College Admission Help

College Counselor Advice: Choice and Change Make College Seem Strange
By Dr. Patrick O’Connor

There’s a lull in the wonderful world of college admissions, so this is the perfect time to talk about why choosing a college is so hard, in 3 words or less:
Choice and change!
This sounds pretty simple, but there is a world of “Whoa!” behind the idea that students can choose the colleges they apply to. Most students don’t have a choice about kindergarten, middle school, or high school—you go to the public school that’s closest to your house, or you go to the school your parents have in mind. After 11 years of being trained to go where you’re told, someone like me comes by and says “OK—2600 colleges on the menu. What looks good?”
No wonder you’re scared you’ll make a bad choice—you’ve never done this before, your friends have never done this before, there’s 3 million other students with the same lack of experience you have trying to get into the same colleges you want to go to, and there’s all that paperwork. This is not only a big deal, it’s a new deal…
…and to quote the only U.S. President who flunked out of Columbia Law School, the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. You may be a little green when it comes to choosing schools, but you figure out what to wear, eat, listen to and do on weekends without much help at all—and given the huge number of choices about Internet Web sites, choosing 8 colleges to apply to out of a paltry 2600 should be a breeze.
Of course, it’s easier to make a choice if the choices don’t change very much— but colleges are better at making change than the soda machine at school. Just this week, New York University changed the tests they require for everyone applying for admission; you can now send just the ACT, the SAT with two subject tests, the SAT and two APs, the—well you get the idea. NYU says they made the change to offer students—you guessed it—more choice, but many counselors say this freedom creates more stress than it reduces; just tell the kids what to do, and they will happily comply.
Sometimes I wish college was like that, but it isn’t—neither is life, and part of college involves getting you ready for making the most out of what you know, even if you don’t know everything. Once you have some colleges in mind, check their Web sites about application procedures for next year. After that, call them to ask if they plan on making any changes to those procedures this summer—with this economy, they may make changes about everything from the application fee to financial aid procedures. You don’t know that—heck, maybe even they don’t know that—but asking will most likely make you smarter, even if the answer is “We don’t know yet. Call again in August.”
As you start the college search, you can tell yourself you don’t know enough to make this choice, and that the changes are just too confusing-- or you can think about who you are, what you like, what matters to you, and go from there. Yesterday in the school cafeteria, you chose between the gross brown casserole and the gross yellow casserole with less background knowledge than that—lead from your strength, do an online college search, (collegeboard.com or princetonreview.com have two nice ones) ask a lot of questions, and persist. Knowing what you don’t know is the first step to freedom—and wouldn’t that be a nice choice for a change?


College Counselor Advice: Choice and Change Make College Seem Strange

College Counselor Advice: The SAT—To Study, or Not to Study?
By Dr. Patrick O’Connor

The question seems simple enough—does studying for the SAT help you score better when you actually take the test?

Common sense tells us the answer is yes. What do you do when it’s time for a Geometry test? You study what’s going to be on the test. What do you do before you take your road test for your driver’s license? Get behind the wheel and cruise. What did LeBron James do to make that whamma jamma 3-pointer to beat Orlando last month? Right—practice. Based on this iron-clad logic, taking a look at the SAT practice questions available in your school counseling office would sure seem to be a good idea before you crowbar yourself out of bed at dawn on a Saturday to take the actual test, especially since the new questions are patterned after the old ones.

On the other hand, this is college admissions we’re talking about, a place where my seniors tell me common sense is sometimes uncommon (“They recalculated my GPA by taking out all of my Art classes, but Art is my major!”) Just as you’re about to give up part of your Memorial Day weekend to do a little test prep, along comes a report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling, saying students who test prep on the SAT usually don’t improve more than 30 points. You might want to take a look at a summary of these results for yourself, at http://www.nacacnet.org/News/Newsfeed/Pages/Article.aspx?id=I109483552&type=News …

…and when you’re done looking at that, take a peek at the related article from USA Today, where an impressive number of colleges say that a 30 point increase may be small, but it might be enough to really raise your chances of getting admitted, especially at some selective schools. This article can be found at http://www.nacacnet.org/News/Newsfeed/Pages/Article.aspx?id=I3176773572&type=News

If these two articles give you the same feeling you had when you first read the periodic table, join the club. If the report is true, students shouldn’t bother prepping for the SAT, since scoring 30 more points isn’t that big of a deal. Then, along come a number of colleges that say 30 points IS a big deal, since many colleges rely heavily on test scores to sort out students. This test-heavy reliance is something NACAC discourages, but colleges do it anyway—especially with many scholarships, where a minimum SAT score guarantees merit cash for a student.

On top of that, there’s the other reporting source we started with—common sense. We all know a couple of students who blew out their second SAT attempt after doing some kind of intense studying. It may be that some students got nothing out of test prep, but then there’s the study factor, something the report doesn’t cover; did the kids who gained 200 points study harder than the students who only showed up to class to please their parents?

