Professional Documents
Culture Documents
COLLEGE COUNSELING
Class of 2013 Edition
http://connection.naviance.com/beavercds
HANDBOOK
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Beaver Country Day School College Counseling Handbook 201213 Edition, for the Class of 2013 Content is the responsibility and property of Beaver County Day School, unless otherwise noted.
Office of College Counseling Beaver Country Day School 791 Hammond St. Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 617-738-2700 www.bcdschool.org
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction and Food for Thought 1. Being in Contact College counseling contact information Helpful websites 9 10 13 17 17 18 21 21 24 25 26 27 27 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 39 43 51 57 57 58 59 63 65 67 69 71 73 73 5 9
2. College Admissions Calendars 3. Beaver Forms Teacher recommendation request Students college list forms The tests described Dates of SAT and ACT examinations Test-optional liberal arts colleges ACT/SAT comparison chart Developing a college list Resources for beginning a college search How to request materials from a college Hints for a successful college visit Questions to ask your tour guide Overview of the application; who sends what Pointers on writing a college essay Common Application Tip Sheet
4. Standardized Testing
6. The Application
7. Interviews 8. Learning Disabilities and the College Process 9. Special Talents: Art, Music & Athletics 10. Financial Aid and Scholarships College application expenses General advice on financial aid In a Rocky Economy, 10 Steady Tips
Financial aid websites 11. Decisions 12. Final Tips Student Rights and Responsibilities Ethical Issues in the Application Process Staying Sane
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10 Great Reasons to Study In Canada How I Got Into College: 6 Stories Go Your Own Way Before College, A Taste of the Real World
75 77 81 84 89 95
Glossary Bibliography
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January 2012
Dear Parents and Students, Welcome to College Counseling at Beaver Country Day School. We look forward to working closely with you over the next year and a half. It is our hope that the many tools that families may use to guide them through this adventure. information found in this handbook will be helpful to you. This document is one of
The college process is a partnership in which each of us plays a vital role. We expect that you will be active participants. We are here for you to call, to e-mail, and to meet with as you see fit. Regular and honest communication among students, parents, and counselors is the key to a positive and meaningful experience. Prior to your initial meeting with us, we ask that you complete the parent/guardian questionnaire enclosed in your handout and (like the required student questionnaire) to know you as you begin the college search. We look forward to working with you. Sincerely, Peter Gow Debi Ellman Lesley Colognesi Cynthia Monasterios also available through Naviance. Your careful completion of these forms will help us get
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Parent Guidelines An admission decision, test score, or GPA is not a measure of a students worth. And, parents should always be mindful of the behavior they are modeling for their children. Knowing this, we encourage you to: Recognize that gaining admission to college is merely one step in a process of education that will include your student attending a college where she or he can maximize talents and growth. Emphasize the education. Resist doing for your students what they are capable of doing for themselves. Allow your child to take responsibility for his or her own part of the college application process. Be involved in the process, but do not try to control it. Resist relying on rankings and college selectivity to determine the most suitable colleges for your child. Realize that researching, selecting, and applying to colleges does not have to be an expensive process. Resist attempts to turn the process into a status competition. Develop a healthy, educationally based, and family-appropriate approach to college admissions. Consider that gaming the system may not only diminish your childs self-confidence, it may also jeopardize desired admission outcomes. Listen to, encourage and believe in your child. Do not use the term we as in we are applying to. Discuss the idea of education as an ongoing process, and how selecting a college might be different from buying a product. Love them enough to let them demonstrate the independence you have instilled in them. Keep this process in perspective. Remember that student skills, self-confidence, curiosity, and desire to learn are some of the most important ingredients in quality education and successful college admissions. Do not sacrifice these by overemphasizing getting into the best college. THIS GUIDANCE IS OFFERED BY THE FOLLOWING VETERAN ADMISSION PROFESSIONALS: Robert Massa, Dickinson College Phillip Ballinger, University of Washington
Michael Beseda, St. Marys College of California Jennifer Britz, Kenyon College J. Antonio Cabasco, Whitman College Sean Callaway, Pace University John Carroll, Kalamazoo College Sidonia Dalby, Smith College Doris Davis, Cornell University Will Dix, University of Chicago Lab School Bill Fitzsimmons, Harvard University Karl Furstenberg, Dartmouth College Daniel Lundquist, Union College Brad MacGowan, Newton North High School Bonnie Marcus, Bard College Paul Marthers, Reed College
David McDonald, Western Oregon University Tom McWhertor, Calvin College Mark Moody, The Bush School Marty OConnell, Colleges That Change Lives Ted ONeill, University of Chicago Bruce Poch, Pomona College Jon Reider, San Francisco University High School Jeff Rickey, Earlham College Mike Sexton, Lewis and Clark College Bill Shain, Vanderbilt University Jim Sumner, Grinnell College Steven Syverson, Lawrence University Harold Wingood, Clark University
From The Education Conservancy 805 SW Broadway, Suite 1600 Portland, OR 97205 Ph. 503.290.0083 Fax 503.973.5252 www.educationconservancy.org
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617-738-2755
617-738-2788
617-738-2734
cmonasterios@bcdschool.org OR
617-738-2733
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www.fairtest.org/optinit.htm
www.edonline.com/cq/hbcu/alphabet.htm College Applications www.commonapp.org www.review.com www.fastweb.com www.heic.org Test Preparation www.collegeboard.com www.chyten.com www.kaplan.com www.review.com www.act.org www.toefl.com Financial Aid and Scholarship www.collegeboard.com
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www.heic.org www.scholarships.com www.finaid.org www.fafsa.ed.gov www.fastweb.com www.mefacounselor.org Loan Options www.nelliemae.org www.teri.org www.mefa.org
Higher Education Information Center in Boston Free Scholarship Search Comprehensive Financial Aid Info./Scholarship Search Electronic FAFSA Scholarship Search/Newsletter Financial aid advice and assistance, all free
NellieMae-Loan Information The Educational Resources Institute Massachusetts Educational Finance Authority
Year-Off Options www.aei-auduboncollege.org www.interimprograms.com www.cityyear.org www.dynamy.org www.gapyear.com www.gquest.org/index.html www.globalservicecorps.org www.habitat.org www.seamester.com www.takingtimeoff.com www.timeoutassociates.com www.wheretherebedragons.com
Audubon Expedition Institute Center for Interim Programs CityYear Dynamy Internship Year Gap Year Programs Global Quest Global Service Corps Habitat for Humanity Semester at Sea Program Taking Time Off Time Out Associates Where There Be Dragons Program
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5. Review PSAT scores and test. Identify areas of strength and weakness and look for strategies to improve your scores.
