It’s that time of year again!
TODAY (FRIDAY)
(12/9) Wiliams (PM), Bowdoin (PM), UPenn (3pm ET), Stanford (3pm PT)
SATURDAY
(12/10) Wesleyan, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon
SUNDAY
(12/11) Week of 12/11: Boston College
MONDAY
(12/12) Vassar (5pm ET), Columbia (6pm ET), Colgate (mailed)
TUESDAY
(12/13) Harvard
WEDNESDAY
(12/14) Brown (7pm ET), Dartmouth, Duke (7pm ET)
THURSDAY
(12/15) MIT (6:28pm ET), NYU (5pm ET), Yale (5pm ET)
PSAT scores are now available online for counselors and will open to students on Monday. Compass Prep has prepared a number of resources that can help with interpretation, provide context, and illuminate where to go from here. I suggest checking them out!
–Understanding Your Score Report
–Using PSAT Scores to Compare SAT and ACT
–National Merit Semifinalist Preview: Class of 2018
–PSAT National Merit FAQ: The Road to Becoming a Finalist
And the top spot this year goes to…WashU, Olin Business School!
Love seeing a new name at the top of the list. The usual suspects follow in spots 2-5 and include Mendoza, Wharton, McDonough and Haas.
The full article is a must-read if you are considering an undergraduate business program.
More insightful data from College Kickstart!
Many colleges and universities have begun updating their websites for the Class of 2021 (Fall 2017) admission cycle. While we expect the activity to continue into the late summer, several of the changes we’ve observed are worth noting.
In particular, roughly 20 schools have introduced changes to the early admission plans available to you this fall. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority have added binding early decision options, including the University of Chicago (Early Decision 1/2), Wake Forest and Wellesley (Early Decision 2) and Tulane (replaced Single Choice Early Action with Early Decision). Several also introduced/refined their Early Action programs, including Texas A&M (a new Early Action option for engineering applicants) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (revamped). On the flip side, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo eliminated Early Decision.
Be sure to check out this College Kickstart list as it may impact how you decide to apply this fall.
College Board Announces New SAT® Testing Supports for English Language Learners
NEW YORK—The College Board has overhauled its request process for testing accommodations, making it easier for eligible students to receive the support they need on College Board assessments.
Beginning January 1, 2017, the vast majority of students who are approved for and using testing accommodations at their school through a current Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan will have those same accommodations automatically approved for taking the SAT®, PSAT™10, PSAT/NMSQT®, SAT Subject Tests™, and AP® Exams. Most private school students with a current, formal school-based plan that meets College Board criteria will also have their current accommodations automatically approved for College Board exams. This streamlined process builds on the College Board’s August 2016 expansion of testing accommodations that can be approved directly by schools without the need for additional documentation.
Read full release here: https://www.collegeboard.org/releases/2016/college-board-simplifies-request-process-for-test-ccommodations?ep_ch=PR&ep_mid=11326140&ep_rid=163330058
Why are Subject Tests required by drastically fewer colleges than a decade ago? Is the relevance and popularity of the tests actually diminishing? Are the tests likely to survive or will they be discontinued by the College Board?
The perceived necessity of College Board’s Subject Tests has been on the decline since 2005 when the SAT II Writing test was essentially folded into the SAT. Subject Tests are explicitly required (no substitutions or exceptions) by only five U.S. colleges, about 90% fewer than just a decade ago. Read more via this helpful Compass post.
Great post from the Princeton Review on college counselors—high school and independent. Give it a read to learn more about both!
College counselors—both school counselors and independent consultants—can play a huge role in your college search. And when it comes time to apply and evaluate schools, both can help you make that all-important decision.
Your school counselor can help you:
Your school college counselor can be an invaluable resource! That said, the national average student-to-counselor ratio is 350:1. And if you go to a large high school with more than 2,000 students, your student-to-counselor ratio may be closer to 500:1 (Source: The College Board).
Depending on the amount of face time they get with their school counselor, some families decide to hire independent college counselors to guide them through the admissions process.
An independent college counselor works alongside your school counselor to help you with all of the above, and in addition:
Whereas your school counselor can advise you on more than just college, independent counselors spend all their time on college counseling and tend to work with fewer students.
Are you looking for strategic college advice based on your personality and goals? Our College Counselors will help you find, apply, and get accepted to your dream school. Get a personalized college admissions plan today!
Great article yesterday in the New York Times. Parents of seniors give it a read!
If you have a high school senior, and your child has decided to apply somewhere early decision (or early action or early something or other), the application is most likely in and done by now. And with Thanksgiving approaching, my first piece of advice is that you shelter your high school senior from her or his loving family this Thanksgiving by absolutely prohibiting any talk of college and applications.
Believe me, your senior does not want to discuss this. Not with uncles, aunts, cousins or loving grandparents. The right thing to do under these circumstances is for the parents to tell everyone that college is a forbidden subject — and the best way to explain that is to say, we are all sick of it, and we have promised ourselves and our child a respite. Let’s all find another subject.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The redesigned ACT student score reports aim to contextualize students’ scores and offer details about students’ individual strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, these goals are impeded by the overwhelming volume of information included on score reports.
This excellent post from Compass breaks down the exact contents of the student score report and explores how both students and parents can benefit from the information.
Most high schools have at least one on-site college counselor to advise students on finding and applying to colleges. As the point person for your applications, college counselors keep you on top of deadlines and graduation requirements and ultimately send your official transcript to colleges. They can also help you find schools that fit you, identify dream/match/safety schools, complete your FAFSA, craft strong school-specific application essays, and help manage anxiety and stress.
Depending on how much one-on-one time they get with their schools’ college counselors, some families decide to hire independent college counselors to guide them through the admissions process. I always tell parents who are thinking about hiring an independent college counselor to make sure that person is a member of a professional organization, like IECA or NACAC. Why? Because not all IEC’s are created equal. For example, IECA members have met the highest standards of the profession. IECA’s required qualifications include a master’s degree; at least three years of admissions counseling experience; and experience working with scores of students. IECA also requires extensive member undertake campus visits—members, on average, have visited over 150 campuses each—and continue to visit an average of 35 campuses annually.
Whichever route you go, check out this Princeton Review article that outlines five (accurate) reasons you need your college counselor. You can also read more about IECs from IECA here, or from me directly during a consultation!