Strap on Skis, Get Into College

If you're truly desperate to get your child into a top college, forget SAT prep: Strap on a pair of skis or skates before they can walk and then turn them into winter sports superstars.

According an article in the New York Times some parents are doing just that, sending their students to schools that specialize in serving up winter sports along with academics. The article notes that applications to these specialized high schools have been sky-rocketing, with families paying up to $35,000 a year for the hoped for edge winter athletic skills might provide. The article quotes the men's ski coach at Dartmouth as saying that all but one of the current 13 skiiers on his team attended such a specialized sports academy. In the article, he explained the rationale behind the growth in winter sports schools: "Should I send my kid to Northfield Mount Hermon to compete against 80 percent of his class who are applying to Ivies, or should I send him to a ski academy of 60, of which 5 might apply to each elite college? Being able to play the skiing recruitment card is a very good way to get an edge, as opposed to just trying to get all your SATs up to 800. It sets you apart."

I'm sure some parents who read the New York Times article immediately rushed out to the nearest ski shop, or starting calling around to find ice hockey lessons for their children. I have nothing against students pursuing true passions and interests, but the suggestion that some families might push their students in this direction just on the chance that it might boost their college admissions chances is repungent to me. Get a grip, folks. The world honestly won't end if your child doesn't ski their way into an "elite" college.

Choosing a College Major

Although it's certainly fine to apply to college without a clear major in mind, having an idea of several potential college majors that might interest you is helpful during the college search process. A list of possible college majors can help you evaluate the differences between the academic offerings of various colleges, and also help you decide whether you'll be best served by a large university or a smaller college.

If you have absolutely no idea of what subjects might interest you, a great place to start is MyMajors.com. After a quick registration, you can take an online quiz that asks questions about the courses you've enjoyed in high school, your academic preparation, your personal characteristics, and even which majors other people, such as your parents, have already suggested. The site then gives you five majors that may be a match for your interests and personality. Click on each of the five, and you'll be linked to an excellent overview of the major, career opportunities in it, and additional resources to investigate. MyMajors.com makes a great, fun starting point to considering possible majors.

Students with clearer ideas of potential college majors may want to delve even deeper. The University of Delaware's Career Services Office has put together a series of Major Resource Kits. Each Kit is a comprehensive list of links related to the major. You'll find links to articles and websites related to the major, career and internship opportunities, and a list of related professional organizations.

A similar site is the Major Web-Links site maintained by the Career Services Office of Northern Illinois University. Although at first glance the list of links for each major seems overwhelming, spending a bit of time surfing through the resources lead to gems of information on a wide variety of majors.

Again, it is absolutely not necessary to have a firm major in mind before you apply to college. Many students, in fact, will change their minds about their major at least once. However, having some ideas in mind about your academic interests and potential majors can help you narrow down college options, and help you pinpoint some of the differences between the colleges on your list.

Behind the Rankings: Peer Marketing

Before you take the U.S. News & World Report's annual college rankings as a measure of quality, know this: A large chunk of each individual school's ranking is based on "peer evaluations." Not only are those peer evaluations are based on a relatively small - and often uninformed - sample, but colleges are marketing themselves to each other in an attempt to garner votes.

An article in today's St. Paul Pioneer Press, Colleges Woo Peers for High Marks in Rankings (registration required), explains how out of hand the process has become. The peer evaluation accounts for one-quarter of a school's ranking. The magazine asks college presidents, provosts and admissions deans to rate their peers' academic programs on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished). Peers rate peers. In other words, liberal arts colleges rate other liberal arts colleges, research universities rate other research universities. The sample size of those who return the surveys can be very small. Last year, fifty-eight percent of the 4,089 people who received surveys responded, notes the article. Just a few extra votes can swing the outcome, and colleges know that if they don't respond to the survey, they give up an extra vote in their own favor.

In short, explains the article, it's become "a kind of beauty contest in which the conetstants do a big part of the judging."

Those that receive the surveys admit they don't always have in-depth information about the schools they're evaluating. "The reality is, if we were all required to give a one- or two-sentence descripton of why I'm ranking College X as 'distinguished,' we couldn't," says Steve Syverson, admissions dean at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. "Most of us probably only know about 10 or 15 colleges. What are we ranking the other 200 on out there?" Syverson admits that "few college officials publicly credit the peer assessment, as currently constructed, with any legitimacy."

Perhaps worst of all, colleges now market themselves to each other, sending glossy brochures and presentations to other college officials in an attempt to garner votes. "There's a reason why there's a trash can right next to my mail box," says Macalester College's dean of financial aid and admissions, Lorne Robinson, noting he receives several presentations each week.

Smart college shoppers will look beyond the rankings. Don't take an arbitrary number as proof that a particular college will meet your individual needs better than another. While the rankings can be a data point, do your own homework as to whether a school is right for you. In the end, the only "ranking" that matters is the one you, yourself, create.

No Clear Trend in Early Applications

Earlier this fall, when Harvard and Princeton announced they'll end their early admissions programs next year, many speculated on the effect the announcements might have on this year's crop of early applicants. The answer, so far at least, is that there is no clear trend in this year's early application numbers at the nation's most selective schools.

Yale announced last week that it had received 3,541 Early Action applications this year, 13% fewer than last year. "We are not sure what caused the decline in Early Action applications," said Yale College Dean Peter Salovy, speculating that some applicants may have decided not to apply because of Yale's record rejection rate last year.

