BY SARA TAYLOR '95
A similar drop out of the top 25 occurred while I was a student, from 1991–1995. I would not be surprised if one reason for the drop both times is tied to demographic trends. My generation (X) is very small relative to the Baby Boom and Y generations, which meant fewer college-bound women and higher acceptance rates to achieve desired yields. I believe that we have entered a similar situation now that much if not all of Gen Y has finished college.
My question is, why do Wellesley and Smith seem to be better equipped to weather the adverse demographic trends than Mount Holyoke? It may have something to do with the fact that Admissions and others in the administration aren’t taking a deeper dive to find some answers. The rankings themselves do not upset me, but to the extent that there is a lack of preparation and planning, that is disappointing.