6. Begin to plan to do something productive over the summer. FEBRUARY 2012 1. Student meetings continued. 2. Parent meetings begin. 3. Begin to map out SAT, ACT, and Subject Test schedule. 4. Register for the March SAT Reasoning Test and/or April ACT.
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5. Plan possible March visits to college. 6. Continue to work hard. Do well on exams. MARCH 2012
2. Search guidebooks and web for colleges of interest. Send away for catalogues. Inquire about tours and interviews.
3. Register for the May and June testing. 4. Athletes expecting to be recruited register with NCAA Eligibility Center at www.ncaa.org
5. Visit colleges over vacation. APRIL 2012 1. ACT date: April 14 2. College Counseling Mini-Sessions: Juniors will be required to meet in small assigned groups with the College Counselors during free blocks to discuss the college process.
3. Begin to consider who will write your letters of recommendation. 4. Finalize summer plans 5. Attend BISCCA college fair at Milton Academy: Sunday, April 29, 14 PM. MAY 2012 1. SAT (all tests) date: May 5
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2. Athletics and Recruiting informational evening event at Beaver: May 7 3. Essay Writing workshop 4. Continue to meet with your college counselor and create an initial list of colleges to research and visit over the summer.
5. Ask two teachers for letters of recommendation and have them sign the form.
JUNE 2012 1. SAT (all tests) date: June 2 2. ACT Date: June 9 SUMMER 2012 1. Continue college visits; schedule interviews if appropriate. 2. Write an essay about a significant event, person, achievement or academic experience/ project (see Common App essay questions). 3. Begin filling out the Common Application (but WAIT until after mid-July, when new form is available)
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3. BEAVER FORMS
You must decide which two teachers you would like to write recommendations for your college applications. ASK these teachers if they are able and willing to write letters of recommendation for you. Because of the busy schedule in the fall, it is important that students select their teachers in the spring so that teachers can have the opportunity to begin writing or outlining recommendations during the summer.
You should choose teachers who are primarily familiar with you as a student, but it is also helpful if they know you as a citizen of the school. You may want to choose a teacher who has also been your coach, your advisor, the advisor to a club in which you participate, etc.
You should choose teachers who have either taught you in the latter stages of your high school career or have taught you in more than one class.
You should avoid choosing two teachers from the same academic discipline.
If you would like to choose a teacher who will not be at Beaver next year, plan for that contingency. Establish a plan for how you will stay in touch with one another between the end of the school year and the time that recommendations are due to colleges.
Both you and the teachers you have chosen must sign this form as a record of your agreement. Please return this form to your college counselor by Friday, May 18.
Students Signature:
____________________
Teachers Signature:
____________________
Teachers Signature:
____________________
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Teacher Recommendations
1._________________________________ Student Signature: 2._________________________________ Parent Signature:
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BEAVER COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL Early Decision/Early Action Applications (submit by October 12)
Name of College 1. 2 3. 4. 5. 6. EA, ED, Roll Deadlines Comm. App? (Y/N)
_____ I have checked the waiver boxes on my Naviance Family Connection page _____ I have given my college counselor all non-Common App School Report forms _____ I have had my family and my college counselor sign my ED commitment form
Teacher Recommendations
1._________________________________ Student Signature: 2._________________________________ Parent Signature:
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College Counselor: PG DE LC
Name:
BEAVER COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL ALL Decision plans (submit by November 30)
Name of College 1. 2 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. _______ I have included all Common App colleges listed here on my Common App account _______ I have given my college counselor all School Report forms for non-Common App schools _______ I have completed my UCAS registration (for universities in the United Kingdom only) _______ I have checked the waiver forms on my Naviance Family Connection page EA, ED, Roll, Reg. Deadlines Comm. App? (Y/N) Prospects (R-T-L)
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4. STANDARDIZED TESTING
THE TESTS DESCRIBED
Standardized testing is an important factor in admission decisions at most highly selective colleges and universities. A few institutions have downplayed the importance of scores, and some have eliminated test requirements entirely, but those institutions are in the minority. At the majority of colleges, standardized testing still matters. At Beaver, we have found that students who plan carefully and familiarize themselves with the test format through use of practice materials are able to attain scores that accurately reflect their school performance. When difficulties with scores arise, the College Office is prepared to help individual students find appropriate resources. We want our students to understand the testing requirements and, just as importantly, to keep testing in perspective. Students academic achievements and extra-curricular activities are as important as test scores, both in terms of acquiring a first rate education and in terms of enhancing their chances for admission to selective universities.
