DALLAS — As competition rises, good grades and SAT scores may not guarantee students' college of choice.

With record numbers of high school students applying to college, competition is stiff. It's a trend that has some students licking their wounds and learning to accept something less than their first choice.

Highland Park senior Sam Davison has killer test scores, and a 4.0 GPA to match. However, it wasn't good enough to get him into his first-choice college, Vanderbilt. He is now on their waiting list.

"I believe Vanderbilt took 12 or 13 percent of applications," Davison said.

Since there are many good students at Highland Park, Davison just missed making the top 10 percent of his class, which means no automatic acceptance to the University of Texas.

"We want to be realistic and prepare our students and families from the beginning that hey, you may have to apply to eight to 10 colleges," said Helen Williams, Highland Park Independent Schools.

Davison was accepted to UT with a catch. He must begin this summer.

"Once we graduate, I think it's five or six, maybe less than that," Davison said of the days he will have between graduating and starting college.

Davison is part of the largest graduating class in America since the baby boom, which has made for intense college competition.

This year, the Ivy League schools accepted fewer than 1 in 10 applicants. It's a trend affecting North Texas, too.

"Well, it is," said Dr. Ron Moss, dean of undergraduate admissions, when asked if it has become harder to get into Southern Methodist University. "And it has become progressively so over the past decade."

This year, SMU accepted less 50 percent of all students that applied. Ten years ago that number was 90 percent.

"It's frenzy at it's best," Moss said.

Moss said students are applying to more schools this year in an effort to guarantee a spot at a "safe" school. As a result, they're tying up spots they don't intend to use.

"More students, typically, have been admitted to more places," he said.

On May 1, those students have to commit one way or another. After that, the giant wait list shuffle begins.

"I don't even think that's a million dollar question," Moss said when asked how big the shakeout will be on May 1. "That's a billion dollar question at this point."

If the Vanderbilt wait list tips in Davison's favor, he will already be enrolled at UT summer school and have a difficult choice to make.

"I'm trying to look at it that it could have been a lot worse," he said. "And I guess that's the only way I can look at it."

A positive attitude seems a must this year as the college admissions game is tougher to play than it has been in years.

E-mail dschechter@wfaa.com