Application Numbers

College applicants certainly have admissions officers scratching their heads this year. While the surge in applications to public institutions was expected, the fluctuations in numbers for private colleges and universities has been a bit puzzling. At first it seemed that the downturn in the economy wasn't having as great an impact on student decision-making as anticipated since early decision (ED) applications increased significantly at a number of schools. Now things are looking
a little different:

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2008/12/23/applications_soar_at_public_colleges/?page=2

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/22/education/22college.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&em

How these numbers will eventually play out is anyone's guess. Tune in next year!