UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA ‘mdash; Most undergraduates reminisce about applying to college ‘mdash; back when the whole admissions process was a laborious, painful practice of laying brick upon brick, until a thick wall of varied SAT scores and extracurricular regrets stood tall between you and your lifelong dreams ‘mdash; but those days are long gone.
As the recent economic crisis uproots the foundations of so many middle-class students, their concerns shift from meeting admission requirements to simply making ends meet. According to Collegewise.com, a professional college-admissions blog, high school seniors will be applying to fewer schools to avoid excessive application fees, and private schools will see a significant decrease in applications as their tuition is just not affordable.
Meanwhile, students will select safety schools based on financial security, rather than ease of admission, which is traditionally the case.
As families struggle to factor academia into their tight budgets, universities are, for a change, examining ways to make the process less taxing. Along with independent help and information that applicants can procure from sites like Collegewise, the UC Board of Regents is considering a major change in testing requirements by possibly eliminating the SAT II. And because high school seniors can expect fewer acceptance letters now that schools like those in the UC system are dramatically scaling down their admissions to deal with the fiscal downturn, changes such as these are necessary to give hard-working high school students an break.
It may be frustrating for current college students to watch changes that will ease the process. Those admitted in 2006 saw another fat brick added to the blockade before them, being the first to deal with an additional SAT essay and the test’s new 2,400 point value; those who applied this past fall experienced possibly the most difficult economic year, and may largely be forced to settle with lower-standard safety schools. ‘ These undergrads might feel that changes discount their own admission, as less-rigorous demands could result in less qualified future students. But this is hardly the case. University of California officials have proposed a 6 percent cut to freshman enrollment due to insufficient state funding ‘mdash; now more than ever admissions officers will be selecting only the most talented applicants. However, the leniencies being discussed for 2009 applicants will help lighten the unnecessary burdens within the process and make college more attainable despite the times. Amid a dying economy, the cost of merely taking the SAT may be prohibitively high for middle-class students, and affording test preparation is unrealistic.
College students’ concerns about easing the process are petty when set against the financial struggles applicants and their families are facing. In this time of hardship, the University of California is right to ameliorate the weighty admission requirements.
Readers can contact Gabriella Capisani at [email protected].