Ashland High School
College Connection Newsletter
Provided by Donnley Fenn and AHS Counseling Office
October 2014
VOLUME 22, ISSUE 2
CONTEMPLATING THE FUTURE
When faced with challenges, an aging character named Tobias, in one of Margaret Atwood’s latest collection of short
stories, decides that he will just wait them out, as if the consequences of the future can be staved off by simply letting the
future pass him by. Of course, things don’t turn out well for him. In life there are two futures. One is the impersonal
future related to time, toward which we constantly move and will arrive whether we like it or not. The other is one’s own
personal future as envisioned by each of us. Of course, events may reshape it and redirect it, but it remains ours to help
determine our fate when that impersonal future arrives, as it inevitably will. It’s not a big leap to connect this concept to
the college planning process. For most seniors, June 2015 will bring with it life-changing experiences. Already, your plans
and goals for that time should now be a work-in-progress. Exploring possible colleges or job or military opportunities
needs to happen now. If you haven’t done so, schedule an appointment with your school counselor, teacher, neighbor,
parent or any caring adult with whom you can talk before the future arrives.
Top Colleges That Enroll Rich, Middle Class and Poor
(“New York Times”, September 8, 2014)
Vassar (NY) has taken steps to hold down spending on faculty and staff. Amherst (MA) and the University of Florida
have raised new money specifically to spend on financial aid for low-income students. American University (DC)
reallocated scholarships from well-off students to needy ones. Grinnell (IA) set a floor on the share of every freshman
class – 15 percent – whose parents didn’t go to college. To analyze which selective colleges are doing the most and least
to attract and graduate poor and middle-class students, the NY Times developed a College Access Index. Every college
with a four-year graduation rate of at least 75 percent was included. To measure top colleges’ efforts on economic
diversity, the Index is based on the share of freshmen in recent years who came from low-income families (measured by
the share receiving a Pell grant) and on the net price of attendance for low- and middle-income families. College Access
Index: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/09/upshot/09up-college-access-index.html
More Colleges Signing Up for Accounts with Snapchat
(“Wired Campus”, September 8, 2014)
Colleges have begun to use Snapchat, a smartphone application popular with teenagers, as a method of communication
with prospective and current students. Snapchat allows users to send their friends photographs or short videos that
disappear after one to 10 seconds. A newer feature allows the creation of a Snapchat Story, a series of images and
videos that lasts for 24 hours. Such are communications between colleges and students that it is sometimes difficult to
discern the demographics of the users who follow a school’s account. Usernames don’t necessarily reflect real names,
gender, or geography. But colleges hope to reach prospective students using the platform, and social-media managers
believe high schoolers are paying attention.
Goucher College First in Nation to Launch Video Application Alternative
Goucher College (MD) has created an application option requesting student-submitted videos as the decisive factor
for admission. Beginning with applicants for the 2015-2016 academic year, students can choose not to submit transcripts,
test scores, and other traditional application materials. Instead, applicants can send Goucher a straightforward, twominute video about how they see themselves flourishing at the college. Goucher has added the Goucher Video App
(GVA) to its Common and Universal College application options. http://blogs.goucher.edu/intheloop/6339/gouchercollege-first-in-nation-to-launch-video-application-alternative/
The College Connection Newsletter
http://www.campusprideindex.org - Find a LGBTFriendly Campus. This website offers a thorough college
search which rates campuses on a 1-5 star basis. Access
requires only a name and email address. Overall scores
consider: LGBT Policy Inclusion, LGBT Support & Institutional Commitment, LGBT Academic Life,
LGBT Student Life, LGBT Housing, LGBT Campus
Safety, LGBT Counseling & Health, LGBT Recruitment
and Retention Efforts. Also includes a National LGBT
Scholarship Database and upcoming Campus Pride LGBTfriendly College Fairs.