Brown has also announced a slight drop in early applications this year, with 2,317 applications received, 2.5% less than last year.

Princeton and Stanford, meanwhile, say their early numbers are up. Princetonreceived
2,275 applications, a 2% increase. Stanford's Early Action numbers were up 5%, with 4,733 applications received.

Other highly selective schools, such as Harvard and Columbia, have yet to announce their numbers. However, it's important to keep in mind that year to year most colleges and universities experience some variance in their application numbers. So, it is highly likely that there will continue to be no clear trend among the nation's most selective schools, both in the number of applications received and admit rates.

A Radical Plan for Revamping College Admissions

Cliff Sjogren has been on the frontlines of college admissions. He is the former director of admissions at the University of Michigan, and the former dean of admissions at the University of Southern California. Now, Sjogren is on a mission: to push for change in the college admissions process.

In a Washington Post article last week, Sjogren stated his case simply: "It is time to simplify the college admission process. In a well-intended albeit futile attempt to be all things to all people, colleges and universities have seriously complicated application procedures for the student, overly burdened high shcool cousnelors, and substantially increased the colleges' costs for enrolling freshman classes."

Among his specific recommendations for overhauling the admissions system, Sjogren proposes eliminating college application essays and recommendations. He notes that essays tend to favor applicants from high-income families and are easily coached or even written by others. Recommendations, according to Sjogren, add almost nothing to the admissions profile of most applicants, and, worse, waste the valuable time of teachers and counselors that could instead be put to more important use, such as actually educating students. He's also like to see less emphasis placed on extracurriculars and standardized test scores, and more emphasis placed on the unique circumstances each applicant has faced, special creative talents, and diversity of all kinds. Merit scholarships and legacy preferences would also fall by the wayside.

I think Sjogren is raising some important and valid considerations. The admissions machine - for that is what it is increasingly becomming, a machine - has gotten out of hand. To be sure, admissions people themselves aren't the only ones at fault for creating the current insanity, but they are the ones with the key to start solving the problem. Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that many, if any, will take Sjogren's proposals, nor those of others similarly crying in the darkness, to heart any time soon. And, that's unfortunate, because ultimately the people who will suffer the most are exactly those that colleges and universities all claim to value the most in their glossy marketing brochures: students.

How To Build A Better College List

As seniors begin to finish up their applications, juniors and their parents are starting to think about their own college search. Although the process may seem daunting, the time and effort you spend upfront now to build a solid college list will pay dividends at this time next year.

Begin - and end - with the most important person in the entire process: you, the student. College may still seem far off, but you already know quite a few things about yourself that will ultimately affect where you apply and your chances. A successful college search is a bit like trying on shoes: If you keep trying to push your feet into the wrong sized shoe, you'll have a different experience than if you figure out which size you need upfront and concentrate on trying on shoes that fit.

Start by thinking about your educational experiences to date. What have you liked and disliked about high school? What do you hope will change in college, or stay the same? Which teachers in high school have you enjoyed most -- and what was it about their teaching style that made their class enjoyable? What does that say about what you'd like in a college? How have you learned best in high school? Do you do best in classes where there's lots of discussion or where the teacher does most of the talking? How prepared are you for college? Be honest: what are your academic strengths and weaknesses? What type of college setting will help you maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses? Look beyond the classroom, too. Who have your closest friends been in your high school? Are their groups in your high school you admire or could do without? What does that say about the types of students you hope to find - or not find - in your college community?

Parents, while you may have hopes and dreams for your child's college search, now is the time to start adjusting to the idea that the person who will be attending college is your child, not you. Give them a chance to sort through their preferences and figure out their own hopes and dreams for college. However, one caveat: Now is the time to discuss any financial limitations with your child, and to realistically assess together how those limitations may influence their college list.

Building a solid college list is a lot like building a house. Begin by constructing the foundation: the colleges that you truly like and where you are likely to have a strong chance of admission. With those in place, you can build the structure of your list by choosing colleges that are a good match for your grades, test scores, and other characteristics, but which are not necessarily sure bets for admission. Finally, after you've cemented the foundation and built the walls, you can turn your attention to the roof -- those colleges that may be just out of reach, or which are extremely selective. Remember this: A house built from the roof down is seldom stable.

Over the next year, I'll be talking about many college hunting tips and resources here. I hope you'll check in regularly as you begin to build your own college list.

Shy Students and College Admissions

Not every student is extroverted or a campus leader. Some students are quieter, and more introspective. Unfortunately, in college admissions, shyness - either real or perceived by those around you - can sometimes be a negative. "There are steps that shy students can take, short of a total personality transplant, which will enhance their chances of getting into their best colleges," writes independent college counselor Audrey Kahane in a recent article. Among her suggestions: Ask teachers for help in finding less threatening ways to contribute in class, take an acting or public speaking class to become more confident, and seek out volunteer activities such as tutoring to help foster one-to-one relationships that offer a safe and rewarding way to contribute to the community.

Will They Get In?

They have great grades, solid test scores, and cool extracurriculars. Are they good enough to get into the country's most selective schools? This month, New York magazine profiles several highly qualified applicants, and asks Katherine Cohen, CEO and founder of IvyWise, one of the most expensive college admissions counseling firms in the country, to estimate their chances. I highly recommend that you read the article, The Swarm of Super-Applicants, but before you read Cohen's comments for each applicant, take a moment to make your own predictions as a test of just how much you know about how selective college decisions are made.

