July 28th, 2010 by Joe Connell
As students visit colleges, prepare for their upcoming year of high school and enjoy the final moments of summer, the question that looms is where should I apply to college?
This is an individual question that is based on many factors that have been covered in previous blogs; particularly, I invite you to read “Where should I attend (or apply) – Choosing a college is about fit!” Once you have an idea of what you are looking for in a college [i.e., cost, location, size, academic programs (your major), extracurricular activities, graduation rates, etc.], I recommend applying to three types of colleges – safe schools, target schools and reach schools.
Safe Schools: These are the schools that students know based on their academic background (SAT score, GPA and high school classes) will accept them. A student’s academic background should be stronger than the Middle 50% (consists of ranges of SAT/ACT scores and GPAs/Class Ranks) of students who attend this college.
Target Schools: These are the schools that students believe based on their academic background (SAT score, GPA and high school classes) should accept them. A student’s academic background should be around the Middle 50% of students who attend this college.
Reach Schools: These are the schools that students consider based on their academic background (SAT score, GPA and high school classes) to be a significant stretch to accept them. A student’s academic background will be lower than the Middle 50% of students who attend this college. A student applying to a reach school may be accepted based on their unique talents, such as music, sports, service or other life experiences. More importantly, they can work to improve their comparison to the institution’s Middle 50% by increasing their SAT/ACT scores and GPA.
If you’re looking for a “magic number” of colleges to apply to, I recommend six, which provides two each of safe, target and reach schools. However, I do not recommend that every student apply to six schools – I encourage each student to take this advice and make it their own.
Joe Connell has been helping high school students transition to college for the last nine years through positions in admissions, new student orientation and retention. Currently, Joe is the Director of Academic Services & Testing at Dutchess Community College (NY); he has previous work experience at William Paterson University (NJ), Marist College (NY) and Miami University (OH). Joe has presented on issues related to college students' transition and success at both regional and national levels and has taught both SAT preparation and college courses for the past eight years.
July 21st, 2010 by Joe Connell
During the summer months, many students visit colleges to see what campuses look like, to hear college presentations from admissions counselors and student tour guides, to feel the atmosphere of the institution, to touch the residence halls, classrooms, dining halls, laboratories and quads of campuses, and to try to taste what it would be like to be a student at the school. These college visits are a key part of a student’s decision-making process during their senior year of high school as they decide where to apply and ultimately where to attend. To make the most of these college visits, I recommend students follow “Four P’s:”
- Plan: What do you want to get out of your visit to a particular college?
- How much time do you want to spend at a school?
- Do you want to visit several nearby colleges in one trip?
- Who do you want to see at a college (e.g., faculty, members of clubs/teams, etc.)?
- Do you want to attend a class? If yes, which class?
- Do you want to stay overnight with a student?
- Prepare: What questions would you like to have answered?
- What are the requirements for admission?
- What are the retention and graduation rates?
- What majors and career opportunities are available?
- What is class size?
- Where do students live? Is the school more residential or commuter?
- What scholarships/grants/loans/other financial aid packages are available?
Tip: Look at the school’s web site before you go, so you can ask specific questions.
- Pay Attention: Look for details that provide a sense of what the college values.
- How clean is the college?
- Who are you introduced to? Are students interacting between classes? Who does your tour guide greet during the tour (students, professors, staff, etc.)?
Tips: Pick up a newspaper to see what the important issues and interests are on campus. Pick up a calendar of events to see what cultural, athletic, musical and other events are planned.
- People: Gain multiple perspectives of the college by talking to as many people as you can.
- Introduce yourself to others besides your tour guide and admission counselor.
- Try to gain a broader picture of the college through conversation. Eating lunch in the dining room is a great way to do this.
Ultimately, the college visit is about you, the student. You may travel with your mom, dad or some other key adult in your life, and you will hear their opinions and those of the colleges. However, I encourage you to ask yourself these questions when your visiting is done: Where do you see yourself for the next phase of your life? What place do you want to call your “home away from home” for the next four years? What place will allow you to grow into the adult you are becoming?
To get the experience and perspective of a father and daughter who went on a college road trip together, I recommend the following Newsweek article from 2007 that was written by Howard Fineman and his daughter Meredith.
Joe Connell has been helping high school students transition to college for the last nine years through positions in admissions, new student orientation and retention. Currently, Joe is the Director of Academic Services & Testing at Dutchess Community College (NY); he has previous work experience at William Paterson University (NJ), Marist College (NY) and Miami University (OH). Joe has presented on issues related to college students' transition and success at both regional and national levels and has taught both SAT preparation and college courses for the past eight years.
