All eight Ivy League colleges and universities, as well as 20 other prestigious institutions, have a one-digit acceptance rate, according to U.S. News & World Report. That’s enough to fill college bound students – and their parents – with trepidation.
But the key to identifying one’s ideal college is not directly correlated with acceptance rate. The best strategy is to pinpoint one’s choice of major, and then research the colleges and universities with the strongest programs in that field.
Consider, for example, the popular field of business. Many of the top schools are extremely competitive: University of Pennsylvania, MIT, University of California-Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Texas-Austin. Other universities, also ranked among the Top 25 Business Programs in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report, have a much more encouraging acceptance rate. Indiana University-Bloomington, Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Michigan State, Purdue, Penn State, and the University of Maryland, have acceptance rates, respectively, of 82%, 53%, 49%, 45%, 88%, 53%, 55%, and 44%.
It's even more helpful when students can pinpoint a specialty within their intended major. Future business majors interested in Supply Chain Management will find that Michigan State University and Arizona State University ranked #1 and #2, according to U.S. News & World Report. Their acceptance rates, respectively, are 88% and 90% -- incredibly higher than the acceptance rate at MIT (4%) which is ranked #3 for this specific niche.
The same strategy can be applied to Engineering, where serious students can expect to be accepted to colleges that top the field in many specialties. Purdue University, with an acceptance rate of 53%, is ranked among the Top 5 programs in the country for Aerospace/Aeronautical, Biological/Agricultural, Civil, and Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering.
University of Delaware, with an acceptance rate of 72%, is ranked among the Top 5 programs in the country for Chemical Engineering, and University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, with an acceptance rate of 45%, is in the Top 5 for Biological/Agricultural, Computer, Electrical, Materials, and Mechanical Engineering.
Choosing a college by the reputation of the specific program one will pursue, rather than the overall prestige of the university, will lead to a less stressful and likely more successful college application process.
Susan Alaimo is the founder & director of Collegebound Review, offering PSAT/SAT® preparation & private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362
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