http://notjustadmissions.com/2009/08/12/life-goals-at-a-discount-the-manipulation-of-transfer-students/ Insider information on college admissions, with a sarcastic flavor, with a smidge of Mason propaganda Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:48:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://notjustadmissions.com/2009/08/12/life-goals-at-a-discount-the-manipulation-of-transfer-students/#comment-2571 deanflagel Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:55:18 +0000 http://notjustadmissions.wordpress.com/?p=703#comment-2571 Thanks, Jason! Always a pleasure to have a VIP visitor! I think the key in your response is "consider" trading down - the evidence that we've seen of actual college choice is that students did not actually shift all that much. You can see that if you look at overall enrollments by price, which so far doesn't show much adjustment (beyond the expected increase in students based on the number graduating from high school). It's still a bit early, since many schools won't release official enrollment for weeks - but my intel says that shifts were all over the map, and had a lot more to do with the strength of the instiutional relationship to admitted students (and likely to the amount of discount, but we'll NEVER get that data) than to any trend in students switching to lower cost options. I'm told (confidentially - I have spies everywhere) that some of the priciest privates are way up in enrollment, while some of the high quality reasonably priced publics were stretching to hit their targets (digging WAY down in their waitlists). Of course Mason exceeded our targets AND raised standards :-D Anyhow, back to transfers. Of course, the idea of quality with affordability makes sense, but in the end of the day it's rare that value propositions shift as much enrollment as "prestige". A large, long term unanswered question is whether that pattern that has held true for so long in admissions will be maintained with transfer students, particularly those from various ethnic backgrounds who are the first generation in their family to be college bound. Referring back to your recent article on Hispanic and Latino enrollment, there is a lot of discussion about whether the value proposition will be more effective particularly targeted to the Hispanic and Latino population. This was a very popular theory in the late 70's and early 90's regarding the African American population - proved to be spectacularly mistaken. For those of you still awake - this is the kind of thing we admissions officers sit around and debate until the wee hours - kind of like mad scientists hatching their next evil scheme to take over the world...but with less cackling. Thanks, Jason! Always a pleasure to have a VIP visitor!
I think the key in your response is “consider” trading down – the evidence that we’ve seen of actual college choice is that students did not actually shift all that much. You can see that if you look at overall enrollments by price, which so far doesn’t show much adjustment (beyond the expected increase in students based on the number graduating from high school). It’s still a bit early, since many schools won’t release official enrollment for weeks – but my intel says that shifts were all over the map, and had a lot more to do with the strength of the instiutional relationship to admitted students (and likely to the amount of discount, but we’ll NEVER get that data) than to any trend in students switching to lower cost options. I’m told (confidentially – I have spies everywhere) that some of the priciest privates are way up in enrollment, while some of the high quality reasonably priced publics were stretching to hit their targets (digging WAY down in their waitlists). Of course Mason exceeded our targets AND raised standards
Anyhow, back to transfers. Of course, the idea of quality with affordability makes sense, but in the end of the day it’s rare that value propositions shift as much enrollment as “prestige”. A large, long term unanswered question is whether that pattern that has held true for so long in admissions will be maintained with transfer students, particularly those from various ethnic backgrounds who are the first generation in their family to be college bound. Referring back to your recent article on Hispanic and Latino enrollment, there is a lot of discussion about whether the value proposition will be more effective particularly targeted to the Hispanic and Latino population. This was a very popular theory in the late 70′s and early 90′s regarding the African American population – proved to be spectacularly mistaken.
For those of you still awake – this is the kind of thing we admissions officers sit around and debate until the wee hours – kind of like mad scientists hatching their next evil scheme to take over the world…but with less cackling.

]]> http://notjustadmissions.com/2009/08/12/life-goals-at-a-discount-the-manipulation-of-transfer-students/#comment-2570 Jason Bakker Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:44:21 +0000 http://notjustadmissions.wordpress.com/?p=703#comment-2570 Andrew, What I was trying to get across in my article was that the economy has caused some students (and parents) to consider trading down to a college that might not be their first choice in an effort to save some out-of-pocket college costs. What I had hoped to articulate was that "Quality" education, and achieving life-goals is not just reserved for schools with high tuition or a private label. Schools that can promote quality with affordability can win some transfer students at a time when many are on the move. Andrew, What I was trying to get across in my article was that the economy has caused some students (and parents) to consider trading down to a college that might not be their first choice in an effort to save some out-of-pocket college costs. What I had hoped to articulate was that “Quality” education, and achieving life-goals is not just reserved for schools with high tuition or a private label. Schools that can promote quality with affordability can win some transfer students at a time when many are on the move.

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