July 14th, 2010 by Joe Connell
Most students who attend college apply by a college’s regular decision deadlines, which commonly range from December through March. Some schools do not have decision deadlines and review students’ applications on an ongoing or rolling basis. Other colleges, particularly community colleges, offer open admissions and allow students to apply and register almost until the time classes begin.
Regular Decision
Regular decision is a non-binding decision, so students are encouraged to apply to several colleges through regular decision. Regular decision deadlines often vary by college (frequently December or January); therefore, students have the responsibility to know and follow them. At some colleges students who have been denied early decision or early action, can be considered again for regular admissions. Students generally find out about their acceptance from regular decision applications from mid-March through April 1.
Rolling Decision
Rolling decision is a non-binding decision and, in a sense, blends regular decision and early action policies. Rolling decision applications usually are submitted from the summer before senior year through spring of the senior year. Rolling decision informs students of their acceptance in a timely fashion after they apply as determined by the college. Students can apply to multiple colleges by rolling admissions.
Open Admissions
Open admissions institutions, often community colleges, can require students to follow application deadlines. However, these deadlines typically are very close to the start of the academic year.
A major difference between these application decision types and early decision/action types is that students have the opportunity to add more information to their admission “portfolio” from the fall of their senior year. For example, SAT and ACT scores taken throughout the Fall Semester, including in December, normally can be taken into consideration, as can a students’ initial senior year grades. Adding these factors together gives students a final opportunity to improve their admission “portfolio” and increase their chances of acceptance. In addition, through regular and rolling decision students have the flexibility to learn more about themselves and their future career and personal plans, before making a college decision.
Joe Connell has been helping high school students transition to college for the last nine years through positions in admissions, new student orientation and retention. Currently, Joe is the Director of Academic Services & Testing at Dutchess Community College (NY); he has previous work experience at William Paterson University (NJ), Marist College (NY) and Miami University (OH). Joe has presented on issues related to college students' transition and success at both regional and national levels and has taught both SAT preparation and college courses for the past eight years.
July 7th, 2010 by Joe Connell
In the fall of senior year, students will learn that some of their friends are applying to colleges by November 1 or 15 and finding out whether they are admitted in December. These early application periods are called early decision and early action. It is important for students to be familiar with the similarities and differences of the terms as described below. For both early decision and early action, students should take their final SAT and ACT exams early in the fall of senior year (preferably by October).
Early Decision
Early decision is a binding decision to attend one college made at the time that the student applies. For example, if a student applies to College Z and is accepted early decision, the student has agreed to attend College Z upon receiving the acceptance. For students and families considering early decision, they need to be certain that the college they apply to early decision is the right college for them academically, personally and financially. From a financial perspective, families have to know that regardless of the final financial aid award the student receives (often not provided until spring of the senior year) that they can afford to pay the cost of attendance.
Of note:
- A student can only apply to one college early decision.
- Early decision can benefit a student who is completely certain of where they want to attend college, but may not be certain of their admittance to that college. Early decision shows the student’s strong commitment to attend a particular college.
Early Action
Early action is a non-binding decision to attend one college made at the time that the student applies. For example, if a student applies to College Z and is accepted early action, the student indicated strong interest in attending College Z upon receiving the acceptance; however, the student has no obligation to attend. Early action provides the opportunity to receive the early peace of mind that early decision provides; however, it does not hold the same commitment for the student.
Of note:
- A student can apply to multiple colleges through early action.
- Early action benefits students in finding out their acceptances earlier in their senior year without forcing a commitment at that time. Early action shows a student’s strong interest in attending a particular college(s).
Colleges may slightly vary their early decision and early action procedures, so students should review each institution’s process before applying. Remember, it is the student’s right to have clear information and the student’s responsibility to be aware of his/her growing knowledge of college admissions criteria.
Joe Connell has been helping high school students transition to college for the last nine years through positions in admissions, new student orientation and retention. Currently, Joe is the Director of Academic Services & Testing at Dutchess Community College (NY); he has previous work experience at William Paterson University (NJ), Marist College (NY) and Miami University (OH). Joe has presented on issues related to college students' transition and success at both regional and national levels and has taught both SAT preparation and college courses for the past eight years.
June 30th, 2010 by Joe Connell
Welcome to summer! Students – I wish you relaxing and fulfilling summer breaks. Summer is an excellent time for rising juniors and seniors to get a jump start on the college admissions process. Over the summer, this blog will focus on key terms in the college admissions process, making the most of college visits and starting college applications! To get started, students should be reminded of their rights and responsibilities in the college admissions process.
Rights
- Students have the right to receive the following information from colleges: admissions processes and procedures, financial costs and financial aid opportunities, room and board costs and other policies.