Inside the Admissions Office

If you've ever wondered what the admissions committee actually discusses when they look at applications, the Cleveland Plain Dealer has the answer. A Plain Dealer reporter followed the decision-making process at Oberlin College for a year, and has written an excellent article that highlights some of the factors discussed, considered, and weighed for each application. This is a terrific look at what goes on behind the closed doors of the admissions office.

Application Tips

Whether you're a senior knee deep in applications or a junior or sophomore just dipping your toes into the college admissions process, the Cleveland Plain Dealer has gathered an excellent list of 10 points to consider in applying to college. The article includes quotes from admissions counselors, and every tip is valuable. My personal favorite: "There are no style points. Unless you're applying to art school, don't waste your time or money creating an unusual application package to catch the eye of the admissions committee. They care about what's inside."

Want More Financial Aid? Show 'Special Circumstances'

Is it possible to negotiate need-based financial aid? The answer given by three college financial aid directors who spoke at the College Board Forum in San Diego last week is: sometimes, provided you can prove you have special family financial circumstances that justify a larger need-based financial aid award.

Although recent media reports have been full of articles suggesting that families can “negotiate” better need-based financial aid packages simply by playing packages from competing schools against each other, all three of the financial aid professionals emphasized that landing a better need-based financial aid offer based only on a competing package is rare.

“We do not negotiate in that sense,” said Carolyn Lindley, Northwestern University’s Director of Financial Aid. “However, if a family tells us that we really want to come but can’t, I may ask a few more questions to see if there are special circumstances that might justify a revision. But the family always has to provide us with adequate documentation to justify the decision.” Lindley added “if you hear that someone down the street pulled one over on a college and got more need-based aid, it almost always means they were able to prove that they had special circumstances that warranted it.” Jerry Cebrzynski, Director of Financial Aid at Lake Forest College in Illinois, and Daniel Mann, Director of Financial Aid at the University of Illinois echoed the sentiment.

According to the financial aid directors, there are three main “special circumstances” where adjustments may be considered based on the professional judgment of the financial aid office. The first relates to the cost of attendance. “Some students may have extra costs that most students don’t, such as extra travel expenses, child care costs, or expensive supplies or books required by a particular major,” said Lindley. “We will look carefully at the student’s budget and, if we see that the student realistically can’t afford the cost of attending, sometimes we’ll make adjustments.”

Another area likely to get a professional judgment review is related to the student’s dependency status. If the student can prove that he or she is legally no longer a dependent, sometimes colleges will treat the student as an independent for financial aid purposes. However, Cebrzynski cautioned that “dependency over rides are pretty rare. Almost always they require proving that the student is severely estranged from the parents. Dependency over rides don’t include things such as the parents being unwilling to contribute, or the student just claiming they are totally self-sufficient. Telling us that you are an emancipated minor means nothing.” In using professional judgment to make dependency over rides, Cebrzynski said “we’re looking for third party documentation, such as a counselor, another relative, a neighbor, a pastor, who can verify that the student truly is estranged from his or her parents. And, the dependency over ride must be reviewed and documented on an annual basis because sometimes students and parents reunite.”

The third area – and the most common need-based appeal – are family financial circumstances that are not reflected in the questions asked by the FAFSA or CSS Profile. “If we’re going to use professional judgment to make an adjustment here, we have to change the actual value of the financial data,” said Lindley. Examples of special circumstances named by the panel as sometimes justifying a need-based adjustment include: sibling tuition for private K-12 education, medical and dental expenses, death or divorce of parents, loss of income due to unemployment or illness, losses related to disaster (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes) not reimbursed by insurance, and other major changes to income, debt or assets. As one example, Cebrzynski mentioned a family that had high caregiving costs associated with a disabled grandparent moving in with the family.

However, Lindley emphasized that each institution has its own take on what qualifies as a special circumstance and how and when professional judgment is applied. “It really varies from institution to institution depending on their resources and philosophies. Some will consider things that others will not,” she said. Still, she warned, parents should not see those differences as being willing to "negotiate" a better need-based financial aid deal just because the family asks for it. “Every institution still has to be able to justify, document, and apply professional judgment consistently.” She noted that all institutions conduct yearly internal financial aid audits, supplemented by periodic Federal audits.

The three institutions briefly discussed the differences in their use of professional judgment. Mann said that the University of Illinois seldom uses professional judgment to adjust need-based financial aid. “As a public institution, we’re not as flexible as a private college. Public institutions tend to take a more strict and conservative approach as to when and how professional judgment can be applied. Last year, for example, we probably made 25 or 28 appeals adjustments.”

Lindley, on the other hand, said that Northwestern made 1200 cost of attendance adjustments last year, and 737 special circumstance adjustments. “We use professional judgment a great deal. We view it as a tool we have in order to help our students meet the cost of attendance at a very expensive university,” she said. “But we still need to always document that special circumstances exist, and we do not make adjustments willy-nilly just because a family shows us a better offer from another school.”

If you believe your family has special circumstances that may justify appealing your financial aid package, what steps should you take to do so? According to the financial aid directors, the most important thing you can provide to help make your case is “documentation, documentation, documentation. Give us tax returns, non-custodial information, trust agreements, medical bills. We will review anything and everything that makes the case that you need more aid,” said Lindley.