Two Online Ranking Systems Which
Do Not Use College Provided Info
http://www.parchment.com/c/college/collegerankings.php
Through a college search function, the site has collected
valuable and otherwise hard-to-come-by data: It knows
the names of the colleges where 200,000 students nationwide applied, got accepted, and chose to attend. The site
attempts to reveal the collected wisdom of students choosing among multiple colleges.
https://www.alumnifactor.com
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-03/
college-consultant-thinktank-guarantees-admissionfor-hefty-price. - ThinkTank Learning is a chain of San
Francisco Bay Area tutoring centers that operate out of
strip malls. Like many in the field, it helps kids apply to
college. Unlike other competitors, it guarantees that students will get into a top school or their parents get their
money back—provided the applicant achieves a certain
GPA and other metrics. Nearly all are Asian immigrants
for which free seminars are held in Holiday Inn ballrooms
on Saturday afternoons. The standing-room-only events,
advertised in Bay Area Chinese media, include a pep talk
for the college-obsessed. The owner, Steve Ma, reassures
the bewildered, multigenerational audiences that top-ranked
American universities aren’t nearly as capricious as they
seem, once you know their formula. Some 10,000 students—sixth graders to junior-college grads—use
ThinkTank’s services now, generating annual revenue of
more than $18 million.
College-bound Athletes:
Are You Registered with the
NCAA Eligibility Center?
You must register if you wish to participate in intercollegiate athletics at an NCAA Division I or II college or university. Registrants may access the site at
www.eligibilitycenter.org. From the home page, click
on “Enter Here” for NCAA college-bound student-athletes, then on the “New Account” link in the upper right
corner. For current seniors who have registered, you need
to send transcripts to the NCAA Eligibility Center. Your
high school counselor has access to Student Reports listing students from your school who have registered. Ask
your counselor if an e-transcript can be sent instead of a
paper copy. If you have registered before on the original
website, you need to transfer your account to the new site
by logging in, then following the transfer process.
Page 2
This site focuses on the other end of college — alumni
satisfaction. It has surveyed and interviewed 42,000 alumni
of 450 colleges over the last five years, and is now publishing the results on 227 well-known schools where it says
it has enough data to be statistically reliable. Alumni Factor is a subscription website. Gold membership costs $5.95/
month.
LinkedIn for Education Connects Colleges,
Students,Alumni
In 2013 the business-networking behemoth LinkedIn got
into the global college admissions business by unveiling
LinkedIn for Education at: http://www.linkedin.com/
edu.The new pages are intended to help colleges build
their brands and recruit students who fit what they offer.
It can also help students “choose colleges on the basis of
the students’ intended careers”. The pages take advantage of career data that LinkedIn has collected from some
240 million members around the world. The company gave
about 200 colleges and universities advance notice to create accounts. If you search for an institution that didn’t get
the heads-up, you might see a breakdown of information
about its alumni who are LinkedIn members, along with a
note saying that the institution’s page “isn’t quite ready
yet.” Even the alumni links, including thousands, could prove
to be substantial benefit in the long run. If you have a linkedin account you can sign in OR instantly sign-up.
Quote of the Month
“Parents and some students have the mythical notion that
there is the one “perfect” college, as if they were shopping for the perfect car, the perfect house, the perfect toothpaste. The “perfect college” should be redefined as being
one that has more positive than negative variables and one
that is a good personal and programmatic match. If not
perfect, the dream of a college education can be realized
as a well-researched, rewarding, and positive experience.”
(By Carl Behrend Director of Guidance at Orchard
Park HS, Orchard Park, N.Y-reprinted from “Next Step
Magazine”)
October 2014
The College Connection Newsletter
Colleges That Want to Know
Where Else You’ve Applied
(Examiner.com, November 13, 2013)
Colleges are no longer satisfied with just knowing the
basics. In addition to grades and scores, they want to
know how often you’ve visited campus or checked out
their websites. They track how you respond to emails
and if you attend local events. They want to know where
your parents went to college and make assumptions about
your family income based on zip code. Sometimes an applicant uses social media to signal interest in other colleges. Colleges also actively and quite openly research
other information, such as schools you are applying to
through the FAFSA or asking you directly via their
commonapp supplement questions. For the most part,
the questions are designated as “optional,” but not always. You need to know that asking what other schools
you are applying to violates the intent of the National
Association for College Admissions Counseling
(NACAC) Statement of Principles of Good
Practice (SPGP), which clearly states that all
postsecondary members should “refrain from asking students where else they have applied.” Colleges want you
to believe this data is used to evaluate marketing efforts
and not applicants. So how should applicants deal with
these requests? Sometimes being non-responsive feels
uncomfortable. If you are confident in your research and
have selected colleges that reflect a strong “fit,” you may
want to share a few names. List a couple of comparable
or crossover colleges that would seem reasonable in context of your stated goals and interests. And if space permits, add that your college list is still a work in progress,
subject to change as you learn more about what each has
to offer.
