College Connectors

Tiger Mom suggests balance

2011-05-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

Last Friday morning, I had the pleasure of meeting Amy Chua at a professional conference of Independent Educational Consultants in Philadelphia. Amy, aka, Tiger Mom, agreed to present her parenting experiences, successes and failures with us and compare her perceptions of average Chinese parenting with average American parenting.

At one point in her remarks she identified three parenting dimensions where she believes false distinctions are often made.

False Dichotomy #1: Children can be either successful or happy, not both.

Doing what we want when we want doesn't necessarily bring happiness. Being successful at something we don't like doesn't bring happiness either. Her claim is that one has little to do with the other. When parents don't expect their children to study, practice, or achieve by using the excuse "we want them to be happy", they're mistaken.

We sometimes see this dimension playing out when students are selecting senior year courses. A student may say that they don't want to take any more math after 11th grade, or that they don't want to take a 4th or 5th year of a foreign language. Parents want their children to be happy, so they sign the enrollment slip without insisting on additional academic work. However, when the child then wants to apply to selective colleges, or earn scholarship money, other sources of happiness, they find out that they're not competitive. Students who continue to challenge themselves academically through their junior and senior years can be happy and successful. They may have had to defer their happiness a little, but they have both: happiness and success. Balance is key.

False Dichotomy #2: Students can either be creative or hardworking.

I've heard parents claim that their child shouldn't be penalized for not completing homework assignments, because it's too boring and their child's creativity prohibits them from finishing mundane tasks.

Successful creative people are disciplined, persistent and hard working. A painter friend of mine works 10 hours a day for months creating pieces for a gallery show. His annual income depends on the success of the show. We all need to learn the importance of completing tasks. Some writers describe their work day; they write for several hours every morning whether or not they feel like it. Writers, artists, musicians, business executives, scientists, successful artists of any kind likely are both creative and hardworking. Balance is key.

False Dichotomy #3: Children can either have a happy, carefree childhood or get into a great college, not both.

If a child has had no expectations of success or achievement during the elementary and middle school years and starts high school without having developed a work ethic, he/she can be overwhelmed when college planning hits. In about 10th grade, when they sit for the PLAN or PSAT tests and start feeling the pressure of preparing for college, students can experience an inordinate amount of stress, stress their carefree childhoods have not prepared them for. The college stakes can be high. Students may struggle if they haven't learned to budget their time or prioritize their work. Students who are incrementally expected to accept more and more responsibility through out their childhood and early teen years have practice handling pressure and coping with stress. Carefree children who've practiced age appropriate skills of hard work usually reap the rewards of a positive college admissions experience. Balance is key.

Not sure what is the opposite of Tiger Mom, but extremes aren't the key to success, balance is.

What do the numbers 457 and 38 have to do with college advising?

2011-04-07T12:56:00.001-07:00

This week I read a post on the US News and World Report blog. There's some great advice about how students can make the most of the time they get to spend talking with their school counselors about their college search and applications. The Boy Scout motto: BE PREPARED comes to mind.

The goal of every school counselor I know is to help every student as much as they can. With an average student load of 457 to 1, according the the National Center for Educational Statistics, a research study conducted by a University of California professor estimates that on average counselors have 38 minutes per student per year to advise on college related matters.

I suspect this causes frustrations for parents, students and for the counselors themselves. The president of NACAC, Mr. Miller provides specific advice on how students can make the most of those precious minutes. He suggests that students talk to their counselors about their own specific personal characteristics and preferences and let the counselor help them narrow down their list. Absolutely. There's not just one right college for each student. There are a set of colleges where a student would likely thrive and succeed. Also, rather than picking a college and then trying to contort oneself into fitting into the mold, it's much better to find the college that fits you naturally.

We've found that students often need help identifying their preferences and specific personal characteristics that then can be matched to an appropriate set of colleges. Teens aren't often knowledgeable about topics like their learning styles. They might be able to articulate why they like a certain teacher or course and then with assistance, they can draw some conclusions about themselves and then what colleges might work for someone with their strengths. Also, teens aren't often too knowledgeable about the world of colleges. They maybe know something about a few colleges near their homes, and of course, probably know now that Bulter University is in Indianapolis, but getting to the nitty-gritty of college characteristics takes time and exploration.

Considering the 457/38 figures, the US News blogger suggests that students and their families could benefit from some outside help. Of course, we agree. It's important for families to vet private counselors their considering hiring to work with their children. We suggest the IECA guidelines as questions to ask prospective private counselors.

College Rejections - Please Be Kind

2011-03-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

Not so many years ago, high school seniors spent the last weeks of March anxiously checking the mailbox for the "fat envelope" to arrive, signaling acceptance to one of the 3-4 colleges to which they'd applied. Those with cars might dash home during lunch period to check the mail mid-day, while students with a mom at home called to see if there was any news.

Colleges still send those acceptance envelopes; sometimes they even arrive by FedEx. Some aren't even envelopes but parcels with tee shirts, posters, or car decals. But by the time the acceptance letter arrives in most households, the student already knows the admissions decision. They've checked it online. Entire chat rooms and Facebook pages spread the news virally that First Choice College has emailed its responses. Servers occasionally are overloaded by applicants flooding the college system with logins, searching for the earliest answer. The wait ends earlier, instantly, while looking at a computer screen or smartphone, maybe while surrounded by friends, maybe while standing alone in a corner of the high school parking lot.

Part of what can get missed in the email correspondence is the student reply to the college. Students, and parents, are eager to respond to the college the student plans to attend, ready to send the deposit, excited to learn about housing and orientation. But what about those other colleges? Their admissions staffs are now waiting to hear from you, checking the mailbox daily, hoping the countless hours that they spent reviewing essays and transcripts, trying to build a great first year entering class, will result in acceptances from the college's top choice - you!

There are many reasons that colleges want you to let them know if you are enrolling elsewhere. They need to manage their budgets, including their financial aid budgets. They need to plan for housing and first year seminars. There are students on the waitlist, eager to hear if there is room for them. Many schools track overlap schools, learning more about future applicants through information about which schools accepted applicants opted to attend.

Are you going to leave them wondering, like a date that seemed to go well but then is never heard from again? There's really only one reason why you need to take the time to say thank you, but no, to the schools you are rejecting. It's just rude not to respond. Slow down for a few minutes; think about the care and energy that was invested by each college in determining that you were indeed a good match for their school. Then email a note, fill out the response card, or handwrite a thank you. Be direct but be kind; let them down easy. It's the right thing to do.

Admissions Letters begin to appear in Minneapolis mailboxes!

2011-03-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Early letters from schools like Muhlenberg, St. Olaf, Wash U and Vandy have arrived in the mailboxes of our Minneapolis families. Congratulations to all! Once you have all of your acceptances and financial aid/scholarship offers, it will be DECISION time. Here are some other thoughts. It's certainly appropriate to grieve your denials and celebrate your acceptances. We advise waiting until the despair/euphoria die down before making your final decision.

