May 1st College Decision Day

May 1^st may be known internationally as International Worker’s Day, but in the field of higher education, May 1^st is the day all institutions of higher learning have set as the last day accepted students can respond in the positive, “Yes, I will attend College X.”  Schools cannot be more nervous than an expectant father, awaiting the birth of his first born child.  Conjure up visions of a circa 1950’s dad pacing the hospital waiting room, palms sweating, stomach aching with angst, awaiting the outcome delivered via third party, and you’d get the idea.  In this case, the positive outcome would be a deposit in the form of a credit card payment through Pay Pal or a check or money order via snail mail.  The negative outcome would be a big resounding, nothing, nada, zilch.  Rejection would come in the form of no news.  In this case, no news is bad news.  Colleges and universities around the country turn control of their destiny, or at least their tuition income for the next four years over to essentially, 17 and 18 year olds.  For this day, once a year, the fate of the institution is really in the hands of high school seniors.  

The time line culminating in this all important day plays out a little something like this.  Starting in August of the year before, the college applications for the next academic year becomes available online or by mail.  Students in their senior year of high school from all over the world start filling out either the college specific admission application or the Common Application, which simplifies filing for multiple colleges, more than 400 at last count, at one time.  Items that are amiss, such as the student’s first quarter grades, any letters of recommendation, come straggling in around October or early November.  The Early Decision applicants usually face a much earlier deadline of November 15 through December 15 to submit their completed application.  Regular Decision applicants have anywhere from January 15 until March 1^st.   Then it’s up to the colleges and universities to review their application, and determine whether each applicant gets an acceptance letter, a rejection letter, or a wait-listed letter.  Then, the wait starts. 

This time line is more or less a given.  Schools know that not all accepted students will choose them, so the schools stack the deck.  What does that mean?  They accept more students than the number of vacant freshmen seats, knowing their yield will not be 100%.  What is yield?  In this case, yield is the numbers of accepted students who actually enroll as a freshman.  Some prestigious colleges are lucky to have a yield of 80%, most schools have an average yield of 30% to 40%.  Applicants are notified by early April.  Financial aid offers are made at approximately the same time in the case of students who have demonstrated financial need.  Candidates to whom admission is offered must respond by May 1.  Almost all schools require accepted students to make a commitment and a deposit by May 1st.  That is why May 1^st is the deadline to respond to colleges.  May 1^st truly is D-Day.

What Is A Non-Traditional Student

A non-traditional student is typically someone who attends a college or university, who is not in their late teens. Although there is no litmus test for whether or not you are a non-traditional student, the common elements among all non-traditional students is the part time element and the advance age. The number of non-traditional students has grown tremendously due to the recent economic downturn. The increase of Distance Learning or Online degree programs, which offer more flexibility than a traditional institution have also added to the rising trend. Over 40% of all college students can be considered non-traditional.


You are a Non Traditional Student if

• You delayed enrollment
• You attend part time or part of the academic year
• You attend school and work full time (35 hours or more per week)
• You have dependents, including spouse, children, or other
• You have a G.E.D. (Graduation Equivalent Degree) and not a high school diploma

I went back to school 20 years after I was awarded my Bachelor’s Degree. What a difference 20 years make! Armed with a lifetime of experience, through working in the field, raising children, taking out home loans, and interacting with every level and variety of people; I was a much better student the second time around. I was less self-absorbed and more self-aware. Not doing my homework, the research paper, the oral presentations, was not an option. I was more driven to succeed, because I knew the value of putting in the effort, doing the work, and learning the material. It was the difference between the 20 year old me and the 40 year old me. I had matured. I highly recommend to all the colleges and universities out there to recruit and accept more non-traditional students as the return is much higher. I also highly recommend those of us who are not 18 years old to return to school to learn new skills, and mentor those who are not as experienced as you to succeed. It is possible to be the student and the teacher at the same time, and succeed in both pursuits.

