NAICU - Top college applicants now seek ‘academic rigor’

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Top college applicants now seek ‘academic rigor’

Boston Globe

January 21, 2012

A recent survey of Boston University applicants suggests the best students are no longer impressed with the fancy facilities many schools have built to court them over the past decade. Instead, one of the biggest factors apparently driving the top students' choice of college is "academic rigor'' - defined as small classes, accomplished professors, national rankings, and the like. Those students said it accounted for a quarter of their decision on where to attend, surpassed in importance only by financial aid.Meanwhile, the survey found that "campus life'' accounted for just 7 percent of the choice.

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