Does a social media presence affect college admissions decisions?

2011-03-10T10:21:00.001-08:00

Thanks to the movie, The Social Network, now even most 50-somethings and older know about Facebook. We're often asked how a student's facebook presence and activity, appropriate or inappropriate photos and posts, and friends' posts might affect a student's chances for college admissions.

Claims that questionable Facebook posts and photos can ruin a student's college chances are highly over rated. As you'll learn in this video, most college admissions officers are so swamped with work, they have no time to even think about checking applicants' Facebook pages.

However, there are cases when a the social media presence of a student can influence college decisions. If you're a recruited athlete, in the running for a selective scholarship, have been suspended from school, or if you are applying for admission to a program where there are lots more applicants than seats, you might get 'googled'.

Here's the link to an interview on KARE 11 discussing this issue.

College Admissions Statistics - What do they mean for you?

2011-02-14T08:33:00.000-08:00

84% of students apply to fewer than 7 colleges. What should your number be?

21% of students are denied admission to their first choice college. What good is a first choice college?

Of those admitted to their first choice school, 40% didn't end up attending. Why?

About half of all students go to college within 100 miles of their home. What about you?

These issues were discussed the morning on the KARE 11 Sunrise show. Here's Kim Insley's interview with Valerie Broughton, College Connectors.

Rigor Matters

2011-02-09T16:23:00.000-08:00

Students are getting the message that the rigor of their high school courses matters.

The College Board administers Advanced Placement tests each spring to high school students. most all of whom enrolled in the corresponding Advanced Placement course in their high school during the school year.

Students who study subjects with the AP curriculum enjoy several benefits. First of all, when admissions personnel review their transcripts, the admissions staff are assured that students have taken the most challenging coursework their high school has to offer. Success in rigorous high school curriculum is the #1 item selective colleges consider in selecting their freshmen class.

Another advantage accrues to students who earn a score of 3 or higher on their AP exam. Many colleges award college credit to students who score a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP test. The range of exam scores is 1-5.

Lastly, a recent report found that success on these AP exams predicts college success, especially freshman to sophomore retention.

Nationally, there's been a 6% increase in the number of public school students who "pass" AP exams and in the state of Minnesota, that increase is 8%. Currently, 16.8% of high school seniors in Minnesota take and score at least a 3 on at least one AP exam.

We're thrilled that students are getting the message that there's value in challenging themselves by taking rigorous courses in high school.

How far would you go to take your ACT?

2011-02-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting brief the other day in this week's issue of Bloomberg Businessweek. Not typical reading for an Independent Educational Consultant, I know. Never know where you're going to stumble on a bit of helpful information.

The story describes the path Chinese students take to reaching acceptance into American colleges and universities. You see, the SAT isn't offered in mainland China. I suspect the ACT isn't either. So, Chinese students need to fly to Hong Kong or South Korea or somewhere it is offered in order to meet the testing requirements for U.S. Colleges and Universities. That made me wonder, how far would a typical American teenager would go to prepare himself for his college applications?

The point of this post is that U. S. students should know who they're competing with during the college admissions season. A student would need to be pretty determined to be willing to hop on a plane to take a college entrance exam. Or they'd need to be pushed pretty hard(can you say Tiger Mom?) and/or they'd have to have the cash to fund the trip.

Fact is, the number of Chinese undergraduates in the U.S. is 400 % higher than it was 5 years ago. Bloomberg Businessweek reports that U.S. college admissions personnel are working hard to recruit China's best-qualified, full-paying applicants. Did you know that Chinese families with high school aged children are limited to only one-child? Thus, middle class families In China might be able to afford tuition that exceed what an average American family can afford.

Colleges and testing companies see students living on mainland China as a huge untapped market. The number of high school graduates in the U. S. is declining. Know your competition!

Application Progress Update

2010-12-09T16:16:00.001-08:00

December's a busy month for everyone: students, families and educational consultants. College Connectors is happy to reveal that 90% of the seniors we're working with have already submitted all or some of their college applications. We took a break today to decorate for Christmas. Over the past few years we've collected 60 college themed Christmas tree ornament.

Advice from Freshmen

2010-10-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

We've been keeping in touch with college freshmen who worked with us during high school on their college searches. They each went through a thorough process of learning about themselves, and learning about colleges in order to find schools where they "fit"! They're willing to share with you: what surprised them about college life. Read what these three students say -

I'm adjusting well to life away from home, and my living conditions are very nice. I have an freshman housing apartment a couple miles off campus, which is nice, the only problem is living off campus, but I'm doing my best. The football team is doing great, undefeated going into the homecoming game this Saturday. My classes are going well, the biggest thing to adjust to is the tests but I've been doing fairly well for myself. So far it looks like I made the right decision coming down here, so thank you so much for your help, hope to keep in touch.

Hi!! Everything is going well. I miss home but I love the school and the people here. The surprising thing about college is the amount of homework I have to get done.

Things are going very well! The marching band is super crazy here but a ton of fun. Also, my classes are going really well, I haven't been stressed at all. But we'll see how far that goes. I would say the most surprising part about college is finding out how much time you have during the day to do whatever you want. Also, some people are just so afraid to be weird or be more of themselves even if they don't know the people around them. I will say it's nice to decide what I want to do without having to clear it with someone.

What have you found to be most surprising about college?

Independent College Counselors

2010-10-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

Our business is helping students and their families through the maze of college admissions. We love our work.

There have been several recent web based articles about the relationships between families and independent college counselors. In this blog, I'll talk about why we believe families benefit from working with private admissions counselors and then highlight two additional pieces, one on how to find a consultant, and the other on how to evaluate the quality of a consultant. Lastly, I'll provide a link to the IECA list of suggested questions to ask a college consultant before you retain their services.

The success rate of college students in the United States shocks many people. The fact that 25% of all freshmen fail to return to the college where they enthusiastically enrolled as freshmen causes problems for students, families and for colleges. Top educational consultants eliminate the gap between what students expect at college, and what college is really like, therefore maximizing their success. Instead of just identifying colleges where a student can "get in", a good consultant finds colleges from which a student is likely to graduate.

Colleges differ from one another in many ways. Students and parents need factual information about those differences. The facts may not coincide with their assumptions. Finding colleges where students can thrive and succeed is key to student success and to a consultant's success.

A college education is a major financial investment. Few families make large financial investments without guidance from qualified, ethical professionals. Top educational consultants have experience, commitment to professional development, and membership in organizations that pride themselves on vetting top-notch, ethical professionals: IECA, HECA and AICEP.

The higher education correspondent at MPR recently provided guidance to families on how to go about locating an independent college counselor. Read what Alex Friedrich suggests.

Lynn O'Shaughnessy spoke with three prominent college consultants, members of IECA and HECA, recently and had this to say about how to select a college counselor.