EXCELLENT COLLEGE
ADMISSION WEBSITE!
http://www.ucan-network.org/
If you are searching for a private college or university, this
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities website enables families to compare more than
725 schools using a common format. There is a full-screen
map on which you can first look nationally, then slowly
narrow down from state to city to a specific school
website. It allows users to search by 17 factors, including
tuition ranges, test scores and percentage of applicants
admitted.
October 2014
COLLEGE NEWS
++People with bachelor’s degrees in science, technology,
engineering and math are more likely than other college graduates to have a job, but most of them don’t work in STEM
occupations, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released in July. Nearly 75% of all STEM degree holders don’t
have jobs in STEM occupations.
++Since 2004, 21 NCAA Division II and 79 Division III schools
have added lacrosse teams, while only eight Division I schools
have done so.
++George Fox University (OR) has been facing criticism
for its policy motivated by its Christian beliefs, of not allowing transgender students to live in housing with the gender
with which they identify. In July the university announced a
change that would open housing to transgender students
who have surgery.
++In 1913, Elon College (NC) asked applicants point blank:
How much do you know? The application requested little
biographical information, instead asking prospective students
to detail their training in several subdisciplines—including
Cicero, Greek history, and French literature.
++President Obama is pushing Congress to back a bill that
would allow college graduates to refinance their student
loans, once again coming out in strong support of a measure put forth by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA) and a rising
star in her party.
++A group that represents consumer banks is pushing back
against warnings by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that undisclosed arrangements between banks
and colleges to market student loans may pose a risk to
consumers. The CFPB asserts that “Students and families
should be able to easily review these agreements so they
can understand the products before they sign up.”
++After nearly a decade of double-digit increases, American graduate schools probably will not have a record number of students from China in this fall’s incoming class. Graduate programs reported no rise in offers of admission to Chinese students, the first time in eight years with no growth.
++The new accommodation on contraceptive insurance recently released by the Obama administration, gives religious
nonprofit colleges the option of notifying the department
that they object to providing contraception coverage. The
government will then tell the colleges’ insurers that they are
responsible for providing the coverage at no cost to the college or its employees. California has sent letters to insurance companies telling them that they cannot go along with
the plans of two Roman Catholic colleges to drop abortion
coverage from their health insurance plans for employees.
++An instructor was wounded in the foot after his concealed handgun discharged in a classroom at the Physical
Science Complex on the Idaho State University campus at
about 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2.
Page 3
The College Connection Newsletter
COUNSELOR’S CORNER
Five things you should know about the new SAT
(By Erin Greenfield, Univ. of Calif. Newsroom, 09/ 2/2014)
The new SAT is coming in spring 2016. This means that current
freshmen or sophomores will face an entirely different exam. Here
are five things counselors and students should know about the new
test:
1. UC applicants must still write an essay. Although the essay
section will be optional for most test takers, UC will require it for
admission. The new essay will be 50 minutes (versus 25 minutes)
and will require students to use evidence in order to make an argument about a written passage.
2. A perfect score will be 1600. Scores will return to the wellknown 400 to 1600 scale.
3. Goodbye, “SAT words”; hello, real-world language. Obscure vocabulary — popularly known as “SAT words” — will no
longer be a focus of the exam. Instead, students will be expected to
demonstrate that they understand the kinds of words that they might
encounter in college courses (e.g., synthesis, empirical).