The SAT Family of Tests Virtually students should take the SAT Reasoning Test either once or twice during the spring of their junior year. Most students will repeat this test once during the fall of their senior year. The total number of times a student takes a test depends on his or her level of satisfaction with the scores. In a typical Beaver class, about 10% will take this test only once, most will take it twice, and another 1020% will take it three times. No one should take it more than three times. Under the new policy of Score Choice, many colleges will accept a students best test results, but many selective colleges require students to send all SAT Reasoning and Subject Test scores; students should attend carefully to the requirements of each college and carefully follow the instructions for submitting scores. In all events, most colleges will focus on a students best Critical Reading score and best Math score, even if they are achieved on different testing days. In addition to the SAT Reasoning Test, a few students will need three SAT Subject Tests by the time they apply to college. (See definition of Subject Tests in the glossary.) Not all colleges require these subject tests, but some of the colleges that Beaver
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students apply to do require them; a few colleges will accept ACT scores (see below) in lieu of both SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests. Most students take the SAT Math 1C (if the student is taking Precalculus at the Standard level) or 2C (for students who are taking Precalculus Honors or above) and either a science subject test or the Literature subject test. Since the SAT Subject Tests are curriculum driven, students should consult with their teachers and college counselor prior to registering for them. There are some schools, especially public institutions, that have very specific SAT Subject Test requirements. Students are responsible for researching these requirements during their college search. The College Boards Score Choice policy applies to SAT Subject Tests, but each college has different requirements; students must check each colleges website and then carefully follow the instructions.
The ACT
ACT (formerly American College Testing) is a testing program that combines elements of aptitude and achievement tests in a single instrument. All colleges accept the ACT in place of the SAT Reasoning Test; some accept the ACT (especially with the optional Writing test) in lieu of both the SAT Reasoning and several Subject tests. We strongly urge students to consider adding at least one sitting of the ACT, either in junior Spring or senior October, as part of their college admission process. Many now do, and a few students have elected to take only the ACT and not the SAT. Students sometimes elect to take the ACT when they have found that their SAT scores do not fully or accurately reflect their abilities, particularly in the verbal section where scores are more likely to fall short of a students performance in the classroom. One of the advantages of the ACT is that a student may choose to send to colleges only the result of one testing session, unlike the SAT, which requires that ALL scores from all testing sessions be submitted.
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TEST PREPARATION
Practice can improve scores. Students become familiar with standardized testing by taking the PSAT. When students received the results of the PSAT, they also receive the test booklet, and an annotated copy of their answers with concrete suggestions for improvement. Students who study this material thoroughly will be able to establish a firm understanding of their areas of strength and weakness. Next, students should read thoroughly two College Board publications: TAKING THE SAT REASONING TEST and TAKING THE SAT SUBJECT TESTS, available on line. We hesitate to recommend specific review guide books, computer programs, and other review materials, as these are constantly changing. Some are better than others, but the effectiveness of any depends largely upon a students learning style and his/her level of self-discipline. Beaver keeps a list of programs or tutors who previous students have found helpful.
FEE WAIVERS
Fee waivers are available for students on high levels of financial aid according to the stringent standards set by The College Board and the ACT. We receive a list of those students who qualify from our admissions office, and will be happy to let you know if you qualify. Do not be afraid to ask; these tests can get very expensive. EXTENDED TIME ON STANDARDIZED TESTS PSAT/SAT Students who qualify for extended time on standardized tests must have an evaluation that is no more than three years old. Students taking the PSAT/SAT will need to fill out the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) form with Ms. Colognesi, chair of the Academic Services Department. Once students are approved for the additional time, they will receive a letter from the College Board. This letter will include an SSD number for the student. Each time a student registers for the PSAT/SAT, he/she must send a copy of the College Board letter with the registration form. Tests taken in extended time are not flagged by the College Board.
ACT
The ACT requires students to fill out a form for extended time. The students full evaluation is copied and sent along with a letter from the chair of Academic Services Department.
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Register at www.act.org
Register at www.collegeboard.com
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Just a few of the hundreds of colleges for which the submission of standardized test scores can be optional for applicants: Bard Bates Bowdoin College of the Atlantic Denison Dickinson Drew Franklin & Marshall Gettysburg Hampshire Hartwick Hobart & William Smith Holy Cross Lewis & Clark Mount Holyoke Muhlenberg Rollins St. Johns St. Lawrence Sarah Lawrence Union Wheaton
Only a few schools will not even accept standardized test scores. In some schools test-optional applications come with specific requirements, such as that students submit one or more graded school papers, submit to an interview, meet certain minimum GPA requirements, or forego access to merit scholarships. In other cases, colleges may ask for SAT Subject Test scores or ACT (with Writing) scores in lieu of the SAT Reasoning Test. College policies on testing are changing rapidly. For general information and a sense of the landscape on this issue, a regularly updated list of test-optional colleges can be found at www.fairtest.org. In all cases, the student should check specifically with the admissions office of a particular college for the latest information on score-reporting policies. We also recommend that students considering test-optional applications should hold onto several graded papers (preferably with good grades and favorable teacher commentary) from junior or senior year in the event that these could be used in lieu of standardized tests.