Here's the list of questions IECA suggests you ask prospective consultants.

College Transition Tips for Students and Parents

2010-09-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

This morning, College Connectors consultant, Valerie Broughton, and Tim McNiff, KARE11, discussed what parents of freshmen can do to help their teens successfully move from home to college and what freshmen can do to help themselves successfully move from high school student to college student.

Tim asks great questions, and brings a parent's eye to the issue.

You can watch and listen to the interview here.

Based on your experience, what advice do you have for Parents and for Freshmen?

Got Tests?

2010-09-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

There's a recent article in the New York Times discussing whether students should take/retake the ACT/SAT. There's lots of information available about this issue. The college admissions consultants at College Connectors consider the testing piece of the admissions puzzle very carefully. Here's our answers to the questions:

ACT or SAT?

How many times should you retake it?

First of all, we live in the Midwest - what some people describe as the Fly-Over part of the US. Of course, that's where the ACT people live too. So, we've never thought the ACT was inferior.

We let people know off the bat that colleges will consider the results of either the ACT or SAT in their admissions decision and to reinforce what others have said, test scores aren't the most important part of the admissions decision anyway.

We advise students and parents that the goal of the either test is to get a score that accurately reflects a student's ability. We sincerely suggest to parents: "The goal is NOT for your teen to have a score you can brag about at a cocktail party".

With this guidance, we suggest students pick one test, a test date that's convenient for them, prepare for the test starting about 6/8 weeks ahead of time, and plan on taking the test once.

Preparation can take lots of forms: buy a book and go through it on your own, take a class, hire a tutor, create a study group with your friends. Whatever, just prepare. We don't think that taking the test officially one time 'just for practice' counts.

Of course, there are times when even we suggest a retake. For example, if the student was ill and couldn't concentrate and scored lower than we'd predict based on their PSAT, PLAN and/or grades, he should retake it. Or, if one of her scores was way out of range compared to the others(ACT sub scores that is), she can think about retaking it.

Most importantly, however, if the student is applying to a college that offers merit scholarships, a retake might be necessary. Consider the case of a student with a 27 ACT score. If the college awards $5000/year to a student with a 27, and $10,000/year to a student with a 28, another stab at the test, another Saturday morning, and the $$ cost of retaking the test could have a great financial payoff and is warranted. The ROI potential in this case is $20,000. Not bad for an 18 year old and a few hours of work. Remembering all the time that it's just as easy to score one point lower as it is to score one point higher.

According to our research, the classes a student takes and the grades they get in high school are more important to colleges than test scores. The pieces of the college search puzzle need to fit together. An over-sized testing piece won't help the solution.

Advice to Help Parents Help their College Freshmen

2010-09-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

Labor Day - the day when summer vacation officially ends and the school year begins. No matter if school started 3 weeks ago, or two weeks from now, transitions surround Labor Day.

Seniors are making final decisions about where to apply to college and maybe working on essays.
Juniors are starting what some describe as 'the hardest year in high school' and maybe preparing for their upcoming PSAT test.
Sophomores are starting the year as an experienced high school student and maybe taking their first AP class.
Freshman might be described as resembling 'deer in the headlights' as they navigate a new school and maybe develop confidence as they survive.

What about those kids who excitedly walked across the stage last June tossing their mortar boards in the air, proud that they accomplished their high school requirements? Transitions abound for them too. Some are heading for work, some are taking a year off as a 'gap year' traveling or studying, and most are likely heading for a new educational experience - COLLEGE.

I was motivated to post this blog because of an interesting week we had. We help high school students and their families through the college search and application process, looking for the right match college for each student. Last week, we heard from lots of parents who had just dropped off their new college freshman child. Some parents were sad, some were happy, most were relieved, one or two were hysterical. Letting go brings on a variety of reactions. Some parental reactions are related to the child's needs, some to college life in general, and some to a specific characteristic of the college. Lots of reactions can be directly traced to parent concerns or insecurities.

Those new college freshman have lots of challenges, and maybe, some fun facing them. I was impressed by some advice for parents I read recently, advice about how to help kids make the switch from high school student to college freshman and how to make the change from living at home to living away. The advice is for how to help students, but I like the message it sends to parents. I consider this a great article that Helps Parents Help their College Freshman. That's the title I would have given it. The Washington Post newspaper gave it a different title . If you have a college freshman or know someone who does - this one's for you.

Fostering Adoption Law and College Expenses

2010-08-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

Most people don't know about Public Law 110-84: The Fostering Adoption to Further Student Achievement Act. This act became law as an amendment to the College Cost Reduction and Access Act.

With all the talk about affordability of higher education - or lack of affordability to be more precise, I want people to know about this opportunity to help families with adopted children. It might be your family, or the family of a friend. The more people who know about this, the better.

Providing adoptive homes for children is tough enough, providing homes for teens is nearly impossible. One of several reasons cited for difficulty placing teens is that parents realize that the cost of providing a necessary college education for their children will be a challenge to the family budget. It's hard enough for families to save, even when they have 18 years lead time. Consider that families adopting a 13 year old teen only have 5 years to plan.

In order to eliminate this hurdle or impediment facing families who wanted to welcome teens needing families into their homes, the Fostering Adoption Act was introduced, debated and passed. It may not affect millions of families, but if it helps even tens or hundreds of students, it will be well worth the effort.

The nugget of gold in this bill provides opportunities for college aged students, who were adopted as teens, to apply for financial aid as independent students. This means that their families won't be expected to contribute to their college education which makes the student eligible for significant amounts of need based financial aid.

With this legislation, everyone wins:
- students find homes and educational opportunities
- families share their homes and hearts
- colleges provide opportunities for achievement oriented students
- society benefits from a better educated populace

Recently I had a chance to share this information with a colleague. Read the full article for a first hand example of the impact of this law.

College Visit - Montana State University

2010-07-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

The fourth and last stop of the Montana College tour is Montana State University located in the wonderful town of Bozeman.

Most impressive academically at MSU was the Academic Advising Center. Freshmen, undecided about their majors, are designated as ‘exploring students’ and assigned advisors in the center. These great advisers help students enroll in freshman classes that not only will fulfill requirements in most majors, but also, provide options for career exploration. I was so impressed with this program, I’d encourage all students enrolling at MSU to consider declaring themselves ‘undecided’.

A unique program at MSU, Champ Change, is designed to encourage students to get involved in on campus activities. The lure of the mountains is so strong that many students succumb to leaving campus for their non-academic activities. That’s ok, but on-campus involvement is more highly correlated with student success. So, the Champ Change program awards points for students attending lectures, concerts, sporting events and participating in intramural games or residence hall activities. Earn enough points and you can earn a $1000 scholarship.

We met the impressive Career Center Director who has a research based, developmental program, which if students took advantage of, would be very beneficial. The students on the panel we met with weren’t familiar with the Career Center.

