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.
May 10th, 2010 by Marty Rafson
Every Algebra 1 course includes a unit on factoring. When teaching students, we usually break down factoring into three types: Factoring the greatest common factor; factoring the difference of two perfect squares; factoring trinomials. The SAT will not simply come out and ask a classroom-type question requiring the student to factor a given expression. An SAT problem will require more cleverness as the need to factor is often hidden in the problem. In fact, it is rare for an SAT math question to even give a hint that the student needs to factor an expression. Of the three types of factoring, experience shows us that factoring the difference of two perfect squares has shown up the most on past SAT’s.
Problem: “If x + y = 10 and x – y = 2, find the value of x2 – y2.” There are two interesting mathematical approaches possible here. As we read the given information, it appears that we have to solve a system of two equations to find the values of x and y and then plug them into the given expression x2 – y2. However, often on the SAT, it is critical to focus on the right part of the problem. x2 – y2 at the end of the problem should leap off the page and catch the attention of the sharp math student. This expression screams to be factored as (x + y)(x – y). Any student who notices this will then immediately notice that we have been given the values of each of these. The first is equal to 10 and the second is equal to 2 and all we have to do is multiply to get the answer of 20.
Would we have reached the same result if we had solved for x and y? Absolutely! Solving the system of two equations would have yielded x = 6 and y = 4. Then, 62 – 42, or 36 – 16 would have given us the correct answer of 20. However, how long would that have taken? Remember, on the SAT the clock is ticking. Recognizing the factoring of the difference of two perfect squares yields an almost instantaneous answer. Further, any student seeing this should recognize that he/she has just outsmarted the person who wrote the question. That just feels good and keeps your spirits high as the test is going on. Keep up your SAT prep for a great score!
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.
May 5th, 2010 by Joe Connell
As I wrote in the blog about “College Admission Requirements,” one of the key college admission factors that sophomores and juniors can still manage in addition to their SAT scores is the course schedule they create for their next academic year. Thispost provides some information to keep in mind, when choosing next year’s classes.
Take as many honors, AP, IB and college-credit courses (often offered through local colleges) as reasonable for you to be successful. Many colleges take weighted GPAs for determining admission, so if your high school weights GPAs, a “B+” in AP US History is often going to strengthen your college application more than an “A” in regular high school history. In addition, many competitive colleges provide their own “weights” to courses considered to be college-level. Therefore, taking more advanced courses can help a student twice in the admissions process – i.e., both in the high school GPA and the college admissions review of your high school transcript.
Here’s a breakdown of recommendations by subject area:
- Complete a minimum of four years of English.
- Complete four years of mathematics. (These courses should become more challenging junior and senior year. If possible, move on to trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus, statistics, etc.)
- Complete at least three years of social science (history, government, social studies, psychology, economics, etc.).
- Take three years of laboratory science. (Preferred courses include: Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, AP courses in any of the aforementioned.)
- Complete at least three years of a foreign language. (Four or five years will really make you stand out.)
If you are not sure which courses are best for you, talk with family, friends and high school staff, especially your guidance counselor, about your college plans and courses that they recommend.
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 3rd, 2010 by Marty Rafson
Back in Algebra 1, all students were assigned problems such as (x + y)2. At that time most students were advised to write the (x + y) twice, and then multiply. Many teachers, when multiplying polynomials, employ the FOIL pneumonic device. “First”, “Outers”, “Inners”, “Last”. This would give us x2 + xy + xy + y2. Simplification yields x2 + 2xy + y2. The 2xy is referred to as the “middle term”. Some teachers, perhaps when the students reach the Algebra 2 level, ask the students to memorize this form. Every time we square a binomial we are going to get two identical middle terms from the “outers” and the “inners”. Of course, the less adept math students will look at (x + y)2 and merely get x2 + y2. The writers of the SAT, the Educational Testing Service, know how to test students to be sure that they know about the existence of the middle term.
Problem: “If a2 +b2 = 13 and ab = 7, find the value of (a + b)2.” If you memorized how to square a binomial, you will instantly write down a2 + 2ab + b2 (of course, if you are not confident with this, you can write down a + b twice and “FOIL” it). Note how the given information perfectly fits this form. We are given that the first term plus the last term, a2 +b2 has a value of 13. Now, examine the middle term. If ab = 7 then 2ab must have a value of 14. Thus, the value of the given expression is 13 + 14, or 27.
