How College Admissions Works

Want a look at how college admissions works? The website HowStuffWorks.com has a nice step-by-step overview. The article uses admissions atDuke University admissions as an example, and includes advice from a Duke admissions counselor. However, the information and many informative links make this a great overview for students and parents looking for insights into what lies ahead.

Admissions Frenzy Will Slowdown...Eventually

Although it may be small comfort to high school students preparing to apply to colleges in the next year or two, the demographics currently pushing some of the admissions frenzy are about to slow, according to an article in today's Philadelphia Inquirer. The article notes that the last of "baby boomletters" - children of the baby boomers born in the late 1990's and early 1990's - will reach college age in 2009. After then, some predict a gradual decline in college applications, especially in certain parts of the country. Some colleges are preparing now, making plans to target geographic regions with higher population growth, or preparing new marketing and strategic initiatives. In the midst of the current hyper admissions panic, it's difficult to remember sometimes that college admissions tends to move in cycles, with periods of boom and bust. Today's middle and elementary students may still face competition, but they may also have admissions opportunities that today's high schoolers don't.

Looking for Colleges In All The Right Places

Regular readers know that I constantly harp on the importance of looking beyond the "name brands" in your college search. As I've said many times here, there are hundreds of excellent colleges out there if you keep an open mind, look in the right places, and focus on fit, not designer labels. A series of articles in today's New York Times Education Life section agrees.

Look for schools in states where the college age population is shrinking, not expanding is the advice offered the section's main article, Redrawing the College Map,which discusses how demographic shifts in population are changing the competitive landscape of college admissions. New York, California and Pennsylvania attract the highest number of college students, while Wisoncin and Ohio are exporting more students than they import. That often results in admissions values, colleges and universities where the academic quality belies the relative ease of admissions. Example: the University of Oklahoma, whose academic quality has risen considerably in the past few years and now attracts the largest share of National Merit Scholars in the country with generous merit awards.

An increasing number of students are discovering admissions values in the Southeast which only a few years ago lacked name recognition but now are growing in popularity. Schools like Davidson, Elon, Guilford and Furman are attracting growing numbers of applications from students shut out of the hyper-competitiveness of admissions at Northeastern universities and colleges.

And, if you're still rounding out your college list, check out the list of schools in Off the Beaten Path, hidden gems in places like Michigan, Washington State, and Iowa.

For long time readers of this blog, there won't be many unknown names in these articles. And, unfortunately, now that they've made the New York Times, it's likely at least some smart students will begin to think outside the box and discover these schools for themselves, just as I've been encouraging you to do all along.

Essay Writing Tips From Admissions Officers

Trying to get a jump start on your application essays this summer but having trouble putting pen to paper? Perhaps this advice from the Associated Colleges of the Midwest will help: "Here's your opportunity to show something important about you that doesn't really come across elsewhere on your application. So, step back and be reflective. Think about who you are as an individual. How do you view the world? What do you care about deeply? What experiences and people have been important in shaping you as a person?"

Keep your audience in mind, but don't try to be something you're not, suggests the University of Puget Sound admissions office: "When you write your college essay, you write for a number of ages, audiences and interests. Often students write unnaturally formal essays, believing that admissions committees are stuffy and serious. While admissions committees definitely take their jobs seriously, they are also interested in an accurate appraisal of a student --- helped, in large part, by a funny essay, an offbeat essay, and honest essay, and so on."

Be original, advises the director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Virginia. "Ninety percent of the applications I read contain what I call McEssays - usually five paragraph essays that consist primarily of abstractions and unsupported generalizations... They are technically correct in that they are origanized and have the correct sentence structure, but they are boring. Sort of like a Big Mac. I have nothing against Big Macs, but the one I eat in Charlottesville is not going to be fundamentally different than the one I eat in Paris, Peoria or Palm Springs..A McEssay is not wrong, but it is not going to be a positive factor in the admissions decision. It will not allow the student to stand out..."


