Jeff Selingo—long-time higher-education journalist, former editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education, and bestselling author—spent a year with behind-the-scenes access to the undergraduate admission process at three colleges, while also following some high-schoolers on their side of the search and application processes. From this experience, Selingo wrote a compelling book: Who Gets In and Why?: A Year Inside College Admissions.
While the book is well worth a read for educators, parents, and even students, reading it led me to a helpful resource—Selingo’s list of College Buyers and Sellers. In his website’s FAQ’s, he writes:
The sellers are the “haves” of admissions. They are overwhelmed with applications, many from top students. They don’t need to buy students with tuition discounts to fill their classrooms. Most sellers offer financial assistance only to students who really need it or are truly exceptional.
The buyers are the “have-nots” in terms of admissions—although they might provide a superior undergraduate education. Rather than “select” a class, their admissions officers must work hard to recruit students and they must discount tuition through merit aid to fill classroom seats and beds in dorm rooms.
It’s best not to think of this as a scientific formula or a binary system. Rather use it as a guide in your search because most schools fall somewhere on the spectrum of buyers and sellers.
While access to Selingo’s “College Buyers and Sellers” list requires minimal personal information (name, email, etc.) from you, it’s well worth it if you’re interested and in a position to help students in the college search process.