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SAT vs. ACT All colleges accept either test The tests are significantly different
The differences at a glance: SAT No science section No trigonometry section Vocabulary emphasized Non-multiple choice questions included Guessing penalty No English grammar Math accounts for 50% of your score Questions go from easy to hard in most sections Some colleges require submission of all SAT scores
From Kaplan Online, 2004 SCORE COMPARISONS: SAT (Critical Reading + Math) to ACT Composite (These are approximations in general use by colleges) If your SAT CR+M is 1600 then your equivalent ACT Composite score would be 1560-1590 1510-1550 1460-1500 1410-1450 1360-1400 1320-1350 1280-1310 1240-1270 1200-1230 1170-1190 1130-1160 1090-1120 1060-1080 1020-1050 980-1010 940-970 900-930 860-890 810-850 760-800 710-750 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 and vice versa
ACT Science reasoning section Math sections include trigonometry Vocabulary less important Entirely multiple choice No guessing penalty English grammar tested Math accounts for 25% of your score Easy and hard questions mixed within sections Report scores only from test dates you choose
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LIKELY: These are schools at which your credentials are very competitive, and we are confident that you will be admitted assuming that your application is well done and that you have demonstrated interest in the school. We consider it extremely important for students to find likely schools at which they truly believe they can be happy, productive, and successful members of the community. It is important to remember that our groupings are estimates; there is nothing about this process that makes it an exact science. These estimates assume continued strong course work and a thoughtful, well-presented application. FINAL THOUGHTS In helping you create a college list we do our best to consider you as an individual. Your target school may be someone elses reach school and vice versa. You need to spend a lot of time focusing on the colleges at which we feel confident about your chances of admission. Developing a well-balanced and informed list of colleges is the key to a successful college process. Most importantly, apply to a college because you can easily imagine yourself being happy and successful there. Dont apply to a college that you dont really want to attend; its a wasted application for you and perhaps a lost opportunity for someone who really DOES wish to go there.
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2.
Use the internet to request information from any colleges and/or search for the most current information on any colleges. All colleges have wonderful, informative, well-organized sites. Call the colleges admission office directly.
3.
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HELPFUL HINTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE VISIT 1) Do not schedule more than two schools per day. Give yourself ample time to roam the campus before or after the interview. 2) BE PUNCTUAL! Make sure that you have given yourself a cushion of time to accommodate any missed turns, traffic jams, or foul weather. 3) If, despite your best efforts, you are still going to be late, call the admissions office to inform them of your situation. 4) Once you have set up a tentative itinerary, call the school. Written requests simply take too long to process. Ask for written confirmation of your appointment and for any current materials if you dont already have them. 5) Be flexible. Schools may not be able to accommodate your ideal schedule, but with some adjustments you should be able to see all the campuses you hope to see. 6) Because the campus visit can play an important part in the admissions decision, make sure the school makes a record of your visit by filling in an information card in the admissions office. 7) Be sure to note the name of the admissions officer you meet. Direct future phone calls and correspondence (REMEMBER TO WRITE A THANK-YOU LETTER!) to him or her. 8) While visiting, keep in mind that you are interviewing the college as much as it is interviewing you. Do not be afraid to probe, but, at the same time, remember that you also describe yourself by the questions you ask. Be thoughtful and articulate. 9) Read the campus newspaper to discover the burning school issues. 10) Scan the bulletin boards and kiosks for announcements and for messages; these sorts of communications reveal a great deal about the tone of the school. 11) Talk with students on your own, without parents and without the folks from admissions office; their answers are more candid. The way you are received will also give some indication of the friendliness of the community. 12) Visit the dorms. Sample the food in the cafeteria. Are the students respectful of the school and its facilities? Does the menu have a variety of offerings? Can you live comfortably there? 13) Be aware of walking distances. Is it easy to get around campus? Is the campus centralized or sprawling?
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QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR TOUR GUIDE How large are all of your classes? Who teaches you in these courses? Graduate assistants or professors? Does this school have a core curriculum? How restrictive is it? Is there a foreign language requirement? How adequate is the library? How adequate are the computer facilities? When do you have to declare your major? What are the most popular majors? Tell me about housing. Are some dorms much better than others? Are dorm rooms wired or wireless? Do many live off campus? If so, why? Do students seem to work primarily for grades? How competitive is the student body? What is the attitude towards working hard? Have you been in any faculty homes since youve been here? How available are your professors? Can you tell me anything first-hand about the (French, English, history) department? Whats the biggest issue in local campus politics? What are the big issues in national or international politics? Are students politically active? What percentage of students study abroad at some time? What impact do fraternities have here? Athletics? What are weekends like? Are there alternatives to the typical party scene? How active is student government? What activities are popular? Are the arts supported here? Are the courses oversubscribed? Which areas are strong? What do you think is the greatest shortcoming of this college? What do students complain about? What do you like best about your experience and education here? Where do students come from? Is this a diverse community? If you could attend another college now, where would you go? Why? Why did you choose this school? What others did you apply to? What kinds of kids do you think are happiest here? Which ones are least happy?
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6. THE APPLICATION
OVERVIEW
The majority of colleges to which Beaver students have been applying in recent years accept or even require The Common Application. The list of colleges that accept it grows every year, and it is a useful tool when dealing with so much paperwork. However, students often ask: How will colleges know that I am truly interested in them if I just send The Common Application? First, you should know that all colleges that use The Common Application sign an agreement promising to treat the application just as they do their own (some do not even have a separate application). Be aware that many Common App schools also ask students to complete a supplementary form that asks for information tailored to that colleges admissions process. Even so, this is a good question because it leads into the issue of demonstrated interest, a term used by colleges to measure which students REALLY want to attend their institutions. To demonstrate interest, you need to supplement your applications (both Common and regular) in one or more of the following ways: An inquiry at a college fair A campus tour and information session An interview on campus or with an alumnus A follow-up thank you note A quick response to any supplement the college sends you Contact with a coach, conductor, or department of interest An email communication with admissions regarding any follow-up
questions
Your application file should provide thorough answers in a manner that provides insight into the candidates personality, character, and accomplishments. The transcript and recommendations serve to corroborate and enhance the candidates own presentation. Admissions Officers look for consistency between the applicants presentation and the recommendations. Often there are common themes that emerge throughout the file.