Top Five Reasons To Attend A Community College

Why would you consider attending a community college over a traditional four year college or university?  Years ago, most high school students thought of community colleges as a ‘Plan B’, or as an alternative to the traditional four year college.  Now a days more and more students are opting for community colleges, for all the right reasons. 

Here are the top five reasons to attend a community college

1. Cost

Tuition for the typical community college is significantly less than private college and universities, as much as 50% to 90% less. 

2. Location

There is practically a community college in every major town.  Many students commute by bus or train.  There is no need to move across the country to attend a four year college or university.  You can live at home and save on cost.    

3. Easier Transition

Community Colleges provide courses for transfer toward a Bachelor’s degree.  The money you save on completing your lower level courses and pre-requisites for a four year degree is substantial. 

4. To Increase Your G.P.A.

If your grade point average (G.P.A.) in high school is lower than needed to gain acceptance to the college of your choice, then you can still pursue college level course work at community colleges.  Community colleges are open to anyone with a high school diploma or G.E.D. (General Education Diploma).  Once you have successfully completed your Associates Degree with a higher G.P.A., you can then apply to four year colleges as a transfer student.

5. Job Skills

Community Colleges provide entry level career training for those students looking to go right into industry and for adult students who seek professional development for re-entry into the workforce or advancement.  Most community colleges grant certificates that certify you to work in specialized fields such as HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), computer technologies, paralegal, nurse’s aid, and more.

What Is A Swirling Student

A swirling student is a college student pursuing a higher education by attending two or more colleges, either simultaneously or consecutively.  The term swirling student is thought to have been coined in 1990 by community colleges.  More than 40% of community college students will complete their Associates Degree by attending at least two or more colleges.  More than 20% of four year college students will complete their Bachelor’s Degree by attending at least two or more colleges.

How Do You End Up As A ‘Swirling Student’

In a perfect world, all the classes you want to attend will have open seats, waiting for you, at a schedule time that is convenient for you.  The reality is, most public universities offer classes only when they are filled to capacity, and then some.  With dwindling state budgets, more colleges have had to operate with fewer resources.  They resort to loading up on students per class, and course loads per faculty.  Even private universities have had to take a serious look at their curriculum, across the disciplines, with an eye towards austerity.    

There are required classes and prerequisites that students must take to complete their degree.  The problem is these classes are often only offered in the fall or spring semesters or every other year.  So if the student misses out on one semester, they might have to wait anywhere from one semester to two years before they’re offered again.  Enter the swirling student.  The swirling student proceeds to the next institution to hunt down the prerequisite course because the course they needed at their home institution was full or not available. 

Other students may have already attained their Baccalaureate, but then return to continue their professional development and retool in credit and noncredit formats.  Many community college students already have a bachelor’s degree, or higher.   

Others swirling students gets lost in the system, and end up with credits that are not transferrable.  Ultimately they quit before attaining a degree; hence, the some college, no degree category gets bigger each year.

How To Avoid Becoming A ‘Swirling Student’

I wish I knew, but I don’t have all the answers.   The economy, the politics of state run education, the teacher’s union, all have a role to play in this problem.   I do know that the number of swirling students will continue to rise until higher education gets better for everyone. 

What Is Testing Optional

More and more colleges are offering a ‘Testing Optional’ option in their college admission process.  Colleges are placing less weight on standardized test scores such as SAT and ACT.  This practice follows along with those colleges seeking to pursue a holistic approach to their student selection process.  The student as a whole is considered rather than their scores on a standardized test that offers no individualized attention.

Where do you find a list of the ‘Testing Optional’ colleges?  Fair Test, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, is a website that list colleges that offer ‘Testing Optional’; specifically, “Schools That Do Not Use SAT or ACT Scores for Admitting Substantial Numbers of Students Into Bachelor Degree Programs”.

Fair Test also posts a disclaimer, “As the internal school listing notes indicate, some schools exempt students who meet grade-point average or class rank criteria while others require SAT or ACT scores but use them only for placement purposes or to conduct research studies.  Please check with the school's admissions office to learn more about specific admissions requirements, particularly for international or non-traditional students.”