4. The verbal and math sections now will be based on material students may encounter in a college classroom. Students
will analyze passages and solve equations pulled from a broad range
of disciplines, including science, social studies and history.
5. There no longer will be a penalty for incorrect answers.
No more worrying about those educated guesses! You will earn
points only for questions answered correctly.
Managing Expectations
Wells Fargo Planning for College
Guide – Counselors, as you get back into
the school routine, no doubt you’ll be
meeting with High School Seniors who
are interested in applying to colleges for
next fall. This is the beginning of a critical
window for Seniors, with a lot to get done
in a short amount of time. To help understand what needs to be done, and keep
track of it, we have developed some resources that Seniors may find helpful. Our
Planning for College guide includes information on: choosing a college, searching for scholarships, comparing award letters, packing lists for moving day and much
more. Plus, student have space for notes
and a place to retain important documents
in convenient pocket folders — so all of
the information stays together in one place.
To request free copies for your seniors,
please contact our Client Services team
at 1-877-699-5444 or WellsFargo
EFSClientServices@wellsfargo.com
(“TheAdmissionsGame.com)
It is a mistake to assume that the more “reach” schools to which you apply, the better are your chances of getting into
at least one. The reality: It rarely works that way—especially if financial aid is needed. Not only is applying arbitrarily
to a long list of schools likely to be an exercise in futility, but it distracts you from giving quality attention to the applications you submit to colleges that represent “best fit” possibilities. Try not to confuse admissibility with competitiveness
at a given college. The odds are that you will be admissible—you can do the work in the classroom—at most of the
colleges that materialize on your list. Will you be competitive, however? Do you possess credentials that make you
among the most highly valued candidates? Target colleges where your credentials put you in the top half—if not the top
quartile—of the admitted student profile from past entering classes. In the final analysis, there can be no outcome
guarantees in college planning—and it is neither healthy nor constructive to regard the process as a matter of acquiring
a prize or a particular “destination.”
DOES BEING A “LEGACY” MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS?
(“Chronicle of Higher Education”)
While some colleges and universities try to play down the impact of legacy preferences, research suggests that their
weight is significant, on the order of adding 160 SAT points to a candidate’s record (on a scale of 400-1600). William
Bowen, of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and colleagues have found that, within a given SAT-score range, being a
legacy increased one’s chances of admission to a selective institution by 19.7%. The children of alumni generally make
up 10-25% of the student body at selective institutions. By contrast, at the California Institute of Technology, which does
not use legacy preferences, only 1.5% of students are children of alumni. The irony, of course, is that while legacies are
uniquely American, they are also deeply un-American. Thomas Jefferson famously sought to promote in America a
“natural aristocracy” based on “virtue and talent,” rather than an “artificial aristocracy” based on wealth.
Page 4
October 2014
The College Connection Newsletter
SCHOLARSHIPS & CONTEST LISTINGS
STOKES EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM – New early deadline!!! Open to 2015
seniors, with minimum SAT score of 1600, or ACT of 25
and 3.0 GPA who plan to major in Computer or Electrical Engineering, Computer Science. Pays full tuition at the college of your choice, reimbursement for books
and certain fees, housing and travel entitlements during
summer employment. Guidelines at http://www.nsa.gov.
Under “Careers” choose “Opportunities for YOU”, then
“Students”, then “Stokes Educational Scholarship Program” under High School Scholarships. First you must
submit an online resume after registering with a username
& password. If you have questions, call: 410-854-4725.
Application deadline online or postmarkedOctober
31, 2014.
AXA ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP Applicants must be high school seniors graduating in spring 2015.
One winner from each state is selected by Scholarship
America, to receive one-time scholarship awards of
$10,000 each. Ten national winners are selected to earn
an additional one-time scholarship of $15,000. Applications will be received until December 15, 2014 or
until 10,000 applications are submitted, whichever
occurs first. For details on how to apply: https://
us.axa.com/axa-foundation/about.html
AMERICAN LEGION NATIONAL HS ORATORICAL CONTEST 53 awards offered annually.