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A copy of the Beaver School Profile accompanies every application that we send to colleges. It is updated every year to reflect accurate information. The profile presents Beaver to colleges so that they can better understand our curriculum and community. We do not compute class rank.
WHAT WE SEND AND WHAT YOU SEND: BEAVER is responsible for sending the following: The School Profile The Students high school transcript The College Counselors recommendation or School Letter The Secondary School Report Teacher recommendations The student is responsible for sending the following: The application and essays The application fee Any writing samples, portfolios, or tapes Official SAT/ACT Scores Note: There are a few schools, usually large state universities, that request that all the information be sent together. If you are applying to a university that requires this, you must get your part of the application into the Registrar in a timely fashion and communicate with her about this. Students applying to universities outside the United States should make sure that they understand any special processes or programs as well as any unusual deadlines (October 15 for Oxford and Cambridge, or for any U.K. university if the student plans to study medicine, for example).
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WRITING A WINNING COLLEGE ESSAY: SOME POINTERS After Emily Allyn, Mount Holyoke College, 2002 You the student control the essay section of a college application in a way that is not true of other elements. Even if the topic on which you write is not explicitly autobiographical, you communicate important information about yourself through what you say and how you say it. College admission officers depend on essays for inside information about you. They get a sense of what you care about, how you think and what you think about as well as about how you see yourself and your worldon top of learning how well you spell and punctuate. Colleges want to see essays that show you at your most creative, most insightful, and most articulate, stretching yourself , thinking hard, and reflecting. You should relax and have fun, too, even as you keep in mind organization and clarity, intent and effectiveness, grammar and spelling. On a more objective note, you should aim to create a specific effect or make a specific point in your essay. Choose a topic that interests you and that conforms to the prompt on the application. Write in a style appropriate to you, the topic, and the purpose of the essay. Organize your essay so that the development of your ideas is clear and coherent from beginning to middle to end. Choose vocabulary that suits the topic and style and use words in accurate and appropriate ways. Unless your personal mode of expression demands otherwise, abide by conventional rules and grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Remember, a well constructed essay is defined by strong mechanicsaccurate punctuation and grammar, effective organization, concise expressionand careful crafting. Make several drafts, as hastily written essays are easy to spot. A good essay lets your passion shine through and tells an admission committee what you want them to know about you. Humor never hurts, either, but be careful not to overdo or be too clever. A few guidelines: Get in the mood. Brainstorm, reflect, try a few drafts. Organize your thoughts and WRITEcontent is more important than form at first. Show, dont tell; use anecdotes and your own point of view Dont allow a big event to stand alone or a long story to muddy the waters. Relay how an event has affected youinspired you, changed you, humbled you. Reread, and rewrite. Find a reliable proofreader or editor to offer comments and suggestions. Wait a while, then go over your draft again to make adjustments with a fresh eye. Proofread, proofread, proofread! Send your essays off with pride and confidence.
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(When you fill in the Common Application, have this right in front of you)
You will have to be using the correct browserthe Common App warns that users may have problems with Chrome and AOL; Firefox and Safari are very stable. Write down and save and then learn your own username and password; you will need these for other things. Be patientonce you start filling out the Common App the site will always pester you until its happy, which means everything on the page is correctly filled in. Have your Social Security number handy if you are planning to apply for financial aid. Its OK to be Undecided about your academic interests; some schools will want to know your career interests, and its okay to be Undecided on those, as well. If you do pick a specific major or a career, it does not mean that you are committed to it. Languages: Proficient means you could probably live independently using the language. The optional demographic section: Do what feels comfortable and right; once you select a category, there may also be subcategories for you to choose from. Have Beavers 6-digit CEEB code handy: 220595. Youll need your school counselors name, title, phone, and email address; you can look these up on the school website. There are 85 people in your class. Beaver GPAs are weighted on a 4.0 scale. Class rank: Leave it blank. Leave the test date and score sections BLANK; its okay. HONORSdont worry if you dont have much here, because lots of people dont. But dont forget any academic awards, honor rolls, or anything else you might have earned FROM NINTH GRADE ON; this is not the place for athletic or service awards. TIPS FOR THE ACTIVITIES SECTION: o o o o o o o List your activities IN THE ORDER OF THEIR IMPORTANCE TO YOU. A school sports season is usually about 12 weeks for varsity and 11 for JV or lower; you can use these numbers. Varsity school sports usually take up about 18 hours a week; JV or lower is probably about 11 hours a week. An activity that you do through the school year lasts 33 to 34 weeks; you can estimate. If you are a club officer, you probably spend time planning for your activity, and so you should add more time. Take your best reasonable guess as to how much time you put into an activity; be honest, but be fair to yourself. Even a regular babysitting gig counts as employment; but if you just sometimes sit for
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your aunt or got 10 bucks for weeding your grandmothers garden, dont bother. The Short Answer essay should be about an activity that matters a whole lot to you; write about WHY the activity is important in your lifeand keep it short (1000 characters)! The Personal Essay is a big deal and needs to be about something really important REALLY importantin your life. It needs to be very, very well written. Get help from your English teacher, your advisor, and your college counselor. The length suggestions for the essays are important. Keep the Short Answer under the stated 1000-character limit, and keep your personal essay at 500 words or less. When you write your first draft, start worrying if you go onto a 3rd page, double-spaced. The Additional Information section is for something really important that wasnt asked elsewherepossibly something UNIQUE in your personal background. Its not a place to just say that youre really a wonderful person. Be honest in the Disciplinary Historyand use the written explanation spot as a chance to write a short essay explaining what happened AND WHAT YOU LEARNED; its not the place to complain that it was unfair or that other kids get away with doing the same thing. Then be ready for two BIG surprises: 1. You have left things blank or made mistakes, and the system will pester you until you have filled in everything it wants you to fill in. 2. Many colleges have SUPPLEMENTSspecial pages of even more information that you have to fill in. Sometimes these are easy, and sometimes there are short essays (250 words on Why do you want to attend our college?). Sometimes, as for places like Yale and Tufts, there are a whole bunch of extra essays to write. CHECK OUT THE SUPPLEMENT REQUIREMENTS, AND DONT LEAVE THESE UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE! If you have a supplement that asks you to list the colleges to which you are applying, leave it blank! AND ONE LAST SURPRISE: For many schools there is an application fee. These range from $25 to as much as $75 per college, although some schools charge NO fee when you apply on line. You may be eligible for a FEE WAIVER (if you qualified for a fee waiver for the SATs or ACT, you qualify for this), so check with your school counselor about getting the fee waiver form. The Common App form explains how this works; ask your counselor for help if you need it. Your signature is required before you submit, but its all electronic You need to sign forms on Naviance allowing your school to release your records (transcripts and recommendation) and waiving your right to see your letters of recommendation. Do sign these, as colleges are more willing to trust a letter that the student hasnt seen than one that the student has seen. Trust your counselor and teachers to write good, strong, positive letters on your behalfthey will! If you are applying Early Decision there may be another form that pops up requiring your signature as well as that of a parent/guardian and your college counselor; you may need to print out a paper copybut check on what you need to do and DO IT