Just because a college does not require you to submit a standardized test score does not mean it is easier to gain admission than other colleges who do.  Testing optional colleges are now individualizing what the applicant can submit in order to gain entrance.  In lieu of standardized test scores, students must satisfy some or all of the following other requirements.

• Be in the top 10% of their graduating class
• Have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale
• Submit two graded papers
• Submit SAT Subject Matter Tests
• On-campus interview

Testing optional is considered more of a tradeoff rather than a total waive.  Students are subjected to no less scrutiny than if they did submit standardized test scores.

Last Word –

If you have taken the SAT or the ACT and scored sufficiently high for your target school, then by all means, submit your scores.  If you do not have a sufficiently high standardized test score; which for the SAT means at least 1800 combined, or for the ACT, 28 or higher; you are not locked out of highly ranked colleges.  There are universities and colleges who will consider other aspects of your personality and achievements as part of their admission criteria.  Colleges such as Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Union College, Fairfield University, and 800 more have all opted for the ‘Testing Optional’ designation.  Visiting the school’s website and planning ahead will allow you to increase your odds of getting into a school that ‘fits’ you. 

When Is The Best Time To Visit Colleges

Now that you’ve done your research online and you’ve narrowed down your college search to a manageable list, it is time to visit the college campus.  There are a few times of the year that is optimum to getting the most value out of a trip to visit a college. Here are the best times to visit colleges and what you should do to make the most out of your visit to a campus.

Do –

• Visit when school is in session and the campus is alive. This is when you get to see how current students interact with each other and the campus.
• Visit during Open House Days. Keep in mind; this is when everyone puts their best foot forward.
• Visit unannounced as well. This is when colleges show their warts, if they had any.
• Arrange for an overnight visit. This is when you get the most depth. You get a feel of what the school administration want you to see and what the students want you to see.
• Visit during Monday through Thursdays. Most classes are offered Mondays through Thursdays. By visiting on a Friday, you chance catching faculty and students on the weekend mindset, already on their way off-line.
• Visit during late summer and early fall, as most colleges begin their academic year in mid-August. You won’t miss out on any school days in your high school, as most high schools begin their academic year after Labor Day.
• Visit during Finals Week. This is when all the students are hitting the books. You will see where they do their studying and if they are actually studying. Is it in their dorm room? Is it in the library? Is it in the labs? Is the environment conducive to studying?
• Visit when you can leave a paper trail. The Admission Office has an all-important visit card that you will need to fill out and submit. If you are seriously interested in applying to this college down the road, then they will need to see that you took the time to visit. So visit when the Admission Office is open.

Don’t –

• Visit during the summer, when school is not in session and the campus is dead. An empty campus does not allow for any student interaction.
• Visit during intersession, winter break, spring break, etc. Some faculty and students might still be on campus, but most of them will be home with family. You can’t get the feel of a lively campus.

Last Word – 

Some factors are out of your control. If you are a junior or senior in high school, you are limited to the number of days during the academic year when you can visit a college campus without missing out on your own school work. Winter break, spring break, holidays that fall during the week may be your only option. There are financial concerns too. Visiting campuses involve multiple expenses that may include an overnight stay at a hotel. Your parents or guardian may not be able to take off from their jobs during the most optimum time for you. Planning ahead will allow you to spread out the financial burden of visiting multiple campuses and yield you the most options.

