Ivy League - The Ivy Coach

Ivy League Schools

Ever wonder which Ivy League schools are in the cultural zeitgeist more than others? Wonder no longer! If you haven’t noticed by now after reading our blog over the years, we love to analyze data and, right now, that’s precisely what we’re going to do through the use of Google Trends. In fact, we’re going to run each Ivy League college name through Google Trends’ “Search Volume Index” to give you a definitive answer.

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Which Ivy League school is really in the cultural zeitgeist? You decide based on our data analysis.

For starters, Harvard University has been trending downward in recent years! In 2004, Harvard had a little under a 2.0 “Search Volume Index,” (based on the number of Google searches for Harvard each day). This year, it’s steadily been a bit under a 1.0 “Search Volume Index.” It’s generally been trending downward with the definite exception of late 2007 when it hit a high of a 2.0 “Search Volume Index.” Yale has steadily declined from a 2.0 to a 1.0 in SVI, with the exception of a spike in late 2009 (when the Yale lab tech was brutally murdered as this generated a number of Google searches).

And how about Princeton? They’ve got about the same trend as Harvard and Yale with their spike happening in late 2007. Dartmouth? In 2004, they were a little over a 1.0 but are now slightly under 1.0. Their spike occurred in late 2007 as well. How about Brown? In 2004, they were at about a 1.5 but now hover below 1.0. Their spike occurred in late 2007 as well. Interesting, eh?

Cornell was at a 2.0 in 2004 but the school is now below 1.0 with spikes in late 2007 and early 2010 (in 2010, it was because of a rise in suicides at the Ithaca campus). Penn also hovered around 2.0 in 2004, though they’ve now slipped to well under 1.0. Penn exhibited a spike in late 2007 as well. Lastly, Columbia has slipped from a 2.0 to below 1.0 with two distinct spikes in 2007 of relatively equal strength.

And check out our Ivy League Admissions Statistics for some more Ivy League data!

Ivy League Workers

A study put out by Rasmussen finds that only 3% of persons polled found that Ivy League graduates make better workers. According to Rasmussen Reports, the study specifically finds: “79% do not think Ivy League students make better workers. Eighteen percent (18%) are undecided.” We at The Ivy Coach call big time foul on this study.

In one question (“Generally speaking, are people who go to Ivy League universities such as Harvard and Yale better workers than people who went to other colleges?), those surveyed are asked quite a leading question. Unless you went to an Ivy League university, chances are you are going to say no! Why would someone admit that other workers might be better than them? They have pride. It’s like asking the question: Generally speaking, do people who live in mansions lead better lives than those who live in modest homes? Chances are the person who lives in the modest home is going to say no…even if he/she doesn’t wholeheartedly believe that to be true.

Additionally, the priming effect is at play in this flawed study. The questions plant within one’s mind that an Ivy League education is not at all tied with hard work. The questions allude that Ivy Leaguers are not hard workers and rely instead only on their elite educations. While there certainly are exceptions, we believe that most graduates of Ivy League colleges tend to be hard workers because in order to gain admission to these highly competitive universities, they had to show performance superior to others. Are there extremely smart, hard-working graduates of non-Ivy League schools? Of course! Take a look at the list of Fortune 500 CEOs. Many attended colleges that most people have never heard of. But to discount Ivy Leaguers as non-hard workers as this study seems to suggest (even if unintentionally), is incorrect.

Check out the Rasmussen study here.

And check out our blog post on the Ivy League’s influence on career or on highly successful people rejected by Harvard.

Princeton Admissions

This past Thursday, the Princeton Tigers took on the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ivy League’s representative in the 14th seed proved a formidable opponent, pushing Kentucky to the final seconds when a Wildcat layup clinched a 59-57 victory for the 3rd seeded favorites. The game was reminiscent of 1989 when the 16th seeded Tigers nearly toppled the 1st seeded Georgetown Hoyas before falling 50-49 thanks to an Alonzo Mourning block at the very end. A 16 seed has never beaten a 1 seed in the history of the Men’s NCAA Tournament.

The fact that Princeton made it to the NCAA Tournament will invariably boost their applications for next year’s admissions cycle. But they did exit in the first round so it shouldn’t be as big of a boost as, say, Cornell experienced last year when they advanced to the Sweet 16. It will also be difficult to identify and measure whether Princeton’s reinstatement of an early admissions policy or their NCAA Tournament bid this year will cause the notable rise in applications that we project.

Check out this article in “Bleacher Report”: “Why You Should Root for the Ivy League’s Representative.”

And check out our blogs on College admissions and March Madness and on The Impact of One College’s Final Four Run on their Admissions Statistics.

College Admissions Parenting

There is a great opinion piece in this month’s “The Atlantic” titled “The Ivy Delusion.” In the article, Caitlin Flanagan writes about various parenting styles of mothers and how these styles can influence the college admissions outlooks of their children. She describes different archetypes of mothers from the Amy Chuas of the world to the relaxed parents who merely want their children to live happy childhoods, even if that means not getting into an Ivy League school come their seventeenth year.