The directors said that families should ask each school they are considering up front about when the extra information should be provided, as some colleges prefer to see it before they make financial aid decisions, and others prefer to create all financial aid packages and then have students appeal special circumstances.

Families should contact the financial aid office directly and ask if there is an appeals person or a financial aid committee responsible for professional judgment appeals. If in doubt, contact the director of financial aid and ask if they can review the additional information. Keep in mind, however, “that there’s a certain point in time when there’s no money left,” said Lindley. “Many times a family doesn’t give us the extra information in a timely manner, and by the time they do, we no longer have the resources to make the adjustment.”

The officers noted that, in most cases, their offices are not responsible for making decisions about merit-only scholarships. Those awards are handled by admissions, or, in some institutions, by the office of enrollment management. Queries about possible increases in merit-only scholarships, which can sometimes be negotiated by showing competing offers, should therefore be directed to those departments, not the financial aid office.

Is it worth it to appeal a need-based financial aid package if you feel your family circumstances warrant it? As already noted, it depends on the institution’s policies, but, if you can document and justify why more money is necessary for you to attend, “sometimes professional judgment can make a huge difference,” said Lindley. In other words, it never hurts to ask, but your chances of appeal are best if you can prove the extra money is necessary for you to attend.

College "Rankings" Warning

Seems like everyone is trying to jump on the college rankings band wagon these days. Maybe they've seen how much money U.S. News & World Reports has milked out of its college rankings over the years and want to cash in. Unfortunately, in the process, a dis-service is often done to students and parents looking for reliable and accurate information with which to make smart college choices.

The latest to join the fray is College Confidential, which debuted its "rankings" today by touting that students could find rankings and ratings for numerous college factors. Unfortunately, what the College Confidential "rankings" links to are nothing more than the "ratings" from the College Prowler Guidebooks. As far as I can tell from looking at the College Prowler Guidebooks, here's how they develop their "ratings." They ask a student on each campus to author the Guidebook for that school. The student surveys his or her friends and asks them to "grade" the college on various factors.

That may be all fine and good in guidebook land, but when those same informal ratings are presented as a comparison ranking of colleges and universities, it becomes problematic. This is especially true when no attempt is made to clarify the methodology behind the "rankings" or to explain where the rankings came from or that their main purpose is to sell more books.

Students (and parents) are already obsessed enough with college rankings. Do we really need more inaccurate and unreliable college rankings on the market driving the frenzy even more? Hopefully, College Confidential and College Prowler will both come clean, and stop offering misleading information to already panicked students.

This does drive home the point I make here frequently: When searching for college information, always consider the source, and the source's objectives in providing it.

How 2 Email Colleges

If u email colleges, u need 2 read this article. This dude alex kingsbury did it & u will LOL. BTW, kingsley is right.

Writing Successful College Essays

Admissions officers from Yale University and Kenyon College spoke about what they look for in successful college essays during the annual College Board Conference last weekend.

“We’re looking for a match between the student and the college as much as anything when we read essays,” said Beverly Morse, Kenyon’s Associate Dean of Admissions. “Students need to use their own voice in order to let us find that match. We don’t expect Pulitzer Prize winning essays or essays that sound like they’ve been written by adults. Perfection is not necessary, but having your own voice come through is. It’s called a personal statement because we want it to be personal.”

Jeremiah Quinlan, Yale’s Director of Outreach and Recruitment, agreed. “I’m interested in this person as a 17-year-old. The best essays are not the ones with perfect punctuation or that cool Ayn Rand quote that they think makes them sound like an intellectual, but ones that are honest and real because that’s how we get a sense of who the student is.”

“Yale receives over 21,000 applications. Of those, 14 or 15 thousand have high grades and high tests scores,” noted Quinlan. “We know most of our applicants can do the work. However, great test scores and a terrific GPA only put you in the pool. What separates you out is personality, and one of the major ways we find out about your personality is through your essays. Unfortunately, many times the student’s personality gets edited out, especially if they have too many people read and comment on their essays.”

Students don’t have much time to stand out with Yale admissions readers. According to Quinlan, Yale admissions readers can read 50 or more essays a day, six days a week, during the admissions season. However, Quinlan was careful to note that Yale admissions officers “always start with the transcript. If the student isn’t a fit academically, we won’t spend much time on the essay.”

Quinlan suggested that students ask themselves three questions before sending off their essays. “First, ask ‘who am I?’ The essay has to be about you, and convey your personality. In order to do that you have to have a sense of yourself. They should also remenber that we don’t want to read about who you were or what you did back in eighth grade. We want to find out who you are now.”

The second question? “Does this essay resonate with the rest of my application? Students should ask themselves what their activities will say about them, what their recommendations will say about them, even what their high school grades and course choices will say about them, and then make sure that the essay resonates with everything we’ll read elsewhere in their application. This doesn’t mean that they should only tell us things we already know, but rather, they should make sure that the essay doesn’t make us wonder just who their teachers were talking about in their recommendations.”

As an example, Quinlan used an essay about a student’s first voting experience, relating it to the political situation in Dafur. “I would expect that that student’s teacher recommendations would talk about her concern for others, her leadership skills, or her passion for politics, and that her extracurriculars might highlight similar things. If the teachers don’t mention any of these things, and her only extracurricular is some minor club, the essay wouldn’t resonate with the rest of her application.”

