Texas private schools

[footballdad]

Wonder if the Rice folks talk about SMU, the way the SMU folks talk about TCU?

I doubt it as I don't think they see us as a peer institution. They focus on Stanford, etc.

And you answer footballtrolls posts

Hilarious how you comment on my every post in the most childish ways.....and now you're complaining about others, as we have legitimate football conversations.

Jump back on the Xbox Pony Boy.

[Big Frog II]

Another variable in application numbers is the application fee. Some schools don't charge them. Schools that do, charge different rates. That may affect the totals.

[Digetydog]

Some schools send out packages in March to kids that essentially say:
1) Apply to our school;
2) You will get in; and
3) We will give you an academic scholarship.

I won't name names, but it happened this year.

[gostangs]

There are lots of ways to game the system related to applications (so that you can report a smaller acceptance percentage) - but the end of the day student quality data is hard to refute. SMU's average standardized test scores for admitted students is 150 points higher than TCU. Its not even close.

[PonyTime]

There are lots of ways to game the system related to applications (so that you can report a smaller acceptance percentage) - but the end of the day student quality data is hard to refute. SMU's average standardized test scores for admitted students is 150 points higher than TCU. Its not even close.

But as a biased (towards SMU) observer, TCU's dance team is so much better than ours and it is not even close.

Correlation?

[tristatecoog]

Does SMU have a higher yield than a lot of those other schools?

Maybe SMU is like some other top schools that manage the yield through demonstrated interested.

[gostangs]

i do know we get almost every California kid that is accepted by both SMU and TCU. So that part of our yield is very good.

And yes - their pom squad is miles ahead of ours.

[Pony^]

Tulane announces incomplete applications as does TCU and Baylor. Also it should be noted application per available spot is pretty similar, and ours are complete applications.

All that said, I am sure great sports increases applications

Partially true. Partially false.

Baylor reports incomplete applications as "applications," TCU does not. In fact, TCU is the only private institution in the state of Texas who has an independent third-party (PwC) vet the books. TCU's Dean of Admission has publicly offered Baylor's Admission's office to do the same (and TCU Admission pay for it), but it repeatedly goes ignored. Ask any Admission office outside of Waco and they'll point the "cooking of books" to Baylor.

TCU and SMU play by the rules.

Compare TCU's 2014 numbers:

here

http://www.ir.tcu.edu/factbooks/2015/entering_freshman.asp

and here

http://www.ir.tcu.edu/zfiles/TCUCDS2014.pdf (See page 7) (6536 + 10493 = 17029)

TCU reports all applications (completed and non-completed) on their Common Data Set. Those numbers are picked up by the college guide books.

If you look at completed applications for 2015 --

SMU: 12,992

TCU: 12,765

Also, regarding Tulane, they do not charge an application fee -- it costs nothing to apply there.

[gostangs]

So we had 200 more completed applications for an undergrad class that is 18 pct smaller.

Also - apparently only girls want to go to TCU. They have 8300 undergrads, but over 5,000 are chicks. Might explain the really really great Pom squad.

[Big Frog II]

So we had 200 more completed applications for an undergrad class that is 18 pct smaller.

Also - apparently only girls want to go to TCU. They have 8300 undergrads, but over 5,000 are chicks. Might explain the really really great Pom squad.

TCU has 8894 undergrads.

[Pony^]

So we had 200 more completed applications for an undergrad class that is 18 pct smaller.

Also - apparently only girls want to go to TCU. They have 8300 undergrads, but over 5,000 are chicks. Might explain the really really great Pom squad.

TCU has 8894 undergrads.

Right, for 2015 TCU had 8894 total undergraduates of which 5347 (both full and part time) were female; therefore, slightly over 60% female.

http://www.ir.tcu.edu/zfiles/TCUCDS2015.pdf See page 5.

For 2015, SMU had 6411 total undergraduates of which 3220 (both full and part time) were female; therefore, slightly over 50% female.

http://www.smu.edu/~/media/Site/ir/commondatasets/2015/CDS_2015-16_Part_B_Enrollment.ashx?la=en See page 1.

[Pony^]

Regarding Tulane:

$50 application fee was dropped

A major factor driving the increase is Tulane's decision to drop its $50 application fee in 2006. Many private schools charge $75 per application. Retif said the school eliminated the fee because plenty of people were already exempted from the fee, including Louisiana students, honor students, poor students and people in minority groups. Retif couldn't quantify the effect, but said it has definitely made a difference.

http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2010/10/tulane_university_gets_record.html

[Mexmustang]

Just to muddy the water-

Schools report their own numbers and essentially are free to interpret the rules as they see fit.

One very important number that has been ignored, "cost". Old fashioned supply and demand determined by price. SMU's fees, tuition and fees are considerably higher than any other school in Texas, including the" out of state fee schedules" at A&M and Texas. I haven't looked up Tulane, but we have been 30% higher than TCU and Rice for some time.

[Pony81]

Rice is $60K. So SMU is $78K...... Don't think so.

We are inline with Rice and TCU.

Baylor is where the real cost bargain lies for a private education.

[Pony^]

Just to muddy the water-

Schools report their own numbers and essentially are free to interpret the rules as they see fit.

The instructions for the Common Data Set state:

Applicants should include only those students who fulfilled the requirements for consideration for admission (i.e., who completed actionable applications) and who have been notified of one of the following actions: admission, nonadmission, placement on waiting list, or application withdrawn (by applicant or institution).

See instructions for applications on top of page 7:
http://www.ir.tcu.edu/zfiles/TCUCDS2014.pdf

I'm not sure how any reasonable person can conclude that non-completed, non-actionable applications can be included on the Common Data Set.