The Best Way To Evaluate A College Is By Visiting The College Campus

There are many ways to evaluate a college to see if it's the right fit for you; but the best way to evaluate a college is by visiting the campus itself.  The first thing you must do, before you do anything else, is to do your research online - it’s free and you don’t need to leave home.  The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). It is composed of almost 6,000 colleges and universities. It contains comparative databases on all of them. You can evaluate every one of these 6,000 colleges and universities by location, size, major, acceptance rate, academics, athletics, etc.  After you’ve narrowed your search down to a manageable size, you can then proceed to the college’s own website. If you’ve already done your research and learned all that you can from the college website, then your goal should be to capture the mood, the vibe, and all the personal impressions and interesting facts that can only be gained by an in person visit. There is no substitute for the personal experience that is unique to you.  The buildings and grounds, the administration, the faculty, the students all have their own voice and impression to leave on you.  Visit the classrooms, the dorms, and the dining halls.  Talk to the administration, the faculty, and the current students.  Take photos and jot down notes.  You won’t remember everything you saw, heard, or felt; but the overall impression will help you make a more informed decision.  So, visit the campuses.  It is the best way to evaluate a college. 

Last Word –

If you do end up applying to the college you already visited, there is always a spot on the application where the question is asked, “Have you ever visited our campus?”  You will score huge points if the answer is yes!

Top Ten Tips For Getting Letters of Recommendation For College Applications

If you’re a high school student applying to college, you will need a great letter of recommendation from your teacher. How do you go about getting one? Here are the top ten tips that will help you meet your goal of a great letter of recommendation.

Tip #1 Get Your Paperwork In Order
Luck favors the prepared. Get your paperwork together before you approach your teacher for the letter of recommendation. Your teacher will be impressed if your paperwork is complete. You will need, at the minimum

• A cover letter detailing what you are asking for
• An up to date resume highlighting your academics, awards (if any), and extra-curricular activities (in and out of school)
• An up to date transcript of all the courses you’ve taken. Start with the AP courses, advance courses, college level courses (if any)
• Your current GPA and rank
• Your personal essay (if it is ready)
• Recommendation forms (if any)
• Due date of the application
• Mailing instructions
• Pre-addressed stamped envelope for the teacher to mail your letter of recommendation to its destination

Tip #2 Select Your Target Teacher
The teacher should be in one of the four core disciplines (Math, Science, English, History). If you plan to major in a foreign language, your foreign language teacher will also suffice. Colleges are looking for how well your core teacher perceives you. Unless there are special circumstances, do not ask your ‘Typing’ teacher or your ‘Health’ teacher to write your letter of recommendation.

Tip #3 How To Ask Your Target Teacher
Do it in person, and be polite. Remember you are asking someone for a favor that will require at the minimum, several hours to several days of work. The only benefit for the teacher is the knowledge that they have helped a student.

Tip #4 What If My Target Teacher Says No
Thank your lucky stars because you just dodged a bullet. The only reason your target teacher will say no to you is because he/she does not think highly enough of you to take the time to write your letter of recommendation. You may think you have found someone who will craft a glowing letter of recommendation for you. His/her refusal says the teacher does not know you well enough to do so. Do not ask again. Look around and ask another teacher you bypassed in the first round.

Tip #5 Get To Know Him/Her
Now that you’ve selected your target teacher, get to know him/her. Ask questions in class, even if you already know the answer. Ask your teacher how he/she got to be a teacher. Show an interest in the person who is teaching you. Short of outright brown-nosing, your target teacher should know you and genuinely like you.

Tip #6 Let Him/Her Know Your Goals
If your teacher knows you will be applying to a certain school or for a certain major, then he/she will have a better idea what to emphasize in the letter of recommendation. Talk about your goals. Intended science majors should have a letter of recommendation that underscores interest or achievement in that discipline. Intended business majors should have a letter of recommendation that addresses business acumen.

Tip #7 The Early Bird Gets The Worm
Don’t wait until the last minute. Ask your teacher in the first month of your senior year. This will give your teacher at least two months to work on your letter of recommendation before the earliest due date of November 15^th (for Early Decision Applicants).