A second example was a humorous and off-beat essay about the student’s family. “We’d expect the recommendations to talk about the student’s great sense of humor, or how much other students enjoy his presence in class, how he’s an out of the box thinker with excellent writing and speaking skills. If we didn’t pick up on any of that in the recommendations or elsewhere in the application, the essay wouldn’t have that same resonance.”

Finally, Quinlan suggested that students ask themselves if the essay is reflective. “We’re looking for evidence of growth and resolution, a sense of how they’ve come to be who they are, or why they believe what they do.”

Morse suggested that students start with some pre-writing exercises before they begin to write the actual essay. “Write down six or seven adjectives you would use to describe yourself. Then write down something that you’ve done in the last six months or so that has made you proud or surprised yourself. Merge these ideas and just start writing. Don’t edit too much at the beginning. Just let your ideas flow.”

Morse highlighted some pet peeves of admissions readers. The number one peeve? What Morse called the “overblown” essay. “Don’t use big words just because you think they’ll impress us. If you don’t normally write or speak that way, we won’t learn who you really are.”

Quinlan picked up a similar theme. “We get a lot of essays about music and drama because kids and parents think, ‘It’sYale, they like music and drama there.’ Well, if you love debate, telling us about music and drama misses the chance to tell us about what really matters to you.”

Both admissions officers stressed that students should be cautious about getting input from others, especially, in some cases from parents. “Parents want to protect their children. They want to hold their hands and make sure that the child doesn’t fail,” said Morse. As a result, parents can often try to “fix” essays, destroying the student’s true voice in the process. “Sometimes, when I’m reading essays, I wonder who the real writers are because they don’t sound like a 17-year old wrote them.”

Is there a “wrong” essay topic? “There really isn’t,” said Quinlan, with a caveat. “As long as the essay shows growth and resolution.”

Morse, however, noted that some topics are better than others. “Students should remember we’re looking at both the academic and social fit. If an essay makes us think that a student is just going to hole up in the library and not be a part of the Kenyon community, we’re going to think he isn’t a match.”

Pity the Poor Admissions Officers

Pity the poor college admissions officers. They feel misunderstood, misused, and just a little bit abused. During last weekend's annual College Board Forum their angst was clearly in evidence at many of the meeting's sessions. In one session on Admissions Trends in the 21st Century, several admissions officers lashed out at "the lack of trust students have in us," blaming rankings, enrollment management, and increasingly savvy students and parents as the root cause of their angst. Meanwhile, I attended a concurrent presentation given by Marilee Jones, MITs director of admissions, during which she discussed the effect the stress college admissions is having on the emotional and physical health of children. After reading the above article this morning, I'm glad I opted for Jones' presentation, but, as she herself pointed out, the necessary changes need to start with parents AND admissions officers, not students themselves.

Enhancing and Diminishing Your College Applications

Many students inadvertently expose their weaknesses to admissions officers long before they drop their application in the mail.

That was the message from a panel of college admissions officers at a presentation entitled “Enhancing and Diminishing the College Application” during the annual College Board Forum for college counselors this past weekend. Together, the six admissions officers have 135 combined years of college admissions experience at numerous colleges and universities.

Here are their tips on what students can – and should – do to put the best foot forward:

Start the conversation – and keep it going. "Ideally the admissions process should be a two-way conversation between the student and the colleges they are applying to," said Jay Evans, Director of Admission at Austin College in Texas. "Yet we’re seeing more and more students staying under the radar, conducting what we call a 'stealth search.' If the first time we hear from you is when your application arrives in our office, we don’t have the chance to have that conversation and that definitely can detract from your application. I strongly encourage students to introduce and identify themselves to us as early as possible in the process.”

Evans added that this does not always require a campus visit. "We are at college fairs all over the country, and we visit hundreds of high schools each year. Even just something as simple as sending your regional admissions officer an email to let them know you are seriously considering our college or a thank you note after a visit gives us a chance to build the conversation."

Derek Gueldenzoph, the Dean of Admissions at the College of Wooster, Ohio added that many students and parents misunderstand what demonstrating interest means. "We sincerely want to learn about each student because that helps us determine if our school and the student might be a match. While demonstrating interest is important, that doesn’t mean just checking off a laundry list of contacts with us, such as a campus visit, replying to mailings, or attending local college fairs. What we are seeking are multiple meaningful contacts with the student so that we can have an on-going dialogue with each other." For example, Gueldenzoph said that if he’s going to be at a college fair, and a student that he’s already met once on campus emails him to say that she’s looking forward to seeing him again at the college fair in her area, that shows meaningful and personal demonstrated interest.

Take charge of the process. "There have been many parents I’ve wanted to admit over the years," joked Maria Furtado, Director of Admission at Clark University in Massachusetts. "Unfortunately, we don’t admit parents. We admit students, and students are the ones who must own this process. I am very impressed when a student calls to arrange their own visit, or when they are the ones asking the questions at college fairs."

Her particular beef? "At college fairs, this little pyramid of people – the student, the mother, and the father – moves towards the table as one. If the student isn’t at the head of the pyramid, I start to wonder. Many times, I’ll greet a student and say 'Hi, what’s your name?' and they’ll just turn and look blankly at his or her mother as if they can’t remember their own name. That’s when I really start to wonder: If they can’t remember their own name and use it when I introduce myself, will they be ready for college in 18 months?"