Write from the heart, says Carleton College's admissions team. "Write thoughtfully and from your heart. It'll be clear who believes in what they are saying versus those who are simply saying what they think we want to hear."

And, finally, don't stress too much. Your essay will be taken seriously, and be treated with respect. As one admissions officer wrote in the Journal of College Admissions, "All college applicants are valued and heared when they apply, regardless of the admission decision that is rendered."

In short, it may seem like an impossible idea, but try to have fun with writing your essay. This is your chance to express yourself, to understand yourself a little better, and, most of all, to be yourself. Happy writing!

Another College Goes SAT Optional

Providence college, a Catholic liberal arts college in Rhode Island, today became the latest in a recent spate of colleges announcing SAT-optional policies. For a complete list of SAT optional colleges - now numbering over 700 - visit the Fair Test organization.

Which Major Pays The Big Bucks?

Which majors lead to the best paying jobs? According to figures recently released by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), among this year's graduates, chemical engineering majors had the highest starting salaries, seeing their average starting salaries rise 4.7 percent. A chemical engineering major accepting a job with petroleum and coal products manufacturers started work life with an salary of $58,456. Among business majors, accounting grads had the highest salary offers, earning an average of $45,656. Liberal arts majors, however, had more mixed results, posting just a .2 percent gain in average starting salaries over last year. History majors, for instnace, earned an average starting salary of $32,697 while psychology majors saw an average starting salary of $30,218.

Journalism Schools Growing

Journalism programs are growing in number and existing programs are being revamped, according to a recent article, even though there are fewer jobs in traditional news media such as newspapers these days. Some programs are increasing their focus on related areas such as new media, marketing communications, public relations, while others see their role as increasingly changing from preparing journalists to preparing news consumers. All is not doom and gloom on the job front for journalism majors. One study quoted in the article showed that about 70 percent of journalism undergraduates had jobs lined up upon graduation in 2004. According to the article, some journalism professors point out that a journalism major provides a broad education and helps students develop writing, research and critical thinking skills.
Increasingly, journalism is a popular major for pre-law students as well.

For advice on how to find and evaluate journalism programs, read "http://collegehunt.blogspot.com/2005/05/how-to-find-and-evaluate-journalism.html">this article.

Tracking Down the Best Schools for Business & Economics

If you're interested in majoring in business, sorting through the options can be tough. A good place to start is to verify that any colleges under consideration have been accredited by the American Association of Colleges and Schools of Business (AACSB). The AACSB accredits both overall business programs and accounting programs. If a school you're interested in does not have AACSB accreditation, you can try to evaluate its program by comparing its requirements and curriculum with the standards the AACSB has set for undergraduate education.

If you're looking for a ranking of business programs, or a ranking of specific majors within business, both Business Week and U.S. News and World Reports annually rank undergraduate business programs. Business Week's ranking is based on a survey of students who actually attend the individual schools, while U.S. News and World Report's ranking system includes peer reviews from other colleges.

I am not generally a fan of rankings, because I feel people tend to focus on only the names at the top of the list, while it is possible to get an excellent education from many colleges and universities ranked lower. However, I do find the information provided in both of these ranking systems to be useful in terms of comparing and contrasting individual programs. If the University of Michigan and University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School are the top-ranked programs, what makes them so? Examine their curriculum, requirements, undergraduate research and internship programs and then compare them to other schools you are interested in.

"Business" is a broad term, and sub-specialties within business programs can vary in quality, so it is important to look beyond just the overall business rankings and investigate particular areas of interest. Business Week has an interactive database that lets you compare student rankings of different departments. The The U.S. News rankings has similar sub-categories focusing on programs in accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, insurance/risk management, international business, management, management information systems, marketing, and several others.
By the way, I find Business Week's articles and information tools for future business majors to be very useful.

