N.Y. College Gives Seniors a Chance To Learn if They Make the Cut in One Day

By Mark Pitsch

ALEXANDRIA, VA.--Nervous laughter and subdued, preoccupied banter about college, the Super Bowl that would take place later in the day, and hometowns fill Bryan Library on the campus of the Episcopal Academy, a private high school here.

It is late January, and nearly two dozen students--some from as far away as Virginia Beach, Va.; Waiteville, W.Va.; and Philadelphia--are passing the time with idle chatter as they await interviews with admissions counselors from Bard College.

The scene is similar to one many college-bound high-school seniors face, but with one important difference: After the one-on-one interviews, these students will be told whether the...