Remember first impressions count! All of the admissions officers emphasized that students send subtle – and sometimes not so subtle – messages every time they interact with an admissions representative. "Students tend to forget that first impressions when you meet someone can make a huge difference," noted Evans. "That first meeting is a time to send as positive a message to us as possible."

Evans gave the example of a student at a local presentation coming up to him before the presentation and introducing herself by saying, "Hello, I’m Maria Gonzalez from Cathedral Catholic High School." Then, during the question and answer period, the same student stands, introduces herself again using her name and high school, and asks a well thought-out question. "I’ll remember that student because she is confident and polite,” said Evans. "When I visit her high school, I’ll be keeping an eye out for her, hoping to see her again." Evans added that students should always use both their name and school name when introducing themselves. "I meet thousands of students every year, so I don’t remember every name. But I do remember high school names, so students should introduce themselves using both."

Although there’s no need to dress in suit and tie for college interviews ("This isn’t a job interview," said Evans), neatness does count. When deciding what to wear, avoid anything that might make you fidget during the interview. "It sounds obvious, but shower before the interview,” said Nancy Sinex, Director of Admission at Earlham College in Indiana. “Dress comfortably. No super short skirts or low cut blouses if you’ll be constantly tugging at them during the interview. Same thing with ties. If you don’t normally wear one, don’t wear one to the interview because you’re going to be fiddling with it. And, I can’t tell you how distracting it is to interview a student wearing open-toed shoes who constantly plays with their toes because they’re nervous during the interview."

One more thing: "Turn your cell phone off! If you forget, don’t take the call! That happens more often than you would think," said Jim Zielinski, Director of Admission at Beloit College in Wisconsin.

Let your personality shine. Zielinski said students should let their true personalities shine in interviews and essays. "Be real and be honest. We need to get a sense of who the student is in order to decide if there is a match," said Zielinksi. "If a student is more worried about trying to impress us with what they think we want to hear than with helping us get to know them, we’ll see through that and it won’t help the student."

Nan Davis, Vice President for Institutional Enrollment at Austin College said that advice can't be emphasized enough. "There’s no way to play this game. Be yourself. If the institution is not OK with who you are, then it probably isn’t the right school for you."

However, if there is a weakness you want to address, think carefully about how you present it. "I interviewed a young lady last year whose junior year grades had taken a dive. When I asked her about it, she was very honest and said, 'My grades went down because I got burnt out last year trying to do too much. That was honest, and she took responsibility for what had happened. That helped me make her case when the committee met," said Zielinski. "On the other hand, if a student starts blaming teachers for his problems in 11th grade, I'd form a different impression."

And, while the admissions officers encouraged students to present their real selves, that doesn't mean letting it all hang out. Zielinski says sometimes students will argue with their parents in front of him before, during or after the interview. "Leave family problems at home."

Proofread your application – and get it in before deadline. “There’s this wonderful invention called Microsoft Word spellchecker,” said Gueldenzoph. "I’m surprised at how many students haven’t discovered it yet." Another thing to avoid, yet that the admissions people say they see frequently on applications are instant message abbreviations and emoticons. "Take your time with the essays. Understand how to use capitalization and punctuation. Don’t use sentence fragments. It all makes a difference because errors distract our attention from the applicant’s message," said Gueldenzoph.

"Use the thesaurus with restraint when you’re writing your essays," said Furtado. "Just because the thesaurus said the word means the same thing, doesn’t mean it does. Don’t try to impress us with big words you wouldn’t normally use. Two of the most overused words in essaid are myriad and plethora. Every year, I get a myriad and plethora of essays using myriad and plethora in a myriad and plethora of incorrect ways. It drives me crazy."

Treat those short answer essaid on the supplement seriously, said Jim Zielinski. "We get applications that have terrific long essaid, but when the short essaid aren’t as well written, or are full of errors, we start to wonder which essay represents the real student," he said. "I also want students to know that if an application said an essay is optional, it’s to their advantage to do it because it gives us another chance to get to know them."

Finally, don’t wait until the last minute to get your applications to admissions. "Every year, our office secretary’s desk is covered with FedEx envelopes on deadline day. Those envelopes go in with the file and it sends a message that you may not have put much time into the application," said Evans. "There’s a major university in the Northeast that takes it a step farther. They stamp 'last minute effort' on every application that comes in via FedEx on deadline day. Students need to know that the deadline doesn’t mean you should finish your application the day before. The best applications are usually completed and sent long before then."

RX for College Application Stress

If you're the parent of a teen applying to college this fall, you've likely seen the signs: dark circles under their eyes, acne, grouchiness and impatience with seemingly trivial events, and, in some cases, a hair trigger temper or wild tears.
The root cause of these symptoms doesn't take a doctor to diagnosis. Your child is suffering from stress and anxiety. While it may be tempting to push harder to get them over the hump of college applications, columnist and mother-of-four Marybeth Hicks has a different prescription: let them get a good night's sleep. Rest, a bit of relaxation - and dare I say it? - even fun, are exactly what kids facing the massive stress overload of college applications need right now. Yes, I know. There are essays to write. The Common Application form to figure out. That activity resume to fine tune. But, step back for a moment and try to keep the right perspective. Applying to college isn't a life or death matter. The toll stress takes on your child's emotional and physical health is, and it is real. Let them take a break, catch their breath, and start fresh tommorrow. Do the same for yourself.