If you're interested in economics instead of business, it becomes a bit trickier to determine which programs are the strongest. Start with list of economics departments, institutes and research centers around the world. Important factors to look at in determining the strength of individual departments include the quality of the faculty, class sizes, and whether courses are taught by teaching assistants or full faculty. The quality of the faculty can be measured in several ways. Some feel that the amount of faculty research, as measured by published papers, is one sign of faculty quality. Two rankings of economics programs based on this measure are one that looks at research at strictly undergraduate institutions and another that focuses mainly on graduate economics programs. A third ranking, also based on faculty research, looks at economics programs around the globe, including the U.S.. Finally, another ranking system looks at faculty output in specific economic disciplines.

Of course, you are focused on finding the best undergraduate program, and a great graduate program doesn't always translate into a great undergraduate experience. That is why it is important to look at other aspects of the program, such as class sizes, course availability, and research opportunities for undergraduates. However, there is one way that rankings of graduate programs can be useful: when looking at faculty bio's, look to see where they received their doctorates. A department where most of the faculty have graduated from top programs is often a sign of strength.

Finally, if you think you may want to go on to get a doctorate yourself in the future, here is a site that highlights some of the important courses and signs of a good undergraduate program.

Financial Aid for International Students

International students are often surprised to discover that not all colleges and universities in the U.S. offer need-based financial aid for international students. Tracking down the colleges and universities that do offer financial aid for international students can be tough and time-consuming. Here, however, is an excellent, regularly updated list of U.S. colleges offering financial aid to international students. Not only does this resource list the colleges, it also provides important and useful information concerning the number of international students at each college who have received financial aid, and the average financial aid package offered to international students. The list is maintained by the Overseas Association for College Admissions Counseling.

Find Out About State Grants

Most folks equate "government money for college" with the Federal government, yet state financial aid is also available to many students. Although it varies from state to state and may have restrictions, such as in-state attendance, every college hunter should investigate this source of funding. How do you track it down? A good place to start is this searchable State Financial Aid database. Other good sources of information are your high school guidance counselor and your state's Department of Education, which can be tracked down on the web using google.

Paying for College

What's the difference between a Cloverdell ESA and a 529 Plan? Is it too late to start saving for college? What are the tax implications of custodial accounts? The financial planning web site, Motley Fool, answers these and other questions about paying for college in a very good series of articles this week. While on the site, you might also want to check out the Motley Fool Paying for College discussion forum.

More On Enrollment Management & Your Admissions Chances

As regular readers know, I have written about the enrollment management strategies used by colleges and universities several times before. I believe strongly that it is important for students and their parents to understand how what goes on "behind the scenes" can influence a student's chances of admissions, merit scholarships, and financial aid. Today, I'd like to revisit this topic, focusing in on important issues related to need-blind admissions, need-aware admissions, and financial aid leveraging. Although these concepts take some effort to understand, it is important to do so in order to fully understand the admissions and financial aid process.

Many students and their parents tell me that, because they have financial need, they want to apply only to need-blind colleges. A need-blind college is one that does not take financial aid into consideration when making admissions decisions. While that sounds good, families need to keep in mind that "need-blind" does not always translate into the "best financial aid package." In fact, while there are many schools claiming to be "need blind," only a handful guarantee to meet 100% of demonstrated financial aid. Thus, it is quite possible to apply to a need-blind college and not receive a satisfactory financial aid package.

Of course, a financial aid package that meets 100% of your demonstrated financial need does not, in and of itself, insure that it is the best package possible. As Michael S. McPherson, former President of Macalester College, writes in in a paper on the economic challenges facing liberal arts colleges "....Colleges can and do vary the quality of the aid packages they offer to needy students according to how eager they are to attract the student. A typical student-aid 'package' includes a financial-aid grant, a loan, and a work-study job. It is not uncommon for two students enrolling at the same school with an equivalent ability to pay to receive very different packages. One might, for example, have $9,000 in grants, $4,000 in loans, and an expectation of earning $1,500 through work during the school year; the other might have a $14,500 grant with no loans or expectation of earnings during the year. The difference can be accounted for through the fact that the second student had a higher SAT score or some other attribute that made him more attractive to the college. Such 'merit within need' is a major factor in student-aid practice at a great many institutions...Variations and combinations of these strategies are almost endless and provide employment for a growing army of consultants..."