Tip #8 First Follow-up
After your target teacher has agreed to write your letter of recommendation. Ask him/her if there is anything you can do to make their job easier, and if it’s alright if you check back with them after 2-3 weeks to see if everything is on track. If the teacher says no, that they will take care of it; then you should back off. You can always check the status of the college application to see if any letters of recommendation has arrived. If the teacher says yes, then follow through and ask them exactly 2-3 weeks later. Some teachers need the reminder to take care of everything on their plate. They probably have many other students who have also asked them to write letters of recommendation for them.

Tip #9 Waive The Right To Review The Letter of Recommendation
Colleges will value letters of recommendation that have not been reviewed by the applicant more than those who have.

Tip #10 Follow Up With a Thank You Letter
After you have confirmed that the letter of recommendation reached its destination, follow-up with a hand written thank you note to the teacher. Also, sometime during your first semester at college, send the teacher a note. Tell them how much you are enjoying school, how much you appreciate their letter, and how it helped you to get where you are today. Traditionally, high school students move onto college and the rest of their lives without ever looking back, until their 10^th or even 25^th High School Reunion. Not only will your follow-up be an unexpected and pleasant surprise, you will have earned some respect and long lasting good will from someone who’s touched your life. Many college students return to their high schools to mentor juniors and seniors on what to expect in college. This act of altruism and paying back will look especially good for your resume and your karma.

While your transcript, standardized test scores, and personal essay are important elements in your college application; a great letter of recommendation from your teacher will give you that extra push into the ‘Accepted’ pile. It paints a more complete picture of the candidate that the other submissions do not. It is written by someone who’s interfaced with you every school day for the past year. Never underestimate the value of a well written letter of recommendation.

Scholarships Made Easy

You’ve heard of scholarships.  Nowadays it seems everywhere you look there are scholarships available from large corporations to small credit unions offering scholarship money to deserving students seeking a college education.  Scholarship amounts range anywhere from $100 to $100,000 or more.

What exactly is a scholarship?   A scholarship is a grant of financial aid awarded to a student, for the purpose of attending a college.  By definition, a grant is money you do not have to pay back.  Scholarships are most often given to students for one of two reasons: achievement or financial need.  Achievement is not exclusive to academics.  Achievement can be in the form of athletics, art, community service, leadership, and hobbies.  There are also scholarships that are not based on achievement or financial need.  These scholarships are based on specifics.  They are awarded based on criteria that are specific to student, career, or college.  Student specific scholarship recipients must qualify by either gender, race, religion, medical history, or more.  Career specific scholarship recipients must qualify by planning to pursue a specific field of study, such as education or nursing.   College specific scholarships are offered by colleges and universities to students enrolled in their school on the basis of academic and personal achievement.   There are literally hundreds of thousands of scholarships out there.  There are scholarships out there for left handed, tuba playing, ADHD diagnosed children of firefighter parents born in the month of June.

Where do you find scholarships?  There are many websites where you can find the two types of scholarships available.

1. Public scholarships.  These are available to you once you complete a FAFSA http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/  form for each year you are attending college.
2. Private scholarships.  There are scholarship websites that you can create an account with for free.  Once you input your personal background, parental background, interest, etc. they will generate a list of scholarships you qualify for, based on the information you provided.  Here are some of the more popular ones.

•      Fastweb http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ 
•      College Board http://www.collegeboard.org/
•      College NET http://www.collegenet.com/
•      FinAid! http://www.finaid.org/

What do all scholarship recipients have in common?  They apply.  The amount of work required to complete a scholarship application is not small.  But there are tips that can make your application process easier.  Tailor one application so that it can be used over and over again for other applications.  Ask for several copies of letters of recommendation that can be used over and over again for other applications.

Scholarship Dos and Don’ts

• Do fill out your scholarship application as if it is a job application.  Everything counts!  Spelling, professionalism, all required documentation is submitted, manners, and neatness, all of it counts.
• Don’t apply for scholarships that you are not eligible for.  If the scholarship specifies that only healthcare majors qualify, and you are majoring in engineering; then do not waste your time.  You will not win the scholarship.
• Do follow directions.  Provide everything that is required, but do not supply items that are not requested.  You could be disqualified.
• Do pay attention to the deadlines.
• Do make a copy of the entire packet before sending.
• Do ask someone to proofread the entire application before submitting it.