As an aside: Over the next few days, I will be reporting here on the College Board Forum which I attended this weekend. I attended several very interesting sessions, and returned home with many excellent tips and ideas for navigating the college admissions process. Hope you'll tune in this week to read my special reports!

Staying Sane When Applying to College

There was a great article in yesterday's USA Today that I wish everyone would read. Cracking the code of college admissions highlights some key facts and tips that students and parents often miss once they get caught up in the college admissions frenzy. Chief among them: On average, most four-year colleges in the U.S. still admit 70% of applicants. There's some excellent advice in the article as well about looking beyond prestige and thinking of the college hunt as a match to be made, not a prize to be won. It's an article well worth reading, and perhaps printing out for future reference.

Financial Aid Basics

In the rush to send college applications, it can be easy to overlook important financial aid paperwork and deadlines. Each year, I hear from students who managed to get their applications in on time, but then somehow neglected to file the financial aid application before a college's deadline. Don't let this be you! A little prep work now can save you aggravation and lost financial aid opportunities later.

If you haven't already done so, take an hour or so to create a financial aid checklist for each and everyone of the colleges on your list. Include both the forms you need to complete and the deadlines for filing each one. Mark the key deadlines on your calendar, and get up to speed now about the intricacies of completing each piece of paperwork.

To help you do so, here is a list of what I consider some of the most important and useful financial aid information sites on the Internet. Start digesting the information on these sites now, and you'll be ready to roll come January.

The first place to start is the U.S. department of education’s financial aid portal. Here, you’ll find links to everything you need to know about federal financial aid programs, and links to other helpful sites and publications. In particular, download a copy of Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid 2006-2007 , which takes an close-up look at the process of applying for federal student aid.

I also recommend watching the U.S.Department of Education's excellent online video, Start Here, Go Further With Federal Student Aid The video provides students and parents application process information including: What is federal student aid and who can get it? What's the purpose of a U.S. Department of Education PIN? How do you fill out the FAFSA online? What happens after the FAFSA is submitted?

Next, head over to FAFSA on the Web, the main site for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the form you will need to complete for every school in order to get any federal loans or grants. This is also where you get your PIN. Although you can't file the FAFSA until January, it's not a bad idea to apply for and get your PIN now.

After you've learned the basics of Federal financial aid, the College Board's financial aid siteshould be your next stop. The site has excellent information on calculating your family’s estimated contribution, applying for financial aid, and meeting deadlines. Of particular importance, however, is that the College Board administers the CSS PROFILE, the extra application required by many schools that weights assets and income a little more closely than the FAFSA. You can find details on which schools use the PROFILE here. I highly recommend the College Board’s book Meeting College Costs (2006 edition). For $13.95 plus shipping this is the easiest to understand and comprehensive introduction to how financial aid works, and how to fill out the various required forms. It is available under the publications section of the College Board site. (Amazon.com also sells and edition of this book, but NOT the 2006 edition).

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.

A useful site for gaining an understanding of how various financial aid decisions may affect your future is Mapping Your Future. In particular, look at the Loan/Salary calculators in the left hand column – they will help you calculate how much taking different amounts of student loans will mean in terms of payments after you graduate, and the salary you will need in order to afford those loans.

The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) Counselor is a safe and credible web site, that has been carefully designed as a one-stop resource that provides all the major online links necessary to navigate the entire financial aid application process. MEFA has a very useful glossary of financial aid terms that can help you decode financial aid lingo.

FinAid is jammed packed with useful articles that describe every aspect of financial aid and merit scholarships. There are also several good financial aid calculators here, as well as links to FastWeb, a database that lets you search for private merit scholarships. Two caveats to be aware of: FastWeb, which runs this site, may sell your contact information when you register, so be prepared for spam. And, always remember that the BEST source of merit scholarships and financial aid are colleges themselves. Still, since, outside scholarships can be useful and worthwhile.

New Community College Website

If you're considering the possibility of attending a community college, check out the College Board's new Community College website. It includes great information about weighing the decision to attend Community College, finding the right Community College, financial aid, and insuring that you'll be ready to transfer.

Extracurriculars, College Applications and Life

Last week, I heard from a mother who was distraught because her child has decided to stop playing the Oboe. The mother had heard through the infamous PCRN (Parent College Rumor Network) that college Oboe players are in short supply these days, and she was convinced that her daughter was giving up her ticket to a "top college."

Over the past few years, I've received similar calls and emails from panicked parents whose children wanted to give up football, debate, the violin, ballet, crew, theater, and the school newspaper. Oh, and, yes, quite a few phone calls and emails have also come from parents worried that their children hadn't yet taken up playing the Oboe, tried out for varsity basketball, volunteered at a local hospital, or had their first novel published. Substitute any number of extracurriculars to the list, and you're likely to find there's a parent out there right now worried that their child is ruining their college choices by not doing it, or not doing it well enough.

The thinking behind all of these anxious calls and emails is always the same: My child's extracurriculars aren't strong enough (or are non-existent). Are they condemned to attending - gasp - community college?

The short answer: No.

The longer answer is that, while colleges do want to know how the student spends his or her time outside of the classroom, there isn't a single extracurricular activity -or group of extracurricular activities - that will guarantee admission to any particular college. What colleges do want to see, according to Rose Rennekamp, the vice president of communications for ACT, are individuality and passion.

