Higher Standards

Next year, university officials hope to drop the size of the incoming freshman class 10 percent, returning to the level it was in 2002. The smaller classes will serve many purposes, reducing the strain on housing that caused hotel residency while raising standards, which will indirectly make the quality of education here higher after a few years.

Every year, UB sends out about 10,000 acceptance letters. Last year, about 300 more students than usual said yes to the offers and enrolled, causing some strain. The school wants to be in the 3000 to 3,200 student range, which is not only a cut from last year, but also from many previous terms.

If the university wants to raise standards, there are several possible avenues. First of all, the school can simply send out fewer acceptance letters. Cutting the total amount 2 or 3 percent could cut the amount of those who enroll. If those applicants have low GPAs or SAT scores, it would increase the mean scores.

Besides higher test scores, UB can focus more on additional applicants. If mean scores on SATs and GPAs go up, it is a nice cosmetic boost, but it might not increase the quality of the education. Luckily, UB still takes many other factors into account. Extra-curricular activities, community service and leadership roles are difficult to quantitatively measure, but if there are more students who excel in those areas, it will bring the same high standards.

Once the school starts accepting fewer students who are more qualified, it will not have to worry about where to put all of them. Hotel living might have received above average reviews from its residents, but it should not become a standard choice. If there are constant problems of overcapacity, the school should consider building their own new residence halls.

It is a testament to the ability of our recruiters and admissions department that a higher percentage of students who were targeted by the university accepted a spot. Having more of a presence means having more applicants, and that greater pool allows the school to choose more qualified students. If the school is committed to lowering grade sizes, it leaves a lot of room, but it must balance its role as a public university.

Since the school does not set the number of enrollments, it is extremely difficult to nail down an exact class size. There is no way to tell how many students will enroll if less class spots are offered. Will the university be able to target students with more efficiency and cause higher enrollment? It is impossible to say, but the university is hoping for a normal regression to the mean.

Lower class sizes are advantageous for many reasons. Increased competition and stronger students will make the profile of the university rise, and cause more applications which will in turn create a larger base to choose more qualified applicants. Those students will also have the pleasure of living in official university housing, something that should not even be a question. The first step is making a commitment to higher standards, and UB is proudly going in the right direction.