College admissions remain competitive, despite signs that both college enrollments and high school graduates have hit their peak, according to Laura Gehringer of Huntington Learning Center.
Data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show that college enrollments decreased 2.3 percent from spring 2012 to spring 2013. This is a change from the previous decade, which was marked by growing enrollments.
High school graduates also may be on the decline for the first time in many years. According to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, the class of 2011 is projected as the largest that the nation has produced, at 3.4 million.
“That peak will mark the end of a 17- year run of continuous growth in the number of graduates, during which time graduating cohorts increased by an average of 2.2 percent annually,” the commission stated in its recent report, “Knocking at the College Door.”
Dr. Raymond Huntington, chairman and founder of Huntington Learning Center, said there is a quandary facing American students.
“The country needs more skilled, educated workers, yet it is more competitive to get into college than ever before,” said Huntington, referring to the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s 2012 “State of College Admission” report, which states that acceptance rates for four-year institutions declined from 69.6 percent in 2002 to 63.8 percent in 2011. “At a time when policymakers are working to make college more attainable, we don’t anticipate that competitiveness changing dramatically in the near future.”
Gehringer said the reality is that high school graduates who want to go to college today must attempt to stand out from the masses.
“The best way to do this is to achieve the best high school GPA possible, take the most challenging curriculum one can handle, and do one’s best on college admissions exams,” she said. “Those things, after all, are among the top factors that colleges consider.”
Huntington offers tutoring services for students from kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as preparatory services for college entrance exams. For additional information, contact Laura Gehringer of Huntington Learning Center at 201-261- 8400 or [email protected], or visit www.huntingtonhelps.com.