There’s sure to be more push back on this study and what it means—for starters, call the colleges you’re interested in and see if 30 points will matter to them. If you’re not sure, or if you want to play it safe, my money’s with LeBron’s approach to making his dreams come true. Even if you don’t have the bucks to spend on private test prep, use the free pamphlets and the free online materials to sharpen your game before the 8AM tipoff. Once you know your opponent, it’s easier to make the test-prep highlight reel with a killer score—and like it or not, that matters to some colleges.



College Counselor Advice: The SAT—To Study, or Not to Study?

Making College More Affordable: College Scholarships the Secret Weapon
NEW YORK -- Scholarship money can often mean the difference between being able to afford college or not. According to Dr. Clifford Stanley, President and CEO of Scholarship America, the nation's largest scholarship administrator and parent of the national grass-roots community-based Dollars for Scholars program, the downturn in the economy and the steady rise in college tuition have created a real sense of urgency among families seeking scholarship assistance.
Dr. Stanley offers the following tips for students and families looking to win precious scholarship awards -- and how to ensure success in the scholarship search process.
It's never too early: Dr. Stanley encourages parents and students to start searching for scholarship opportunities before high school. Starting early will help you understand the application process and learn what it takes to win a scholarship. Some scholarship programs set aside tracking programs and make awards to students even in their pre-high school years.
Scan potential scholarship opportunities regularly: Every year of high school, parents and students should "scan" for potential scholarship opportunities as new sources of financial aid are constantly being developed. You can search on the internet as well as consult with your school counselor/career center.
Consult with institutions: Consult with postsecondary institutions you are considering attending. The financial aid office might be able to suggest local and institutional scholarship sources.
Make sure you meet the criteria: Once you identify a scholarship opportunity make sure you really understand the application criteria.
Be thorough and careful: Applicants frequently make BIG mistakes and don't answer the application questions thoroughly. Make sure you send in all of the necessary and requested documentation.
Be aware of deadlines: Make sure you send the applications in ON TIME. Deadlines can vary between late spring and late summer. If you are applying online, don't wait until the last minute as computer system can get clogged. Computer systems can get clogged with the large volume of applicants submitting materials at the same time.
Avoid careless errors: Take time to spell check. Take time to try to write a cogent sentence. Extremely talented students can be overlooked because they don't use basic syntax anymore after years of Tweeting and texting.
Talk to political officials: Students who hope to attend military academies should get to know their congressional representatives early so they can seek appointments later on.
9/11 Scholarships: Stanley also reminds Americans that scholarship help is available for family members of 9/11 victims through the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund.
Dr. Stanley concluded, "Finding a scholarship takes a lot of work -- and lots of diligence, but don't be deterred. Following this advice and asking the right questions will ensure that your child is on the right path toward a brighter future."
He also encourages people to visit the Scholarship America website for more information and to find out how to help.


Making College More Affordable: College Scholarships the Secret Weapon

College Admission Help: Countdown to college -- Juniors, get serious about college now
By LEE BIERER
McClatchy Newspapers

OK juniors, you just witnessed the seniors stroll through the college admissions process. For some, perhaps it was more of a hobble, but you can learn from their missteps. Now it's your turn.

Whenever I am asked about what juniors should be doing at this time of the year, I am reminded of the Plan Ahead graphic where there was no room for the "d" in ahead.

If you want to de-stress the college admissions process, it is all about planning ahead. Here are some tips for juniors/rising seniors:

Study hard for finals, AP exams. etc. In many cases these are the last grades colleges will see. They will see the course selections for senior year, but many colleges now offer Early Action and Early Decision programs and their decisions to accept, defer or reject are based on a student's transcript through junior year.

Prepare the first draft of a resume or brag sheet. List all the extracurricular activities, community service, honor/scholarships/awards, summer experiences, internships and employment. Spend the time now to add in the number of hours per week and the number of weeks per year you've been involved in each activity since most applications will request this information.

Talk with guidance counselors, teachers, parents and students about the college search process. Now is the time to actively pursue as much input as possible.

Research colleges of interest. Contact colleges and universities and request DVDs, brochures and other materials.

Visit as many colleges on the list as possible. There is no substitute for a well-planned campus visit. Students will never learn as much from a DVD or even talking to an alumni representative as they will from roaming the campus and talking directly with students.

Begin to work on college essays. Check out the questions on the Common Application (www.commonapp.org). The essay prompts will likely remain the same for 2009-2010. Many other colleges release their applications around July 1.

Stand out this summer. Do something distinctive that speaks to who you are as a person. Try and find something you're passionate about that reflects your community service or academic interests.

Connect with your favorite teacher before the end of the year and ask if he/she will be willing to write a letter of recommendation for you. You are just seeking a commitment now and will provide the appropriate paperwork in September.

Create a calendar with realistic deadlines and manage your time well. Set yourself up to succeed. The summer seems like such a big block of time, but it disappears.


