I've written recently on a variety of admission statistics that seem to be moving in the right direction for selective colleges (and sometimes in the wrong direction for applicants). Record numbers of applications give the colleges a deeper pool. Falling admit rates burnish their reputation for selectivity. Rising numbers of early decision applications and longer wait lists protect colleges against volatility in the admissions cycle.

Here's a case in point. The numbers are in for George Washington University's Class of 2014, and they are all good, at least from the perspective of an admissions dean.

The university received 21,177 applications, the most in its history and a 7-percent increase over last year. The university offered admission to 31.5 percent of applicants, a record low. The university expects to enroll between 2,350 and 2,390 of those admitted, a yield rate of 37.4 percent, a comparatively high number for a school accustomed to yields in the low 30s.

The SAT average for the incoming class is 1,960, which is about 650 per section and also an all-time high. The average student ranks in the 91st percentile of her or his high school class.

Impressive stuff for an institution that is occasionally disparaged as "Georgetown Waitlist University."

(And, yes, GWU has a wait list this year, just like Georgetown. Officials declined to say how long