John Jay Students Apply to More Colleges, Feeling Pressure to Get In

The number of college applications submitted by seniors at has almost doubled in recent years, from 4.7 per student in 2004 to 8.7 per student this year.

In addition, 75 percent of the senior class applied through an early admission process, meeting November application deadlines to increase their chances of acceptance at their first-choice schools.

A number of factors contributed to the increase, said Dr. Christopher Griffin, director of counseling at the high school. He recently presented a report to the school board and answered follow up questions from Patch.

"Colleges are using more sophisticated marketing techniques and employing marketing professionals to increase the number of applications, and there is much hype in the media and throughout middle-to-higher income communities about how competitive the process has become," he said.

In addition to media and marketing professionals ramping up pressure on students, Griffin said, technology has made it easier for students to use one common application to multiple institutions with a simple click of a button.

At the same time, the application process has become more complex, with varied types of applications, an array of testing requirements and a longer application season that starts as early as September and can extend through June.

Griffin said national admissions trends indicate that more colleges are becoming more selective and creating longer wait-lists.

According to this New York Times story, Binghamton University—a popular choice for students applying from John Jay—waitlisted 1,505 students. Boston College waitlisted 6,200 applicants.

Griffin emphasized that though the process was lengthy and complex, it has, for the majority of students, ended with good news. He said it was notable that John Jay grads will be attending 148 different institutions of higher education.

"This speaks to the fact that our students are enroll in varied types of colleges and universities—kids are willing to look all over to find the place that's right for them," he said.

Griffin shared the top 10 colleges to which John Jay students apply. They are: SUNY Binghamton, University of Vermont, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Albany, Northeastern University, U. Rhode Island, SUNY Oneonta, U. Massachusetts – Amherst and SUNY Cortland.

And the top 10 colleges John Jay students end up attending are: New York University, SUNY Albany, U. Maryland (College Park), Penn State University (University Park), U. Delaware, SUNY Geneseo, Syracuse University, Tulane University, Cornell University and McGill University.

Griffin said counselors make every effort to visit colleges and universities they've never been to before in order to help students make informed decisions and open up new options. A typical visit includes a campus tour, information session at the admissions office and a meeting with a regional representative. 

"There's a lot of good news here," Griffin told the board in presenting the data. "Whether they've got a 99 [academic average] or a 71, we can find a place for that student to continue their education if they want to."

School board member Mike Gordon commended the guidance department on their work.

"Our kids find the right place for themselves, and to me, that's what differentiates the philosophy our guidance department has as compared to other districts," said Gordon. He said the the "brand" of the school was less important to a students' future success than matching them up with an appropriate two-or-four year program that was a good fit for them.

On the remaining three percent not attending college, Griffin explained that one student will be taking a "gap year" prior to attending college and two students are pursuing military options.