College List & The Sibling Effect

Inside Higher Ed: "When older siblings enroll at a target college, it 'nearly quadruple[s] the probability that younger siblings apply to the same target college (from 10 to 37 percent). Though younger siblings do not appear to increase their number of college applications, they roughly double their probability (from 25 to 53 percent) of applying only to colleges with historical graduation rates higher than 50 percent, suggesting their portfolio of applications improves given their older siblings' choice of a higher quality college ... Thirteen percent of younger siblings follow their older sibling to the target college only because their older sibling enrolled there, an impact that is highly statistically significant' ... But the impact extends further, to the younger siblings applying to other high-quality colleges."

According to a report by the National Bureau of Economic Research: "We argue that an older sibling’s enrollment in a higher quality college can provide for families information about postsecondary education that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to obtain. In that sense, an older sibling’s college choice is a particularly high touch intervention, providing prolonged exposure to another person’s experience of the complex good that college education represents."

"If students’ college choices are deeply affected by the college experiences of people in their social networks, such social factors may partly explain persistent differences in college enrollment by income, race and geography."

Purdue to Build Data-Science Flagship

Purdue: "Purdue University will build a new $40 million facility dedicated to data science, designed to help the university meet its goal to be a national and global leader in the field of data science research and education for all students. The flagship four-story building will be 86,000 square feet, featuring classroom and teaching space for all of campus alongside collaborative workspace for College of Science graduate researchers and faculty who form the core of the university’s growing data science program."

Patrick Wolfe, Dean of the College of Science, comments: “By bringing together Purdue’s research strengths in mathematics, statistics, and computer science within an innovative building design, we will further cement our leadership in a critical STEM area and fulfill our commitment to make Purdue the first school for which data science is a part of every student’s education, no matter their field of study. Data science is the new language of life, cutting across all disciplines and fields of research, and so it’s crucial that our students are prepared for this future.”

Extracurricular Tip: Everything Matters

Brennan Barnard: "New this year in the activities section on the Common Application, students are able to choose 'Family Contributions' from the drop-down menu. This is an acknowledgement by member colleges that these responsibilities are at least—if not more—as important as being the president of a school club or captain of an athletic team. Jenny Rickard, president and CEO of Common App says, 'learning about your life outside of school — including life at home — is critical to how college admissions officers understand you as an applicant.'”

"She adds, 'we want to help students understand that there is real value in sharing how they spend their time, including taking care of family responsibilities, working to contribute to household expenses, caring for siblings or family members, and more.' Applicants can also provide a more detailed explanation of any special contributions or responsibilities in the 'additional information' section of their application."

"The college admission process can send a range of messages to young people about what matters as they look toward their future. While academic potential and extracurricular involvement are important foundational factors in this equation, they can often overshadow some of the less visible, yet equally significant, qualities of who applicants are and what they have to offer a college campus. These more subtle commitments to family and the common good are what build healthy communities, and that matters!"