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7. INTERVIEWS
COLLEGE INTERVIEWS
The opportunity for interviews for admission to some colleges has decreased during the past few years, so you will need to inquire about the interviewing policy of each school. The policy will probably be one of the following: No interviews group information sessions only Alumni interviews only off campus Interviews are optional and informational only Interviews are encouraged and do become a part of the students application folder If the college does offer an on-campus interview and you are able to visit, please take advantage of this opportunity. It may be very helpful to you. Dont be surprised if the interviewer spends much of the time selling you on her or his school. Interviews are, in part, a marketing device.
What You Can Do To Prepare: Read all available material on the college beforehand. Do not ask questions that are answered in the material. Dress and comport yourself as someone who respects the process and wants to present himself/herself as a serious, mature young adult. Ditch the gum before the interview starts! Be prepared to comment on particular programs that combine your talents and interests. Be prepared for cryptic questions (e.g. What would you like to talk about?, Are you a mature person?) Sample Questions from College Admission Interviewers: 1. Why do you want to attend this college? What do you expect to get out of college, and what will you contribute to your college community? 2. How do you like Beaver? What has been the most positive experience you have had? The most negative? What would you like to change about Beaver? 3. What is your role in the school community? What would your teachers say about you as a person? As a student? 4. What is the most significant contribution youve made to your school?
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5. What are you looking for in a college? How did you become interested in __________? 6. What are some of your goals personal and career for the future? 7. Tell me about a particular class or assignment in which you found yourself most stimulated intellectually. 8. How and in what ways do you expect, plan, hope, to transfer your secondary school contributions, achievements, activities to the college level? 9. What has been your favorite subject in high school? Why? 10. What events, if any, would you deem critical in your life thus far? Who has most influenced you? 11. What books or authors have made a lasting impression on you? Have you read deeply into any one author or field? 12. How have you spent your summers? 13. How would you describe yourself as a person? 14. Have you ever thought of not going to college? What would you do? 15. How do you spend your free time? 16. Why do you think you are a good match for this college? 17. Do you have any questions? (Have some in mind.)
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DOING THE INTERVIEW REALLY WELL Talking Points For Beaver Students You attend a high school that takes a slightly more modern approach to education than many other schools. You may want to say this, and you can then expect to be asked what this has meant to your experience. Here are a few things you might talk about: PROJECTS. From the Junior history paper to projects you might have done in any other course, the Big Projects you have done at Beaver are not the usual fare. Think about these projects and talk about o Major papers that have gone along with these projects o Presentations you have donethese are public speaking experiences o Field work and other out-of-school research you have done o Group projects, and what your roles have been and what you have learned about yourself, about leadership, and about teamwork from doing these THE ARTS. The art requirement at Beaver is double that of most other school. Think about o What you learned about yourself and about your creative strengths in your art classes o Whether these classes awakened or kept something special and important alive in you o If you have gone beyond the requirement, tell why COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS. The service and diversity programs at Beaver are different, because here we want to make students truly socially aware and to inspire students to become involved as activists in the community and in the world. Think about o How the community service program and events have taken you out of school and shown you aspects of the community and community needsand how YOU can play a part in making things better o How events like Unity Day help bring the community together to have some real conversations about issues like race, religion, and classand inspired YOU RELATIONSHIPS WITH TEACHERS. Teachers at most schools are there for the students, but the relationships you have had with teachers at Beaver are probably stronger and more honest than the relationships students in most other places have had. Think about o How your relationships with one or more teachers have shaped you, or helped you to see things or think about things in certain ways o How these relationships have perhaps inspired you to think more deeply about who you are, about important questions in life, about your own potential ADVANCED AND HONORS COURSES. Here is your chance to tell the story of the most challenging work that you have done in school. Questions to ponder:
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o Was it just about staying up late and remembering things, or was it about reading hard, thinking hard, doing hard? Was it about sweat, or real intellectual effort? o If you are in an Honors Advanced course, talk about the material being covered and about the impact this course is having on you. Colleges will really want to know this. o Can you describe what made your most challenging courses hardand why you stuck with them and what you gained? NuVu. If you have done NuVu, are doing NuVu, or are planning to do NuVu, be ready with an enthusiastic and clear explanation of the program. Colleges are excited by this. Be sure to mention o What NuVu is, how it started (MIT people), what it means to do NuVu at Beaver (a term just doing NuVu in Cambridge) o How NuVu works: studio model, projects, collaboration, coaches who are experts in their areas, critiques and exhibitions o If you have done or are doing NuVu, be REALLY specific about the kinds of projects you have been doing, why you chose them, what the coaching is like, and what the work was/is like
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COLLEGE SELECTION CONSIDERATIONS FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES The Degree of Assistance available at college varies from one institution to another. Consider what your child has needed at Beaver in order to succeed and match it to the schools to which you apply. The degrees of assistance offered at college can be categorized as follows: LEAST DEGREE. Accommodation: the basic assistance that every college must offer; it requires the most student initiative & labor & involves the least amount of institutionalized organization & assistance (e.g., extended time on exams is pursued by each qualified student with each professor of each course taken all four years). MEDIUM DEGREE. Services: the amount of assistance most like that at Beaver; an organized approach, centered in a department, staffed by 1 or 2 professionals, it offers a more extensive range of assistance than just Accommodationbut not the full range of a Program. It organizes assistance to students requiring some support that is standardized across disciplines (e.g., extra time on tests, access to computers on exams, books on tape, foreign language waiver or alternative, etc.). GREATEST DEGREE. Program: the most comprehensive range of offerings that include all Services but also extend to: diagnostic testing, specialized courses, remediation, counseling, etc. Staffed by several to many trained professionals, it often costs an additional fee. Another key consideration in making the best match is evaluating the required curriculum at each institution in terms of the number of courses required per term, the length of each term, foreign language alternatives, math requirements, etc.
