For many students, graduating from high school and attending a prestigious college or university is a significant part of their future. Yet, gaining acceptance into the top colleges and universities may be more difficult today than it was years ago. Still, many students hope that they will be given the opportunity to attend these fine post-secondary institutions, as other students have done in the past.

With the increased competitiveness in college acceptances, secondary schools will need to provide more than just the "basics." After all, that may not be enough to differentiate and highlight all that our Manhasset children will require for entrance into top-notch colleges/universities.

There have been substantial changes in the college admissions environment in the last 10-15 years.

In 1991, Princeton University received fewer than 8,000 applications to fill its class of 1,160 students, whereas in 2004, the number of applicants grew by 97 percent. With 15,726 applications received, Princeton's admittance rate was only 10 percent.

In 1991, New York University (NYU) received slightly less than 10,000 applications for 3,100 freshmen spots. In 2004, the same number of freshmen spots pooled 33,097 applications. That's an overall increase of 230 percent. Stanford, another example, is flooded with over 20,000 applications for just 1,650 spots.

This trend is present at many of the top colleges, with applications doubling and tripling while acceptance rates remain low.

At Harvard University, there were 20,987 applications in 2004 for only 1,635 places. These 20,000 or so applicants were among the best-qualified college students in the country. The same phenomenon has occurred at the top 68 "Most Competitive" institutions identified in Barron's 2005 Profiles of American Colleges; all of these colleges and universities received an inordinate amount of applications and accepted but a fraction of the admissions pool.

Wesleyan College saw its acceptance rate decrease from 44 percent in 1993 to 27 percent in 2004. An official at Denison University, a private college in Ohio with an enrollment of only 2,100 students, stated, "In 2004, we accepted only 39 percent of applications - the lowest rate in history." Perhaps even more striking is the trickle-down effect.

The B student, who used to find a spot at a well-known, but less exclusive college, is experiencing a similar crunch. A good example is the change at the University of Miami, a private college of 9,000 students. In 1993, they received approximately 7,000 applications for a freshman class of 2,000 students. By the spring of 2004, the University of Miami received 16,844 applications (141 percent increase) for the same number of spots, thereby having to deny admission to many excellent students.

It is more difficult to get into college today than ever before!

One of the main reasons contributing to the difficulty of gaining acceptance into highly competitive colleges is that the children of baby boomers are applying to college in record numbers. There are more 18-year-olds today than there were during the "baby bust" period of 1966-1979, and the population is expected to grow steadily until 2009. However, at most colleges, the size of the student body has remained the same over the years.

Another factor is grade inflation, which has become more of a problem in recent years. In 1991, only 30 percent of the class had an A or A- average, where in 2004, 40 percent of high school seniors have an A or A- average. This increases the pool of high-achieving students applying to colleges and universities. As a result, student involvement in extracurricular activities increases dramatically in importance, because it enables students to distinguish themselves from the competition.

Finally, the doors to colleges and universities are wide open to students of all income levels. Colleges have long offered financial aid, but the stock market of the 1990s swelled endowment funds, enabling them to be much more generous. Stock market wealth, the strong economy, easy credit, and home equity loans brought about more Americans who can pay for college than ever before.

Today, students know that finances will have little effect on their college choices. In fact, at Harvard, only 20 percent of freshmen students pay full tuition. The university guarantees to meet every accepted student's demonstrated financial need, a practice that widens the pool of potential students. Hence, the average freshmen award in 2004 was $26,465, deriving from need-based scholarships, need-based grants, and need-based loans/work study.

Obviously, it's now more competitive to gain entrance into the more selective colleges. How does a child stand out in a large pool of students who have 1,500 on their SATs and 4.0 grade-point averages?

With a huge pool of outstanding applicants, admission departments at top schools have stopped making decisions based solely on numbers. Good grades and test scores alone are not the key to the Ivy League Schools or other highly competitive schools. Certainly, students still must push themselves academically and take challenging courses, but all work and no play won't cut it.

In a really competitive pool, it's the extracurricular activities and programs that make the difference. Admission directors and counselors look for something in the application that distinguishes the student - otherwise known as the "differentiator." Some universities have even been known to reject students with excellent academic credentials because these students did not have non-academic interests or at times, not enough of them. Harvard claims that students interested in the university already come with a transcript that reflects rigorous course work, solid grade point averages and great SAT scores. Accordingly, the question, "What will the child bring to the college?" is a very important one. In a recent conversation, Charles Porter, the Harvard admission representative, stated, "We are looking for well-rounded students, not just students with high scores; that's already required."

Similarly, in a phone discussion with New York University, admissions counselor Jeff Bates stated, "Grades, a student's essay and certainly extracurricular activities are significant factors in admission decisions." Michael Hills from Denison University added, "Leadership ability, as gleaned from extracurricular activities, which include the performing arts, community service, clubs, athletics, etc., is taken into consideration."

So what does this all mean?

Good statistics alone are not the key to getting into prestigious schools any more. The depth and scope of the programs at Manhasset - through its various offerings in the areas of fine arts, theatre arts, publications, service and honor organizations, athletics and governance -set our Manhasset students apart.

Highlighting distinguished programs and recognizing our students for their involvement, accomplishments, awards, and talents, are those crucial factors that colleges and universities utilize in determining admission for our students. As Brad Flora from Princeton remarks, "We're basically looking for students who are both qualified (scores, grades, and transcripts) and interesting (essays and extra curricular activities)."

That's what our Manhasset students are all about!