Wellesley College Admission Report Fall 2019

WELLESLEY COLLEGE ADMISSION REPORT FALL 2019

Applicant updates

School counselor updates

Elimination of ACT writing requirement

Increased use of Slate.org

In the fall of 2018, Wellesley College removed its requirement that ACT test takers submit the optional ACT writing exam.

Wellesley College Office of Admission will broaden its use of Slate.org this fall, a free tool for school counselors, independent counselors, and community-based organizations. Slate.org helps to schedule visits with college representatives, maintain awareness of where students reside in the admissions process, and conveniently and securely submit materials directly to institutions. The easy-to-use cloud-based tool requires no software download and is available at no cost. Visit www.slate.org for more information or email info@slate.org with questions.

Acceptance of self-reported standardized scores Additionally, students may now self-report ACT and/or SAT scores. Once an application has been submitted, students can log into their applicant portal and fill out the Self-Reported Score Form. Upon enrollment, the Office of Admission will reach out to any student who has not already sent official score results from the College Board or ACT (or via her school counselor) and require the student to submit official scores.

Both of these changes best support the College’s goals of academic excellence, access, and diversity.

Support for students facing financial challenges If your students face financial challenges in meeting Wellesley’s standardized testing requirements, they should reach out to the Office of Admission for guidance in submitting their application. In some instances, the Office of Admission may be able to waive a standardized testing requirement due to financial hardship.

Email release of Early Evaluation notifications Applicants who opt for an Early Evaluation will receive their notification via email this year. For questions, please email guidancecounselor@wellesley.edu

Babson, Olin, and Wellesley Counselor Fly-in Program In June of 2020, the Babson/Olin/Wellesley Three College Collaboration will host a fly-in opportunity for domestic school counselors. Please email guidancecounselor@wellesley.edu to express your interest in this free program and we will send you a save-the-date.

Important deadlines

NOV 1 EARLY DECISION I

DEC 15

JAN 1

JAN 15

REGULAR DECISION WITH EARLY EVALUATION

EARLY DECISION II

REGULAR DECISION

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WELLESLEY COLLEGE CLASS OF 2023 PROFILE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

CLASS SNAPSHOT 6,488

Applicants

1,379

Admitted (21%)

612

Enrolling (44%)

46

States represented + District of Columbia Guam, & Puerto Rico

23

Nations of citizenship

52%

Students of color, including two or more races

New England

20%

Public and Charter

63%

Pacific & Mountain

26%

Independent

27%

South

18%

Mid-Atlantic

14%

Religious Homeschools

9% <1%

Central International & Americans Abroad

8%

MEAN TEST SCORES

14%

STATES REPRESENTED by location of high school; 46 states + DC, Guam, & Puerto Rico.

Top states represented:

Statistics updated 9.10.2019

California Massachusetts New York Texas New Jersey

DEMOGRAPHICS Race/Ethnicity: African American/Black

SECONDARY SCHOOL TYPE

7%

12%

Native American

<1%

23 nations of citizenship represented by non-U.S. citizens.

Pacific Islander

<1%

Top countries of citizenship represented:

1%

White/Caucasian

33%

International Citizens

13%

Students who come from a home where at least one language other than English is spoken

47%

China South Korea India Canada Singapore

Percent of entering class:

Alumnae relatives include mothers, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, or sisters.

11%

18%

Total

RECEIVING AID

ACCEPTED

PERCENTAGE

6,488

1379

21%

686

222

32%

Deferred from Early Decision

[200]

25

13%

Regular Decision with Early Evaluation

1793

574

32%

Regular Decision

4,009

558

14%

Early Decision I & II

Percent of entering class receiving financial aid award containing grant aid:

Concern for Community Creativity Emotional Maturity Intellectual Vitality/Zest Leadership Motivation Resilence/Grit Sense of Self

ACCEPTANCE INFORMATION

BY ENTRANCE PLAN APPLIED

Neither parent has a four-year college degree.

79%

ALUMNAE RELATIVES

Percent of entering class:

FIRST GENERATION

HIGH SCHOOL RANK

TOP NON-COGNITIVE ATTRIBUTES

CITIZENSHIPS REPRESENTED

Latina/Hispanic

Other/Not reported

722 32

Top Ten Percent:

25%

9%

712

(Of the 31% who were ranked)

Asian American

Two or more races

SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing SAT Math ACT Composite

59%

Identifying non-cognitive factors that support student success New to the 2018-2019 admission cycle, the Wellesley College Board of Admission began incorporating a more formal identification of candidates’ non-cognitive attributes in the application review process. The conversation surrounding holistic admission practices has increasingly centered on ways that admission professionals can evaluate a student’s preparation for college outside of standardized testing and academic performance. As a result, some institutions have begun exploring research pertaining to the assessment of noncognitive factors to determine a student’s likelihood for success in postsecondary education.

