10 Steps to Writing Your Best Personal Statement The Personal Statement demands a lot of the college applicant - to present themselves fairly but favorably, to articulate to those things that inspire them, to capture their character and personality, and to do it all in 500 carefully chosen words. No wonder so many find this to be a painful exercise. But with enough time, introspection, and careful editing, students sometimes learn as much about themselves as the reader does.
Free Workshop-When College Doesn't Lead to Career
The job market for college grads is not projected to be a positive one for the classes of 2010 and 2011. Find out what you can do NOW to enter the job market poised for success. Ideal for parents and recent grads.
Free Workshop-Taking the Guesswork out of Standardized Testing
Understanding the Difference Between the SAT and the ACT and how these tests are used in the college admissions process; ideal for high school parents and students.
Is providing a low-cost, no-frills education the way to go?
The Olive Garden Theory of Higher Education If ever-increasing tuitions is putting the cost of higher education beyond the reach of the masses, perhaps paring down to the essentials as a way to make college accessible to the masses is an approach worth considering.
Can Ferris Bueller take the day off?
Go to Class or Stay in Bed Turns out students at the University of Maryland created an on-line calculator that takes all the guesswork out of deciding whether or not to skip class. Although it started as a bit of a joke, almost 2,000 students have used this application. Let's hope most of them went to class.
Making the Most of Your College Years Congratulations to the class of 2014! You've just started what many consider to be the best four years of your life - your undergraduate college years. While we hope that you will make your academic work the focus of your experience, be sure to take full advantage of all that your college has to offer, both within and beyond the walls of your classroom buildings.
We wish all of you the best of luck!!
Who's to say who's the best?
30 Ways to Rate a College We've always been a bit suspicious of the usefulness of college rankings, believing that it is up to the individual to decide, based on their own criteria, which schools top their lists of "Best Colleges". This powerful graphic by the Chronical of Higher Ed show that the college rankers themselves (Forbes, U.S. News, etc.) have also "personalized" their college lists by selecting their own criteria on which they rank colleges. Interestingly, there is very little overlap in the data they use to create their lists.
The College Layette
Students, Welcome to College; Parents, Go Home A friend called me a few weeks ago to report that she had just finished buying all the pieces she needed for a layette. "For whom?" I inquired, anxiously, knowing that her youngest child was 12. "For Ben, of course" was the reply. I couldn't help but laugh - Ben is 18 years old and headed off to college this week. In just the way she had prepared for his arrival into this world, his college layette included all the sheets, towels, blankets and toiletries he would need to embark on his new life. The important difference being, of course, that his college layette is a gift of the things he needs to start his life away from her, and independent from her.
This moment of separation seems increasingly difficult for parents who aren't ready to say goodbye, even after they have moved their child into their freshman dorm room. Colleges vary in response to this separation anxiety in various ways but many are becoming increasingly clear about when it is time for the parents to leave and for the college to take over in its roles and responsibilities.
Ben is going to be just fine in college - his parents have spent 18 years teaching him how to be self-sufficient, independent, and self-confident. He will stumble, he will make bad choices, and he will recover. But, most importantly, he will do all these things without his parents looking over his shoulder because he can. And on really bad days, he'll have a nice blanket to wrap himself up in.
In the end, college rankings may mean very little
Grading on the curves This is a humorous and mildly impertinent piece on how unhelpful college rankings can be. In this season where every few days another ranking list is published, it's good to keep perspective on what's important. No, it's not how available free parking is on campus - it's how well the college meets and matches the applicants talents and interests.
When haste might make waste
Pulling an all-nighter for the college application Our goal for many of our college clients is for them to have most of their common application completed by the end of the summer. In July and August rising seniors have more time and fewer distractions so they can fully focus on completing the common app, and completing it well. The Fall is can be a very busy time and students should be focusing their energies on their classwork as this is the last opportunity for early applicants to show their academic metal. Final visits to colleges, interviews either off or on campus, and filling out the supplemental materials required by some colleges takes a tremendous amount of effort and emotional energy, leaving little for the common application.
That said, pulling all-nighters over the summer just to "be done" or to be the first applicant at a school seems imprudent. With only one chance to make a good impression on admissions officers, it's important to devote time and care to the application so that you will be viewed in your best possible light. So, work to get that application done well, but don't sacrifice quality for speed.
Williams is the best... or is it???
America's Best Colleges According to a new report by Forbes, Williams is the college that best meets students needs. Having just visited Williams last month, I can tell you that the campus is stunning, the facilities are state-of-the-art, the faculty are very impressive, and their Tutorials Program, based loosely on the tutorial style teaching at Oxford and Cambridge, make this a top-notch place to live and learn. It seems like a no-brainer to encouage students to apply here. And therein lies the rub of these one-size-fits-all rankings. While Forbes evaluated colleges based on ten factors including the students' rankings of their academic experiences, the amount of debt they incurred, their opportunities to distinguish themselves academically, and their ultimate career success, no one ranking can decide for an individual what school should be on the top of their list.
For example, for student looking for a lively weekend scene, the opportunities to be involved in Greek life, or the excitement of cheering on a Division 1 Football team, Williams would fall towards the bottom of the list. And there are other, much more subtle, distinctions between schools that prospective students should make. What type of students thrive here? What is the social/political climate? What does the school value? There are all questions that should be asked of any college, but are factors that will never be included on college ranking lists because there is no way to objectify this data.
