Many applicants to the most selective university programs share high grades, high test scores, solid recommendations and generous doses of community service and volunteer activities. Yet, if they want to set themselves apart from the pool of exceptional students, a significant research experience in STEM or the social sciences helps.
Few of us have escaped the economic impact of what some economists are calling the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression. The colleges haven't escaped either. Many, whether public or private, are more vulnerable than you might suppose. It's a good idea to be aware of how they will be affected, especially if you're planning to join their campuses either this fall or next.
Two weeks ago, the College Board unveiled a new "low stakes" (a phrase used in testing circles that means the results don't affect student placement or admissions) test called "ReadiStep." ReadiStep (details can be found at www.readistep.com) will be designed to give "early feedback to help 8th grade students identify the skills they need to be college ready. The test, according to the College Board, will align with "the English Language Arts and Mathematics College Board Standards for College Success" and will have "three multiple-choice sections-reading, writing and mathematics." The two-hour long test will debut in fall 2009. (ReadiStep Quick Reference from the College Board)
With the 2009 admissions process fast upon us, it might be a good time to escape from the torments of applications, and take a brief moment to consider some of the most beautiful college campuses in the world. An appealing campus isn't, by any means, the sole criterion to guide college selection but, all things being equal, a pleasant campus setting can enhance studying, working, and living.
ETS (Educational Testing Service) used to be almost a monopoly. They created a test like the SAT or the TOEFL, and test takers signed up; they didn't really have a choice. Those days are over. The SAT, as mentioned in a previous column, is under siege from the ACT and the growing number of colleges (Fairtest.org) who are no longer requiring standardized tests. Now the TOEFL, with over a 1,000,000 test takers, each, on average, paying $140, a $140,000,000 concession, is also feeling the heat of competition. The first threat to TOEFL began to seriously rear its head in 2003: the International English Language Testing System, the IELTS (www.ielts.org). This test, an entity of Cambridge University and a consortium of British and Australian organizations, is the test of choice for EFL students seeking to enroll in universities across the British Commonwealth.
Whether or not you decide upon a major prior to entering college, consider the following. Knowing these bits of information upfront should put your mind at ease about applying to a college 'undeclared.' Doing so does not sanction you as an indifferent, undedicated, or lackluster candidate; rather, you might be honestly searching. As J.R.R. Tolkien said, "All who wander are not lost." This is particularly applicable to those exploring potential majors.
There are a lot of college application admission options. It’s a bit daunting at first: should you apply “Early Decision,” "Early Action," "Early Action Single Choice," or "Regular Decision"? Probably the best first step is to go to the website of each potential school and review the applicable restrictions and deadlines. If you want an up to date list of which schools offer these options (or a combination of them) go to: http://www.nacac.com/college-search/search.cfm. In the meantime, however, it's not a bad idea to gain a general sense of how each of these options works.
According to a 2005 NACAC (National Association of College Academic Counselors) survey on factors that are given "considerable importance" in the admissions process, 'Grades in college prep courses/along with strength of curriculum' were most important, with just under 75% of schools surveyed citing this factor; admissions test scores were second, with 60%; then came class rank (which to me is just another way of asking for grades) with 30%; next, the essay with 23%, and then extracurricular activities with 8%. ("Dramatic Challenge to SAT and ACT" by Scott Jaschik, www.insidehighered.com.--Yes, the schools surveyed were allowed to select multiple factors.) Naturally, the one area that tends to consume many students and most parents is extracurricular, the least important factor according to the schools. Further, among the extracurricular activities, the elusive internship always seems the most difficult to discover and arrange.
According to the September 6th LA Times article, "ACT is to SAT as..." the world of standardized tests is in flux. The ACT is rapidly gaining on the SAT. For the recent class of high school graduates, 1.4 million took the ACT, 1.5 million the SAT. Even in California, a regional SAT stronghold, 50% more students took the ACT in 2008 than did in 2004. Still, in all honesty, the raw numbers show that, last year, the SAT in California was taken by over 205,000 students, with 72,000 taking the ACT. Yet, the ACT is starting to close the gap.
Few aspects of the admissions process tend to fray the nerves like pulling together an activity list in your senior year and reviewing your extracurricular pursuits. Almost no one feels they compare well with their peers. This feeling is only compounded by articles about other applicants taking an 8-week jaunt to Bolivia and doing ground breaking research on some strange virus, or playing with the New York Symphony in Beijing before hiking up the face of K2. These applicants do, probably, exist. But, they shouldn't deter you from taking pride in whatever it is you enjoy and excel in.
A growing number of students are applying to the US service academies, particularly the Military Academy (www.usma.edu) (West Point), the Naval Academy (Annapolis) (www.usna.edu), and the Air Force Academy (www.usafa.edu). As the cost of private and public schools escalates, expect this to be an ever increasing trend; consequently, now is a good time, before the 2009 application process gets underway, to gain a better understanding of these schools, and a better sense of what's involved in gaining admissions to them.