What to write on your personal essay?  Most scholarship applications will ask you for a personal essay.  Your personal essay needs to say something about yourself that your resume does not.  Try to avoid repeating information that can be found elsewhere on your application form or transcript.  Talk about what is important to you and your goals, past achievements, past failures, and what you learned from them.  Talk about activities that you are or were deeply involved in and committed to, and relationships that guided you in your development.  Lastly, include concrete details to make your experience come alive.  Don’t forget the five W’s: who, what, when, where, and why.

How many scholarships should I apply to?  Apply for as many scholarships as you can possibly manage.  Be prepared to meet the deadlines for submission.

Beware of these scholarship scams.  With everything that involves free money, there are predators out there waiting to take your money.  Here are the top five signs that the scholarship is a scam.

1. There is an application fee, processing fee, loan fee, or any kind of fee.
2. “Guarantee winning or your money back” Claims.
3. “Everybody is eligible” claims.
4. “We will apply on your behalf” claims.
5. Anyone that asks you for your credit card number or PII (personal identifying information) to include your social security number, birthdate, etc.

Once you are awarded a scholarship, you have an obligation to

1. Accept the award.  The scholarship organizer will determine whether or not this needs to be in person or otherwise.
2. Agree to continue to meet the requirements of the scholarship
3. Submit a thank you letter to the donors
4. Attendance at the annual scholarship reception, if applicable

Scholarships can make the difference of a student obtaining a college education or not.  There is aid available.  Whether or not you are awarded that aid, depends a large part on the amount of work you want to do to obtain it. 

How To Pay for a Private College Education With Your Parents Help

How do you pay for a college tuition? The cost of attending a private college or university has soared through the roof. Most average $50,000 per year for each of the four years. Unless you are a Trust Fund Baby, you are in the same boat as the rest of us; trying to find a better way to overcome this obstacle. If you are a high school student, there is something your parents can do to help. It requires a considerable amount of commitment on their part (at the minimum, six years of their lives) and a planned course of action on your part.

The Good News
How does it work? Most private colleges have a tuition benefit for their full time employees, spouse, and dependent children. Most benefits require the employee (your parent) to be employed for at least two consecutive years at the college. You, as the applying student, will need to meet the school’s admission requirements. If both conditions are satisfied, then you get to attend the institution for free, while your parent remains an employee. Legally, your parent is liable for tax liabilities in excess of any tuition support over $5,250-. But essentially it works out to be a few thousand dollars in taxes, payable to the U.S. government. You would still have to pay for your room and board, textbooks and fees yourself. In addition, the college will require that you complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at www.fafsa.com online, but that is just paperwork. You reap the benefits of simply having a parent work at your school. The additional benefit is there is no limit to the number of dependents that can quality for this benefit; so long as the dependent appears on the parents’ tax return.


The Great News
Get this! You are not limited to the four year institution your parent works at. There is a group called The Tuition Exchange www.tuitionexchange.org. The Tuition Exchange is a 501 C3 nonprofit association with more than 600 private and public not for profit colleges and universities with an award process that operates similar to a tuition waiver. How does it work? Your parent’s employer will review your eligibility based on requirements set by the “home” institution. The school may set requirements for employment status, years of service, or set limits on the number of students eligible per family. If you qualify, you may have the first two years of your undergraduate tuition waived. The Tuition Exchange will only qualify you for two years of tuition, instead of the full four years. With over 600 colleges to choose from, your options are virtually limitless. Here are some of the more prestigious colleges on the list

• Boston University
• Fordham University
• George Washington University
• Rochester Institute of Technology
• Smith College

This is, by far, the best way to pay for private college tuition, bar none!

How Many Colleges Should I Apply To

How many colleges should I apply to? Although there is no magic number that works for everyone; the safest number for anyone is 9. Keep in mind the formula of 3-Reach, 3-Match, and 3-Safety.


