Despite the headlines, college acceptance is not more competitive.

Despite the headlines, college acceptance is not more competitive. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WITH EACH YEAR COMES A flesh crop of college-bound studentspressured by the headlines to overcome the increasingly competitivenature of college admissions. However, a new study from the Center forPublic Education (CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) Communications equipment that resides on the customer's premises. CPE - Customer Premises Equipment ) illustrates that the perception that an averageapplicant faces more challenges each year may be nothing more than meremyth. "Chasing the College Acceptance Letter," releasedJanuary 21, demonstrates that while college acceptance does not appearto be getting more difficult, there is a huge--and growing--gap in thenumber of minority and low-income students who are graduating with theright credentials CREDENTIALS, international law. The instruments which authorize and establish a public minister in his character with the state or prince to whom they are addressed. If the state or prince receive the minister, he can be received only in the quality attributed to him in his credentials. for admittance AdmittanceThe ratio of the current to the voltage in an alternating-current circuit. In terms of complex current I and voltage V, the admittance of a circuit is given by Eq. (1), and is related to the impedance of the circuit Z by Eq. (2). . Researchers found that only 37 percent of minority students and 38percent of low-income students are earning the right credentials to givethem a 50/50 chance at college acceptance, compared to the 66 percent ofwhite students and 73 percent of high-income students earning thosecredentials. "A well-prepared minority student has an equal chance atacceptance as a white student; however, there is a huge gap in thepercent of minority students who are well prepared following highschool," says Jim Hull, senior policy analyst at CPE."Low-income and minority students are missing the right credentialsand the big benchmark courses." The right credentials, as defined by the study, include challengingmath and science courses, specifically trigonometry trigonometry[Gr.,=measurement of triangles], a specialized area of geometry concerned with the properties of and relations among the parts of a triangle. Spherical trigonometry is concerned with the study of triangles on the surface of a sphere rather than in the and chemistry."The rigor rigor/rig��or/ (rig��er) [L.] chill; rigidity.rigor mor��tis? the stiffening of a dead body accompanying depletion of adenosine triphosphate in the muscle fibers. of math and science courses has a substantial impact onstudents getting into a good college," says Hull. Hull recommendsthat districts provide their students with the right guidance as earlyas middle school to ensure that all students who want to go to collegeare on the right track. The study indicates that a hypothetical student earning the rightcredentials in 1992 would have the same chances as a well-qualifiedstudent in 2004. While many private institutions and flagship schoolshave become more competitive as they have received more applicationsthan they have seats available, the competitive level of otherinstitutions has decreased. "There are still a lot of seats out there for kids," saysHull.