At Wellesley, the Board of Admission studied literature including Measuring Non-cognitive Variables, William Sedlacek; Who Gets In?, Rebecca Zwick; and College Admissions for the 21st Century, Robert Sternberg. This literature, in concert with studies* about how personal characteristics influence achievement and health, now complements our conversations about an applicant’s individual strengths and traits that she could contribute to the campus community.

The eight non-cognitive factors listed in the Class Profile (Page 2), illustrate some of the most prominent traits demonstrated by members of the Class of 2023. * Titles of the studies recommended by researchers at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education are available upon request.

STARS Gold Rating for sustainability

Expansion of MyinTuition

Wellesley College recently earned a gold rating for its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) through its Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System, or STARS. The program uses self-reported information to measure how well colleges and universities perform in five areas of sustainability: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership.

MyinTuition, Wellesley College’s fast and userfriendly tool for estimating the cost for a student to attend a four-year college, continues to expand this fall to new institution types. The tool provided about 400,000 estimates last year alone, making it a valuable resource to parents and families during the college search process. The expansion of the tool in September will result in over 60 institutions using the tool to offer fast and easy estimates. A wide array of institutions and types of financial aid sources, including public institutions and those offering merit aid, are represented.

With over 800 participants in 30 countries, STARS provides higher education institutions the opportunity to assess and publicly report their sustainability progress using transparent criteria and consistent, high standards.

“Wellesley has always been committed to being a force for good in the world,” said Wellesley College President Paula A. Johnson. “There is no more powerful expression of this than building a sustainable future. We are thrilled to receive the STARS Gold Rating and pledge to keep moving forward.”

“I’m thrilled that MyinTuition has been well-received among the higher education community, said Wellesley College professor of Economics and MyinTuition founder, Phillip Levine.

“Admissions directors have told me that it is the best value for the money in terms of all the things they do trying to recruit lowand middle-income students.”

Thinking about difference differently This article, by Catherine O’Neill Grace, originally appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of Wellesley magazine.

“Inclusive excellence” might sound like a catchphrase. But not at Wellesley College. Here, the words have become a touchstone at Academic Council meetings of the faculty, in discussions among the Board of Trustees, around the table in the Alumnae Association offices, in the Science Center, and in res and dining halls. Inclusive Excellence is even the title of a mural by artist and faculty member David Teng Olsen on the third floor of Green Hall.

Dean of Admission & Financial Aid Joy St. John

Director of Admission Jessica Ricker

Associate Director of Marketing & Communication Deanna Doughty

Associate Director Lauren Kudisch

Associate Director Milena Mareva ’01

Associate Director Natasha Robinson

Associate Director Anna L. Young

Assistant Director Claire Devlin ‘18

Assistant Director Jordan Peterson

Assistant Director Jake Sisco

What do those two words mean for Wellesley?

President Paula Johnson says, “The way I like to frame it is that true excellence really requires equity, inclusion, and intellectual openness at all levels of learning and in all aspects of our community, from our academic program to our students’ experience of campus life. When you are focused on difference, you must take it as what it can give, as opposed to what members of the community don’t have.”

“ ... true excellence really requires equity, inclusion, and intellectual openness at all levels of learning and in all aspects of our community, from our academic program to our students’ experience of campus life.”

—Paula A. Johnson Johnson says that the community’s dedication to inclusion is not new, but it feels different now than it did when she joined the College in 2016. “There have been individuals committed for a long time, particularly in the faculty and the administrative leadership,” she says. “But this is a moment in which the mindset has changed. It’s a moment of viewing this whole initiative around inclusive excellence from a place of strength and a place of positivity, about what our diversity can bring to our community when fully realized.

“Right now there’s an engagement that is unprecedented,” she says. “This is the moment that we have to seize, because there’s a tremendous convergence of interest and passion and leadership and funding to do the work. A significant number of faculty are embracing this work in a very powerful way. And that’s really what it takes.”

The full story can be found on the Wellesley magazine website: http://magazine.wellesley.edu.

WELLESLEY COLLEGE 106 Central Street Wellesley, MA 02481 www.wellesley.edu Office of Admission 781-283-2270 admission@wellesley.edu wellesley.edu/admission

Student Financial Services 781-283-2360 sfs@wellesley.edu wellesley.edu/sfs

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