- Students have the right to not be pressured by any college admissions officer. It is the job of admissions counselors to provide counsel on where they see a student being academically and personally successful.
- Students have the right to wait until May 1 (postmark date) to respond to an offer of admission and/or financial aid. (The exception to this is candidates who choose to apply early decision, which will be covered in next week’s blog.)
- Students have the right to accurate wait list information (if they are waitlisted). This includes: the number of students on the wait list, the number offered admission in the past and the availability of financial aid and housing for students on the list. Colleges must notify students of their waitlist decisions by August 1 at the latest.
Responsibilities
- Students have the responsibility to know and follow the admissions, financial aid, and housing policies and procedures for each college or university they choose to apply.
- Students have the responsibility to follow published deadlines.
- Students have the responsibility to seek assistance from their guidance counselor or other trusted advisor. It is especially important for students to follow their high school’s procedures when submitting college applications.
- Students have the responsibility to notify each college or university that accepts them of their decision by May 1. Students may only choose to attend one school, unless they are on a waitlist. If waitlisted, a student can accept the offer of another college; however, they must immediately notify the college of any changes in their plans.
For more information on rights and responsibilities, I encourage students to review the comprehensive information provided by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
Joe Connell has been helping high school students transition to college for the last nine years through positions in admissions, new student orientation and retention. Currently, Joe is the Director of Academic Services & Testing at Dutchess Community College (NY); he has previous work experience at William Paterson University (NJ), Marist College (NY) and Miami University (OH). Joe has presented on issues related to college students' transition and success at both regional and national levels and has taught both SAT preparation and college courses for the past eight years.
June 16th, 2010 by Joe Connell
The past several blogs have looked at college costs, campus safety, retention rates and graduation rates as key college factors. All of these are critical considerations when choosing a college, but they report outcomes of the college experience, and do not tell about how students learn and grow as students and individuals at college.
Over the past few decades, how colleges impact students’ experiences and learning has become an increasingly important consideration for prospective students when choosing a college. Books have been written about this topic, and national research centers have attempted to assess the topic of student engagement. In short, student engagement informs students and their families about in and out of class learning, involvement in extracurricular activities, collegiate community support and more that you can expect to experience at different colleges.
Since 1999, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), has assessed student engagement at over 1,000 colleges. The NSSE is based on five benchmarks that follow: 1) level of academic challenge; 2) active and collaborative learning; 3) student-faculty interaction; 4) enriching educational experiences; and 5) supportive campus environment. These benchmarks are regarded by college educators as reliable factors to help determine a quality education. As such, NSSE results inform prospective students about how current students study, get involved in activities, participate in campus life and feel about the college that they attend.
To get information about NSSE, I encourage you to go to their direct link. (Please be advised that their site does not provide details about individual colleges.) To get information about colleges, students should ask the schools that they are interested in if they have NSSE or similar results to share. (Some schools use similar surveys created by other research centers or organizations.) In addition, students will want to go the USA Today Newspaper site that publishes information about several hundred colleges that have agreed to have their NSSE results posted.
Joe Connell has been helping high school students transition to college for the last nine years through positions in admissions, new student orientation and retention. Currently, Joe is the Director of Academic Services & Testing at Dutchess Community College (NY); he has previous work experience at William Paterson University (NJ), Marist College (NY) and Miami University (OH). Joe has presented on issues related to college students' transition and success at both regional and national levels and has taught both SAT preparation and college courses for the past eight years.
June 9th, 2010 by Joe Connell
Knowing what college is going to cost you is getting much easier. By August 2011, colleges are required to have a net price calculator, i.e., a tool designed to provide students and their families a personalized estimate of the net price of attending the institution. Some colleges have already posted these types of calculators, so students should begin to look for them.
The net calculators that exist now have been developed by or for colleges, so they all differ slightly in the information that they collect about students and their families’ income. In short, they should all be used as a tool, but not the final word on a particular college’s costs. A March 2010 article in the Washington Post provides a further explanation of the net price calculator through an interview with Jeff Whorley, President of StudentAid.com, a company that works with both students/families and also creates net price calculators for colleges/universities. The primary difference among net price calculators is the amount of information they collect and compute. The more information requested, in general, the more accurate.
The net price calculator and other financial aid changes mandated by the Higher Education Reauthorization Act of August 2008 are providing students and families a clearer picture of the cost of college attendance. Cost of attendance is the typical cost to attend for one year at a specific institution including tuition, room and board, books and supplies, travel and other educationally related expenses. Many students when looking for colleges to apply to look at the tuition price and assume that the cost of tuition is more or less the “price tag” for that school; the truth is that tuition is just a portion of the overall college budget.
