, no matter how spectacular a student is.

Dahl also offered theories of colleges’ “additional recruiting and outreach” and perhaps “the ease of applying to multiple institutions.”

Middlebury's rep simply stated that there was “no definitive reason” for the increase in admissions.

It seems impossible to pinpoint one variable that altered this year’s applicant pool. Did the colleges change their admissions process in order to chose from all these candidates? Or just tighten it?

As Jeff Brenzel, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale, pointed out in an email, a disproportionate number of applicants to the number the school can accept is nothing new for highly selective universities.

“Yale…for many years received far more applications from superbly qualified students than we have places in the freshman class.” Therefore, they did not change much in their process this year from what they have done in the past. Middlebury did not alter their criteria for admissions either.

Dahl, of Yale, however, did add that the admissions officers were aware that they would have to deny admission to more students than they would have in the past while making their decisions. “With the knowledge that our admit rate would go down, we knew we had to be quite rigorous in our admissions committee discussions of candidates.” She is also the only person with whom I spoke who overtly stated “some students who might have been admitted a few years ago were not admitted.”

One point all agreed upon was that admissions officers were looking beyond academic credentials and test scores when combing through the unusually high applicant pool. Although, nationally, the top credentials reviewed on a college application continue to be grades in college preparatory courses, standardized admission tests, and overall high school GPA, qualities like “intellectual curiosity, the motivation to stretch oneself, passion for one’s pursuits, the likelihood of thriving in a residential community, etc.,” were looked for in applicants, according to Dahl. As many of Middlebury’s applicants were “good students,” the admissions committee reviewed other talents and life experiences in conjunction with their academic success.

Brenzel offered an insight that I think is important both for students who have already been accepted and rejected and for those applying next year.:“I think the important thing to realize about the increasing competition for the most selective schools is that chance inevitably plays a role, and that it is truly important for even very strong students to apply to a fairly broad range of colleges in order to be sure of a good match.”

Another interesting perspective on the college admissions process: Jumping off the college admissions treadmill.
And, for next year's seniors, 10 Antidotes to College-Application Anxiety

Sidebar: Nobody home
It is remarkably difficult to contact a college admissions office even though schools bombard applicants with brochures and websites encouraging us to contact admissions offices with more questions. I suppose they expect much more simplified questions than I had.

When I called my first, second, and fifth admissions office I met a complicated web of receptionists and voicemails. I was connected to person after person. I hit the same dead end almost every time:

Brown: No one in the office.
Yale: No one there.
Wellesley: No one.
Williams: No one.

I left my seat by the telephone with only one conversation, a voicemail message, and two email addresses. So, what did I learn? I learned not to call college admissions offices after noon.

Liz Petow, who is to graduate from St. Mary's Academy, Bay View, in Riverside June 12, plans to attend the University of Vermont in September. She is on the waiting list at Middlebury.