Macalester is one of a growing number of colleges that have opted to move to a Need-Aware admissions policy. In schools using Need-Aware admissions, financial need is taken into account as admissions decisions are made. However, at many Need-Aware schools financial need is only considered for a small proportion of applicants, typically those who are at the bottom of the admissions pile. Macalester's Need-Aware policy, for example, exempts "students of color," athletic recruits, and students applying Early Decision from Need-Aware decisions.

Keep in mind, however, that even Need-Blind schools can, and do, use enrollment management techniques to attract and recruit a freshman class that is a financial fit with the college's needs and goals. For example, some "Need-Blind" colleges send recruitment mailings mainly to students who live in wealthy zip code areas. Others offer merit scholarships to wealthier students in an attempt to balance the financial profile of the freshmen class. Legacy preferences can, in some cases, also result in wealthier students being chosen over less well-off students even at Need-Blind schools. Some have also suggested that Early Decision programs can also be a screening tool to manage a school's financial aid budget.

Why does all of this matter to you, the potential applicant? Simple. While applicants can't directly affect the way these policies and strategies are carried out at individual schools, understanding the market forces that may influence admissions decisions can help you make smarter choices as you build your college list. Understanding the differences between Need-Blind and Need-Aware schools and how financial aid and merit scholarships are leveraged in the admissions process can help you get a clearer picture of which schools may be "safety schools" for you and which may be reachier, even if your grades and test scores seem to match up. Finally, insight into the way decisions about both admissions and financial aid are made can help you target financial aid and merit scholarship opportunities.


CORRECTION TO THE ABOVE STORY: Please note, McPhearson is Macalester's former President. Thank you to an alert reader for the correction.

Understand the Federal Financial Aid Process

Developing a college list, researching your options, and thinking about application essays are on the minds of most seniors and many juniors right now. However, while you're in the throes of college planning, don't overlook one key aspect: financial aid planning. Although financial aid deadlines may seem far off, smart college hunters and their parents should start getting up to speed now to avoid extra stress and problems later. Here's a great place to start: The Federal Department of Education has created an excellent online video Start Here, Go Further With Federal Student Aid that introduces students and parents to the basics of applying for financial aid and completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Another excellent, simple-to-understand overview of financial aid options, including the details of how to complete both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, is the College Board's Meeting College Costs.

Colleges Offering Computer Game Design Majors

Computer games are your life. You love playing them, reading about them, maybe have even fiddled a bit with designing them. But you can't major in computer game design, right? Wrong. There are actually quite a few game design programs at colleges across the U.S. and the number of programs is growing. For instance, the University of California Santa Cruz just announced the launch of a new computer game design program this month.

A good place to start tracking down other game design programs is the International Game Designers Association which maintains a list of Colleges offering game design programs. Want to know more about possible career paths in the Computer game industry? There's an excellent article written by someone in the industry here. On the same site, Gamasutra.com, you'll also find tons of interesting articles describing what it's like to major in game design, how to choose a program, and how to land your first job.

University of California Eligibility Index Changes for Fall 2007

If you're considering applying to the University of California system next fall, you need to know that the UC regents have made some changes to the way the Eligibility Index for applicants is computed.

The minimum GPA for California residents has risen from 2.8 to 3.0. The minimum GPA for non-residents remains 3.4. Note that the UC system recomputes each applicant's GPA based on grades in required subjects in grades 10 and 11.

In addition, the new Eligibility Index changes the way test score totals will be calculated. All test scores will now be converted to a 0-100 scale which is then combined with their UC GPA to determine eligibility. Students taking the SATs use their highest scores in critical reading, math and writing from a single sitting and their two highest SAT Subject Scores to equivalent UC Scores. Students who have taken the ACT will no longer have to convert their scores to equivalent SAT scores to determine their eligibility, but will instead convert their scores to the same 0-100 scale.