Amounts vary from $1,500 to $18,000, non-renewable.
Must compose a prepared oration on some aspect of the
Constitution of the United States. Details at: http://
www.legion.org/scholarships/oratorical. Local contests begin in early February. Click on “Learn more
about the Oratorical Contest”, then “Request Information” and “Local & State Contests”. Local deadlines vary,
so ACT NOW!
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION SCHOLARSHIPS Each year the DAR awards
more than $150,000 through more than 25 different type
scholarships. The renewable general Richard and Elizabeth Dean Scholarship award for graduating HS seniors
is $5,000 for each year of college. Some scholarships
require separate applications. Although financial need is
not stated as a requirement, a Financial Need Form is
part of the application procedure. Application deadline:
February 14, 2015. To access the application and a list
of scholarships: http://www.dar.org/national-society/
scholarships
October 2014
WELLS FARGO BANK $1,000 COLLEGE
SWEEPSTAKES Sweepstakes run from 8/14/14 to
8/13/15. Each quarterly drawing includes twenty $1,000
awards for high school students, gr. 9-12. 1st quarter ends
10/31/13. This is basically a marketing outreach tool for
student loans, but it offers a legitimate random chance at
eighty $1,000 awards during the year. Must complete a
simple Enrollment Form to be entered in the “Sweepstakes”. www.wellsfargo.com/collegesteps. The website
also offers additional useful information.
SCHOLARSHIPS.COM SCHOLARSHIPS This
FREE website offers hundreds of scholarships organized
by categories. Has facilitated state & national college
scholarships & grants worth over 1.9 billion dollars since
1998. You can also get recruited by schools based on
your college selections and the data you provide in your
profile. The best part is that it will only take you a few
minutes to complete. Scroll to bottom of page for scholarship categories: http://www.scholarships.com/
main.aspx
COMCAST LEADERS AND ACHIEVERS
SCHOLARSHIPS These are one-time awards not
based on financial need in the amount of $1,000 - $10,000
for college costs and expenses. Must be high school senior, demonstrate a strong commitment to community service and display leadership abilities in school activities or
through work experience.All nominations for the Scholarship Program must be made exclusively by the Principal or Guidance Counselor. To apply ask your principal
or counselor to call (855) 670-4787 for eligibility and
nomination information and materials. http://
corporate.comcast.com/our-values/community-investment/youth-education-leadership#accordion-2
Application deadline: December 4. 2014 Also visit their
Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/
ComcastLeadersandAchievers
INTERNATIONAL DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS HONOR SOCIETY Must be IDS member in
good standing. No applications fee required to apply for
membership. Scholarship programs are available in the
arts, medicine, business, science, education, engineering,
service, and leadership. Award amounts vary between
$500-$2500. Guidelines at: http://idshonorsociety.org/
scholarships/ Application must be received by: December 15, 2014.
Page 5
The College Connection Newsletter
SCHOLARSHIPS & CONTEST
THE PRUDENTIAL SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY
AWARDS The Prudential Spirit of CommunityAwards
recognize high school students who have demonstrated
exemplary, self-initiated community service. Schools and
designated organizations such as Girl Scout councils,
county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross Chapters, YMCAs may select one honoree for every 1,000
students. State finalists receive $1,000 and an expensepaid trip to Washington, D.C. From the State Honorees,
ten National Honorees are chosen and receive an additional $5,000. Applications must be submitted to
school principals no later than November 4, 2014.
http://spirit.prudential.com/view/page/soc
SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS A
variety of corporate-sponsored scholarships for graduating high school seniors are offered, ranging in value from
$1,000 to $10,000. All scholarships are contingent upon
the applicant’s enrollment in an engineering program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology (ABET). Judging will be based on the criteria
established by the sponsor and as outlined in the individual scholarship descriptions. Website: http://
students.sae.org/awdscholar/scholarships/
hsengineering.htm Applications must be postmarked by January 15, 2015.
GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARS PROGRAM Students are eligible to be considered for a
GMS scholarship if they: Are African American, Asian
Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American; Must
be a citizen/legal permanent resident or national of the
United States; Have attained a cumulative 3.3 GPA. Must
meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria. All forms
and information are available at website: http://
www.gmsp.org/publicweb/Scholarships.aspx Deadline for Submission of Nomination Materials is January 14, 2015.
Be Aware Now of Financial Realities
(“CNN/Money”, by Sarah Max)
If your top choice school turns out to be considerably
more expensive than your second or third choices, be
ready to consider a compromise. The more expensive
school might require greater student loans, holding down
a part-time job during school and working full-time in the
summer. Just keep in mind that working during the school
year may take away from other activities, and those student loans could eat up a good chunk of your monthly
income after graduation.
Page 6
COLLEGE NEWS
++While a cross-section of college presidents have voiced
opposition to President Barack Obama’s proposed scorecard
for U.S. colleges, leaders of some public schools are emerging as advocates. They say the measure will showcase the
value they offer while stemming the distribution of federal
loans and grants to so-called diploma mills that saddle students with debt and poor job prospects.
++Harvard can afford to charge low-income families only
$1,533 because it’s sitting on an endowment worth
$1,240,548 per student. A 5 percent return on that money —
and Harvard historically has earned about 12 percent — would
generate $62,027 a year, more than enough to cover the
$59,950 sticker price for a year at Harvard. It makes you
wonder why the school charges lower-income students any
tuition at all…. Princeton and Yale both have even bigger
endowment per student ratios than Harvard, but charge lowand middle-income students double, triple, or quadruple as
much. What’s with that? (Washington Monthly, 8/25/14)
++Harvard University announced in September the largest gift in its history: $350 million to the School of Public
Health, from a group controlled by a wealthy Hong Kong
family, one member of which earned graduate degrees at the
university.
++During her 17-minute speech at Mount Holyoke College’s
(MA) convocation, President Lynn Pasquerella stopped twice,
tears in her eyes. After announcing that the women’s college had adopted a formal policy to admit transgender women,
Ms. Pasquerella was overcome with emotion as students
erupted in applause and rose to a standing ovation.
++As of spring 2015, Paul Smith’s College, a private, fouryear college located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New
York, will officially offer a minor in “craft-beer studies.” And
if the current cultural climate is any indication, it’s sure to
be a popular course of study.
NATIONAL FALL COLLEGE FAIRS
National College Fairs and Performing and Visual Arts
College Fairs allow students to interact with admission
representatives from a wide range of postsecondary institutions to discuss course offerings, admission and financial aid requirements, college life in general, and other information pertinent to the college selection process. http:/
/www.nacacnet.org/Pages/default.aspx (bookmark this
website for monthly checking) Click on “College Fairs”,
then on “Fall National College Fair Schedule” under “FOR
STUDENTS, PARENTS AND COUNSELORS”.
Website is free and open to the public. If interested, also
click on “Performing and Visual Arts Fair Schedule.”
ALSO listed early for the first time, you can now checkout the 2015 “Spring National College Fair Schedule.”
October 2014
The College Connection Newsletter
FINDING THE RIGHT ACADEMIC FIT
(“TAG Readers’ Forum” 7/17/13)
How comfortable are you around water? Are you a strong swimmer or do you struggle to keep your head above water?
Are you comfortable venturing into the deeper water or do you prefer to wade into shallow water as long as the bottom
is visible and the footing is certain? The same approach might be true as you assess your comfort level with different
academic environments in search of a good college “fit.” You will fit best in environments where your ability and
preparation enable you to rise to new levels of challenge. Compare your credentials with those of students who are
already enrolled at the college you are considering. You can do this by looking at the Admission Profile for that school’s
most recent entering class. If your scores and GPA fall within the top quartile of those reported on the school’s profile,
it’s a safe bet you will be able to achieve academically at that school. While not a guarantee of admission, it is reassurance that you are looking at the right place.
