Phillips Academy’s Admission Office saw a record-breaking number of submissions from applicants around the world, as prospective students sent in their applications on Tuesday, February 1. This year the number of preliminary applications increased by 20% with 3820 candidate profiles submitted, compared to 3184 submissions last year. According to Jane Fried, Dean of Admissions, on campus interviews also increased by 7.1% this year, and more than 1000 prospective students interviewed off-campus with alumni. Fried also said that domestic and international applications increased by 14.7% compared to last year. There was a noticeable surge in the number of international applications from Canada, China and Kazakhstan. The admissions office also noted an increase in the number of domestic applications from Colorado, Georgia, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Texas. From Texas alone, a record number of 94 students submitted applications. The admission office saw the number of students applying for financial aid increase this year. According to James Ventre, Director of Financial Aid and Admission Operations, the projected financial aid budget for the 2011-2012 school year is $17,015,000. He estimates that approximately 47% of the student body will be on financial aid next year. Currently, 45% of the student body is on financial aid, with 12% of the student body on full scholarship. “The first thing we look at in the selection process is the student’s academic performance. Students have to be able to handle the workload at Andover and be able to do it in a way that they have time to enjoy other things on campus and not have to just study all the time. We want to see that the candidates are doing really well where they are and have room to do more,” said Fried Fried said the admissions office often looks for students with an interesting background or interest “to ensure that students are going to take advantage of the wealth of opportunities afforded here.” She said, “We do what we call “people the program,” meaning we try to select students who will contribute to the different programs and activities at Andover like the orchestra and athletic teams…art program[s] and…community service.” Fried also said that the admission office looks for students who display kindness to others. Fried said, “Plain and simple, we want nice kids. Some students who don’t get in are very bright, and sometimes people don’t understand that these students who weren’t accepted didn’t have that same sense of kindness and concern for others as students who got in. These qualities are so important in a dormitory or in a classroom here.” In addition to these three main qualities, the admission team is looking for creative skills, practical skills and ethical reasoning. “Ethical reasoning is how a student analyzes his or her place in the world and how that student sets goals that try to support others or improve the world. Finding smart kids is easy. We are looking for students who have both the ability and inclination to make a difference,” said Fried. Fried also said that the essay section of the application helps admission officers gain a better understanding of a prospective student’s practical and creative skills. “We have worked with Robert Sternberg, a psychologist who wrote Successful Intelligence, to create the essay topics every year. The essays are designed to elicit specific skills. The idea is that when an applicant looks at the list of questions, he or she is drawn to the essay that elicits his or her specific skill,” said Fried Admission decisions will be finalized on March 5th and decision letters will be sent out to applicants on March 10th. Fried described the application process as a funnel. “We go from having 8,000 inquiries down to approximately 350 matriculants, kids who will actually come to Andover next year. When [admission officers] travel, we aren’t trying to increase the applicant pool. We are trying to make sure that students who are appropriate candidates know about Phillips Academy.”
