As this fall’s freshman admissions season continues, the numbers are out and UW-Madison has seen a large increase in applications. At approximately 28,000 applications, this is a 12-percent rise compared to last year’s 25,522 applications.

The large number of applications, a record in UW’s 160-year history, was attributed by UW spokesperson John Lucas to the increase in UW’s visibility, particularly due to the football team’s success this year.

While I personally would not consider my choices of college based on the football team’s strength, I am still glad that UW is seeing a continual rise in the number of Badger-wannabes each year, as it allows the student body to grow more interesting, diverse, and perhaps most importantly, qualified.

This trend, though, is not only restricted to UW. College applications throughout the United States is generally on the rise every year for various reasons, but a strong football team is probably not among them in most cases.

The main reason, arguably, is the increasing use of the Internet. As college admissions become more and more computerized – from the online submission of standardized tests, to online transcripts and letters of recommendation – it is more convenient for students to apply to a larger number of schools. This generally results in increasing competitiveness: As more applications are completed to the same number of schools around the nation, the percentage of applicants admitted dips and schools become increasingly selective.

The most prominent example, though one UW is not involved in, is the Common Application system. The system allows a student to apply to many different schools using one form, saving them the hassle of having to fill out a form for each individual school they apply to. As a result, upon joining the system schools often experience a large increase in selectivity.

The University of Chicago, for example, had admission percentages hovering about 40 percent before it joined the Common Application. Today, after a few years in the system, the number is at 19 percent – an impressive jump considering that it is made by a single website. In fact, all the most selective schools are in the Common Application system, and it can drive selectivity to what seems completely insane (Harvard and Stanford’s 7 percent being the most extreme examples).

One of UW’s peer schools in the Big Ten, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, only joined the Common Application system this year. They will also expect a dramatic increase in selectivity, from their current 51%. Despite claims of selectivity, UW is nowhere near where it is claims to be – last year, its selectivity was 57%, which means more than one in two applicants was accepted. If UW were to follow the steps of Michigan, a record increase of application is bound to occur. Whether that is desirable is debatable, though I personally think it will offer great benefits to UW.

Of course, it is true that increased selectivity means nothing if it is only because the same students are applying to more schools. It is also true that each applicant would likely be less dedicated to a single school. However, an increased number of applicants also give more opportunity to schools to attract students from different backgrounds with different talents, for instance through more attractive financial aid or scholarship packages. These students, without the burgeoning number of college applications, would otherwise never have applied to certain schools at all.

With great number of applications, however, comes great unpredictability. With more acceptance letters from different colleges, students are more empowered to choose whichever college they want to enroll in. What this means for colleges is that less of those who were admitted are likely to enroll – a decreased percentage yield. UW has faced this problem before, and the proposed solution was to accept more students. However, last year, more students enrolled than expected, resulting in a freshman class size that is a few hundred students too large.

While the increasing number of applicants allow for a more vibrant and qualified student body, then, it is also a double-edged sword; it makes predicting student enrollment difficult and may put a strain on schools’ resources if over-enrollment occurs. Still, as more applications continue to be made each year, it is only wise for schools, UW included, to make use of the situation and select the best students they can take.

Albert Budhipramono ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in biology.