A coalition of 80 selective public and private colleges announced plans on Monday to build a platform that would "streamline the experience of planning for and applying to college," according to the group’s website.
As The Chronicle first reported last fall, participating institutions, including all eight Ivy League colleges and several public flagships, hope to "recast" the admissions process by forming a membership organization bound by specific requirements, building a shared application system, and engaging high-school students earlier with new online college-planning tools. Their goal: Inspiring "a stronger college-going mind-set" among more high-school students, especially those in underrepresented minority groups and those from low-income families.
As admissions officials and college counselors have heard more about the group’s plans over the last few months, some observers have wondered whether the new venture marks a revolutionary shift in how students prepare for college — or whether it’s just a noble-sounding branding campaign. Or both.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/article/80-Selective-Colleges-Unveil/233459