If you're curious about your UC eligibility, you can quickly convert your scores and determine your Eligibility Index by using the UC EI Online Calculator. Additionally, I strongly recommend that future UC applicants read the detailed information regarding course requirements and application procedures at the UC Admissions website. Another excellent source of advice and information is the UC Gateways site, which has an excellent tutorial on writing the University of California application essays.

Colleges Moving More of Application Process Online

Students often complain about all of the paperwork required to complete applications. If I can send in my application online, they ask, why can't I also send my transcripts and recommendations that way?

As I reported last March, an effort to allow teachers to submit student recommendations electronically is already underway at some schools. Now, it's looking students will also soon be able to submit transcripts electronically.

A deal between the Midwestern Higher Education Compact and a California-based company will give many high schools the option of creating and sending secure electronic transcripts to colleges this fall. The program, which will initially be available on an optional basis in 11 mid-western states, will eliminate the need for high schools to copy and mail paper transcripts. Not only will the program expedite transcript processing, it should also be easier for students to verify that their transcripts have arrived in admissions offices before deadlines.

With nearly all schools now accepting - and, indeed, preferring - electronic applications, the moves towards electronic recommendations and transcripts should eventually automate the admissions process entirely from start to finish.

Internet Search Tips for College Hunters

The Internet is a college hunter's best friend. With thousands, perhaps millions, of datapoints on the web, the information you need to know is out there. Assuming, of course, you can find it.

One search technique that can help you track down specific pieces of information is to use the Google Advanced Search function limiting your search to colleges and university web sites. Let's take a look at some of the ways you can use this function to track down various types of information.

First, let's say you want to major in forensic science. How do you find schools with forensic science majors? Go to Google, click on "Advanced search" next to the search box. When the new page opens, enter the words Forensic science department in either the "with all words" or "exact phrase only" boxes. Next, look for the DOMAIN box in the middle of the search form. Be sure it is set to "only" and then enter .edu into the box. Hit search.

Google will then only search web sites in the .edu domain. In other words, it will limit your search mainly to college and university websites. As you can see if you do this search, you will now have a very nice list of links to forensic science departments at colleges and universities. You can add additional search terms to further narrow the list. For example, if you only want to find schools that have undergraduate programs, add the word undergraduate to your search. If you only want to find a school in a specific state, do the same.

The Google Advanced Search function can also be useful if you are trying to track down colleges or universities that offer merit scholarships that match your grades or test scores. Again, go to the Google Advanced Search page. In the search box enter the term Merit scholarship and then enter either a minimum GPA, a minimum test score, or a combination. Examples: Merit scholarship 1200 or Merit scholarship 3.5 GPA, or Merit scholarship 3.5 GPA 1200 SAT. You can also search for other types of merit scholarships. For example: merit scholarship community service or merit scholarship drama or merit scholarship debate. Be sure to specify that the domain to be searched is only .edu.

You can use the Google Advanced Search and .edu domain limitation to find all sorts of interesting leads on colleges.

Finally, if you want to quickly and efficiently search the websites of just a single college or university, or perhaps several college web sites, there is a very nice link at the bottom of the Advanced Search page that lets you do so without having to go to each school's web site. Look for the section headed "Topic Search" and then the link to the universities search. This can be a great time-saving tool when you need to compare information from specific universities or colleges quickly.

"Unofficial Harvard" Tours Run Into Problems

Two enterprising Harvard College students had a bright idea: Over the summer, they'd run off-beat "insider" tours of Harvard and the surrounding area for prospective students and interested tourists. Launched in May, the business took off. Then they noticed a nervous-looking tour participant who was video-taping the tour. Turns out the "tourist" was actually an undercover representative of the Harvard News Office working at the direction of the Harvard Events & Information Center. In short, Harvard wasn't too thrilled with the idea of unofficial student tours and a few weeks later, the University attempted to stop the tours altogether, citing "trademark infringement" due to the use of the Harvard name. After negotiations (the students agreed to correct Harvard trademark violations in their marketing materials), the University has grudgingly allowed the tours to continue, but only during the summer months. That's unfortunate. While it is understandable that Harvard (and other schools) might not want "unofficial" information about life at Harvard distributed to prospective students, the more information and viewpoints prospective students have available, the more likely they are to make better-informed decisions about whether Harvard is right for them.

