What to Do During Spring Break
With many students across the nation starting their spring breaks this week, I thought it would be a good time to review ways to maximize your vacation period. I want to first remind both students and parents that spring break should be a time for rest; burning out now will hurt you a lot in the long run. But there are still things you should be doing this week to keep on the college track.
For Freshman: If you haven't started to keep a list of your activities and accomplishments, do so now. When it comes time to write your resume for college, having a list of your greatest achievements in one, centralized source will make your 'brag sheet' much easier. It will also ensure that you leave nothing out. You should also start looking into scholarships you could apply for. Writing a simple 2-page essay could net you a quick $500 for college, and the money adds up really quickly if you commit do doing this for the next four years. Consult with your high school's counselors or with a website like FastWeb.com to find these opportunities.
For Sophomores: In addition to everything a Freshman should be doing, you may also consider starting a preliminary list of colleges that interest you. Keeping in mind the 10 things to think about when picking a college, develop a list of about 15-20 schools that interest you. You don't have to do a huge amount of research on each university just yet, but having this list will at least prepare you for some of the steps you will have to take in the future. You can always add or subtract colleges as you learn more.
For Juniors: In addition to the Freshman and Sophomore activities, you should spend your spring break gearing up for the SAT or ACT if you have not yet taken one. You don't need to enroll in a test prep class just yet, but consider a book like The Official SAT Study Guide
For Seniors: Hopefully by now you have received a few college acceptances. Though many will not notify you until mid-April, having a college acceptance or two in hand by now is incredibly comforting. Keep up with scholarship applications, and schedule tours at the colleges that have accepted you to test them out. Many universities offer an "admit day" during spring break to meet with deans, staff, and faculty. Now is also a good time to finish planning your summer. Will you be taking a Summer Early Start program? Perhaps take a few preparatory community college courses? Get a job and earn some practical work experience and money? The choice is yours, but hammering out your plans now ensures that your summer is as productive as possible.
For more tips on how to plan your spring breaks and high school years, read my Action Plan Calendar.
Have a question or comment? 1 person does.“College Is Harder than Ever to Get Into!” – Latest Misleading Shock Headline?
Many admissions blogs -- and, even more unfortunately, local news outlets -- are taking the following statistics and coming to the conclusion that "college is harder than ever to get into:"
Universities across the country are announcing record low admission rates this year. Yale University set the Ivy League record by accepting only 8.6 percent of its 21,099 hopeful applicants. Other record lows include Brown University (13.8%), Columbia University (9.6%), Dartmouth College (15.4%), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (13%), Stanford University (11%), and University of Pennsylvania (17.7%).
However, the leap from "record low admissions" to "college is harder to get into" is misleading. As I have previously discussed (with regard to Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale), while there has been a massive increase in 2008 applications, the selectivity of each college remains comparatively unchanged. The sudden drop in admissions statistics per college may be accounted for by the fact that students are applying to, on average, three times as many schools as students did just a few years ago.
However, there's no denying that there are more students than ever looking for college admission. Not only is a higher percentage of graduating high school seniors looking toward university life, but the number of graduating seniors is also increasing. With 3.2 million graduating in 2009, the largest in US history, it is undoubtable that the volume of applications will continue to rise.
I want to remind future applicants again, though, that the bar for a 'qualified student' has remained consistent at almost all schools. If your 3.9 GPA and 2340 SAT would have gotten you into Yale last year, it will probably still get you into Yale next year. That is also true, by the way, of smaller, local schools and state universities -- selectivity has remained steady. Application volume may have gone way up, but that does not mean that qualified students will suddenly be turned away.
Have a question or comment? 1 person does.Should I take an SAT Prep Course?
It's March, and many students are starting to think about the SAT and ACT examinations. Reader Timothy P. wants to know some ways to get prepared:
My GPA isn't as high as I'd like it to be, so I really want to do well on the SAT. I have some friends that took a prep class and really liked it, and other friends who took a class and said it didn't help them at all. I sort of want to take one just in case, but all of them are really expensive. Could I just buy a book and practice on my own, or do I have to take a prep course? Or maybe hire a tutor? And which company is the best to use?
Hi, Timothy. The answer to the question, "do you have to take a prep course" is easy: No, you definitely do not need one. But "should you" is a different question entirely and is based on you personally.
Everyone responds differently to test preparation. Students who score in the mid-to-low range of test scores prior to class sessions tend to benefit the most from classes. Students in the highest and lowest score ranges tend to benefit the least, but can still get help from one-on-one tutors. Larger test preparation companies like The Princeton Review and Kaplan have guaranteed score increases, often about 200 points. But remember that some of this score increase comes simply from practicing the test. You might also increase 200 points on your own.
It's important to evaluate yourself as a student. Do you tend to be strongly self-driven and can easily commit to spending at least 8 hours a week working on the SAT without slacking at all? If not, helping you to overcome this is one of the biggest advantages of an SAT prep course. Because you have a teacher, a specific meeting time, and assigned homework, you're much more likely to keep up with your practice. But if you feel that you can be self-motivated, you may be fine without paying for a class.
The best thing to do is to pick up a book like the College Board's own Official SAT Study Guide
If you run through a few of these tests and you don't see yourself improving, or if you are finding it difficult to maintain focused and to set aside time to study, then you're probably a good candidate for a prep class. You don't necessarily need to spend thousands on one of the big names; a small, local company will work as well since they'll also keep you on track. But if you need help, the largest names tend to offer the best -- or at least the most consistent quality -- service.
