Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

The Wall Street Journal reports that rural schools seem to be in greater demand this year following the mostly urban terrorist attacks. Schools as diverse as Carleton College, Dickinson College, and Indiana University are seeing increased interest at recruiting events.

At the same time, they quote sources at NYU and Columbia University as saying that they are seeing no lessening of interest at this stage of the admissions process.

They also note a few other effects. The economic uncertainty seems to be increasing interest in less costly state universities compared to lesser-known private schools. Another comment is that some families are imposing "distance from home" limitations on the college search process.

What's your take on this? Are you (or people you know) changing the college decision parameters this admissions season? Will Fordham, one of the hot schools last year, tank this year? Are Columbia and NYU merely putting a brave face on, or is the demand for what these schools offer strong enough to outweigh parental worries? Will Dartmouth apps surge? What effects do you think we'll see?

By Senior mom on Friday, October 05, 2001 - 08:14 pm: Edit

My daughter was (and continues to be) interested in schools is Washington, D.C., and in New York City. The terrorist attacks have not changed her mind about those schools, nor have they changed mine. You can live your life in a vaccuum, afraid to do anything lest something awful happen, or you can take reasonable precautions, act judiciously and control your own life. I hope I've taught her to do that.

By anonamom on Saturday, October 06, 2001 - 12:59 am: Edit

I think it's too soon to tell.

By Dadster on Saturday, October 06, 2001 - 08:43 am: Edit

Anonamom is probably right - it wouldn't surprise me if application rates to urban schools were similar to last year's. Depending on what happens over the next six months, though, yield rates could be affected if safety concerns increase rather than gradually fading away.

By burningman on Tuesday, October 09, 2001 - 10:00 am: Edit

Urban colleges will continue to offer a unique environment and greater cultural opportunities. Rural colleges will continue to offer a world that revolves around the campus and a more self-contained community. People will choose the environment that appeals to them. We may find, too, that not being an urban center isn't a guarantee of safety. The current anthrax scare is taking place in Boca Raton, hardly on anyone's top ten list of obvious targets.

By GFI on Friday, October 26, 2001 - 12:24 pm: Edit

The sales of "luxury" products like designer clothes, jewelry, expensive luggage, etc. are way, way down. I guess we'll see if people consider expensive colleges an expendable luxury, too...

On the other hand, it seems like domestic travel is starting to pick up again. I would guess, though, that for most of September college visits were lower than expected.

By David Hawsey on Monday, October 29, 2001 - 08:00 am: Edit

GFI:

On the contrary, Albion College saw over 300 extra visitors since September 11th. We're in a smaller city, but only 15 minutes from larger urban areas like Battle Creek and Jackson. Also, only 30 minutes from Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan.

Many of my sister colleges have seen similar increases. People may think it's safer in smaller towns, and there may be some truth to that.

The Detroit Free Press ran an article earlier this month saying that while students were going to apply where they wanted to, parents were telling them, "Here's a map, here's the house, and this is a five-hour radius. You can go anywhere inside that circle."

Time will tell, but I think it will be a compromise. I hear that most students are realizing that you don't have to travel 500 miles or more to get the same quality education you can get closer to home. Since no college has any claim on being better for anyone's life overall in the long run, the match and "fit," if found closer to home, might ease the fears of students and parents alike.

By GFI on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 04:11 pm: Edit

Interesting, DH. I'd say strong visits even through September when a lot of the country stopped doing anything at all is a good sign for Albion's apps and maybe even yield.

By AnonEMoose on Wednesday, November 07, 2001 - 08:32 am: Edit

Last year, Dartmouth saw a decrease in applicants to 9,719 from 10,165. I'd look for that to increase as some panic stricken parents urge their kids to get away from anyplace that might actually appear on some wacko terrorist's map.

By Anon on Monday, November 26, 2001 - 08:18 pm: Edit

I predict that President Bush will make a major speech and tell citizens of college age that it is their patriotic duty to attend college in a major urban center. Even if their stats don't measure up, it would still be a patriotic sacrifice to send in an application to one or more urban colleges.

Applications at Columbia and NYU will skyrocket, and Lincoln Center will displace Rose Hill as the main Fordham campus. Juilliard will pull away from other conservatories located in smaller cities. You heard it here first...

By Princeton 69 on Tuesday, November 27, 2001 - 07:51 am: Edit

...and Harvard will announce the Osama Bin Laden Chair in Foreign Policy Studies, thanks to a bequest from the late terrorist leader's will, thus culminating the Harvard development office's long-standing relationship with the Bin Laden family.

By Dadster on Monday, December 31, 2001 - 11:34 am: Edit

Apparently Barnard's apps weren't affected by any urban-phobia issues. They report that BARNARD RECEIVES A RECORD NUMBER OF EARLY DECISION APPLICATIONS IN 2001.

By Dadster on Tuesday, January 01, 2002 - 12:01 pm: Edit

Just found the link that shows Columbia Early Applicant Pool Rises Again.

I suppose the RD pools could be affected more, since that group usually includes some half-hearted applicants that are applying for the heck of it, but at the moment it looks like no big effect from Sept 11. Anyone seen NYU numbers yet?