What Activities Get you into College?

A study called, Chess Cheerleading Chopin, What gets you into College, sizes up the impact certain activities can have on college admissions. The study reveals that students who have parents who visit art museums increase their probability of attending an elite college. Additionally, the study concluded that students involved in yearbook, the school newspaper, and/or "hobby clubs" tend to be more likely to attend an elite college.

How do I find an Arts College?

The Washington Post has a very insightful article on How to Find a Great Arts College.

High SAT scores can come at a cost

The competitive climate of college admissions has many students enrolled in SAT prep courses that can cost hundreds of dollars. The SAT does require students to become familiar with test, so each student needs to consider how they can prepare for the SAT in a timely manner. There are affordable alternatives for test preparation; Number 2 offers free online test prep and The College Board, the authors of the SAT offer an online testing program for 69.95.

Parents Fear Paying for College

A survey of 300 parents ranking their greatest fears revealed that paying for college was their top fear. The increase of tuition weighs heavily on the minds of parents, but financial planning can alleviate some of the stress.

Two competitive college announce the SAT will be optional for some students

This week Gustaus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia announced new admissions standards that may make submission of ACT and SAT scores optional for some students.

Colleges are beginning to rethink admission policies and find alternatives to relying on the SAT and ACT as indicators of academic potential. There are currently 735 institutions that do not require the SAT or ACT for admission.

Should Middle School Students take the SAT?

More than 120,000 students from 7th-8th grade took the SAT this year. If students decide to take the SAT they need to take into consideration that the SAT has content that they have not covered in their school curriculum and their scores will be lower.

Few Students are Being Admitted off the Wait List

The increase in college applicants this year has led to colleges accepting few students off their wait lists. For example, Harvard will probably take five to ten student versus the 28 students they admitted last year off their wait list.

Here are some tips to help you improve your chances of getting in:
1) Let them know that you are interested in their college
2)Provide new information
3) Don't annoy the admissions office

The SAT can cause Fatigue

The dip in SAT score has led some people to believe that the increase in time required for the new SAT is a strain on students. The SAT allows three hours and forty five minutes to complete the three sections, which is more time both the GMAT and GRE. Students are being stretched thin in the close to four hour SAT and scores are reflecting the change.

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