Knowing how to multiply polynomials is a must in any algebra course and is important to practice for the SAT. Specifically, knowing how to square (x + y) quickly can be a great asset on the SAT.
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.
April 28th, 2010 by Joe Connell
The May 1 deadline for seniors to postmark their college decision is Saturday and coincides with the May SAT testing day for many juniors. Even more than students prep for the SAT, students should prep for their college decision.
If you’re still deciding where to attend college, here are some key final considerations:
- Do what’s best for you – choose a school that best fits your needs and interests. As you make your final decision, be certain to listen to what the college is able to offer you, what your friends and family share with you and your own inner voice.
- Take action – if you’ve been waitlisted or haven’t heard from a college, contact their admissions office and check your status. If you want to remain on a college’s waitlist, you generally have to inform them, so take that step, and share with them any information that has changed that may boost your candidacy (e.g., achievements, awards, grades, etc.).
- Prepare financially – the cost of college is significant, so have a financial plan that considers financial aid, scholarships, institutional money, personal/family finances and maybe even getting a summer job.
- Persist – you have a couple months of high school left, so make the most of the learning and the community that exists.
- Enjoy – you just made one of the biggest decisions of your life. Often choosing a college is a student’s first major “adult” decision. It should feel good, so enjoy it!
If you want more information on finding the right college “fit,” read the blog “Choosing a College is About Fit.”
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.
April 27th, 2010 by Kate Hedman
The May SAT is nearly upon us, and some of my students recently asked me why they’ve heard that the SAT takes about five hours when the College Board states that it’s only three hours and fifty minutes long. That question, as well as the fact that the test is this weekend, made me think that I should share some last minute tips and information with you.
First of all, the SAT really is a three hour and fifty minute test. The College Board doesn’t sneakily add time to it or anything. But they do give you three five-minute breaks. So there’s an additional fifteen minutes. They also ask that you arrive about an hour early, or by 7:45am. You’ll get checked in and get an assigned seat, and the test center doors close at 8:15. No students are admitted after that, so BE ON TIME! Basically, it’s the test plus all that extra stuff that adds up to about five hours of being at the test site.
During the breaks, you will be allowed to eat and drink, so it’s a good idea to bring snacks and drinks with you. One snack that helps you improve your test scores is chocolate, which is good news for anyone out there who loves the stuff. Supposedly, it’s the flavinoids that make the difference, so if you don’t like chocolate, have some tea, which may have a similar effect.
In the last couple of days before the SAT, do a little bit of sat prep studying, and double check the College Board Checklist to make sure you have everything you’ll need. The night before the test, put out your clothes and supplies for test day and get some good sleep. You want to be organized and well rested so that you can focus and do your best. On test day, eat a good breakfast, get to your test site early, and remember to focus on doing your personal best. Good luck!
Kate Hedman, MSEd, has been helping students succeed on the SAT for seven years. She has been a verbal teacher with ESC for six years, and taught high school English for three years. She loves reading about new advances in brain research that she can use in the classroom to help her students learn how to achieve higher scores on the SAT.
April 22nd, 2010 by Joe Connell
When I teach SAT preparation, I tell my students that I am not only helping them improve their SAT score, but also increasing their chances of college admission and scholarship. The SAT is a test designed to provide a national benchmark on college readiness (a factor that the admissions office reviews for each school). As such, students should view the SAT as a tool to help them achieve their educational goals.
When approached from this perspective, students create the mindset that the SAT is a resource for them to get into that dream college. I find this outlook takes a lot of pressure off students and often motivates them to treat the SAT like part of a game. The higher the SAT score that they earn will lead to more points for the game of getting into college.
To achieve the greatest score in the SAT game, students should prepare. Students will improve their chances for success on the SAT through preparation, instruction and coaching. To provide an analogy to sports, the most successful athletes are often the hardest workers (for examples, think of Peyton Manning, Jerry Rice or Michael Jordan). Any great performer knows that talent takes you to a certain point, but effort enables you to achieve your highest potential. If you are looking for effective SAT preparation to achieve your best SAT score, Educational Services Center offers both traditional classroom SAT prep and online SAT prep. If you take the online SAT prep course, you might even meet me as the Critical Reading and Writing instructor.
In sum, a student should prepare for the SAT to increase their chances of getting into the college of their dreams!
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.
