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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Choosing and Committing

The acceptance letters are rolling in or have already arrived.  Now what do you do?  Rejoice?  Panic?

Obviously, you must pick one, and only one school to attend.  Below I outline an objective way to make this decision.  Yes, my engineering training is showing.  However, using a method like this works well.  The student can do this on his or her own, and so can the parents.  Then they can come together and discuss their assessments.  It would be helpful, first, to discuss and agree upon which factors are important.  Cost? Weather? Prestige? Course of Study options? Location? Crime rate in the area? Graduation rate? etc.  Then each can evaluate the schools on their own.  However, this is the student's choice, not the parents'.  The parents, because they will be paying much of the bill, can eliminate schools on the cost basis.  After that, the choice really is the student's.  The parents need to be involved so the evaluative factors, the aspects of the schools which are considered are the important ones.  Because Joe's going there is NOT a consideration.  Because the cheerleaders there are gorgeous isn't one either.  And, unless you are a player, the fact that they have a terrific team really isn't that important (I know, that is unthinkable to some - )

You need to go back to basics.  If money is an issue, take a long, hard look at the financial aid award letters.  Take the data off the letters and into a spreadsheet - code the schools A, B, C, etc.  That will help you analyse the financial part of the picture without any emotional attachment to the various schools.  Eliminate those which are just not financially possible.  Then prioritise the others. Best deal, next best, etc. 

Now, take a look at the schools which were not eliminated.  Write down 5 terrific reasons to go there and 5 drawbacks.  You will notice categories of reasons - travel costs/location, majors offered/special programs, setting of the campus, class size, weather/location.  Rank the categories - So, if undergraduate research is important to you, rank it high.  Then rank the schools - school A is best , B next, C next.  Give them scores - 5 for best, 1 for worst.  Make a spreadsheet with the schools across the top and the decision factors (reasons to go/not go) along the left.  Rank the decision factors from most important to least important.  The least important gets a 1.  If there are 8 factors, for example, the most important gets an 8.  Put the numbers in the first column next to the decision factors.  Then rank each school for each factor.  If there are 8 schools, rank the worst at 1 and the best at 8.  Do this for every factor.  Now multiply each rank by the weight of that factor.

Example

Decision Factor
Factor Relevance
School A
School B
School C
Important factor
4
1
4
3
Less Imp. factor
3
2
2
2
Not Imp. factor
2
3
1
4
Trivial factor
1
4
3
1

Now, Multiply each rank by its factor relevance, then add each school's score.  This will give each school an objective score.
Decision Factor
Factor Relevance
School A
School B
School C
Important factor
4
4
16
12
Less Imp. factor
3
6
6
6
Not Imp. factor
2
6
2
8
Trivial factor
1
4
3
1

In this example, schools B and C tie with 27 points.  In such a case, you would need to re-evaluate the schools without School A, or add additional factors.  Or, let your emotions break the tie.

You may want to visit the school again, in order to re-assess your impression of the school. That is only one factor, however.

OK, a confession - I'm a pretty new blogger and can't figure out how to delete the table below. So, please ignore it!  Thanks!



























Thursday, March 24, 2011

Introduce Yourself!

Time to build a resume!  A Personal Achievements Resume is a written showcase of YOU - everything that is not on your transcript goes on here.  Leadership, community service, travels, summer camps, businesses you have created, jobs you have held, ministries you have led.  The works!

So, get out your computer, fire up Word, and start typing.  Start with the summer after 8th grade and continue on.  Have your mom check it - have dad take a look - make sure nothing got left out.  Include enough description so that someone who has never heard of the programs you list will know what they are, how significant your contribution was, how much time per day/week/year you spent on it, and when you were involved in it.  At the information gathering stage, just organise by category (work, community service, clubs, leadership, sports, etc.) or by time period (summer of 2010, 2010/11 school year, etc.)

Once that is done, refine it into a presentable format.  Actually have TWO copies of this on your computer - the list, complete with the descriptions of every item, and the formal presentation version.  Make this look very elegant, refined, businesslike.  Include enough information about each item for clarity, but that is all.  Organise this by category, not epoch.  Leadership, Community Service, Entrepreneurial Ventures, Employment, Sport, etc.

Once you are done creating your presentation version, be sure to use the Spell Checker. TYPOS are TABOO!

Update this at the end of each summer, over Christmas break, and at the end of the school year, before you launch into your summer endeavors.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Admissions Strategies - the Stats

In a previous post, I described the various admissions types - Early Decision, Early Admission, Regular Admission, and Rolling Admission.

