High-achieving high school students are more likely to be interested in colleges with strong academics in specific majors or programs, rather than schools with prestigious overall reputations, a survey suggests.
Information about obtaining a copy of “High-Achieving Seniors and the College Decision” is available from Lipman Hearne.
Lipman Hearne, a marketing firm that serves nonprofit institutions, surveyed 600 high school seniors with combined SAT scores of 1100 or higher, on a 1600 scale, or ACT scores of 25 or higher out of 36. Twenty-five percent of the students surveyed said that a specific program of interest was the most important factor in their decisions about where to apply to college, the highest percentage for any factor listed. By comparison, 12 percent said that the reputation of the school was the most important factor.