"Did Thom Yorke even go to college?"

Was catching up on some old email and came across a rather interesting tidbit in the Common Application’s October Counselor Update.   The 2010-11 Common Application will not go “live” until August 1st which is a full month later than the release date of July 1st in years past.  The Common App folks attribute the timing to a technical issue whereby the later date will allow high schools to submit final transcripts electronically which was previously difficult for some schools that ended the academic year late.

But as they note in almost an aside, “The later release date will also help combat the “admission creep” that concerns many counselors.” No, “admissions creep” is not your least-favorite admissions officer–though a few fit the phrase well.  Rather, it’s describing how a process that used to take place in the fall of the senior year and sometimes well into the spring, has moved all the way into the summer months before senior year in many cases.  The concern over the past few years is that kids are more focused on finishing their apps and getting decisions than being truly considerate of their best options.

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