I knew Montana State had a well-known and well-respected Engineering program. I was less familiar with the Photography and Film school. We met with a faculty member from the Film program who told us about the ‘Montana Mafia’ currently influencing the film industry in Los Angeles! Students can enroll in the fill program as freshmen, about 200 do. However, there’s room for only 48 students in the junior level courses. Very selective.

The tour ended at MSU. The week provided me with knowledge of Montana Colleges and lots of new friends.

College Visit - Montana Tech

2010-07-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

Third stop on the Montana College Tour was Montana Tech in Butte, MT. Butte is an old mining town with a claim to fame of being one mile high and one mile deep. Digger, the Tech mascot, attests to the mining history of the community and the college.

The most impressive feature of Montana Tech is the fact that they admit students from a variety of ability levels and those students are successful in their engineering fields. It appears that Montana Tech could be considered as a college that ‘changes lives’. The school provides opportunities and support for students interested in engineering who might not have opportunities elsewhere.

The admissions presentation focused on five themes, all of which were evidenced during our visit.

Tech is Quality Focused. They offer 21 degrees which includes study options in nine engineering fields. With only 2700 students, each student has plenty of opportunity to interact with faculty in classes and labs.

The second theme is Driven Students. The average ACT score of freshmen is 23, and yet 72% of them graduate. Students are active in their high schools and even more active on campus. The Admissions Office assigns an activity score to each applicant. The average high school activity score for enrolled freshmen is 5.2. The activity score is calculated for each student at graduation and the average is 6.7.

In addition to focusing on quality and driving themselves to succeed, Montana Tech students like real life experiences. They describe themselves as wanting to “do” science rather than “study” science. Students have either internships or jobs with engineering or other technical companies and also spend time on community projects helping the town of Butte. They compete in engineering competitions like mining, environmental engineering, human powered machines, bridge building, concrete canoe races and software engineering contests. Montana Tech bests teams from much larger, more selective colleges in these competitions.

The fourth feature of Montana Tech is the personal nature of the experience. The TLC(Tech Learning Center) supports all students with tutoring and other academic support easing the transition to college. Admissions representatives who establish relationships with students during their college search process follow Tech students through graduation, maintaining that relationship. All professors have agreed to measure student performance after 20 days into the semester so that students know if they’re in trouble and the faculty help students get the assistance they need. They joked that Tech students don’t need ‘helicopter parents’ because they have ‘helicopter advisers.’ Lastly, Tech is proud of their affordability. They offer scholarships to most of their students, from a $2800 scholarship for students with ACT scores between 20 and 24, to a $6000 scholarship to top students with ACT scores above 29.

Advice from the student panelists to incoming students is to retake the last math class you took in high school your first semester in college. For example, if a student took Calculus 1 as a senior in high schools and did well, their advice was to enroll in Calculus 1 in college. Getting a strong foundation in math increases the likelihood of success in all classes.

In summary, Montana Tech is a challenging institution for hand's on, success-oriented students.

College Visit - Carroll College

2010-07-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

Carroll College is a Diocesan Catholic College, in the capital of Montana, Helena. As a diocesan college they are independent of any religious order. The college is an important part of the Helena community.

The College requires all freshmen to enroll in their Alpha Seminar, a course devoted to maintain and build the culture on campus. The goals of this program are to connect students to the campus, connect students to each other and to introduce students to the skills required to be successful in college. They include understanding and acting on the values of a Catholic College, respecting each individual and the community, as important skills.

Most impressive was that the college community seemed to embrace the values they espoused. All of the students, Catholic, non-Christian and even students who described themselves as non-religious, participate in community building activities whether that be attending mass or devoting time to improving the campus, city or world communities.

Each residence hall area has three advisors. First is the traditional residence hall advisor responsible for community building and rule enforcement. Next is a Kirchen Advisor, who is responsible for helping students with their spiritual development. Lastly, there is a Technology Advisor in each hall available to help with computer issues on the spot.

They are very proud of their championship Forensic and Football teams!

Also, Ralph Esposito, an art faculty member, is constructing a fascinating brick sculpture outside the library.

College Visit - University of Montana

2010-07-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

1^st stop on the Montana College Tour itinerary: University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. Patrick Grueller is the admissions representative for the state of Minnesota.

The campus is within easy walking and easier biking distance to the downtown. We watched folks enjoying the sunshine and Big Sky as they tubed down the River. The mascot is the mighty Grizzly Bear.

I was most impressed with the campus attention to student success. Academic Deans presented highlights of their programs to us. Unprompted, they acknowledged low retention and graduation rates and presented not only programs they’ve established to improve student success, but also set and published an easily measurable quantitative goal. This brave action, rare on the part of academic administrators, implies that they’re serious about improving and willing to let the public, parents, and students hold them accountable for achieving this goal. The Early Alert system will identify, within the first few weeks of each semester, which students are having academic difficulties. Those students will be contacted by an adviser and offered the assistance they’ll need to turn around their low grades. I know that other schools try to do this. The difficulty in accomplishing a successful Early Alert system is that many faculty don’t provide feedback to students until mid-semester when it’s very difficult to successfully intervene. The University of Montana officials assured us that the faculty will provide feedback after the first few weeks of the semester, in plenty of time to be helpful.

Most surprising to me was the high quality of the Journalism program as measured by student achievement. Montana offers wonderful educational and internship opportunities to journalism majors and those well prepared students have won numerous awards for their proficiency and professionalism. I consider this program a hidden gem.

At the PEAS farm (Program in Ecological Agriculture and Society) we learned about sustainability programs the Education program at the University, the City of Missoula, and the local Food Bank, jointly sponsor. The definition of sustainability they use is simple to understand and remember and powerful when implemented. Of course, it includes recycling and careful attention to energy use, but in it’s broadest sense, they believe we’ll sustain our world when all of our decisions take into account that: We’re bonded to each other and we’re bonded to the earth.

We met with a panel of students who offered this advice to all incoming freshmen:

Believe it when they tell you that in college you have to study!

The campus has a strong commitment to providing opportunities to Native American students, probably the strongest program I’ve seen on any campus. The level of understanding of the needs of Native students and the respect for the many local tribes provides for a high quality program.

Next Stop - Carroll College.

Faculty Ask: Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admissions

2010-07-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

There's a new book coming out next month: Higher Education? How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids - and What We Can Do About It. It receives high praise from its early reviewers. (Not surprising, since early reviewers usually are friends of the authors.) Anyhow, I read a commentary by the authors Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus recently in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Based on my reading of the commentary, I suspect the book will be controversial: praised by critics of higher education and damned by those devoted to defending American higher education as it stands. I haven't read the book yet (I didn't get an early copy since I'm not pals of the authors and it's not available yet for purchase.) The commentary offers 9 proposals, recommendations for change that the authors believe could begin to "set things right". This blog will include reactions to the first 5 of these.

