It’s simple: Economy affects birth rates, making the application process much more challenging when those babies grow up and apply to colleges. As more and more kids apply, many of whom are the first of their family, birth rates reflect application amounts more and more.
In the birth rate to application ratio this year, the world-changing Great Recession is the reason for so many students applying to so many places. From late 2007 to 2009, loan interest reached an all-time high, the housing market slowed down, and business dealing with mortgages began to fall. Shockwaves were sent around the economy and the world, and we are still recovering. One of the biggest shockwaves was in the birth rates of the US. This affected the years 2008, 2009, with birth rates still sinking today. The way this all leads to a high number of babies is the conditions in the lead up to the Great Recession.
Like before many economic crises, the short period prior was a flourishing time. The people had money, and the housing market was selling well. As The Washington Post said, “The U.S. Economy turned in a surprising strong performance [...] growing 3.4 percent despite higher interest rates”. Families, some with single parents, moved into homes and grew in size. Before the decline in birth rates after the recession, there was a prosperous period known as the Baby Boom of 2007. Those babies from 2007 are now seniors in high school who have tried their hardest to be accepted into their dream college.
This year, for many seniors, it has felt so much more challenging to stand out due to the sheer number of applicants for every school. First off, many families after the Great Recession may have suffered financial setbacks and regressed into a lower class, which is important to consider because these days, colleges are looking for students from a variety of backgrounds. To fill the missing diversity gap, they are offering increased amounts of financial aid, allowing more of those lower-income individuals to join their school.
In the years preceding 2007, immigration was also flourishing, and many of the families came into America with nothing. The elusive first-generation college student has become a target for colleges around the country. Immigrants from the Baby Boom of 2007 reap the benefits of enhanced college opportunities
Finally, the babies of 2007 now have the power of the internet behind them. Through the Common App, applicants have been able to expand the amount of schools they apply to. This combined with an easy way to see requirements of all schools is the last factor that has increased the load of admissions officers this past year.
Because colleges cannot grow their class size, acceptance rates have gone down on a universal basis. What does this mean for future years? These rates will decline as the years progress, and new technology will change the numbers as well. Following the Great Recession, birth rates have been declining continuously. Next year will not compare to the number of applicants that college admissions encountered this year, considering that the following years will have fewer. The spread of accessibility to applications will still result in a large amount, but realistically, each person can only go to one college.