Again, you never have to take a prep course. If you can study on your own and see improvement from your repeated practice tests, the $20 booklet will be enough. Scour the net for SAT tips (like those found right here on my own site: standardized test tips) and you should be fine. But if you ever feel like you need extra help, prep courses tend to be good investments for most students. Good luck!
Have a question or comment? Leave me one.Carnival of College Admissions: 1st Edition
See All Editions | Submit an Article
Welcome to the first edition of the Carnival of College Admissions. Eleven articles were submitted and nine have been selected for publication. I am pleased to be able to host the first ever carnival and bring you all the submissions. Click on the graphic above for more information about this cooperative effort or to submit a write-up of your own for next week's edition.Read on for all of the excellent articles from The Carnival of College Admissions: 1st Edition: Read more
Have a question or comment? 2 people do.How Many Colleges Should I Apply To?
Reader John J. read my earlier article about the increased number of applications colleges are receiving, in which I reveal that the average student applied to more than a dozen universities this season. He asks a question I hear frequently from students:
It seems like colleges are becoming more selective with their applicants because each of them are receiving a lot more applications each year. Does this mean I should apply to even more colleges? My counselor recommended that I apply to 3 reach schools, 3 good matches, and 3 safeties, but I'm afraid that 9 isn't enough. Does this sound like a good number? Can schools see how many colleges you've applied to? Do they care?
Hi, John. Great questions. I'll start by answering your last ones first.
Yes, colleges are able to see how many schools you have applied to. They can do this by looking at your FAFSA -- the form you filled out for federal financial aid. Because you have to list all of the universities you may potentially attend on the form, admissions officers have figured out that looking at your list will reveal how many and which other colleges you are applying to. And, yes, some do care.
Choosing the number of students to accept in any given year is a difficult art for admissions committees. They must make sure to accept enough students to make up for the fact that many will decide to attend a different school, but not so many as to over-enroll the university. As a result, they like to minimize their risk as much as possible. They do this by selecting qualified applicants who also seem likely to attend the college. If an overqualified student applies to their school and also to 20 others, the admissions officers may decide that the applicant is not worth the risk and deny their application. This is why some students experience rejection from colleges they thought were "safeties".
Put yourself in their position: would you ask a girl out on a date if you were almost certain she would say 'no'? A college doesn't want to take that risk either.
Your counselor gave you good advice. However, applying to 9 colleges should be the absolute maximum. I generally recommend about 5-7: 2-3 reaches, 2 good fits, and 1-2 safety schools. However, you have to be realistic in your categorization of colleges. In other words, Harvard is never a 'safety' no matter how good of a student you are.
Stick to those magic numbers and you are very unlikely to be penalized for over-applying. It might be tempting to send out tons of applications, especially since it's easy to apply online to most universities. However, resist this temptation. Pick the 5-7 colleges that interest you the most and focus your attentions on them. Your time is better spent refining those specific college essays anyway.
Good luck!
Have a question or comment? 4 people do.Five Tips to Make Financial Incentives for Your Son/Daughter Work
Colleges already are paying your son or daughter for academic success in the form of merit-based scholarships. Should you be doing the same? Some parents scoff at the idea, and call these rewards "bribery," forgetting that there is a difference difference between bribing and reinforcing. Others are still fooled by the outdated 70's belief that rewarding achievement will undermine your son or daughter's natural will to succeed. In actuality, your reinforcement will strengthen his or her drive and influence positive academic growth.
I believe in the power of academic incentives, and Deborah Fox of Pay for College Blog agrees. Here are five tips to help you create your own academic incentive program:
- Reward improvement rather than offering awards for specific letter grades. By recognizing only As or Bs, siblings who cannot perform as well feel left out. Give every child a chance to succeed by rewarding improvements like more time devoted to homework, increased test performance, or better behavior in class.
- Be uniform in your rewards so that your son or daughter always knows what to expect and so that there is no accusation of favoritism from siblings. It can be as simple as a, "if your grade goes up, we'll all go out for ice cream" promise, or as complex as a list of rewards on the refrigerator.
- ...but also be spontaneous. "Variable ratio reinforcement" may sound like psychobabble, but it is a tool of positive reinforcement that slot machine designers use to great success. Rewarding your son or daughter in unpredictable ways has a powerful effect on his or her desire to succeed. Consider "catching" your child studying hard one day, and surprising him or her with that new toy they've been wanting. It may sound crazy -- and your child might think that you are when you do it -- but it really does work.
- Involve the entire family in the rewards process. Instead of padding your son or daughter's piggy bank, plan a family dinner at the rewarded child's favorite restaurant, or let him/her pick the next family movie. Not only will this help avoid siblings' hurt feelings, it will also give the child a greater sense of accomplishment and inclusion because the entire family is joining in the celebration.
- Encourage a supportive atmosphere for your child with his/her peers and siblings. Parental praise is great, but a congratulations from an equal gives a huge boost to a child's self-esteem.
Reinforcement can be powerful in shaping your child's will to succeed. Use these techniques to maximize your academic incentive program and you'll have a child driven to achieve and ready for college in no time.
Have a question or comment? 1 person does.