On the face of it, their ideas make sense. Probably all colleges and universities could benefit from discussions on the pros and cons of each suggestion, and by finding pieces of proposals they'd implement. It would be a huge accomplishment if Hacker and Dreifus accomplish serious discussions and debate on campuses. I bet college and university administrators, weary of attending Planning Retreats, would relish the opportunity to honestly debate Hacker and Dreifus' ideas. They'd need to be challenged to think creatively and free of fear of retaliation if they disagreed with someone higher up the food chain.

On more careful examination, the proposals seem to contradict each other on too many occasions. The authors are no doubt bright and experienced and eager to cause improvement higher education. They describe their experiences with colleges and students while researching their book. Their experiences are somewhat at odds with those of us who work day to day with students and families. The lack of internal consistency in their proposals troubles me.

Proposal #1 - Engage all students.

Who could disagree with that bold statement? They want better teaching. Certainly, it would be wonderful if all college professors(Let's apply this to kindergarten to high school teachers too while we're at it.) were conscientious, caring, and attentive to every corner of their classroom.

But then, they state unequivocally that all Americans can do college work. Debatable, but even if we stipulated to this statement, how does this mesh with the next proposal....

Proposal #2 - Make students use their minds.

Well, yes, of course. Within the rationale for this proposal, Hacker and Dreifus lament that 64% of undergraduate students are enrolled in vocational majors instead of the likes of "philosophy, literature, or the physical sciences". Does it follow then that all Americans are capable of earning undergraduate degrees in philosophy? Really?

Then they claim that "undergraduate years are an interlude...., a time to liberate the imagination... without worrying about a possible payoff". Really? Maybe in some idyllic, imaginary place, but not in the world that I know. Even students, whose parents can pay for their education as a philosophy major at a liberal arts college where teachers engage their students, have worries and peer and societal pressures and normal young adult developmental challenges to work through. Those whose families struggle to help with their costs have to juggle work, study, and a future of loan payments - hardly a worry free 4 years.

Proposal #3 - Replace tenure with multiyear contracts.

The authors were careful to avoid wording this recommendation as - eliminate tenure. They knew that would be a non-starter. The troubling part of their argument here for me is that they imply that our nation's faculty, the best and the brightest folks we have, those who likely did experience their undergraduate years as an interlude and many of whom did study non-vocational topics like philosophy, literature and physical science, can't be internally motivated to continue to do good work throughout their careers.

They claim that these best and brightest need to be motivated to do their best in the classroom by fear of losing their jobs. They claim that tenure eliminates reasons for faculty to improve their teaching. Are we to believe that tenure causes laziness or lazy, bright people chose the life of the mind as a faculty member? The value of tenure has been and will continue to be debated. Their argument seems weak in that it seems to contradict what they say about the value of achieving what's seen as "impractical studies" for all.

Proposal #4 - Allow fewer sabbaticals.

In most colleges and universities, tenured faculty members are eligible for a 'year off' every seven years for the purposes of pursuing their studies or research activities without the interference of teaching responsibilities. This can be a big expense to universities.

In reality, lots of faculty members can't afford to take sabbaticals. Usually, the time away from teaching responsibilities comes at less than full pay, while their mortgage payments remain the same. Then there are the costs of actually pursuing the sabbatical goals. Some faculty secure research stipends to help defray the costs.

The other side of this debate - sabbaticals should be encouraged for faculty to refresh their teaching curriculum and teaching skills. See proposals #2 and #4.

Proposal #5 - End exploitation of adjuncts.

Adjunct faculty are analogous to part time employees at a retail firm who do the same work as the regular, full time employees, but who get less pay and few to no benefits. Just as retail stores can hire part-timers because the job market provides few other options for the part-time employee, the university can hire adjuncts because there are more PhD educated people in some disciplines than there are jobs. Market forces are in effect in both situations.

What seems strange, maybe even ironic, about this situation is that many of the PhD educated people followed the advice Hacker and Dreifus offered in Proposals #1 and #2: provide opportunities for "impractical studies", the wisest of choices to chose "philosophy, literature or physical sciences". Lots of folks did that, and now they're adjuncts. Colleges pay adjuncts less than regular faculty. Most of Hacker and Dreifus' proposals indicate ways colleges should lower costs. This proposal would increase costs.

These responses to the proposals may appear critical. In reality, the work they've done bringing these topics to light provides value and hopefully, an impetus for reflection. What's needed as follow-up is a commitment to civil discourse on these topics inside the halls of colleges and universities. If that doesn't happen, then I suspect that the discussion will take place in the halls of government and in the halls of individual family homes where leaders and parents will still wonder about the cost of college.

TOP 10: What Colleges are Really Looking for in Applicants

2010-07-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

College Connectors participated in the recently released IECA 2010 survey of independent college consultants. The results reveal this year’s “Top Ten Strengths and Experiences Colleges Look for in High School Students.” While several items topping the list are unchanged despite the overheated college application process, there are a number of changes to the overall list as some items have made IECA’s list for the first time, others have fallen in importance, and a number of things that families believe to be critical don’t get anywhere close to making the list. The survey is conducted every few years, completed by hundreds of members of the Independent Educational Consultants Association.

As has been true for more than five years, a student’s academic performance in high school tops the list. Most important is a rigorous academic curriculum that challenges the student. While grades are important, educational consultants believe that demonstrating a willingness to challenge oneself is more important. Additionally, IECA members felt that grades need to show an upward trend—mediocre grades in the freshman year can be overcome by demonstrating that better grades came with maturity. According to IECA members, colleges want to know what type of student will be arriving on campus—not who the student was four years go.

According to College Connectors consultant Valerie Broughton, “What we learn most in viewing these results is that parents should avoid encouraging their teens to change themselves into what they think colleges seek but instead help teens learn to promote the best thing about themselves: whether that’s a willingness to challenge themselves in a difficult course, demonstrating passion for a particular subject, committing themselves to community service, or demonstrating leadership. A college application should present an accurate and authentic portrait of the student.”

“Solid SAT or ACT scores,” reflecting a consistency with academic achievement was #3 on the list. Terrific standardized tests are rarely enough to secure admission at a more competitive school. Some colleges even brag about the number of students with perfect SAT/ACT scores who are denied admission. Test scores should accurately reflect a student’s ability.

The importance of the application essay moved up since the last survey, perhaps reflecting the essay’s role as more colleges move to ‘test optional’ status. The essay was also seen as more important to private liberal arts colleges, as compared to large state universities. Donna Kelly, College Connectors consultant, emphasizes that the opportunity to include an essay, or personal statement, in the application packet is a gift, not a task. “The essay is the student’s time to tell their story, in their own words, emphasizing what they think is important for an admissions officer to know about them. Your grades and test scores are static; make your essay a dynamic piece of the puzzle!"

