Admissions diversity efforts aided by new data

Updated 9:30 AM April 2, 2007

Admissions diversity efforts aided by new data

By Laurel Thomas Gnagey

From a young man raised on a farm, described as a hard worker who has done everything possible to get the most out of the course work provided by his small school, to a young woman who was tops in her upper-middle high school class until her father lost his automotive job and she was forced to work to the detriment of her class standing, U-M is focused on more than grade point averages and test scores, admissions leaders say.

And now the University has a new tool to help it assemble a diverse class of undergraduates, one that furthers the admissions goal of a more holistic review of all applicants.

U-M looks first and foremost to admit students who have a strong college preparatory curriculum in high school and who have done well in those courses, but other factors, like leadership skills and life experiences are important as well.

"This is the type of student we want—the one who will work hard every day," Chris Lucier, director of recruitment and operations in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, said of the student from a rural farming community recently admitted to the College of Engineering. "The new information helps us find out about these kinds of kids."

An explanation of Descriptor PLUS—a College Board program that provides neighborhood and high school profile analyses to help target student populations—and the admissions processes in general, were detailed for members of the media March 28 by Lucier and Ted Spencer, associate vice provost and executive director of undergraduate admissions.

Descriptor PLUS is a data program that identifies academic, socioeconomic and student-interest characteristics according to geodemography, a system based on the concept that people with similar backgrounds and perspectives cluster in communities.

"When they are living in a community, people emulate their neighbors, adopt similar social values, tastes and expectations, and share similar patterns of consumer behavior toward products, services, media and promotions," literature on the program from the College Board states.

Although the U-M application process always has sought to identify many of these characteristics in an attempt to achieve a student profile that goes beyond grades and scores, the new data makes it easier, Lucier said.

"Income, parent educational level and other socioeconomic factors previously were self-reported, so it was harder to connect the dots," he said.

As the University faces yet another record year of applications—numbering around 27,000 and likely the largest in the Big 10—admissions personnel have been working to uphold the campus commitment to diversity in the wake of Proposal 2.

"We make no bones about the fact that diversity is important to us," Spencer said.

Officials hope the additional data provided by the tool and a number of outreach efforts already underway, plus some yet to be established under Diversity Blueprints, will help the University continue its commitment to assembling a diverse class.

Lucier and Spencer also highlighted the comprehensive review process that began after the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on undergraduate admissions. New forms that focus on essays and teacher and counselor recommendations, and that seek evidence of student leadership and involvement, have been used the past three years. A systematic process involving multiple reviews also was established.

All changes were made with the goal to find students who have the best chance of long-term success at a top-notch University, Spencer said.

"We're thinking about graduation," he said, noting that the national six-year rates for graduation are between 50 and 60 percent, while U-M's numbers are 86 and 89 percent. "We want smart kids. We're looking for creativity, talent, passion and vitality."

Admissions diversity efforts aided by new data

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