Writes Flanagan, “Elite-college admissions offices drive professional-class parents crazy because in many respects they do not operate as meritocracies. Consider, for example, those students admitted via one of the two programs that stand as strange mirror opposites: those that give preferential treatment to the sons and daughters of alumni, and those that extend it to the children of unrepresented minorities. The latter practice suggests that generations of injustice and prejudice can be redressed by admission to a fancy college, the former that generations of inclusion and privilege demand their own special prize; the two philosophies would seem to cancel one another out, but each has its place in the larger system.”

We at The Ivy Coach don’t agree with Flanagan that you have to raise your children one way if they hope to get admitted to a highly competitive university. There are many ways to raise children who will gain admission to top universities and become successful in life. Parents don’t have to force their children to take piano lessons. They don’t have to make them play chess if they don’t like it. Happy childhoods and paths toward admission to a highly competitive university are not mutually exclusive.

As Dartmouth alumnus Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Sometimes, the road less traveled may be the secret to both a happy childhood and admission to the college of your choice.

Check out the article in “The Atlantic” here.

Read our blog on “Helicopter Parents” .

College Applications

There is an article in today’s “Los Angeles Times” that discusses how high school seniors are applying to more colleges than ever before. It must have been a slow news day with all of the rain in LA as this is not a new trend in college admissions. Rather, it’s one that has been growing for years. The article cites how prestigious colleges received an average of 7% more college applications this year.

Writes Larry Gordon in the article, “Students using the increasingly popular Common Application sought admission on average to 4.53 campuses for the coming fall term, up from 4.32 for current college freshmen. That increase may seem small but could be significant at some schools, according to Rob Killion, the Common Application’s executive director. About 525,000 students used the service and 414 colleges participated this year.

In a national survey, UCLA researchers found that 17.8 % of current college freshmen had applied to eight or more colleges, up from 15.9% the previous year and 7.8% a decade ago. Some counselors say the Common Application’s ease encourages some frivolous applications, making it harder for colleges to figure out how many offers of enrollment will result in students showing up to fill classes and dorms. Critics also blame the jump in numbers on colleges’ aggressive recruiting tactics, including waived fees and ‘no sweat’ applications with much of the information filled in at some schools.”

Prestigious colleges and universities such as the Ivy League universities are recruiting students who they know don’t have the courses, grades and standardized test scores to make the admissions cut. So why are these colleges recruiting them? Because the college’s acceptance rates drop and their rankings go up in “US News & World Report.” It’s always all about the rankings. Students are led to believe that when Yale University sends them literature Yale wants them to attend. They get excited about attending Yale. They begin thinking about life in New Haven. They apply and then they get denied admission. This is a trend in college admissions but, hopefully, by raising awareness of this trend, applicants will be less likely to be surprised when they are denied admission by a college that sent them these colorful brochures.

Check out the “Los Angeles Times” article by Larry Gordon here. And check out our post on the surge of applications.

Preschool to The Ivy League

There is an article in today’s “NY Daily News,” the ultimate source of news that is neither interesting nor noteworthy, that focuses on a Manhattan mom who is suing the preschool her daughter attended for hurting her 4 year-old’s chances of admission to an Ivy League school because they didn’t prepare her dc (darling child) for the ERBs (the SATs for kindergarten admission). Imagine that!

The suit brought by the mother, Nicole Imprescia, claims, “At age four, [York Avenue Preschool] was still teaching [Imprescia's] daughter about shapes and colors – a two year old’s learning environment…Like many parents living in Manhattan, [Imprescia] places a priority on her child’s preschool education.” Adds Jose Martinez of the “NY Daily News,” The suit quotes from an article that identifies elite preschools as the first step for getting children into the best elementary and high schools ‘and on to the Ivy League.’”

The mother not only wants her $19,000/year tuition refunded by York Avenue Preschool but she hopes that the suit becomes a class-action one so that other toddlers who are later denied admission to elite colleges can pinpoint where it all went so terribly wrong. Not being “properly prepped for the standardized test…can mean the difference between Dalton and – gasp! – public school.

In an interview with Steve Nelson, Head of the Calhoun School in Manhattan, “Nicole Imprescia’s daughter probably won’t apply to Calhoun for kindergarten, but we wouldn’t take her anyway. It’s not because of the lawsuit. We’re just not interested in families who think prepping for standardized tests is a good way to raise a child.” Who is he kidding – of course it’s about the lawsuit! The lawsuit that’s about to follow Imprescia’s daughter throughout her elementary and high school years…and maybe even to the attention of Ivy League admissions officers years down the road…

Penn Admissions

On March 4th, students who applied to the University of Pennsylvania and stood out as exceptional in the pack of applicants received an e-mail communication from the University of Pennsylvania’s Dean of Admissions Eric Furda with a link to a site featuring a video.

Said Furda in the video, “You’re among a small group of students who are designated as likely candidates, meaning that on March 30 you’re going to be admitted to the University of Pennsylvania.” It marked the first time the university had informed applicants of their “likely” status by a video. Some applicants to Penn were skeptical of the link’s authenticity but Furda soon posted a note on a college admissions forum that the video was indeed authentic.

