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Extended Inquiry Project

Lindsay Mooring
Ropko
UWRT 1102-041
19 April 2016

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Dear UNC Charlotte Admissions,
My name is Lindsay Mooring and I am at currently enrolled freshman at UNC Charlotte.
My writing class is researching the past, present, and future of higher education and its impact on
American society. I am specifically researching the changes of college admissions of the past,
present, and future. Although I have gone through the admissions process and understand the
requirements for enrollment, I have additional questions about how UNC Charlotte, specifically,
chooses the applicants accepted to the school. For example, is UNCC admissions considering the
change of an optional SAT/ACT score and why? Will the institution ever consider phone or inperson interviews? I understand that this could be time consuming and difficult with such a large
application pool. However, I believe that by introducing an interview process, UNC Charlotte
can have a more personal connection to the applicant rather than only reading what they send in.
For a school that is known for diversity, I would assume that much more is looked at than test
scores. Is there a certain order that each application requirement is ranked? For instance, is high
school GPA above or below SAT/ACT scores? Is alumni association more important than
community service? I am intrigued to know and understand the admissions process from both
sides.
Thank you for your time,

Lindsay Mooring

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The Unforeseeable Future of College Admissions
Standardized test scores, GPA, letters of recommendation, and essays all have one thing
in common. Each of these are a part of the college admissions process. Some schools may have
different requirements than others but nonetheless, this process is extremely stressful for
students, parents, and the admissions team. Was the admissions process always this taxing or are
there efforts occurring today to change that? I researched the past, present, and future of higher
education at the college admissions level to understand the changes that have and/or will occur
and how it will affect future college students, their parents, and the college itself.
Believe it or not but some may say that the college admissions process thirty years ago
was more stressful and/or difficult. The Common Application, that over 500 colleges currently
use, started in the 1970s, however, the Internet was not available until the 1990s (Boyington).
Although college was not the popular choice at the time, college applicants had to complete a
written application and have everything mailed to the school. Students, essentially, had less time
to perfect their application before sending it in. Applicants also did not have luxury of
researching their potential college online because it was rare to even have a computer at their
house. Students had to take multiple tours and meet with faculty to decide if that was the school
for them. Although this is still an aspect of the decision process, many students do not contact the
school before they submit their application. I think that applicants should contact the schools
they are applying to get their name on the admissions teams radar. To imagine that social media
did not exist at one point is difficult for some to believe. However, colleges could not advertise
their school on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook because they simply did not exist. The SAT was
not a factor of the college admissions process until the 1980s to the 1990s.

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Currently, students use the Common Application to apply to several schools, take the SAT
multiple times, and stress out about being good enough or the right fit for their dream school.
When I applied to colleges in the fall of 2014, I was stressed out about meeting all the
requirements and exceeding the averages for each school. I cannot honestly say that I chose my
dream school because I would have loved to have gone to a larger school outside of my state.
However, tuition for out-of-state residents has increased radically. For most schools today, the
college admissions team looks at your overall high school GPA, your standardized test scores,
your application and essays, and your letters of recommendation. College is becoming more
expensive, however, with the current employment rate, most jobs/careers require employees to
have at least a Bachelors degree and many look for individuals that have received their Masters
degree or Doctorate. With that trend on the rise, the graph shows an increase in college
enrollment. The largest percentage increase from 1980 to 2012 was the enrollment of Hispanics
(Cook). On each college application, there is a question pertaining to Hispanics and LatinAmericans specifically. Although most colleges will not admit to having a quota for each
ethnicity, a question like this can only make people more suspicious. I also find the graph
interesting because it shows that the college enrollment rate for Asians originally started much
higher than the other races listed, however, the line does not start until 1988. According to the
World History Center, legislation was passed around 1980 that aided immigrants with good
educational backgrounds (Asian Americans). Today, less jobs are becoming available to
individuals without a degree. Overall, the amount of college applicants, from all ethnicities,
continues to rise.

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As the future of college admissions stumbles upon us, future applicants must be ready to
meet the new requirements set by each school they are interested in. College admissions will
change drastically within the next ten years for the better or worse. Harvard has voiced that they
will make the SAT optional (Berke). Most colleges will take after this idea to attract more diverse
applicants. Applicants may also apply to more colleges knowing they will not be judged by their
test scores because of poor test taking skills and/or on skills that are no longer exaggerated in
school. According to the chart shown above, students are looking to apply to several schools, in
and out of state, even though the price of tuition continues to rise. The chart also states, Pew

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Research shows that 94% (of parents) say they expect their child (or children) to attend
(College Admissions). With more parents pushing their children to have better opportunities,
colleges are looking for more and more ways to attract applicants. Online degrees have become
extremely popular within the past decade, especially individuals that cannot afford class on a
university campus. More programs and courses will be offered as technology and access to
materials continues to increase. These efforts will aid in the decrease of the taxation on the
applicant and the college admissions team. The future of college admissions is constantly
changing each year. It is important for each party involved to understand the changes that could
potentially happen.
College admissions are constantly changing and more ideas are being voiced each year.
Admissions departments can look at how the process has changed over time and decide what will
produce a diverse, yet all-round class of students. Current admissions teams are looking at ways
to attract applicants. By taking away standardized test scores, the college admissions department
must find another way to evaluate applicants. Having an interview, whether it is in-person or
over the phone, personalizes the application process. It is crucial for future applicants and their
parents to stay up-to-date on the changes that are occurring. The past, present, and future of
college admissions have and will change in hopes of finding the best applicants to enroll. The
changes will continue to effect the applicant, their parents, and the admissions team, however,
the effort from each is leading to a decrease in the added stress of the process.

Works Cited
"ASIAN AMERICANS." ASIAN AMERICANS. World History Center. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

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Berke, Jeremy. "Harvard Just Proposed a Radically New Approach to College Admissions in
America." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc., 20 Jan. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Boyington, Briana. "10 Major Changes to College Admissions in 30 Years." U.S. News and
World Report. U.S. News, 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.
"College Admissions: Then and Now." Grown and Flown. N.p., 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 23 Mar.
2016.
Cook, Lindsey. US News. U.S.News & World Report, 22 Sept. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.