Debuting on this year’s list at #8 is “demonstrated leadership in activities.” Much has been discussed in recent years about colleges seeking students who will contribute in a meaningful way to campus life. The appearance of this on the IECA list underscores this growing desire. “Demonstrated intellectual curiosity” (#9) remains an important item, particularly with those schools with more competitive admissions. Rounding out the top ten is “demonstrated enthusiasm to attend,” an item that first appeared on the IECA list just a few years ago. This reflects the college admissions office concern over their yield: wanting to offer admission only to those who seem serious about enrolling. Broughton cautions: “Colleges want to know that students have a serious interest in the college rather than just a curious question about whether or not they can be admitted.”

Just missing the top ten list: “financial resources” (despite the economy) and “out of school experiences.” This latter item fell off the top ten list, although “special talents and abilities” (#7) remained. There has been considerable buzz in the admission community in recent months about the trend toward creative applications with videos or other unique components, but this placed far down, well out of IECA’s top ten list. Also relegated to a status of far less importance by IECA educational consultants were several items thought by the general public to be important to decision-making: the personal interview, being a legacy (family member of an alumnus), and demonstrations of responsibility as being far less important in the current admission climate.

The full list just released, can be found at TOP 10. This list offers great advice for families looking to understand the nature of college admission and is also used by school districts and many others.

Student Indebtedness

2010-06-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

I've been involved in several discussions lately about the benefits and dangers associated with students borrowing money to pay for their college educations.

Comment #1: My niece is crazy. She's borrowed $90K to finance her doctorate in Physical Therapy.

Comment #2: What's the maximum an undergraduate can borrow in educational loans?

Comment #3: Where can a family go to find out the starting salaries of various occupations so that the student can see what % of his salary he'll have to pay each month to pay off his student loans?

These are all important and pressing issues for students and families. Paying for college is one of the puzzle pieces necessary for a successful college search. It has many components and can be confusing. A great primer for learning about student loans can be found on a website we regularly recommend.

A few complications related to the comments listed above sparked my interest.

First, what would the PT student be doing if she hadn't borrowed money to pursue her education and preferred career choice?

And, of course, most of us have read articles in newspapers or magazines periodically decrying students who have been duped into borrowing over $100K to finance their educations. To be a 23 year old with $100K in debt is an alarming situation. The government allows students to borrow about $23K in guaranteed student loans during their undergraduate years. Above that amount, the kids are getting their money somewhere else. Where? Banks? What bank do you know that will lend a student 10s of thousands of dollars with no collateral? OK, so maybe they need their parents to co-sign. These may be some of the same parents who borrowed money for a home with no down-payment, no ability to pay and no concept of indebtedness. We'd hope that the practice of lending money to people with no ability to pay has ended.

Where else can unemployed young adults pursuing college borrow money? It seems that some colleges may have funds they lend to students with few questions asked.

However, some of the $100K writers claim student's have borrowed is actually debt in the parents name. Parents can borrow up to the cost of attendance through the PLUS loan program. That debt is in the parents name, not the student's name. This term is very clearly stated in the borrowing documents. So it doesn't matter what arrangements, understandings, or agreements parents have with their children, if a PLUS loan doesn't get paid back, that debt is reflected on the parents credit rating.

This situation is exemplified in an article from the New York Times. Some readers think that NYU is terrible for allowing this to happen. Others blame the government for allowing a family to borrow this much money. Others think it's ridiculous for a student with this major to borrow any money considering her earning potential may be limited. Others think that it's reasonable to assume that the mother, a business owner, would understand credit, and hold her responsible for her and her daughter's plight. Still others blame the University for not holding their expenses down and allowing their costs to explode over the last 10 years.

Some conclude that paying for private education is ridiculous and all students should attend their state universities. The trouble with that idea is that there aren't enough spots at public universities for everyone who wants to go to college. One current trend worth watching is that as public university applications increase as families look for more affordable options, the selectivity of those schools increases, making attendance at public universities unreachable for average students.

College is expensive. There's no doubt. It's really up to each family to decide, based on their values, what's reasonable. This is definitely one instance where "ONE SIZE DOESN'T FIT ALL". It's generally accepted that families should not use their retirement funds to pay for college. It's also generally accepted that a person with a college degree has a much greater earning potential over a lifetime that someone without a degree.

The purpose of this post is to raise issues. There aren't easy answers. Selecting the right set of colleges considering the Student, Success Factors, College Characteristics and Affordability is likely the best approach for making reasoned decisions about college.

Solving the College Admissions Puzzle - Seminar

2010-06-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

Parents have lots of questions about college admissions and how to best help their teen find and apply to the right set of colleges. You can search the internet, read blogs, watch TV shows, listen to your friends and neighbors, and still have questions specific to your situation. You want the personal attention of an experienced college counselor.

Valerie Broughton and Donna Kelly, College Connectors consultants, are presenting a workshop for parents on June 23 at Hopkins High School at 7:00. The workshop will address a complete array of issues that concern families as they approach the college admissions and application tasks: admissions tests, references, essays, choosing the right college, and high school curricular decisions. The seminar is free and in conjunction with an opportunity for your teen to take a PSAT/SAT/ACT practice test. There will be a follow-up session the next week, June 30, focusing on the Top 10 - What Colleges look for in Applicants and College Scholarships and Financial Aid.

Here's more information on the seminar series. Get your questions ready.

See you Wednesday night!

8 Habits of Successful College Students

2010-06-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

Dick Light, Harvard Professor, talked to us at the HECA convention earlier this week. He reported the results of years of research investigating what makes some students successful in college while others struggle. Here's the list:

1. Establish a relationship with at least one faculty member each semester.

2. Take one course each semester that covers something new and interesting to you.

3. Make friends with students who have different backgrounds, beliefs and experiences than you do.

4. Connect what you're learning in class with what's going on in your life or in the world.

5. No matter how successful you were in high school, you need to develop better study and better time management strategies.

6. Try new activities to develop new interests while continuing with activities you know you enjoy and are good at.

7. Be sure to find something to participate in, some extra-curricular activity or community service project.

8. Remember YOYO - You're On Your Own.

There are lots of ups and downs the first year of college. Here are some additional tips.

College Visits - shopping or buying trips

2010-06-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Parents often ask, "When's the best time to take my child on college visits?" My quick answer is, "Whenever you can". Fall or summer or spring or winter, whatever works into your busy family schedule, that's the best time.

College Visits fall in to two categories, shopping or buying visits.

Shopping visits take place during the sophomore and junior year and are best designed to help students clarify the criteria they want in a college. Here are three helpful questions students can be asking themselves at this stage in their search:

What do I like about this college?
What do I dislike about this college?
What questions do I have about this college?

Students limit the value of visits when they ask themselves the single question: Do I want to apply here?

Criteria can be clarified by visiting colleges that may or may not make it to a student's final college list. That's why I recommend that in 10th and 11th grade, students and their families take advantage of local college visits. Even if a student has committed herself to the "2 state away rule"*, visiting colleges in her back yard can help identify college characteristics that will make a campus a good match or not.