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ENSURING THE BEST MATCH & THE APPROPRIATE DEGREE OF ACCOMMODATION AT COLLEGE What PARENTS/GUARDIANS Must Do: Provide valid testing by making sure that it is updated (should be a standard neuropsychological battery no older than 3 years); if desirable, call the chair of the Academic Services Department for a referral. Never send your childs evaluation in the application process. Provide it when requested but only after admission and only to the appropriate department. What STUDENTS Must Do: Appraise all colleges you are considering by criteria that include the appropriate degree of accommodation available AND the required courses for graduation (e.g., foreign language study), as well as the usual considerations of: geography, campus, student body, strong departments in areas of your interest, programs abroad, student life, etc. Go to websites of all colleges you are interested in for the most current information on each Department of Services. At each college you visit, go to the Department of Services & interview personnel as well as students who receive such services. Learn to Self Advocate before going to college. Come work with the Academic Services Department to learn how to do this if you do not already know how. o Read & Understand your Evaluation; know your cognitive strengths & weaknesses, your diagnosis & specifically what accommodation(s) you need from the college in order to be a successful student. o Once admitted, bring or send your updated testing to the appropriate department & make an appointment to talk about your issues & needs for freshman year. o Self-Advocate.
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WHY & HOW TO SELF-ADVOCATE? WHAT IS INVOLVED? Self-Advocacy: the ability to plead in favor of yourself (Webster). In terms of seeking accommodation for a learning disability or disorder, effective selfadvocacy involves the ability to: o know yourself honestly and fully, including: your cognitive strengths, weaknesses, and critical need(s) for accommodation; actual diagnosis; its degree of severity; its impact on which courses and/or your mental processes (to know these things and to learn the appropriate terminology to describe them, read your current evaluation and/or come see the Academic Services Department). o speak up for yourself; to be articulate & tactful about your issues. Know how to request things in different ways even when you are countered or questioned; o hustle in your own behalf: show up; make appointments; work hard; think through; organize and prioritize that which needs to be done Effective Self-Advocacy also involves: o the ability to ask for and accept assistance graciously when needed o the ability to seek from others only the help that is needed o over time, the increased ability to let go of past accommodations that are no longer necessary. To Learn to Self-Advocate: o practice articulating your diagnosis and requests for accommodation o practice arguing on your own behalf on these & other matters o role play with your advisor or the Academic Services Department to develop verbal ease and fluency on this issue.
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QUESTIONS OF SELF-DECLARATION IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS ~ Who Should Self-Declare? ~ Who Should Not? ~ When To Do It If You Do & How? No one is required to self- disclose a learning disability; however, in the interest of making the best match, it is important to decide whether or not it is in your best interests to do so. And, if so, when? To determine whether or not to self-disclose, consider the following advice: 1. Do not self-disclose your learning disability if it is mild and you are fully compensating for it. (That is, you had little or no need for accommodation at Beaver and you expect to have no need at college.) 2. Self-disclose once you have been admitted if you need a moderate degree of standard accommodations at college (e.g., extended time on exams ). Selfdisclose once admitted by sending a letter to your college to the appropriate department person stating your diagnosis & listing your specific need(s) for accommodation. Ask where you should send your evaluation and when. Consider requesting a letter from the Director of Academic Services at Beaver, confirming this information. 3. Consider self-disclosure during the admission process if you need to explain something out of the usual on your transcript (e.g., a language waiver) or you require a very special kind of accommodation at college and want to ensure that you get it. Do this during the interview or in a short note that accompanies your essays & application. We do not recommend that you make your LD the subject of your essay unless it has been such a defining characteristic of your life or you have changed so much because of it. Otherwise, we think it more important that you discuss other aspects of yourself that demonstrate your interests and ideas. Consider requesting a letter from the Director of Academic Services confirming your diagnosis & need for accommodation and perhaps outlining your progress in compensating for your LD over the years. Whether or not you plan to self-disclose, make sure that you visit the Department of Academic Services (or whatever it is called) at the colleges you apply to in order to evaluate the services available & their accessibility. Also, interview students who receive such services in order to evaluate the program more realistically. Always consult the website of each college you apply to regarding their services. As you go about your college search, please consider the following:
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1. If you have a learning disability and/or a disorder and you have been successfully accommodated at Beaver, you should think about ensuring the same kind of accommodation at college. 2. As you look at colleges, and read their literature, appraise their department of Services for Learning Disabilities (no two are exactly the same). 3. Ask questions of admissions officers, professionals in the Department of Services, and students who use these services. Evaluate the quality and accessibility of each colleges offerings; compare them to what you are used to at Beaver, and compare them to other college offerings. 4. In any of the above cases, you should discuss your reasoning with the Beaver Academic Services Department before doing so and then ask the chair to write a follow-up letter to confirm what you say. We should then discuss the timing of this letter in terms of pre or post admission policy. 5. All eligible students seeking accommodation at college should have their evaluations updated in order to be accommodated. 6. After being accepted, all students are responsible to send their own updated evaluations to college to the appropriate person in the correctly titled department (every school seems to have its own version of Academic Services.) Beaver cannot do this, as this kind of information is considered personal and private and up to the individual to share with another institution. 7. If you need to have your evaluation updated and do not know where to go, please call the director of Academic Services at Beaver for a referral. 8. If you need to discuss the question of your need for accommodation at college, please see the director of Academic Services at Beaver this fall. 9. If you need to understand and to practice articulating your diagnosis and need for accommodation, come meet with me and we shall role-play the situation.
