Anybody can get into UM!

[SonomaCat]

Okay, I lied. That's not true ... they weed out the lowest 5%.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandrevie ... h/state+MT

[rtb]

95% acceptance? What are those 5% doing that they don't get in?

[Grizlaw]

95% acceptance? What are those 5% doing that they don't get in?

Trying to transfer from MSU?

[AlphaGriz1]

and.........................................................OWNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rtb]

95% acceptance? What are those 5% doing that they don't get in?

Trying to transfer from MSU?

Good point, anyone transferring from MSU even if they were only here for a week would be fast tracked to UM Grad School. Franchise Owners need completely different education than the undergrad fry cooks get at UM.

[CARDIAC_CATS]

I guess that statistic finally puts the UM/MSU academic side debate to rest. ===> NO CONTEST!

[Grizlaw]

All joking and smack aside -- I stopped paying attention to statistics like these shortly after I graduated, but when I was in school (mid-late 90's), both schools had pretty much the same admissions standards / acceptance rates (i.e., they were both always in the high 80% - low 90% range, with comparable GPA and test score ranges). Is this year an anomoly, or has MSU actually actually increased its admissions standards since then?

[kmax]

All joking and smack aside -- I stopped paying attention to statistics like these shortly after I graduated, but when I was in school (mid-late 90's), both schools had pretty much the same admissions standards / acceptance rates (i.e., they were both always in the high 80% - low 90% range, with comparable GPA and test score ranges). Is this year an anomoly, or has MSU actually actually increased its admissions standards since then?

Found this from 2006 which shows MSU but not UM but does show MSU with similar lower acceptance rate then as well. http://admissionsync.com/2006/08/05/uni ... ance-rate/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, last years US News statistics showed MSU at 66% and UM at 96%.

[SonomaCat]

I know that back when I was in school, MSU always had significantly higher ACT scores in the Freshman class ... for what that's worth.

I always attributed it to the engineering school at MSU.

MSU test scores (look under "school details" tab)
http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code ... &sponsor=1

UM test scores (also under "school details" tab)
http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code ... &sponsor=1

It looks like the biggest gap is on the math side ... MSU is just a little higher on the reading/writing side.

[GrizinWashington]

The entrance requirements are absolutely identical at the Unviversities.

So what this tells me is that only smart people apply to UM, and all of the stupid people apply to MSU.

[CARDIAC_CATS]

The entrance requirements are absolutely identical at the Unviversities.

So what this tells me is that only smart people apply to UM, and all of the stupid people apply to MSU.

Hopefully the smart people that apply to UM can spell Universities right

[Cat-theotherwhitemeat]

When I applied to college here's what one had to have....

[nativecat]

The entrance requirements are absolutely identical at the Unviversities.

So what this tells me is that only smart people apply to UM, and all of the stupid people apply to MSU.

Hopefully the smart people that apply to UM can spell Universities right

I dont care who you are, thats funny right there!

[SonomaCat]

The entrance requirements are absolutely identical at the Unviversities.

So what this tells me is that only smart people apply to UM, and all of the stupid people apply to MSU.

Well ... so far we have shown that the MSU freshman classes have both higher high school GPAs and higher ACT/SAT scores, and that a lower percentage of applicants are accepted at MSU than UM.

So althought the minimum standards may be the same for both, it appears that MSU must opt to apply higher standards when determining what students it ultimately accepts.

[cats2506]

Cat-theotherwhitemeat is having a baby

[GrizinWashington]

The entrance requirements are absolutely identical at the Unviversities.

So what this tells me is that only smart people apply to UM, and all of the stupid people apply to MSU.

Well ... so far we have shown that the MSU freshman classes have both higher high school GPAs and higher ACT/SAT scores, and that a lower percentage of applicants are accepted at MSU than UM.

So althought the minimum standards may be the same for both, it appears that MSU must opt to apply higher standards when determining what students it ultimately accepts.

At the most-extreme margins using one year's snapshot as an example, you are correct. (Of course, this is a little like taking a picture of downtown Two Dot on a random Tuesday afternoon and saying it represents what Montana is).

It's also worthy of note that MSU had over 1,000 additional applicants for the year used in the data, which would necessarily allow them to be slightly more critical in their selections. This certainly wouldn't hold true for most years.


What it boils down to is that neither Montana school can really claim that they are ....say "selective" when it comes to admitting applicants.

[SonomaCat]

I believe it has been shown that MSU was at least that selective for two years in a row (only accepting in 60s% range), and UM was in the mid to high 90s% for both years.

So while I agree that neither MSU or UM is highly selective, it appears that MSU is moderately selective while UM is not really selective at all.

So we ain't (improper English used intentionally, to head off any board police) Stanford or Harvard, but we're by the far the most academically selective and highest average ACT/SAT score student accepting institution of higher learning in the state of Montana. Hurray!

[SaxCat]

In the academic world that's the equivalent of taking your cousin to the prom. You have something, but its not much to be proud of.

[Topher]

I will not deny that anyone can get into UM. Our acceptance standards are currently under revue. In fact, it is common knowledge (and I've stated it on this site before) President Dennison wants to decrease the number of undergrads, and increase the number of graduate students.

Our retainment numbers for college freshman are in the toilet, which indicates a problem. The University of Montana is developing a freshman emerging program to deal with some of these issues. I agree with most of you on this board; administer higher standards of acceptance. Create a relationship with some of the Junior Colleges in Montana so students can go there before they are ready to enroll in a four-year University.

I have worked directly with the school on this issue. The important thing to remember is acceptance does not equivicate to a college degree. Yes, getting into UM is easier than getting into MSU (your statistic indicates that). Graduating, I would assume, requires the same degree of challenge.

In short, we need to do something about our retainment at the University, and the first idea that pops in to my mind is to stop admitting students who are not prepared for college.

[Cledus]

I will not deny that anyone can get into UM. Our acceptance standards are currently under revue.

Is that a fact?