College Admission Help: Countdown to college -- Juniors, get serious about college now

College Admission Help: Be The First To Ask
By MyCollegeCalendar
College-bound high school juniors should approach teachers and counselor(s) BEFORE the end of this school year for letters of recommendation for college admission.
Asking for letters of recommendation in the next two weeks will give teachers and counselors a “wow” factor because it demonstrates you (the student) are very serious about completing the college admission process and attending college. Furthermore, asking for recommendations now impresses adult recommenders and helps to ensure the letters they write will be superior.
Juniors should ask teachers and counselor(s) who know them and their excellent academic work, if they are willing to write strong letters of recommendation on their behalf. When recommenders agree to write letters, students should immediately provide a pre-prepared cover letter and résumé to each recommender. Further, students should say they are providing their information now so recommenders will have plenty of time to compose their recommendations well in advance of fall 2009 application deadlines.
Educators receive the vast majority of student requests for recommendations in late September through October 1. Giving teachers and counselors the ability to write recommendations at their own pace over the next months is the smart and courteous thing to do. Moreover, making early requests gives students the advantage of a head start with the college application process.
While most college application packets don’t include a “standard” letter of recommendation and, instead, use either a school-specific paper recommendation form or electronic submittal of a recommendation letter, giving teachers and counselors the option to compose a letter of recommendation over summer will be appreciated. Recommenders can compose a letter over the next three months that, in the coming fall, can either be attached easily to paper recommendation forms or copied and pasted into electronic forms used by the Common Application.
Demonstrate your courtesy, maturity, and ability to plan ahead by asking for letters of recommendation before leaving school for the summer.


College Admission Help: Be The First To Ask

College Scholarship recipients honored at EnergySolutions program
AIKEN -- They are two years from their graduation, yet professional people are already asking one group of high school students where they will be in the future.
The EnergySolutions Foundation, the college scholarship organization, awarded 22 high school 10th graders from Georgia and South Carolina each with $2,000 college scholarships.
The awards banquet was held last month at Newberry Hall in Aiken. The scholarship students were from high schools in the central Savannah River area.
“This is probably the neatest thing and the proudest thing that we do,” said Mike Johnson, the president of the commercial facilities group for EnergySolutions.
The students can attend any college of their choice, as long as they pursue a degree in one of the following fields: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, ecology, engineering, environmental sciences, geology, geophysics, mathematics, meteorology or physics.
The scholarship foundation was set up by EnergySolutions, the nuclear energy services company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. EnergySolutions runs the low-level nuclear disposal facility in Barnwell County.
The foundation’s purpose through the scholarship program is to raise up the next generation of scientists and engineers. The program is offered in the nine states that EnergySolutions has facilities.
“A few years ago, EnergySolutions notices a steep decline in the hard studies. We wanted to do something to stop that,” said Pearl Wright, the executive director for the EnergySolutions Foundation.
“This is the third year that we have done this — We look forward to seeing you as you continue your studies in college,” said Tim Dangerfield, with EnergySolutions in South Carolina.
Dangerfield said 22 of the 24 high schools in the CSRA participated this year. Last year the foundation awarded 24 scholarships to as many students.
Dangerfield said he did not know why two of the region’s high schools didn’t participate this year.
The poor economic conditions recently have not endangered the funding of the scholarships because the foundation draws off the interest from the original $3 million deposited some years ago to create the scholarship fund. It will be years before the company will need to replenish the fund, Wright said.
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be in the 10th grade; maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and be involved in complimentary extracurricular activities like athletics or academic teams like math clubs or science fairs. The students also must plan to enter a bachelor degree program at an accredited university or junior college studying one of the approved majors.


College Scholarship recipients honored at EnergySolutions program

Principal: Class rankings create 'unnatural' competition for College Scholarships
When Meg Barrow applied to Harvard University, she told them her GPA – a 4.0 – but there was one piece of information she couldn’t give them – her class ranking.
Raleigh Charter High School, where Barrows is a senior, has joined a growing number of schools that have stopped tracking class rankings.
“We feel like it creates an unnecessary and unnatural competition between and among students,” said Principal Thomas Humble. “We want the competition to be within the individual student.”
More than half of all high schools no longer report student rankings, according to a survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, which represents high school guidance counselors and college admissions officers.
Christoph Guttentag, with Duke University’s admissions office, said about half of the 24,000 applications the university has received this year did not include a class rank.
“These small differences in a grade here and a grade there aren’t really that important when it comes to understanding how good a student is,” Guttentag said.
Some admissions officers say that, in a class of 500, it doesn’t matter whether a student is fifth or 15th.
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one-third of this year's applicants did not report a class rank, according to UNC officials. While UNC and Duke said they prefer to know a student's class rank, they see it as only part of the story.
Guttentag said, if given the choice between two students – one with a rank 10 places higher and the other who is more involved in extracurricular activities and who participates in class – he’d pick the student with the lower grades.
“I have no qualms about taking the student whose grades are a little lower,” he said.
North Carolina requires public schools to put class rank on transcripts. Raleigh Charter High School bypasses that by blacking out that part of the document. The North Carolina School of Science and Math in Durham is exempt from the law and does not track rankings.


Principal: Class rankings create 'unnatural' competition for College Scholarships