The Choice: Why So Many Applications for So Few Elite Spots? Continuing the Discussion

Earlier this week, NPR’s “To the Point” asked “Who’s Applying to Harvard and Who’s Getting In,” with the program focusing on the surge of applications to the two or three dozen elite colleges and universities.

The host, Warren Olney, was the latest person to wonder why applications to Harvard have increased 50 percent to nearly 35,000 annually — even as it accepted about 2,200, a little over 6 percent, in April. Joining him were Andrew Ferguson, author of “Crazy U,” (and who discussed the book with Choice readers), Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (who’s also talked about education with this blog), and The Choice’s Jacques Steinberg, who pointed out:

Some schools spend literally hundreds of thousands of dollars on slick marketing campaigns begging kids to apply for the privilege of being rejected, and yet the colleges will tell you there are so many kids who get this material, apply, get in and go who would have never known to do so had they not received it.

Listen to the admissions discussion (which begins about 7 minutes into the broadcast) and share your thoughts in comments, below.