High School Students Applying To More Colleges

By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - While the debate "is college worth it?" continues, high school students are casting a wider net in their search, according to data from the majority of US colleges. For 10 of the past 15 years 70% reported year-to-year increases in applications.

About one-third of freshmen in the fall of 2013 submitted seven or more applications for admission, 10 percentage points higher than in 2008 and 92% were online - up from 85 in 2011. These numbers reflect concern of getting top choices.

Despite what a report in Education Week calls "the frenzy" around single digit acceptance rates at the most elite colleges, the National Association for College Admission Counseling notes that the average selectivity rate at four year colleges for fall 2013 was 64.7%, up from a steady decline in recent years.

Hopefully, more students will read the research that shows that where you go doesn't determine lifetime satisfaction.