Getting into Virginia's best colleges getting more difficult

"Miklos Fridrich, a high school senior in Chesterfield County, has applied to 13 colleges. That might sound like a lot, but he knows classmates who have applied to 20.

It has become more difficult to get into the state’s best colleges, making it harder for high school students to know where they will be accepted and where they will be rejected.

There are a number of reasons why applications are up. These schools stopped requiring standardized test scores, encouraging students who would not normally apply for an elite school to throw their hats in the ring.

'A lot of it is still brand,' said Tod Massa, policy analytics director at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. 'These are the top-brand schools. Everyone knows who they are.'

As admission rates go down, the academic standards necessary for acceptance goes up ... It is not a dramatic increase, but the bar seems to be raised every year,'" reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Photo: Miklos Fridrich, a high school senior in Chesterfield County, has applied to 13 schools and has gained acceptance to three. He is waiting to hear from the rest. Family photo