TOP TEN COLLEGE MYTHS
“The Bridge Project National Report,” Stanford University
(Based on information culled from students, parents, and educators in six states)
Myth No. 1: I can’t afford college.
Reality: Students and parents regularly overestimate the
cost of college when need-based grants and merit scholarships are taken into account.
Myth No. 2: I have to be a stellar athlete or student to get
financial aid.
Reality: Most students receive some form of financial aid,
which includes loans and work study programs.
Myth No. 3: Meeting high school graduation requirements
will prepare me for college.
Reality: Adequate preparation for college usually requires
a more demanding curriculum than is reflected in minimum high school graduation requirements, sometimes even
if that curriculum is termed “college prep.”
Myth No. 4: Getting into college is the hardest part.
Reality: For most students, the hardest part is completing
college.
Myth No. 5: Community colleges don’t have academic
standards.
Reality: Students usually must take placement tests at community colleges to qualify for
college-level work.
Myth No. 6: It’s better to take easier classes in high school
and get better grades.
Reality: One of the best predictors of college success is
taking rigorous high school classes. Getting good grades in
lower-level classes will not prepare students for collegelevel work.
Myth No. 7: My senior year in high school doesn’t matter.
Reality: The classes students take in their senior year will
often determine the classes they are able to take in college
and how well prepared they are for those classes.
Myth No. 8: I don’t have to worry about my grades or
what classes I take until my sophomore year.
Reality: Many colleges look at sophomore grades, and in
order to enroll in college-level courses, students need to
prepare well for college. This means taking a well-thoughtout series of courses starting no later than ninth or 10th
grade.
Myth No. 9: I can’t start thinking about financial aid until
I know where I’m going to college.
Reality: Students need to file a federal aid form before
most colleges send out acceptance letters. This applies to
students who attend community colleges, too, even though
they can apply and enroll in the fall of the year they wish to
attend.
Myth No. 10: I can take whatever classes I want when I
get to college.
Reality: Most colleges and universities require students to
take placement exams in core subject areas. Those tests
will determine the classes students can take.
HIDDEN MESSAGES
Dear Dad,
$chool is really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can’t think of
anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.
Love, Your $on
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------Dear Son,
I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt
forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.
Love, Dad
October 2014
Page 7
The College Connection Newsletter
Looking Behind the Essay Prompts
(Bestcollegefit.com, August 28, 2014)
Sometimes, the simplest prompts such as “Why do you want to attend this school?” or “Explain your choice of a college
major” can prove to be more challenging than you might think. At first glance one’s interest in a school should be selfevident—shouldn’t it? The place looks good, feels good and has everything you need. What more can you say? And,
about that major—it’s easy to talk about a life-long desire to become a teacher or a doctor or an engineer. But, what if
that career direction isn’t so clear? So then, it is important to consider the context behind the questions for insight into
how you might attempt to answer in order to create a compelling statement about you, the applicant. Instead of justifying
your interest in a place because it is highly ranked, has a beautiful campus and is in an urban area, how can you make the
case that you are intrigued by the manner in which the curriculum is organized, instruction is offered and students are
engaged? Colleges often ask such questions in order to learn more about you and how you are thinking about your
education. One admissions dean has said, “I want applicants to demonstrate that they ‘get it’—that they understand why
my institution would be a good fit for them. We want to measure both the sincerity of interest and the intentionality.” In
response to the essay prompts, do you come across as someone who is thoughtfully engaged and analytically involved—
who is fully self-aware and has carefully researched distinctions between programs in search of the best fit? Or is your
application merely the product of an expectation that your credentials should be justly rewarded by admission to that
institution? The essay needs to reveal a deeper understanding of who you are, what you think, and how you think within
the context of the question. Try to demonstrate that your understanding of your intended major is more than superficial.
What is your current engagement with the subject matter by virtue of extending reading and/or experiential learning? If
you don’t have a clear academic interest, write about how you value opportunities to think critically and explore broadly.
After all, the college experience should do more than train you for a career. It should make you a more educated person.
As long as you remember that the essay is about you, you’ll be on the right track.
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October 2014