So, congratulations to Williams College for ranking Number 1 on Forbes' Best Colleges in America List - you certainly are an outstanding liberal arts college in rural Massachusetts with a very strong math and science program. But, if for those looking for something different in their college experience, don't let Forbes create your college list for you.
Why it's important to learn how to think
Hearing the right notes from a job candidate With the rising price tag on college education and the tightening job market, parents are increasingly concerned about whether or not their son or daughter will be able to get a job upon graduation. Fair enough - with four-year tuition bills approaching the quarter of a million dollar mark, it's not unreasonable for parents to hope that their child will have the skills they need to land "a good job." However, many employers are looking beyond the bullet points on the resume and are asking job applicants questions that tap into their abilities to reason, problem-solve, and be creative. So, while some jobs do require a specific set of skills that can be acquired through course work, internships, and research projects, attractive job applicants also can demonstrate not just what they have learned in during their undergraduate experience, but how their college education, regardless of their course of study, has taught them to think.
V.I.P. Applications
Drexel U. Brings On a New Wave of Applicants Over the next few months, select high school seniors will be recieving "V.I.P. Applications" from colleges encouraging them, through a simplified process, to apply to their institutions. Colleges send out V.I.P applications to those students whose SAT scores fall within a certain range as a way of increasing their applicant pool as well as intentionally raising the average SAT scores of their applicants. Both these moves make colleges appear more selective. The other advantage to the college is that it increases their chances of yielding students from this targeted pool.
However, V.I.P. applications have advantages for the student as well. Typically not requiring a long essay and waiving the application fee, the V.I.P. applications don't take as much time to fill out. As an acceptance is not a binding commitment, for some students having an acceptance in their back pocket early in the application cycle can be a real confidence booster that also takes away the concerns of finding those "safety schools."
Of course, students should not be lured into completing V.I.P. applications to schools in which they have absolutely no interest. But, if the invitation comes from a school that piques their interest, students should take advantage of this opportunity.
Top 10 things colleges are looking for in their applications
Every year, IECA (the Independent Educational Consultants Association) polls its member consultants to ask them what they have observed to be the trends in college admissions. After the data is collected, the list of The Top 10 Things Colleges are Looking for in Their Applications is published. Annually, without exception, the most important piece of an student's application is their transcript - how well have they done, and how challenging has their course load been. Further down the list fall standardized test scores and extracurricular activities. To read the entire list, go to http://www.iecaonline.com/PDF/IECA_CollegeTopTenList.pdf.
The Common App is here!
Yesterday, the Common Application became available on line! Accepted by the vast majority of colleges in the U.S., the common application has, for many students, streamlined the application process. However, this is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Many colleges will also ask for supplemental materials to be completed. these supplements can ask for as little additional information as a few pieces of data, or can be as involved as asking the applicant how they plan to contribute the richness of the diversity on campus. The Common Application website is also a useful tool for organizing the college process. It keeps track of all the schools the student is applying to, lists the application due dates, provides links to supplements, and keeps track of which applications are complete and which are still in progress.
We strongly enourage all of our clients who are rising seniors to strive to complete the Common Application before the start of the school year so that, come September, they can focus on their academic work, sports, SATS, and final college visits and interviews. The link is: www.commonapp.org. Login in at get started!
Medical school for poets
Getting in to med school without hard sciences Mount Sinai medical school accepts a small percentage of applicants who have not taken organic chemistry, physics, or the dreaded MCATS each year, finding that those who majored in the humanities as undergrads actually make more sensitive doctors. It's too soon to know if more medical schools will head in this direction, but given the wide range of skills and expertise demanded of doctors, it's nice to know that they're not all following the same path.
How to kick the tires of study abroad programs
7 Signs of Successful Study Abroad Programs No question - more colleges are offering more study abroad opportunities. Some colleges are even requiring it. However, if you're serious about taking advantage of this tremendous opportunity, be sure to spend some time in the Study Abroad Office asking these hard questions. The more you know, the more successful and rewarding your experience abroad will be.
Backpacks amoung the breifcases Some students thrive on the noise and excitement of urban life and are excited about the many unique opportunities of living in a city. However, for some, being a college student in New York places them in a strange nether-world between "tourist" and "resident" and the thrill of being a self-sufficient, independent urbanite is muted by the effort it takes to take buses to classes, figure out what to wear, and learn how to fit in.
For those seriously considering city schools, it's a good idea to spend quite a bit of time waling around the campus, exploring surrounding neighbors, and figuring out how to negotiate transportation. The excitement and opportunties available to college students in the city are tremendous - but don't let the bright lights blind you to the realities of daily existence.
How to engage more students in foreign language study
Languages Plus By making languages classes interdisciplinary, exposing students to the culture of the country before they master the subjunctive, and engaging the students in meaningful ways means that more students advanced to higher level language classes.
How students choose colleges
Admissions office probes applicants\' scary depths It turns out that it's not just me who thinks that sometimes seniors' final choice of college is - let's just say it - whimsical. After a year of visiting, touring, researching, discussing, and agonizing you'd expect a thoughtful, well-reasoned decision when the final college choice is made, but often when I ask them to explain why they made their choice, the reply is simply, "It just felt right."
It turns out that, when making decisions, emotion usually preceeds thought. Thus, we make choices based on our feelings, and THEN we try, sometimes unsuccessfully, to put words around our decisions. The admissions office at UNC Chapel Hill is tapping in to this research to find new ways to appeal to prospective applicants.