What is Reach?
Reach schools are schools that have a highly selective admission process. Your standardized scores (SAT or ACT), your Grade Point Average (GPA), and how you measure up to your peers in the same grade (class rank) will fall below the averages accepted at these schools. The only way you will be accepted into these schools is if your extras are so spectacular that they overshadow your lower standardized scores, GPA, and ranking. By extras I mean your extensive list of extracurricular activities, your personal essay, and your unique and special circumstances. Your extracurricular activities need to show leadership qualities. Your personal essay need to show a unique and creative spark. Your special circumstances need to show your phoenix-like rise from the ashes of your youth into the soaring bird-of-prey that you are today. Keep in mind that the Ivy Leagues, by Ivy League I mean the original eight northeast colleges that played football together; they are Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, U Penn, and Yale; these will be a reach for anyone, even Valedictorians of very competitive high schools.


What is Match?
Match schools are schools that have just a “selective” admission process. Your SAT or ACT scores, your GPA, and your class rank will fall within the averages accepted at these schools. You have a decent chance of being accepted. What will push you through? Your extracurricular activities, your personal essay, and your individual circumstance will. The same school that might be a Reach for some might be a Match for others. Likewise, the same school that might be a Match for some might be a Reach for others. Every student is unique.


What is Safety?
Safety schools are schools that have an admission process. Generally, your SAT or ACT scores, your GPA, and your class rank will be off the charts compared to the averages accepted at these schools. You are sure to be accepted. Keep in mind, state colleges usually give preferential consideration to in-state applicants. Community colleges generally offer an “open door" admissions policy for anyone who is at least 18 years old. It is safe to assume that all community colleges fall within the Safety School category for anyone who possesses a high school diploma or GED (General Education Diploma).


How To Apply?
Don’t get anxious over the amount of paperwork it takes to apply to nine colleges. With the advent of the online version of The Common Application, https://www.commonapp.org , more than 400 colleges and universities in the United States can be applied to at the same time with only one completed application. These 400 plus colleges and universities include both public and private institutions, but they all evaluate students using a holistic selection process; which includes subjective as well as objective criteria. You will need at least one recommendation form, at least one essay, and some broader campus diversity considerations. In a recent year, over two million applications were submitted via the Common Application Online. You will still have to pay the fee each college or university charges (ranging from free to anywhere up to $90- per application), but the paperwork need only be filled out once. The State University of New York (SUNY) has the SUNY application online, www.suny.edu/student/oas/ 51 out of 64 SUNY campuses accept this application, so you need only fill it out once for all the SUNYs you apply to.


If you adhere to this strategy of 3-3-3, then you can rest assured that you will be accepted to at least three colleges. If the stars are in your favor, you might just get an acceptance letter from all of your Match Schools. Who knows? You might even receive a very large acceptance package from one of your Reach Schools as well. Good luck to all you students.

Top Ten Common Myths About College Admissions

There are common myths both parents and students labor under when applying to colleges. Through my years of experience in higher education and most recently, by going through the college admission process with my own child, I have come to know all of them. I have assembled some of the most common myths about college admissions here, in no particular order.

Common Myth #1. “My son is a B student at the prestigious, private high school he’s enrolled in. I know if he was in a public high school, that B would be an A. College Admission Officers will know this.”

Reality. An A student is an A student anywhere. Just because your child is enrolled in a school with a rigorous curriculum does not excuse him from still achieving a grade of A.

Common Myth #2. “High School AP classes are harder than regular classes; therefore a grade of B is good enough. Colleges Admission Officers will not expect most students to get an A in an AP class.”

Reality. College Admission Officers have been asked this question many times, “Would you prefer the B student in an AP class, or an A student in a regular class?” The answer is this, “We would prefer the A student in the AP class.” Why? There are plenty of those applying to colleges.