It is helpful to take a look at the statistics.  The average acceptance rate for early decision to the 8 Ivy schools is 23%.  To Stanford and MIT, it is a mere 12%.  To other selective schools like my alma mater, Northwestern, it is about 34%.  That doesn't sound too promising until you note that the regular decision acceptance rate at these schools averages about 11%. That's not much of a change for Stanford or MIT.  But, for the rest, that is rather a significant difference.

Applying early roughly doubles or triples your chance of acceptance.  It's still not a high rate and there are factors which will boost your personal chances of acceptance but, applying early absolutely does make a difference.

Many students have trouble getting themselves pulled together and all the pieces of the application done by the early deadline.  That's when having a college planner like myself in your corner is a powerful aid.  Another route is to attend an application jump start summer program.  I'm offering one in August, 2011.  The information and registration is at www.collegeprepsummercamp.com.  If you need accommodations because you are coming in to San Diego from another city, let us know and we will make the necessary arrangements.

Friday, March 18, 2011

The purpose of College

Recently, a group at the University of Chicago has started a movement for increased casual sexual activity amongst the students there.  The website is http://www.uchicagohookups.com/index.php.

This begs the question  - what is the purpose of going to college?  Does casual sex along the way contribute to the accomplishment of one's goals and achievement of one's aspirations?  Or does it distract?  Does it result in increased business at the local Planned Parenthood clinic?  Heartache for students, particularly women, whose hopes for permanence or meaning in such an intimate encounter are dashed, repeatedly?  Does this sort of behaviour improve the quality of campus life, the caliber of the education, or the true happiness of the student body at a university?  Do parents really spend $40,000 + /year think this sort of diversion is helpful to their children's education?

U of Chicago, in particular, is the training ground for lawyers, doctors, scientists, social scientists.  In short, for many professionals.  Will it help them to have this sort of legacy?  Will professional organisations consider this helpful?  Especially when they already see the disruption to productivity that divorce, affairs, and the like cause their businesses?

Thursday, March 17, 2011

College Selection: Best Friend's U


Many kids choose their school based on where their friends are going.  It may be a boyfriend or girlfriend, a buddy from a team or club, etc.  It doesn't matter - they are choosing the school because of this other student, not anything about themselves or the school.
Now they are at Best Friend’s U. As they get the lay of the land at their new home, they find that their favorite club isn't on campus, and the kids they've met are not the kinds of kids they were hoping to meet. The classes are too big, or too small or too hard or easy. Their grades slip and you finally have a talk over Spring Break. Only then do you discover that their enthusiasm for this school was because their buddy loved it and raved about it. They have seen that buddy a few times on campus but s/he is busy with all the classes and activities they love -the reasons they liked the school. But your child is miserable. Now you are scrambling to figure out how to transfer, where to transfer to. There are deadlines, requirements, courses the other school won't accept, etc. Often you are looking at an extra semester or two - your child is now on the 5 year plan, is discouraged, and won't be able to start working for an additional year. Heavy costs for the lack of planning.

Working with a professional, certified college planner like myself ensures that the schools on your child's list will be excellent choices for him or her, specifically. Such guidance significantly reduces the chances that your child will be on a five or six year track for a Bachelor's degree, saving you around $60,000 in costs, as well as getting your child working two years sooner, bringing in $60,000-70,000 on average.
 
Selecting one's target colleges is not a simple process.  A great engineering school may have a lousy writing program.  A school with a terrific lacrosse team may not even have an international business management major.  Schools with huge campuses are great places to explore for some while they make others feel lost and insignificant.  There are many, many aspects of prospective schools to be considered.  At the same time, all your regular family activities are happening - team practices, homework, vacations, ortho visits,the works.  It's a $100,000+ decision - get help.

Monday, March 14, 2011

What to do if you are wait listed


Wait list means they’ll offer you a spot if not enough of the accepted kids choose to go there.  The schools do this so their classes are full.  It is natural to be disappointed or upset.  However, all is not lost.

If you are sincerely interested in the school which wait listed you,  let the admissions office know – by letter or email – that you are still interested.  Find out who the regional rep is and contact him/her.  Explain why this school is a great fit for you – be specific – I have done research on X and am eager to work with Professor C who is working in this area…  Also provide updates on what you've done since you sent in your application.  Hopefully there is something significant you can report.  Often it might just be little, but important things, like pulling a grade up from a B+ to an A.  You can follow up with additional updates when you have things to report – so have things to report!  Apply for internships, enter contests, get a job, do significant leadership with your groups, etc.  You can also enlist the support of teachers and counselors who can call admissions on your behalf.  They need to be able to add to the information included in your application – things like being the only/one of the few seniors who actually sent a thank you note for all the help provided…

So, if you are seriously interested in your wait list school,  stop moping and let them know.  Do not be a pest but advocate for yourself, so you are at the top of the waitlist pile.