The California College Guide : A primer on making choices--and making arrangements--for a college education. : Starting the Quest : Getting into many private colleges and universities is easier than before. But times are still tight at some top schools and in the California public system.

To all those students and parents anxiously approaching the college admissions process, here’s the good news first:

By the luck of timing and demographics, it is easier these days to get into many private colleges and universities. The number of high school graduates, while starting to rise slightly, is still markedly lower than 10 years ago. As a result, many good schools without the world-famous names of a Stanford or a Yale are positively stumping for applicants and, reluctant as they are to admit it, relaxing admissions standards.

“There are schools where a B-plus grade average and a 1,000 SAT score wouldn’t get you in three or four years ago. Now, at those same schools, students are getting in with B-minuses and 950 in SATs,” said Jane McClure, an educational psychologist and college placement counselor in San Francisco.

For students too lethargic or fearful even to start choosing a college, there are more cheery tidings. Increasingly, colleges are seeking them out with a flood of mailings, telephone calls, alumni greetings and even promotional videos. A high school junior with respectable scores on one of the national standardized tests could just sit back and let, say, the College Board give his name to schools for possible recruitment.

“The targeting of these kids has gotten to be like the marketing for lean hamburgers and pump sneakers,” said Howard Greene, who runs a counseling service in New York and Connecticut for prospective college students. “The amount of money being spent on materials going from colleges to potential applicants is beyond description.”

OK, that’s the good news. Now for the chilly splash of reality.

The applicant pool for the most prestigious and selective universities may be smaller than during the Baby Boom’s adolescence, but an applicant’s chances are no better than 1 in 5 at some Ivy League schools and Stanford. Meanwhile, many students who in the past might have attended a private institution are seeking the less expensive route of public education. Counter to national trends, immigration to California adds pressures on state schools here. So, it is getting harder to get into a student’s campus of first choice at the University of California or to be admitted to the most popular specialized majors, such as engineering and business, at the California State University. And state budget cuts next year will make things worse at UC and Cal State.

More of the eight undergraduate UC schools--not just the traditionally tough Berkeley and Los Angeles campuses--have enrollment caps even as the number of applicants rises (by about 2% more than last year).

“So far we have been able to place all eligible students in the university, but certainly not at the campuses of their first choice,” said Carla Ferri, the UC system’s assistant admission director. More students are offered entrance in the winter term, as opposed to the usual autumn entrance, and more are encouraged to start at a community college, with the hopes of transferring after two years.

What’s more, UC is expected to tighten admission standards soon in response to the dismal state budget. That may mean additional required courses or higher grades and test scores.

Charged with accommodating the top academic third of high school graduates, the 20 Cal State campuses have easier admissions rules than UC. Cal State is not considering higher standards yet, but its campuses are getting stricter about application deadlines as the system copes with an estimated 6% increase in applications this year.

In the Cal State system until a few years ago, only Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and sometimes the San Diego and Long Beach campuses closed their application deadlines before the spring. In what officials say is a signal of things to come, San Luis Obispo, Humboldt, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and Sonoma closed their application windows by March 1 this year and certain majors at Northridge, Long Beach, Fullerton and Chico were no longer available after that point.

Greta Mack, the Cal State system’s coordinator of admission services, warns current high school juniors that applications should be submitted by the end of November, the earliest deadline individual campuses are allowed to enforce. And she encouraged eligible applicants for crowded engineering and business programs to look at all the Cal State schools and apply to at least two campuses “just in case.”

Even the community colleges, which are open to all state residents and have no application deadline, face budget troubles. There may not be enough classes to accommodate demand at some popular campuses.

UC and Cal State officials urge students to start thinking about college as high school freshmen. The state universities require applicants to have taken a particular set of academic courses, and it may be too late to begin those requirements after junior year. It may be fun to take a lot of electives in physical education and wood shop, but beware that A’s in those count for nothing in state university admissions; those schools look at grades only in the required courses.

And students should not wait until the fall of their senior year to think about colleges. The spring and summer before is a good time to visit campuses if you have the travel money. If not, high school counselors can provide plenty of advice. Browse through guidebooks, watch videos sent by colleges, attend college fairs in your community, sign up for sessions with college recruiters at your high school campus.

But beware the heavy dose of slick advertising in those materials and meetings. Schools want to sell themselves. So applicants should try to talk to friends or acquaintances who attend an enticing college. Ask a lot of questions about the major that interests you and don’t forget issues of housing and social life. Better to spend some time and telephone money now than to wind up miserable and wanting to transfer later.

Of course, to no one’s surprise and everyone’s dismay, the cost of higher education--public and private--continues to rise. This fall, annual fees will be up 40% at UC (to $2,274 for state residents, excluding living costs and activities charges) and 20% at Cal State (to $936). At private schools, the tuition increases for 1990-91 are expected to average about 6%, to about $11,000 for independent schools in California. While that is upsetting to students, it is significantly lower than some of the widely criticized increases in the recent past.

With the national recession, academia is increasingly concerned that there may not be enough financial aid for all needy students. But educators and counselors urge students and families to explore all possible avenues of scholarships, loans and savings programs--and to begin that years before college entrance. After all, about half of all American college students receive some financial aid. Experts also urge families to investigate bargains such as community colleges ($120 a year in California) and less expensive private colleges. Or even postpone college for a year to work.

Just don’t be scared away by price and keep in mind how diverse higher education in the United States is. “Without planning, almost no one can afford to pay for college. But with planning, anybody can,” said Kathleen Brouder, a College Board scholarship expert.

The bottom line is that a college degree is becoming ever more required as the national economy turns from manufacturing to service jobs.

“I think people truly understand that with the high-tech standards we have nowadays, your chances of really moving up are not that good unless you have a college education,” said Joan Paschal, an official at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, a Washington organization that includes most American colleges as members.

“Whether they get the education at a two-year institution and then move on or start at a four-year school, people will find all sorts of inventive ways to do things,” she explained. And that’s good news.

The College Pool: 18-Year-Olds

The estimated number of 18-year-olds in the nation and in California, based on previous census data. Although the national figure has generally decreased over the past decade, California’s potential college applicant pool is still growing. Experts say the state’s population growth rate is much higher than that in much of the nation, partly because of the high birth rates in immigrant and minority populations. No figures from 1990 are available.

THE NATION Estimated number of 18-year-olds, in millions 1989: 3.794 1988: 3.718 1987: 3.632 1986: 3.562 1985: 3.634 1984: 3.734 1983: 3.946 1982: 4.115 1981: 4.175 1980: 4.243 1979: 4.316 1978: 4.247 1977: 4.257 1976: 4.266 1975: 4.256 1974: 4.103 1973: 4.053 1972: 3.976 1971: 3.878 1970: 3.781 SOURCE: Bureau of the Census

THE STATE Estimated number of 18-year-olds, in thousands 1989: 434 1988: 433 1987: 410 1986: 392 1985: 397 1984: 405 1983: 431 1982: 445 1981: 453 1980: 435 1979: 445 1978: 442 1977: 433 1976: 444 1975: 443 1974: 435 1973: 423 1972: 404 1971: 396 1970: 370 SOURCE: State of California, Dept. of Finance, Demographic Research and Census Data Center COLLEGE GUIDE STAFF: Editor: Don Hunt News Editor: Gary Metzker Graphics: Sara Lessley and Juan Thomassie Research: Tracy Thomas