Joe Connell has been helping high school students transition to college for the last nine years through positions in admissions, new student orientation and retention. Currently, Joe is the Director of Academic Services & Testing at Dutchess Community College (NY); he has previous work experience at William Paterson University (NJ), Marist College (NY) and Miami University (OH). Joe has presented on issues related to college students' transition and success at both regional and national levels and has taught both SAT preparation and college courses for the past eight years.
June 7th, 2010 by Marty Rafson
Students taking the SAT must make sure that they are very comfortable with the terms “factor” and “multiple” and, therefore, know the difference between the two. For example, let’s use the number 6. What are the factors of 6 as opposed to the multiples of 6?
By definition, the factors of 6 are those numbers that divide evenly into 6. Another way of saying this is that 6 is perfectly divisible by these factors. A factor is synonymous with a “divisor.” The factors of 6 are 1, 2, 3 and 6. When asked for the factors of 6, many students would say “1 times 6 and 2 times 3.” We are not being asked to break 6 into factors, but merely to list the factors. The best way to do this is to start with 1 (which divides evenly into all integers) and proceed upward listing all numbers that divide evenly into the given number. That is why we recommend writing the list as 1, 2, 3 and 6.
What are the multiples of 6? Think of the multiplication table: 1 times 6, 2 times 6, 3 times 6, etc. Thus, the multiples of 6 are 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, …
The factors of 6 divide evenly into 6. 6 divides evenly into the multiples of 6.
One interesting note: We could have chosen any number for our illustration above but 6 was specifically chosen. Other than the number 6 itself, the other factors of 6 are 1, 2 and 3. Add them up: 1 + 2 +3 = 6, the number itself!!! It is very rare to have a number be the sum of its own factors (other than itself). Such a number is called a “perfect number.” Perfect numbers are few and far between. Challenge: What’s the next perfect number after 6? In other words, it has to be the sum of its own factors (other than itself). Hint: This one is not so big- we’ll tell you it is less than 50.
Marty Rafson wrote the ESC math curriculum and has been an SAT math teacher, tutor, and curriculum developer for 30 years. He has been a high school math teacher for 36 years and a math department chairman for 25 years. He was also an adjunct professor at City College of New York School of Education.
June 3rd, 2010 by Joe Connell
One of the serious issues that colleges are required to report on is campus safety and security. Some key crimes that many students’ families consider seriously when choosing a college are burglary, sexual assault and motor vehicle offenses. If a student chooses to live on campus, these statistics become even more important because families trust the institution with providing a safe environment for their student. To provide an accurate picture of campus safety, all institutions are required to annually share their crime statistics with the Federal Government.
From the Federal Department of Education, you can access the Campus Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool, which provides customized reports for campus crime data. The data is pulled from a database which institutions report crime statistics to as required by the Clery Act. In addition, students should be able to receive this information directly from the colleges that they are considering. It is the student’s responsibility to request this information, and it is their right to receive it.
Joe Connell has been helping high school students transition to college for the last nine years through positions in admissions, new student orientation and retention. Currently, Joe is the Director of Academic Services & Testing at Dutchess Community College (NY); he has previous work experience at William Paterson University (NJ), Marist College (NY) and Miami University (OH). Joe has presented on issues related to college students' transition and success at both regional and national levels and has taught both SAT preparation and college courses for the past eight years.
May 31st, 2010 by Marty Rafson
Here’s a point of algebra that many students have forgotten. What do we do if we are confronted with a division problem involving more than one term (a polynomial) divided by one term (a monomial)? Let’s consider a situation as simple as this: How do we handle the division (a + b)/c? Most students are very comfortable with the concept of the distributive property for multiplication but may not realize that the same thing goes for division. With this problem, we just “distribute” the division. (a + b)/c is the same as taking each term from the numerator and dividing it by the denominator: a/c + b/c. It’s that simple! Now, how would that work on an SAT problem? A recently released exam provides a great example.
In their newest version of The Official SAT Study Guide, Practice Test #2, Section 5, problem #12 on page 467 is a perfect example: “If (3x + y)/y = 6/5, what is x/y?” Now, there are several ways to solve this problem but it screams for a division as described above. The left side of this equation would break into two divisions 3x/y + y/y. Since y/y = 1, we now have 3x/y + 1 = 6/5. Subtract 1 from both sides to give us 3x/y = 1/5. Now just divide by 3 and we will have the answer x/y = 1/15. (We’ll just give a hint that another method of solution is to cross-multiply the given expression.)
Marty Rafson wrote the ESC math curriculum and has been an SAT math teacher, tutor, and curriculum developer for 30 years. He has been a high school math teacher for 36 years and a math department chairman for 25 years. He was also an adjunct professor at City College of New York School of Education.
