What do Admission Officers want?

Jacques Steinberg, an Education Reporter for the New York Times and author of The Gatekeepers had a great interview posted in the Jewish Ledger. Here are the main points he discovered while investigating college admissions-
1) Follow your passions
2) Grades and Test Scores do matter
3) There are just too many qualified applicants to accept
4) Admission Officers and not concerned with a formula, but they seek to "build a community"
5) Each application receives consideration

How Many AP classes should I take?

Students constantly hear that they need to take challenging courses. The message has been heard and there is now a dramatic increase in the number of students taking AP courses across the nation. According to USA Today there has been a 743% increase over the number of seniors a decade ago who took nine or more AP exams. College Admissions officials now want to soften the message, "we want to see students stretch themselves, (but) we've been telling them that they don't need to have every last AP course," says Lee Stetson, admissions dean at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Student need to strive for balance and challenge themselves but still maintain their sanity.

The Reality of Talented Female Applicants

Girls today are so prepared for college and success that they end up competing against one another for fewer spots. In To all the Girls I have Rejected, Jennifer Delahunty Britz, Dean of admissions and financial aid at Kenyon College writes about how hard it is to reject such capable young girls knowing that many of them have outstanding credentials, but many colleges face the fact that there are just more female applicants. She sums up her feelings perfectly with her last sentence-

"I admire the brilliant successes of our daughters. To parents and the students getting thin envelopes, I apologize for the demographic realities."

Scholarships

Yesterday on the Today Show Seppy Basili, VP of Kaplan shared some secrets on how to save money by applying to scholarships. The show discussed unusual scholarships and great sites for scholarship information. Here are some of the websites highlighted-

www.Fastweb.monster.com
www.scholarships.com
www.Freschinfo.com
www.College-scholarships.com
www.Guaranteed-scholarships.com

How many colleges should I apply to?

The trend for students in college admission is more is well, more. In the article, A New Twist on College Search, a First choice and 20 backups several students share how they applied to more than twenty colleges to increase their odds of getting into their dream schools. Here is a quote from the article-
"Compared to my dad's day and my grandfather's day, it's much harder to get into college," said Mr. Martin, 18, a senior at St. Margaret's Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. "I just think I needed to get my name out to many schools."
He applied to 21 colleges and is still waiting to hear from many of them. The competitive college admissions culture encourages applicants to apply to more colleges than ever before. I agree that students need to apply broadly, but I also think that student need to identify a solid list of colleges that suit their needs, while weighing their competitiveness. The reality is that some students do not want to apply to 20 schools, while other students have a hard time keeping their list down to twenty colleges. In the end it is not about how many schools that you apply to, but that you apply strategically to schools that will meet your academic and social expectations.

College Guides

College Guides are just a start to your college search, but can be an important starting point to discovering the numerous options in higher education. In the Old College Try, Jay Mathews rates the guides and gives a wonderful overview on how to select the college guide that's right for you. I personally like the Fiske Guide, but I know many of my students like the Unofficial Guide because of its informal tone.

College Fairs 101

I had a workshop recently and parents brought up the fact that they felt college fairs were somewhat useless and overwhelming. The secret to making a college fair an effective tool is advance preparation. Students need to do their research before walking into the auditorium filled with 200 colleges.

Prepare
1) Identify at least 10 schools that interest you

2) Research those schools on the web

3) Prepare questions to ask the representatives at the college fair

Interact
1) Attend workshops
Most fairs will have workshops regarding financial aid and college preparation

2) Ask Questions
* What are your most competitive academic programs?
* How many students receive financial aid
* What is your admissions policy?
* Do you offer summer programs?
* How many students receive financial aid?
* Do your representatives visit my high school?

3) Shop
College Fairs are a great way to see all the options that are available, so make
sure that you visit as many booths as you can.

Follow-Up

1) Contact the admission representative from the college that you are interested in if you have any questions that get not get answered at the fair.

2) Give the representative a card with your e-mail address on it, so they can send admission news regarding the colleges that you are interested in.

College Fairs are great opportunities for students, so prepare ahead of time to make the most of your experience.

College Fair Websites
www.nacacnet.org
www.ctcl.com

A History Lesson for the SAT

The SAT is a relative of the standards developed in 1900 by Nicholas Murray Butler of Columbia University , and Charles Eliot, President of Harvard University. The College Presidents convinced their colleagues to develop a series of examinations to increase the preparedness of students for higher education. "The Board" was developed and education underwent drastic reforms to ensure that every student was prepared for the new standards. Only 1 out of 20 students who attended school actually finished high school, but every student took classes from the "college track." The examinations had no multiple choice questions and were administered in a diverse array of core subjects. However, due to political and social pressures the SAT was morphed into what we see today. The details of the evolution of the SAT can be found by reading The Fall of the Standard-Bearers.

Glitch in Scoring for student who took the SAT last October

Approximately 4,000 students received incorrect scores when they took the SAT last October. The scoring company claims that the "high moisture content" in the air at the time of scoring led to scoring mishaps. The College Board is contacting all those who may have been impacted by the technical errors in scoring. Colleges are already re-evaluating files and students who have any concerns regarding their test scores can call a special toll free number at (866) 387-2594 if they have any questions.

Test Prep and College Admissions meet the iPod

Kaplan will offer a podcasting program for test prepartion for the LSAT. Additionally, Kaplan offers free admissions advice via their college bound podcast.

Become a cultural anthropologist for your next campus visit

Judy McNeeley wrote a wonderful article about how to be conduct an effective college tour. She adds depth to the routine college tour by encouraging individuals on tours to take the attitude of a cultural anthropologist. Her recommendation is a wonderful insight because students do need to see if the culture of the school is the right fit for their social and academic expectations. Make sure you the next time you take a campus tour to not just follow the student guide, but to also be your own guide and find out if the school has attributes that will suit your needs. I would also suggest on your college visit you do the following to discover more about the campus:

1) Read the campus newspaper
2) Visit a class
3) Stop by the financial aid office and ask some questions (this will give you insight into the services provided by the college)
4) Visit the dorms
5) Eat in the dining halls
6) Enjoy a local coffee shop
7) Visit the bookstore
8) People Watch
Make the most of your visit because you might just spend four years on the very campus you visit.

Students need to develop their own love of reading to prepare for college.

One of my pieces of advice for how students can prepare early for college is to learn to love to read. This remains a vital piece of advice because according to US News and World Report only 51% of students were ready for college level reading. Here are some wonderful resources to find great books:

American Library Association
101 Great Books recommended for College-Bound Readers
Biographies for Teens
Teens Reading Lists

Consultants cannot replace counselors

CNN's article regarding college consulting was interesting, but I find it shortsighted because the truth of the matter is students need everyone to be an active participant in the college admissions process. I feel as a consultant I add focus, expertise, and insight to the college admissions process, but cannot be a replacement to school counselors. School Counselors provide everyday guidance, parent education, design curriculum and schedules, work with the academic and behavioral issues of students, and have large caseloads. Our students benefit from the active participation from counselors, parents, consultants, schools, and colleges.