The importance of the idea of shopping visits is exemplified by the recommendation we make for all of our Minnesota students. We recommend that they participate in the Minnesota Private College Week. This year, June 21-25 is the week. During this week, all of the private colleges in Minnesota open their doors to prospective students. There's a variety of schools in this group: rural, urban, suburban/religiously affiliated or not/selective to vary selective/liberal arts to programs with career options...... Throw in a visit the the University of MN and a mid-size public university and students will have visited a very wide variety of campuses. With this knowledge and experience, they can move towards clarifying the criteria that are important to them, based on experience, rather than just based on assumptions. This investigation period is crucial to a successful college search.

Buying visits take place once a student is admitted to college. That's during the senior year. By this time, students should have in mind clear criteria of what they want in a college. During their shopping visits, they compare the colleges on the criteria important to them.

*2 state away rule - I'm going to a college at least two states away from where I live.

Happy Trails!

Pieces of the Financial Aid Puzzle

2010-05-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

A recent poll found that families are making decisions about college based on inaccurate information. There's lots of information available, but it may be hard to find and confusing to understand. Two articles in the Wall Street Journal recently help families sort through costs/financial aid and paying back student loans.

From the poll article, we hope families learn that the government has begun to require that colleges provide information comparing the "sticker price" to the "discounted price". The sticker price is the total cost of attendance as published by the college and includes tuition, room & board, books, travel and other miscellaneous expenses. The discounted price takes into account all of the scholarships and financial aid that colleges award to students. The specifications of how to calculate the discounted price so that families can compare the data across colleges are vague at this point. We'll be blogging about this further as new approaches are developed. The goal is to find an affordability index comparable across colleges that provides accurate information.

One of the most important items included in the Wall Street Journal articles is the notion of "Professional Judgment Review". That's a phrase that every family should know when talking with college and university financial aid officers. They have lots of discretion and it behooves families to have frank and open discussions with the financial aid office personnel.

Parents - College Admissions has changed. Tips for remaining calm.

2010-05-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

Parents are bombarded with information about how college admissions has changed since they were in school. True enough. For some folks, that news creates a hysteria. Macalester College advises their alumni to calm down and think ahead.

Donna Kelly, College Connectors consultant, offers helpful advice on how to navigate the maze and stress of finding the right set of colleges for each student and getting into them. Even more importantly, she advises.

The article discusses current admissions topics like: 'pronoun confusion', 'sticker price', and 'matchmaking'. How many applications should a student submit? The Understanding the Numbers heading in the Admissions Mania article addresses this topic too.

Congratulations to freelance writer, Laura Billings, and the Macalester Today editorial staff for providing helpful information to parents.

Unhappy with your Financial Aid Offer?

2010-04-08T11:25:00.001-07:00

Every family we know is considering college cost as an important factor in their child's college decision. Regardless of a family's ability to pay, they're all considering cost and value. As I mentioned yesterday, Net Cost is the most important number.

Families want to know what options they have when the Net Cost still seems impossible. Should they negotiate with a college to try to increase the amount of scholarship money offered? We discourage people from thinking of the discussion with financial aid officers as negotiation. Actually, what you want to do is ask the financial aid officer to reconsider your case and ideally you'll provide the college with new or additional information clarifying your situation. Including information about scholarship offers from other colleges may be part of that clarification.

Here's a great article - great, because I agree with all of it's points!

April is Decision Month

2010-04-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

In the College Admissions world, April is one of the most stressful months.

April 1 is the long awaited deadline by which colleges must notify students of their status. There are three categories: accepted, denied or wait-listed. Newspapers print selective college admissions rates. Students have until May 1 to make their decisions and send in their deposits.

Few students are admitted everywhere or denied everywhere. There are feelings of jubilation, disappointment and resignation with parents and teens moving back and forth as they try to sort things out. And there are decisions to be made.

Plus, there are scholarship and financial aid award letters to sort out. Some parents are swayed by the amount of scholarship a college offers their child. CAUTION: The amount of the scholarship is important, but not as important as the Net Cost. Net Cost is the difference between the Total Cost of Attendance and the scholarship(s) awarded.

My advice is to gather as much information as you can, participate in admitted student programs, evaluate your options and compare them to the criteria you used when you selected your application list. You've grown and matured since you submitted your applications in the fall, so some of your priorities may have changed. For almost all families, no matter their financial situation, the cost or value of the choices ranks highly in the list of important factors to consider.

For many students, this is one of the first major, adult decisions they've been involved in. It's a great learning opportunity.

Plus, remember - Graduation is right around the corner!

College Tuition Discounts - Really????

2010-03-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

For all of you who received your acceptance letters and financial aid awards - Congratulations. Now, you're faced with the nitty-gritty details of how to pay for it.

The results of a new survey released recently claim that Tuition Discounting reached record high levels - oh, but that was in 2008. What about 2010 and what is tuition discounting anyway.

Tuition discounting refers to the practice of colleges providing non-need-based scholarships to meritorious students. In other words, merit aid. Over 40% of aid colleges provide to students has nothing to do with whether or not their families can afford to pay.

Is this fair?
Some say yes: Students should be financially rewarded for high academic achievement just like athletes are for high athletic ability. I guess it's like parents paying $10/A on your report card.
Some say no: Most students with high academic achievement are already advantaged from families with above average incomes. More should be done to support needy students.

How about a compromise? How about awarding more aid to needy students with high academic achievement?

The study also points out that there are risks to universities that discount too much. Hmmm.

What do you think about tuition discounting?

Survey Results

Beware

2010-03-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Whether someone's trying to scare you about the danger of the Ides of March or about charlatan College Advisors, you always need to do your own research and draw your own conclusions.

The author of a Smart Money article titled her section in a way that tries to make you leery of people in the business of helping families through the college admissions process.

However, readers of the article will likely conclude that if your high school counselor has a load of more than 40-50 students, you're likely to need help. Unless a student is in a selective college preparatory high school, it's likely that the counselor has a caseload 8-10 times that large.

Also, readers learn that consultants who belong to the Independent Educational Consultants Association agree to a set of ethical standards that prohibit us from the types of promises and false claims that the article warns about. Further, it details that Certified Educational Planners willingly allow themselves to be evaluated and reviewed every five years, it's a very selective process.

So, I can summarize the key points of the article: Students from high schools where counselors are overloaded with students and non-college advising workloads can benefit by working with IECA member consultants who maintain their credential as a CEP.

Smart Money Article comments

Summer Job Prospects

2010-03-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal on March 10 had a great article about the summer job market for teens. We don't need anyone else telling us how tough the job market is. I thought the author had some great ideas. Here's a summary and a link to the article.

If at first you don't succeed; try, try again.