It's hard to show individuality and passion if a student is only doing an activity because they (or their parents) think it might look good on some future college application. It's even harder to show individuality and passion if you're stuck doing an activity long after it's ceased to be fun, or when you'd rather try something new.

Finding a passion takes time, and, often, it also requires a bit of experimentation. "Students need to explore the possibilities before they find something in which they really excel or truly enjoy. And that's fine. In fact, it's encouraged," writes Rennekamp. "Colleges won't look down on someone who sampled six activities his freshmen year of high school and dropped half at the start of 10th grade. Likewise, they won't raise the red flag when the show choir suddenly appears on applicant's form their senior year. People change. Interests change."

As parents, one of the most important gifts we can give to our children as they traverse the slippery uphill climb of adolescence is the freedom to explore different possibilities. Let them drop the Oboe and take up figure-skating. Let them trade in varsity football for a stint on the construction crew of their school's drama production. Let them have space and time without extracurriculars just to dream. Yes, doing so may require giving up some control over what they will list on their future college applications, but ultimately, our role as parents isn't just to get our children into the "best" college; it's to get our children into the "best" life. And, that means giving them room to discover themselves as they move into adulthood.

Match Learning Style To College

Whether you're a senior who'll soon be deciding between admittances, or a junior or sophomore just getting started with your college search, one of the most important facets of choosing a college is knowing yourself. While most college hunters focus in on the more tangible aspects of finding a college match, such as the social scene, availability of a certain major, or geographic location, one component of a good college match is sometimes overlooked: the match between your learning style and the college's academic approach.

Active learners like to jump in and start using new information right away. They may prefer discussion classes, or classes that are built around applying the new material. Reflective learners, on the other hand, prefer to absorb and think about new material before they use it. While most students will use both learning styles at some point, many show a strong preference for one or the other learning style, and knowing that preference may help you make better choices about the right college for you, or to adapt if you're faced with a college course that places a greater emphasis on the other style.

How can you determine your learning style? A good self-test is available free online. The test takes a few moments to complete and will tell you not just whether you lean towards being a reflective or active learner, but also give you some insights into other aspects of learning style. After you receive your results, be sure to read through the descriptions of the different learning styles, and strategies for maximizing your learning.

College Reviews

Can't make it to all of the colleges on your list for a visit? Just starting your search and looking for first hand college reviews? Check out a great Live Journal community, Campus Reviews. It's chock-full of campus visit reports written mainly by students.
A special thanks to Descartes, a member of the AdmissionsAdvice.com Discussion Community for calling this great site to my attention!

Worst Colleges In America

Looking for a good chuckle? The online tongue-in-cheek "news" site Radar Online has developed a list of the nine worst colleges in America. From the "worst trust-fund-baby-college" (Bennington) to the "worst women's college" (Texas Woman's College), this page is a hoot. After you finish reading the site's worst college rankings, be sure to check out the companion piece, the 10 most moronic college courses in America.

A special thanks to Joanne for bringing this site to my attention.

Helpful Admissions Info. Site

Barbara Aronson, a college and career advisor at a California public high school, has put together a very nice college admissions information site. The site is an excellent introduction to the basics of college planning, from choosing a college through appealing a denial. Although her focus is on California colleges and universities, this site makes a great starting point for juniors and even sophomores just dipping their toes into the college admissions maze.

Will Your Top Choice College Pick You?

There's a great article in today's Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, You've picked your college. Will it pick you?. The article examines how admissions officers will weigh the various aspects of your application, from your high school transcript to extracurriculars. Worth a read if you've just sent off your applications, or are about to do so soon.

Swarthmore ED Policy Not Changing

Harvard, Princeton and the University of Virginia may have jumped on the band wagon, but don't expect Swarthmore to be eliminating Early Decision any time soon. In an article in Swarthmore's student newspaper, Dean of Admissions Jim Bock highlighted reasons the college plans to keep Early Decision. Chief among them: The ability to better "craft the class" and manage yield. Bock also noted that there has been little difference in the economic diversity between students admitted ED and those admitted in the regular round. Additionally, he acknowledged that the legacy acceptance rate at Swarthmore is between 37 and 39%, far higher than non-legacy applicants. Those planning to apply to Swarthmore should pay close attention to the importance of the "Why Swarthmore" essay - Bock pointed out that Swarthmore looks to that essay as a way of determining fit.

So-So Grades? Great Test Scores? No Problem. If you're Male.

Maryland's public Towson University is one of a growing number of schools experiencing a gender gap, with males making up only 40% of Towson's student body. In an effort to narrow the gap, Towson has been experimenting with an admissions program designed to admit males who might not qualify otherwise, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Towson's Academic Special Admissions Program lets students whose grades would otherwise be too low for Towson, but who also have higher SAT scores than Towson's student population. "That cohort has a fairly high percentage of males in it," Towson President Robert Caret acknowledged in the Baltimore Sun article. "Those of you who are parents of boys might know what I'm talking about."

Last year, the program's first, 125 students were admitted. Of the 125, 75% were males, and the majority of the males admitted were white males.

Towson's general counsel said the program is within the law because "any female who meets the criteria would be admitted."

Although rumors of preferential college admissions treatment for males at some colleges have swirled over the past year, Towson is the first to openly admit the presence of such a program, and to provide such clear cut information of how its program works.

Related Link: Affirmative Action for C+ White Guys