FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS:

Long Lines at College Gates: An application crush, driven in part by demographics, has more students bound for wait lists as schools face a tricky admissions calculus. (Susan Kinzie, 1/26/08, Washington Post)

It looks to be the year of the wait list. For many top colleges, the application process has been roiled by changes, among them a dramatic shift in financial aid, and a few influential schools have ended early admission programs. There is an unusual level of uncertainty, both for colleges and students -- as if the admissions process weren't stressful enough.

Adding to the mix is another year of historically high numbers for applications at many schools. The children of baby boomers are graduating in large numbers from high school, and their ranks will crest next year. More students than ever are going on to college -- about two-thirds of high school graduates go directly to a two- or four-year college, said David Hawkins, director of public policy and research for the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Few stories are more false than the perennial about the embattled middle class and how hard it is to afford college, disproved by the numbers. Indeed, perhaps the biggest problem faced by the economy is that too many kids go to college for no useful purpose. They'd be better served by learning trades.

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 26, 2008 8:38 AM