Common Myth #3. Standardized test scores are weighed much more in the admission process than your high school performance.

Reality. The SAT and the ACT score are a reflection of how you did on one particular test, on one particular day. Your entire high school performance is a much better reflection of the kind of student you are and your success rate in college. Colleges do not want good test takers. They want good, consistent performers.

Common Myth #4. You need to decide on a major before you are admitted to college.

Reality. More and more students are applying undecided. Nobody has a crystal ball that will predict the future. Admission officers know that college is the time young people try new things. Future engineers may take philosophy and drama classes to see if they enjoy it. Future actors may take political science and geology classes just to see if they have an affinity for it. In fact, 'Undelared', is the most popular major in some Liberal Arts Colleges.

Common Myth #5. A poor to average performance in your 9^th or 10^th grade means you are shut out of any Tier One colleges.

Reality. College Admissions look at your entire four year career to see if you show improvement. If a ‘special circumstance’ resulted in you not doing so well in the beginning part of your high school career, you can still show sufficient improvement in the second half of your career to warrant an acceptance. Parents divorcing, losing their jobs, a serious family illness, all qualify as a ‘special circumstance’. Colleges look at upward trends as an indication of maturity and growth. If you are back on track in your 11^th or 12^th grade, college admissions will look kindly towards your overall performance.

Common Myth #6. If you engage in ‘Magical Thinking’, don’t assume that College Admission Officers will join you.

Reality. A few years ago, Joan Didion’s memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, won the National Book Award. The title of the book refers to the magical thinking or the right amount of hope or just the right action taken to avert an unavoidable event. College Admission Officers do not know what is not in your college application. They do not know why your extracurricular activity was dropped after five contiguous years. They do not know why your grades fluctuated in your senior year. They do not know the reason behind the aberration. Let the College Admission Officer know the reason behind the anomaly. Work it into your personal essay or ask the teacher who is writing your teacher recommendation to reveal your ‘special circumstance’ as the reason behind your performance.

Common Myth #7. Colleges are looking for a well-rounded student.

Reality. Colleges are looking for a well-rounded school. If the particular college you are looking at is missing a tuba player in their marching band. Guess what special talent they will be looking for amongst their applicant pool next year? Not piccolo players. If you are one of 8,000 applicants that year, and made it past the first round of denials, and are up against only a few hundred other applicants, and you are the only tuba player; then the gods just smiled down upon you my friend. If you have a special talent that the college is in need of during the year that you are applying, then you will have the upper hand among the other applicants. The well-rounded applicant who can do it all, the football captain/debate team star/musical lead/but not play a single note on the tuba student will not be as desirable as you that year. It’s as simple as that.

Common Myth #8. Large colleges offer greater diversity.

Reality. This is true if you consider diversity only by country of origin. While it is true that the size of a large college typically means there are larger numbers of students from different countries; the size of the large college also typically means that these geographic groups tend to isolate themselves by spending time exclusively with each other for support. Interaction among the varying ethnic groups tends to be low. Whereas in a small college, with smaller class sizes; you get to know practically every student. Diversity is in the eye of the beholder.

Common Myth #9. There is no need to visit campuses, because all colleges are the same.

Reality. College Admission Officers ask that particular question, “Have you visited our campus?” of every applicant. If the answer is no, it will reflect negatively on your application. If there are special circumstances that preclude your visiting; such as cost, then this would fall under ‘special circumstances’. Keep in mind though, visiting a campus sends a strong message to Admission Officers that you are serious in attending this college.

Common Myth #10. It’s okay to take a gap year while I decide what I want to do.

Reality. Colleges will not hold your place. If you are accepted, and you decide not to attend this year for whatever reason you may have; your spot is not held for you automatically when you decide to return. Most colleges do not defer enrollment. There are literally thousands of others ready to take your place. Even if you’ve been given a once in a life time opportunity to travel to the rarest parts on earth to do research with a world renown scientist; do not take a gap year. It will be that much harder to get back to where you left off.