The Daniels College of Business (DCB) is lowering acceptance rates into the undergraduate program due to its Secondary Enrollment Process. The process was instituted in 2010 to reduce the amount of students majoring in business by adding additional requirements and an application process for students planning to enter the major.
As interest in DCB grows nationally and on the DU campus, Connolly explained that the school felt the growing enrollment was not healthy and that it overshadowed their goals of a quality and in-depth education.
“It was not a question of whether or not DU students can do it,” said Daniel Connolly, associate dean of undergraduate programs. “If you raise the bar, students will rise to the occasion, and we are helping them to reach their potential.”
The school currently has about 2,100 undergraduates but wants to lower that amount to about 1,800 so class sizes will be about 30 students. The school hopes this will provide a higher quality and more personal education program for students who will be surrounded by other exceptional and dedicated peers.
“We felt we were getting away from our core values, such as individual attention for each student and an intimate education,” said Connolly. “A big part of the change was for enrollment management, but even bigger is changing the student base into one that is more organized and professional.”
The root of the dramatic rise in acceptance, Connolly said, came from internal transfer students who decided partway through their college education to switch to business majors.
For students to enter DCB today, they must do more than just be accepted into DU. Unless they are among the small percentage of students accepted directly into the program, students must go through their first year at DU and complete pre-business courses as well as courses for the common curriculum. They apply for a business undergraduate degree in the fall of their second year.
“Everything we do has a learning component to it,” said Connolly. “This program helps students learn different aspects of business and build experience. Everything we do is to help and prepare them.”
The admission process involves requiring students to maintain a minimum of a 3.3 GPA, to write a cover letter and to complete an interview with a business professional.
“We are seeing massive behavioral and attitudinal shifts,” said Connolly. “Students are more involved and more focused to achieve their goals.”
The program, however, does not come without controversy. Many students have stated that they feel the admissions process is unfair and should not exclude any student wishing to pursue business.
However, Connolly contends that schools such as the Lamont School of Music have similar programs that determine which students will or will not be accepted separately from the university.