Now's the time to start looking for summer work. Apply everywhere and make sure to ask for work at places that focus on summer activities, like government-run youth programs, resorts and vacation spots, camps and amusement parks, child- and elder-care providers where replacements are needed for workers on vacation, moving, packing and lawn-care companies, landscapers. And, don't forget the regular places: movie theaters, restaurants and clothing or accessory stores.
Don't accept that nobody is going to hire a teenager - if you don't apply they sure aren't going to hire you.

Colleges prefer that students take overseas service trips rather than have a summer job.

What? Are you kidding? Colleges know that most of those exotic summer experiences, including leadership programs at top colleges, are opportunities for kids whose parents can pay. Actually, paid or volunteer work in your hometown shows grit and determination. Plus, it shows colleges that you're dependable enough to hold down a job.
Actually, colleges want to be sure that you're doing something other than sitting at home playing videogames or networking yourself socially all day long. Paid work, volunteer work, or one of those great summer experiences can be equally beneficial to your college application. The real value of the experience is what you learn from it and how you tell the story about what you learned, on your college application.

Think you're too cool to flip burgers?

One of my best summer jobs was the chief cook and bottle washer at the Tip Top Diner, a small cafe(accommodated 12 patrons at a counter!) specializing in chili dogs. It was real work, believe me, and I met interesting people. Maybe future employers never ate there, and maybe they never wanted to, but they learned that I could handle responsibility and get along with people and multi-task(stir the chili, flip the pancakes and ring up payment!!).
The point is that you never know what you're going to learn from a work situation. If it's honest work, try it.

Maybe you're an entrepreneur!

Mow lawns, shovel snow, do errands.... sell needed services to your neighbors and friends. What other chores do people need help with - wash cars, clean garages, wash windows, baby sit. The cash can add up. If you do good work, your customers will tell their friends. Heck, maybe you'll even have to hire other teens to help get all that work done. Hard physical labor is what people used to do before there we all went to the gym to work out.

Thanks to Sue Shellenbarger for her great WSJ article.

New Application Option - Let us Know What You Think

2010-02-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

There's something new in College Admissions seems like every day.

Check out this new optional application section introduced by Tufts University. Some people think this is a great way for a student to show strengths that might not be apparent on paper, others think it's a way to discriminate or give an edge to kids who have access to sophisticated video production resources.

Wonder if the 1 minute personal video will ever make it to the Top Ten list of factors colleges consider when deciding which students to admit.

Chosing courses for next year

2010-02-19T15:16:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when high schools require students to select their courses for next year. Many families lament that they have only limited guidance for making such important decisions.

One thing to keep in mind is that the courses students take and the grades they earn in high school are the top two factors colleges consider in their admissions decisions. Check out the Top Ten.

Many people are surprised that ACT/SAT test scores are not the top factor. In fact, the scores are number three and the number of colleges that are 'test optional' is growing.

Parents Only Want to Help

2010-02-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

How can parents help their teens with the college search and application package without going overboard?

Some parents might take over the process because they're concerned that their children don't communicate with them. Here are some Dos and Don't s for Parents:

DON'T:

discuss your child's ACT/SAT test scores at cocktail parties
contact colleges more than once or twice
ask questions at the college visit information sessions
pretend to be your child on the phone and call the college(see #1)
answer questions interviewers pose to the child
fill out applications
write the essays
dictate the college list

DO:

encourage your teen to contact the admissions representative with questions
make the travel arrangements for college visits
insure that your child has a process for researching colleges
find someone to educate you about financial aid and scholarships
ask your teen questions and really listen to the answers
check out information at: www.unigo.com

Watch this blog for future topics on how to start conversations with your children that will lead to finding the right college match.

It's the Student, not the College, that 's Responsible for Success

2010-01-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

Acceptance letters are rolling in. The much anticipated April 1 notification date is around the corner. Worried parents, sleepless high school seniors, stressed to the hilt.

Where will the child "get in"?

His life will be ruined if he doesn't go to a highly ranked college!

These are some of the hysterical thoughts and worries controlling lot of parents and students this time of year. Please read through the linked article, research indicates that it's the student, not the college she attends, that's responsible for her success.

http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2004/10education_easterbrook.aspx

Will You be a Typical College Freshman?

2010-01-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA surveys freshmen each year to identify trends in the behavior, interests and goals of College Freshman in the US. The latest findings describe most college freshmen as liberal leaning(nothing new), non-business major(very new), and about a third of them need remedial courses in college(add time and $ to getting that degree).

Check out more about these findings: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/01/21/freshmen

To Prep or not to Prep: That is the Question

2010-01-18T08:57:00.000-08:00

Colleges use Entrance Exam (ACT/SAT) scores for various purposes. It's helpful to understand these purposes to inform your decision about whether preparing for the exams is worth your time and money.

Admissions Decisions: Most people think of the scores as the most influential factor used by colleges making admissions decisions. Actually, the scores are the third most important factor. Actually, the two most important factors, ahead of test scores, are a rigorous high school curriculum and good grades.

Placement Decisions: Another use of entrance exam scores is to place students into the correct level courses. For example, ACT math scores may help colleges determine whether a student is wiser to start their math sequence at the calculus level, or whether it might be better to start one or two courses below college calculus.

Scholarship Decisions: Some merit scholarships are based solely or partially on a students ACT or SAT score. In our judgment, trying for a higher score so that a student can qualify for a higher merit aid award is one of the few justifications for retaking an entrance exam.

Watch the video of Valerie discussing the issue of Test Prep:
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=837513

The University of Chicago has investigated the relationship between student learning, ACT prep and success in college. Click here for the highlights: http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/publications/ACTReport08.pdf

Course Selection Time - AP or not???

2010-01-12T12:51:00.001-08:00

This is the time of year when high schools ask students to select courses for next year. It's important to consider many factors when faced with these decisions and students need help and guidance. Remember that a rigorous high school curriculum is the #1 thing colleges look at when deciding whether to admit a student. Should you take AP classes or not? Check out this article for valuable perspectives.

http://familytimesmn.com/FT_0110/Advanced_Placement.htm

Financial Aid Night in Lakeville

2010-01-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

This workshop is open to everyone. Knowledgeable presenters will be available to answer your questions. Valerie from College Connectors will be there to discuss the latest in College Admissions.

http://events.linkedin.com/College-Financial-Planning-Evening/pub/170070

Are Majors overrated???

2010-01-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

Here's what some college folks think about this question.

Career U.: Making College 'Relevant'
By KATE ZERNIKE
Students are increasingly focused on how their major will translate into a job. The response to that demand is changing higher education.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/education/edlife/03careerism-t.html?emc=eta1

PSAT results

2010-01-04T08:09:00.001-08:00

Sophomores and Juniors all over the country have already received their PSAT results or will get them soon after they get back to school after winter break.

So, now what? As for testing, our advice is pick which test you'll take - ACT or SAT, pick a date this spring that's convenient for you, seriously prepare yourself for the test and plan on taking it once. Remember - your goal is to earn a score that accurately reflects your ability.