College EnrollmentStep By Step

Anthony M. TangEDU 6050Northeastern University Fall 2013

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What We Believe• Provides unlimited opportunity

• Accessible to every student

• College = Success

• Next logical step

• The journey to college is a simple one

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If what we believe is true, then…

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Why is college enrollment down?

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• The decline in college enrollments appears to be accelerating, with 2.3 percent fewer students enrolled on campuses this spring than there were in spring 2012 according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse (Lederman, 2013)

• According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released today, college enrollment in Fall 2012 plunged by half a million (467,000) from one year earlier (Bernstein, 2013)

Step After Step After Step• Too many steps in the college process

Students fail to complete the different steps of what can be a complicated admissions process (Klasik, 2012)

• Failure to complete college entrance exams Failure to take college entrance exams can often mean the end of

students’ 4-year college degree hopes, limited options for admission or advanced course placement at community colleges, or reduced eligibility for some forms of college scholarships (Klasik, 2013)

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• Lack of Leadership through the college application process The problem is not simply one of college costs but rather the extent to

which low-income and minority students do not attend high schools that guide them successfully into the application pool (Coca, Nagakoa, & Roderick, 2011)

• Unlikely to take steps toward financial aid Low-income students are less likely to apply for financial aid early to

maximize their ability to get institutional and state aid (Kirst & Venezia, 2004)

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• No specific plans Many students with general college plans do not form specific plans, and

specific plans are not sufficient for enrollment (Rosenbaum & Stephan, 2013)

• High Cost The basic premise is that individuals weigh the costs and benefits of

continuing their education and choose to end their education when the costs exceed the benefits (Fletcher, 2011)

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Which Groups of Students are Affected by the Steps in the College Application Process?

• Artists• Writers• Black• White• Hispanic• Asian• Musicians• Rich • Poor• Filmmakers• First Generation

• Southerners• Northerners• Entrepreneurs• Optimists• Athletes• Geeks• Bikers• Nerds• Givers• Gamers• Conservative

• Creators• Critics• Liberal• Idealists• Journalists• Mentors• Researchers• Bookworms• Thinkers• Talkers• Scholars

At the end of the day, all students are affected by the multiple steps in the college application process

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How We Can Make the Steps Clear

• Continued counselor support Results suggest that visiting a counselor for college entrance

information has a positive and significant influence on students’ likelihood of postsecondary enrollment (Belasco, 2013)

• Create new and improved programs The Expanding College Opportunities-Comprehensive

Intervention leads students to apply to and enroll in colleges with higher graduation rates, greater instructional resources, and curricula (Hoxby & Turner, 2013)

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• Increase awareness Higher education institutions could engage their admissions,

marketing, and public relations offices to launch a College Access Marketing campaign (Tremblay, 2011)

• Encouragement As simple as it sounds, students need words of encouragement.

Students need to know the steps in the college application process are not as complicated as they seem

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There is no quick solution.

However, we need to be sure the steps in the college application process are clear, simple, and effective.

We need to continue our work toward increasing the number of students seeking a collegiate education and supporting them

through the entire process.

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Fletcher, Jason M. 2011. Social identity as a determinant of college enrollment. Rationality and

Society, Vol. 2, Issue. 3, p267-303.

Bernstein, R. (2013, September 3). After a Recent Upswing, College Enrollment

Declines, Census Bureau Reports. United States Census Bureau.

Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/

education/cb13-153

Coca, V., Nagaoka, J. Roderick, M. 2011. Potholes on the Road to College: High

School Effects in Shaping Urban Students' Participation in College

Application, Four-Year College Enrollment, and College Match.

Sociology of Education, v84 n3. 178-211.

ReferencesBelasco, A. S. (2013). Creating College Opportunity: School Counselors and Their

Influence on Postsecondary Enrollment. Research in Higher Education, 54(7),

781-804.

Kirst Michael W. and Venezia Andrea. 2004. From High School to College:

Improving Opportunities for Success in Postsecondary Education. San

Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Klasik D. 2012. The college application gauntlet: A systematic analysis of the

steps to four-year college enrollment. Research in Higher Education,

53, 506–549.

Klasik, D. 2013. The Act of Enrollment: The College Enrollment Effects of State-

Required College Entrance Exam Testing. Education Researcher, v42 n 3.

151-160.

Hoxby, C., & Turner, S. (2013). Expanding College Opportunities. EducationNext,

13(4), 67-73.

Lederman, D. (2013, May 17). Enrollment Decline Pick Up Speed. Inside Higher

Ed. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/17/

data-show-increasing-pace-college-enrollment-declines

Rosenbaum, J. and Stephan, J. 2013. Can High Schools Reduce College Enrollment Gaps

With a New Counseling Model?. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

Vol. 3, Issue 2. 200-219.

Tremblay, C.W. (2011). College Access Marketing. College and University. 86(3),

38-46.