Competition for Top Colleges Is On the Upswing

By Jeanne Ponessa

College-bound seniors across the country are keeping a close watch on their mailboxes this week for the sign of good news from the school of their choice: a thick envelope.

That envelope, bearing an offer of admission, will be a welcome sight after one of the most competitive admissions seasons in recent years.

The increased competition--the result of individual students applying to more colleges, more colleges filling spaces with binding early-admissions policies, and more students taking Advanced Placement tests--has led to hiked-up admissions standards at many schools. In fact, as some students are finding out, schools that used to pass as sure bets for admission--"safety schools"--can no longer be...