Related link: 'Hahvahd'Tours Nearly Stopped by the Administration, The Harvard Crimson

FairTest Hints At College Board Coverup

FairTest has issued a scathing press release hinting that the College Board may be covering up information regarding last fall's SAT scoring errors.

According to Fair Test:

The College Board continues to ignore its repeated promises to release the results of an investigation of the SAT scoring error, which resulted in more than 4,000 students receiving erroneous results.

In an April 11, 2006 letter answering questions from U.S. Representatives George Miller and Dale Kildee, members of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, College Board president Gaston Caperton wrote: "Finally, as you note in your question, the College Board has engaged the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton to perform a comprehensive review, with particular emphasis on the scanning process. Booz Allen Hamilton will provide recommendations within 90 days, which we intend to release publicly. After our review of the Booz Allen Hamilton recommendations, the College Board intends to promptly announce and implement appropriate actions."

The College Board announced it had launched the Booz Allen Hamilton “comprehensive review” in a March 22, 2006 news release. That means the 90-day deadline expired more than two weeks ago.

"The College Board’s latest excuse – that it cannot comment on the report due to pending litigation – is a smokescreen," said Robert Schaeffer, Public Education Director of FairTest, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing. "The truth is that Mr. Caperton repeatedly promised to make the report public well after the first lawsuit was filed against the College Board on April 8.”

In addition, a May 24, 2006 College Board memo to the New York Senate opposing a bill further regulating standardized testing specifically referenced the forthcoming "consulting firm . . . comprehensive review of SAT scoring." New York’s "Truth in Testing" statute mandates the disclosure of any "report cited in memoranda of support or opposition to legislation."

“It's time for the College Board to keep its promises and obey the law,” Schaeffer concluded.

Tufts Admissions Experiment

Tufts University will experiement with its admissions application this fall, adding essay prompts specifically designed to make it easier for the admissions team to more holistically evaluate applicant characteristics and talents beyond strictly academic measures like grades and standardized test scores. The new essay prompts, which will be optional, will give applicants a chance to respond in more creative and imaginative ways than more traditional prompts. Tufts will also experiment with having some applicants, particularly minority applicants, respond to real-time prompts after viewing video's.

The new approach, dubbed "The Rainbow Project," is the brainchild of Robert Sternberg, the new dean of Tufts' School of Arts and Sciences who moved to Tufts from Yale last year. Sternberg, a psychologist, has been at the forefront of suggesting alternative measures of applicant potential and intelligence beyond standardized testing, especially ones that reduce differences between racial and ethnic groups. The essay prompts have been scientifically tested and confirmed, according to Sternberg.

Lee Coffin, dean of Tufts undergraduate admissions, notes that the university will continue to do a first cut of applications based on strictly academic measures before considering the new essays. In other words, don't expect to get into Tufts solely on the strength of a creative essay. However, applicants who make the academic cut will have an additional chance to differentiate themselves from the thousands of similarly qualified students who apply to Tufts each year.

If the Tufts program is a success, it is likely that other colleges and universities will also look closely at Sternberg's research and approach to measuring applicant qualities. As discontent with standardized tests such as the SAT perculates among colleges, alternatives are being sought. Therefore, keep an eye on this developing story.

Related Links:

Boston Globe article on Tufts' new approach

Biographical profile of Robert Sternberg

Sternberg's presentation on admissions and educational philosophy at Tufts Faculty Meeting

Article in Yale Daily News discussing Sternberg's views on standardized testing weaknesses and alternative approaches.

Sites to Help You Save/Find Money for College

Application fees can really add up. That's why every senior preparing to send out applications should check out the list of colleges and universities that waive application fees at http://www.porcelina.net/freeapps. Some of the schools listed waive fees for applying online, some give breaks to siblings and legacies, some have deadline requirements for the fee waiver. An excellent resource for saving money on your application fees.

