In a few short months, this year’s crop of high school grads will head to college.

How did the Class of 2017 decide where to matriculate?

NACAC’s immediate past president, Phil Trout, recently offered some insight based on his experience working with seniors at Minnetonka High School (MN).

Here are three takeaways from his interview with EAB:

1) Early applications are on the rise. “I’ve noticed a significant impact on early applications,” said Trout. “By Nov. 1, 60 percent more of our students had already applied to schools than the previous year—primarily for Early Action (EA) institutions and scholarship-linked priority institutions, not Early Decision (ED).”

2) The use of wait lists appears to be up. “We’ve definitely seen increased wait list numbers,” Trout told EAB. “They more than doubled from the year prior, and I’ve heard the same thing from other college counselors.

3) Students are conscious of costs. “Gen Z high school graduates — including those from private high schools — have an increased affinity for affordable public flagship schools,” Trout said. “I had one student turn down multiple Ivy League acceptances for a presidential scholarship to a public school. This is not something I would have seen three years ago.”

Read EAB’s full blog post and check out NACAC’s State of College Admission report for more insights about the admission process.

Admitted writer/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at mstegmeir@nacacnet.org.