For the parents of third graders who read our college admissions blog (you know who you are), know that your children are members of what will in all likelihood be the biggest and most diverse group of students applying to colleges ever. Congratulations? Well, at least you’re getting a head start on things. Well, actually, there are parents of aspiring kindergartners in Manhattan who contact us, too, so they might be a step ahead of you but that’s ok. They’re a little nuts, if you ask us.

According to the Pew Research Center as reported in a piece by Richard Fry entitled “Class of 2025 expected to be the biggest, most diverse ever,” “That’s because in 2007 U.S. births surpassed 4.3 million – a feat not seen since 1957, when college enrollment was less common. Based on trends today, demographers can make certain assumptions about what share of those children will eventually graduate from high school and go on to college. According to the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE), the high school class of 2025 will be the largest and most ethnically diverse class we’ve ever seen. This wouldn’t be the first time that colleges and universities have experienced a ‘college admissions bubble.’ The last enrollment peak happened in 2009, when the children of Baby Boomers reached college age (and 18 years after 1991’s 4.1 million births). In addition, the Great Recession encouraged many young adults to ride out the difficult job market by continuing their education.”

So for parents of the graduating college Class of 2029, know that competition might be steep that year with more applicants than usual. And if you’d like to get a head start on the highly selective college admissions process, we invite you to call us in five to six years time. Calendar it? And, yes, this goes for the parents of Manhattan toddlers, too.