I recently sat down with the admissions dean at a liberal arts college who told me she and many of her colleagues at other schools are worried about the possibility of serious summer melt this year.

Summer melt occurs when students who submitted enrollment deposits decide over the summer not to attend the college.

Enrollment managers need to hit the magic number—enough incoming students to provide needed tuition dollars but not so many that residence halls and classrooms are overcrowded.

While prestigious schools can easily admit students from their waitlists to fill in gaps caused by summer melt, less selective schools may have a more difficult time meeting enrollment goals.

Applications were up at many schools this year but not because more high school students are graduating and applying to college.

The increase in applications was because students are worried about the competition for admission and about their family’s ability to pay for college. They applied to more schools so they’d be sure to have choices and could compare financial aid and scholarship offers.

These students will turn down a lot of admission offers, so even though a college saw an increase in applications, it can end up with fewer incoming students.

A number of colleges are still accepting applications. For students who weren’t admitted to any colleges or who aren’t happy with their choices, the opportunity to submit additional applications means they still have options if they want to attend a four-year college this year.

As of May 4, there were 240 four-year colleges still accepting applications for the fall 2010 term. Choices range from small liberal arts colleges like Lewis and Clark to huge public universities such as University of Arizona.

While financial aid may be limited at some schools, 239 colleges indicated they still have financial aid available to students. Housing is available at 236 of the colleges. Some of the schools are open to transfer but not freshman students.

The initial deadline for the Space Availability Survey was May 4, but waitlist activity has started, and as students shift from one college to another, some schools will be added to the list and others will disappear over the summer.

Students who are interested in applying should contact colleges directly, as admissions offices will have the most up-to-date information about space availability and application procedures.

Some colleges are paying more attention to demonstrated interest as a way to gauge the likelihood that a student will enroll if admitted. If you haven’t visited a college or attended an information session and don’t put the effort into preparing an application that communicates an understanding of what the school has to offer and why you would be a good match, you could find yourself waitlisted at colleges that will accept students who may have less impressive grades and test scores but who seem more likely to enroll.

That doesn’t mean you should feign interest in schools you don’t care about. Instead, take time to research and choose your colleges carefully so that you can prepare an authentic, compelling application for each school.

Limit your applications to those you really know and are excited about. You will have a less stressful and more successful college application process.

Audrey Kahane, MS, MFA, is a private college admissions counselor in West Hills. She can be reached at (818) 704-7545 or at audrey@audreykahane.com.