And, if you have spare time this summer, this is also a good time to begin researching scholarship opportunities. There are several excellent sites online that can help you track down possibilities - I've listed the best of the bunch below. One caveat: Keep in mind that any website or company that charges you to provide scholarship information is most likely a scam and steer clear. There is no need to pay for scholarship information!

FastWeb is a great place to get leads on scholarships and contests available to both high school students and college students. Enter some data about your interests and activities, and it will alert you as scholarship and contest opportunities that you might qualify for become available. Be sure to opt out of mailings if you don't want your name added to marketing lists.

America's Career InfoNet, a site run by the Federal government, has a useful searchable database of scholarships and programs. One nice feature is you can search by state, your ethnicity, even your intended major.

UCLA also maintains a database of scholarships related to race and ethnicity. Another good list of scholarships specifically for racial minorities can be found here.

The ScholarshipHunter site offers several good lists of scholarships, including essay scholarship contests, scholarships for certain majors, and scholarship opportunities by state.

Scholar-Search is a blog that promises to list "a scholarship or contest a day."

If you're involved with music or intend to major in it, check out the extensive list of music related scholarships and contests maintained by the New England Conservatory of Music. Most are not specific to the Conservatory.

King's College also maintains a nice, up-to-date list of various scholarships that are open to all students on its website.

Finally, Girl Scouts - listen up! Here's a list of scholarship opportunities just for you.

Common Application Tips and Advice

I've received several private questions about the Common Application, so I thought I'd list some tips and recommendations that might help rising seniors and their parents.

First, I strongly recommend that all seniors register on the online Common Application site (www.commonapp.org) now. Even if you won't be applying to schools which use the Common Application (299 currently do), plan to use each school's individual application, or submit a paper common application, the online Common App. site is worth a visit.

You will have to provide some basic information to register and access the site. Don't worry --- no information will be sent out to colleges until you hit send. This will give you a chance to play around with the Common Application, see what type of information college applications will require, even enter some data to get a sense of how much space you will have if you use the Common App. Getting familiar with the Common Application now will help avoid stressful situations later. If you do register using your own name, however, and input any information, you should obviously make sure to delete anything you don't want sent to colleges when you finally sit down to write your applications. Parents, if you want to see what the Common Application is all about, you can register too.

Start by reading all of the instructions and ALL of the FAQ's. There are some real gems of information in there that many applicants miss.

For instance, there is a problem with the AOL-Common App. interface so the Common App. company recommends using an alternative browser like Internet Explorer. Since some AOL users may not be familiar with Internet Explorer, this is a good time to figure out how to use it.

Under the FAQs section about essays, there is a question asking for guidelines about writing essays which links to an excellent resource on writing essays put together by the Associated Colleges of the Midwest. I recommend all students read this before they even start writing essays.

One very useful tool on the online Common Application site that many students overlook or under-utilize is the Checklist feature. You enter the colleges which use the Common App. on your list in the application section (look for the My colleges tab on the top when you are in the application section) and then enter them. The Checklist feature will then generate a page of information specifying application requirements, deadlines, application plans (ED/EA), application fees, etc. Just printing these out for each college on your list will save a great deal of time hunting for information on each college's website, and it will also help you get organized.

You can also get some useful information about Colleges by clicking on the "College information" link --- it will show you a list of all of the schools which accept the common application, give you a link to their admissions website, let you know if they have ED/EA, and also tell you if they require a supplement to the Common Application. If they do require a supplement, you can preview the supplement by clicking on the link --- many colleges already have their supplements up for next fall.

Keep in mind that if you apply online using the Common Application you will be able to complete many of the supplements online as well. The links above will take you to the printable paper version in most cases.

One common mis-conception about the Common Application is that you must submit the Common Application to all colleges at the same time and that you can not customize or individualize the information for different schools. Both are absoutely untrue.

