A recent free webinar on the college applications process is available for viewing by clicking on this link. This informative program was held as a live webinar and has been recorded and made available to those interested in this topic.
Topics covered in this webinar include:
What colleges are looking for in applications
Standardized testing and scores
The Interview
The Essay
Importance of extracurricular activities
And more
Please note that this link works with Internet Explorer, so if you are having difficulty opening the link with another browser, try using Internet Explorer.
A number of colleges, some obscure such as The College of St. Rose in Albany,NY , and others very well known, such as the University of Minnesota, are now sending out direct mail packages offering “no fee” college applications. Not only are the applications without a fee, they are also nearly completely filled out with the potential applicant’s name and other relevant information. Therefore students who are interested in applying need to do little more than sign their name and mail the applications in. Colleges employing this strategy have seen a significant rise in applications.
Why are colleges doing this? And why now? Well, given the current state of the U.S. economy, many colleges are having difficulty getting enough students to apply. In addition, there is increased competition for ranking in the many college guides, including the US News and World Report’s Annual College Rankings. Colleges that have significant increases in the number of applicants can improve their rankings in these publications.
Is this a good thing for students? That is a subject of debate. The direct mail firms that colleges hire to do these types of marketing campaigns stress that this is a way for them to help make students aware of the existence of certain colleges they might not otherwise know about. In addition, colleges report that this type of marketing campaign has helped them to increase diversity on campus across a number of dimensions, such as geography, gender, and ethnicity. However some critics argue that this may make it too easy for students to apply to college, thereby reducing the amount of time a student actually spends comparing colleges. Ultimately this could lead to a student applying to a college because it is easy, rather than looking for the best fit.
Time will tell if this is a trend that will last beyond the current economic slump. In the meantime, happy college hunting!
The College Board has approved Score Choice, a change to the current SAT score-reporting policy. This new policy will give students the option to choose the SAT scores by test date and SAT Subject Test scores by individual test that they send to colleges, at no additional cost. Score Choice is optional, and if students choose not to use it, all scores will be sent automatically. The new score-reporting feature will launch in spring 2009, and will be first available to students in the class of 2010 participating in the March 2009 test administration.
Reaction to the new policy has been mixed. The true effect of Score Choice is yet to be seen. Several colleges, including such selective schools as the University of Pennsylvania have decided not the allow students to use Score Choice. Students applying to these schools must supply all test scores.
Here are a few articles describing the changes, including reactions from educators, admissions offices, and other interested parties:
