Ramapo has implemented some recent changes to its application process, including ending rolling admissions and integrating the Common Application, which is now in its second year at the College.
Ramapo's admissions policy is no longer operating on a strictly rolling basis, so each application can be reviewed in the context of the entire applicant pool, rather than by more of a first-come, first-serve basis, which could have led to more qualified students being overlooked.
"This is especially important in limited-seat programs like nursing and the joint physical therapy program and very large majors like biology, psychology and business administration," said Anna Farneski, College spokeswoman. "With the large number of applicants and the high quality of the applicant pool, this process allows every application to be reviewed thoroughly by the admissions staff and allows them to be sure we are admitting the most qualified students to the College."
In the past, rolling admissions was effective because the College did not have to worry about reaching capacity in certain programs that have recently seen tremendous growth and demand. With the rolling admissions process, students could expect to receive their decisions within weeks of submitting their completed applications. Now, nearly all students will have to wait until April 1 to receive their decisions.
In its second year at Ramapo, the Common Application is a more-than-35-year-old not-for-profit membership organization that makes the application process for incoming freshmen and transfer students more convenient and flexible.
"It really streamlined the whole process," said Jerry Borna, a freshman.
The application is used for nearly 500 other colleges and universities, and it allows applicants to avoid the hassle and time-consuming task of completing a different process for every school they apply to by generating a single, general-use application. However, Ramapo still offers applicants the option to apply using the College's own internal application online.
Freshman MaryKate Pignataro said she used the Common Application when she applied to Ramapo.
"It was really easy," Pignataro said. "I didn't have to write over and over again to apply to different colleges, so I really liked it."
The Common Application went into effect on Aug. 1, 2011 for what is now this year's freshman class. Ramapo received nearly 6,300 freshman applications (for a class of 900) for the fall 2012 semester, up 24 percent from the previous year, which is the largest number of applicants in the history of the College.
Deuhonte Johnson, a freshman, said he thinks the Common Application's ease will continue to boost applicant numbers.
"I think if anything, it will help enrollment, in my opinion," he said, "because instead of doing a bunch of different applications, you can knock out several applications [at once]."
Other New Jersey schools that use the Common Application include Rutgers University, Rowan University, Seton Hall University and Princeton University.
jpianese@ramapo.edu