In fact, although you do have the option to do both, I strongly advise against submitting all of your Common Applications at the same time, or submitting the same common application to every school on your list.

Instead, enter each individual college, send, and then complete any supplemental materials for that college right then and there. This will help you stay organized and force you to pay close attention to the application for EACH school, which, ultimately, should help you make each application the best possible. (Note: If you have created a list of colleges using the "Checklist" feature, be sure to delete all of the colleges but the one you are sending the application to before you send it out. Otherwise, the system will send the application to all schools.)

Once you have sent an application to one school, you can go back and change the Common Application for the next school. Insert a different essay that you think better fits what individual schools may be looking for, change the order and emphasis of your extracurricular list, add a bit of information to the additional information section that you feel is important for the school. One possible idea if you do not have any additional information, and a college doesn't specifically ask "why this school" on their supplement is to include a brief essay on why the college is a good fit for you in the additional information section - or highlight a few of your extracurriculars in more depth in that section. There isn't a ton of space in the additional information section, but, if planned wisely, it can give you a chance to make your application stand out a bit.

However, you can not return to the Common Application once it has been sent to a school and make changes to that particular application. If you find errors after you have sent an application to a particular school, the only way to correct the information will be to send a paper version. So, ALWAYS PROOFREAD one last time before you hit send. The best way to proofread the online Common Application is to using the print preview option.

A few other tidbits of information to keep in mind. I recommend that you write all essays in WORD and proofread them, then cut and paste into the Common Application. The online Common Application says it will only accept approximately 500 words or 1100 characters in the space allowed for the essay, but some times it will take a few more, depending on the size of the words used throughout the essay. Be sure to do a print preview to see how the essay fits. You can carry over a few words into the "additional information" section, however, and the system automatically does this. Some colleges, such as Bates, recommend submitting a paper copy of your essay via mail, just in case. If you do this make sure to include all of your identifying information on each sheet.

The Common Application will not accept underlining, italics or bold, so do not rely on any of these in your essay.

Save yourself some time when printing out the recommendation forms. If you enter the registration information and begin your application and then print out the registration forms, the Common Application will automatically print out the forms with your name and other information typed in. No need to do it manually.

You can only use the online Common Application for up to 20 schools. But, of course, anyone who regularly reads AdmissionsAdvice.com will have a fine-tuned realistic college list and probably won't need to send out 20 or more applications in the first place. So, this shouldn't be a problem.

Hope this all helps. Again, the best thing is to go online now and sniff around until you totally familiar with the in's and out's of the Common Application. Good luck!!

College Grade Inflation

To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of article in the Arizona Republic about a rising trend in GPAs at America's colleges and universities. The article cites numbers from the 2005 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) that report that 86 percent of the grades received by college freshmen were A's and B's. By senior year, 92% of students reported they received only A's and B's.

On the one hand, I'd like to believe that this isn't about grade inflation, but about better prepared students. After all, many of the students applying to college these days already have earned mostly A's and B's in high school. Unfortunately, several people interviewed for the article point out the dark side of the grading trend.

For instance, the University of Arizona provost, Jerry Hogle, implies that giving out higher grades are a tool for building student retention rates. "It used to be that if students got C's or below, they'd stick around. That's no longer true. We lose 20 percent of our students between freshmen and sophomore years," he says in the article.

Stuart Rojstaczer, a retired Duke professor, cuts things even closer. "Students are now consumers of a product rather than acolytes trying to obtain knowledge. We now view them as customers. The customer is always right." And, of course, the customer demands good grades.

Rojstaczer isn't just speaking off the cuff. His editorials on grade inflation have appeared in many publications, including the Washington Post. He's also put together actual numbers showing grade inflation at many colleges and universities website, Gradeinflation.com that clearly show both an upwards trend.

In the past year or two, several universities have taken steps to reduce grade inflation. The panel is still out on how successful these efforts will be. In the meantime, one has to wonder what all the fuss about getting into college is really all about. If just about any student can earn A's and B's, why do high school grades and test scores really matter in admissions?