This video tipping off applicants to Penn of their “likely to be admitted” status continues the trend of Ivy League schools informing applicants early that they stand a good chance of admission. It is the hope of the Ivy League colleges and other competitive universities to use these notifications as a way to lure the students to matriculate to the college and steer them away from the competition.

See the video here.

Check out our related blogs – Likely Letters, and Early Notification, Likely Letters, Merit Money, Long Waitlists: All This for The Most Competitive Class in History?

Harvard Admissions

There is an editorial in today’s “Boston Globe” that the return of Early Action to Harvard makes the admissions process more equitable: “The admissions advantage for athletes has been a source of contention at Harvard for decades. A situation in which athletes get an early word, but few other applicants do, was hard to square with the overall philosophy of promoting equity. It’s far better to bring back early action — and to make sure all potential applicants know about the option.”

While it is true, athletes who applied Regular Decision these past couple of years to Harvard were indeed receiving Likely Letters at the time when candidates for admission would have received their notices if Early Action remained in place, reinstating Early Action at Harvard will not end this particular advantage for athletes. Coveted athletes who choose not to apply Early Action to Harvard but instead to apply Regular Decision next year will likely still be receiving those Likely Letters in December.

And early programs do not promote equity in spite of what the deans of admission and university presidents may say. Are early programs great for universities? Yes! Are they great for students who want to get accepted early on in their senior year and not have to worry about their admission decisions for many more months? You bet. But students who are admitted early are historically less diverse than those who are admitted through Regular Decision.

Ivy League Tuition Costs

Tuition costs in the Ivy League are on the rise again. Shocker. Dartmouth saw the highest tuition hike at 5.9%. Princeton saw the lowest hike in the last 45 years at 1%. While Columbia has not yet announced their tuition hike the university will, in all likelihood, end up being the most expensive Ivy League university. Princeton currently ranks as the least expensive at $49,069 per year.

Below is the 2011-2012 breakdown for the cost increases at the Ivy League schools accounting for tuition, room, board, and fees:

Columbia University – TBD – 2010-2011 cost was $56,684

Dartmouth College – 5.9% increase – $55,365

Cornell University – 4.5% increase – $54,645

University of Pennsylvania – 3.9% increase – $53,976

Brown University – 3.5% increase – $53,136

Yale University – 5.8% increase – $52,700

Harvard University – 3.8% increase – $52,650

Princeton University – 1% increase – $49,069

College Admissions and March Madness

It’s that time of year again, the time of year when you print out your NCAA Tourney bracket, read Dick Vitale’s predictions on ESPN, and then fill in your own projections for the universities you think will advance to the Sweet 16 and beyond. In the Ivy League, for the first time in the school’s long history, Harvard has won at least a share of the Ivy title. Should Princeton fall to Penn in their last regular season game, Harvard will secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Should Princeton beat Penn, Harvard and Princeton will compete in a playoff to determine the league’s representative to the NCAA Tournament.

But beyond the hoopla and excitement of March Madness, how does this tournament impact the universities that manage to qualify for The Big Dance? The fact is that at many universities, including at highly selective schools like Duke, Stanford, and Penn, the school’s run in the NCAA Tournament can have a major impact on the admissions process. Yes, if you’re applying to Duke next year, it may well be in your best interest to root against the Blue Devils this year so that you can have a better chance of admission. Heresy, you might suggest? It doesn’t mean you have to become a Carolina fan. And the fact is, if you’re admitted the following year, you can root on Duke as a Cameron Crazy for each of the next four years and for every year for the rest of your life.

Let’s take a look at the statistics. Historically, universities that qualify for the Sweet 16 increase their applicant pool by an average of 3% the following year. A school that wins the tournament tends to increase next year’s applicant pool by an average of 7-8%, according to a Virginia Tech researcher. Do you happen to remember mid-major George Mason’s Cinderella run to the Final Four back in 2006 (that included upsets of powerhouses Michigan State, UNC, and UConn)? In the following admissions cycle, George Mason’s applicant pool increased by 20%.

In a research paper entitled, “The Impact of College Sports Success on the Quantity and Quality of Student Applications,” author Devin Pope of Wharton and Jaren Pope of Virginia Tech found, “Empirical studies have produced mixed results on the relationship between a school’s sports success and the quantity and quality of students that apply to the school. This study uses two unique datasets to shed additional light on the indirect benefits that sports success provides to NCAA Division I schools.”

The Popes go on to write, “Key findings include: (i) football and basketball success significantly increase the quantity of applications to a school, with estimates ranging from 2-8% for the top 20 football schools and the top 16 basketball schools each year, (ii) private schools see increases in application rates after sports success that are 2-4 times higher than public schools, (iii) the extra applications received are composed of both low and high SAT scoring students thus providing potential for schools to improve their admission outcomes, and (iv) schools appear to exploit these increases in applications by improving both the number and the quality of incoming students.”

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