Ten years ago, college students did not have Red Bull to keep them awake during their late night studies. Listening to recorded lectures on the go was nearly impossible without the creation of iPods and laptops were rarely seen in the classroom. However, far more than a few minor innovations have changed college life in the past decade.
“A previous head of admission at the University of Florida used to say, ‘If you could fog a mirror, then you could get into UF.’ A lot has changed since then; now they’re only accepting 43 percent of applicants,” college guidance counselor Sally Coords said.
In Florida, the percent of students attending college has increased tremendously. This increase is mostly due to Bright Futures, a program that rewards students for their academic achievements during high school by providing funds to attend a postsecondary institution in Florida.
Although more people are attending colleges, there are not more spaces in schools, so getting that acceptance letter is much more difficult than it used to be. Due to this recent competition, requirements in grade point averages and test scores have become more stringent, mostly due to the fact that more students are taking Standardized Achievement Test (SAT) prep classes and take the test several times.
Mia Goodnature, a Palmetto alumnus and current freshman at the University of Florida, spent almost $270 on applications and she only applied to half of the recommended number of schools to apply to. She feels that applying to college is more difficult than it needs to be.
“The application process is tough. People go crazy applying to college and apply to millions of them and it is so much work! There is so much information to fill out and multiple essays need to be written. It’s no easy task,” Goodnature said.
Though twenty-first century society pushes students to apply to many colleges, the process has been made much easier for many with the creation of online applications and the Common Application.
The Common Application is an undergraduate college admission application that that opened online in 2001. It is used it to apply to any of its 415 member colleges and universities in the United States. Its mission is to encourage college access by promoting holistic admission.
Another new phenomenon is the creation of “distance learning,” otherwise known as online university. About 63 percent of all colleges and universities offer this option to students at their school.
“I don’t think online colleges are real. They’re for-profit only. It’s different when a university offers online classes through them because they are established and much more credible,” senior Mark Russell said.
The ratio of men to women on college campuses has also changed. The majority of colleges are now outnumbered by women who take up 55 percent of the population.
Junior Samantha Hunter believes that this change will have an impact on the future of women. Hunter believes more educated working women means higher positions of power that were previously thought to be strictly for men.
“I think it’s great! Women will finally gain the respect they deserve. Who knows, maybe we’ll have our first woman president very soon and if that fails, we can just stick to our sandwich making,” Hunter said.
It is no secret that colleges and universities are now more difficult to get into. Luckily, Palmetto has Coords to guide students in the right direction and point out exactly what colleges are looking for. According to Coords, there are 4,000 colleges and the majority of students apply to the same 40 or 50.
“Applications don’t begin senior year anymore; students need to start during their junior year,” Coords said. “Students should also be aware that colleges are not looking for well-rounded students; you need to excel in one or two areas and really develop that.”