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QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER ASKING...re: Services for Students with LD 1. Name of the department. Title of director. Location on the campus. 2. Number of professionals in the department (vs. graduate students, peer tutors, etc.) 3. Years of operation of the department at this college 4. Number of students served each year; ratio of students served to professionals 5. How services are accessed by the individual student once admitted 6. Frequency of use possible for the individual student 7. Availability of professional help vs. student assistance 8. Kinds of Accommodation & services offered? o extended time on exams? tests? how much time, and where and how to put in place o language waiver? what alternatives are acceptable? American sign? Latin? o use of computers for tests &/or exams? o assistance in course choice? help with load management? o writing center? assistance with organization, editing revision? o books on tape? o separate, quiet rooms for testing? o tutoring available? in subject areas? 9. Any other question that pertains to your individual needs. (See your Learning Profile, recent evaluation, or the Academic Services Department to figure out what they might be if you dont know for sure. 10. Additional cost to tuition to access services? This is just a starter set of possibilities. After a while, when you know enough, just ask the focused questions that relate to your interests and your needs.
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While you should begin thinking about your portfolio during your sophomore year, relax and have fun making art; begin collecting your best work for inclusion in your portfolio. In your junior year, you should consider attending a Portfolio Day in order to gain a sense of the expectations of the reviewers. During your senior year, you should bring your portfolio to a Portfolio Day for an evaluation. Most of the artwork that comprises your portfolio will be produced during your junior year and during your junior summer. Attending a summer art program at a college (e.g., Carnegie Mellon, Maryland Institute College of Art, RISD) is a good way to produce high quality work and discover whether or not you enjoy being an art student at the university level. The first term of your senior year should be a period when you fine-tune your portfolio. Schools want to see consistent work that shows your serious interest and dedication to making art. You should present a balanced body of work that displays both your skill as an artist and your individual creative style. Be aware that in addition to a portfolio, some schools will also require that you perform other art-related tasks or submit specific pieces of work. Acquaint yourself intimately with the specific application requirements for each school to which you plan to apply. Review the following procedures and guidelines for producing a portfolio: Format: Most colleges will want a selection of 1220 professional quality slides. Some schools will also accept unmounted 8 x 10 photographic prints, a DVD, or a website address where can be found documentation of your work. The slides should be arranged in a plastic slide-holder page and should be labeled with your name and a number that corresponds to a typed list accompanying your slides. The list should include the corresponding number, a title for each slide, identification of the media, an indication of size, date of completion, and a brief description of the work. You should also include a brief (half page, typed) artists statement describing your interests and investment in the visual arts. Procedure: Collect all of your artwork at school. You should start collecting your work during your junior and even sophomore years. Take care of your work to ensure that it remains undamaged. Ask a member of the Visual Arts Department to be your mentor throughout this process. All of them have produced art portfolios and have studied at a wide range of art schools and liberal arts colleges. Review your work with that faculty member, and follow her/his advice.
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Hire a professional photographer to photograph and produce slides of your work. Photograph more than the requisite number of pieces so that you can choose those which reproduce best. Have the photographer produce enough slides so that you do not have to have them duplicated later. Once you have the slides, meet with your faculty mentor again to select your best work. Research how and to whom you should submit your portfolio at each college to which you are applying. Send your portfolio. MUSIC FOR COLLEGE APPLICANTS The following information is intended as a guide for students who have focused on music during their time at Beaver. We encourage any senior to create a recorded tape and a short document outlining their past musical achievements at Beaver and elsewhere. Creating this tape will showcase your abilities and help set you apart from other applicants. Tape Format: All colleges differ in what they require for a musical recording. If you intend to major in music, most schools will require an audition at the school. The earlier you register the better. The recording should be professionally made. Record the performance in the best acoustical surroundings using the best quality equipment. Choose your pieces wisely. Highlight your strengths. Choose a variety of pieces to demonstrate different abilities. Do not make a recording too long. Send the recording to the regular college admission office and to the appropriate member of that schools music department. Enclose a letter and resume outlining your musical achievements. Follow up with a phone call sometime later to that same music faculty. Resume Format: With your recording, enclose a resume outlining past musical achievements. List the important things you have done musically, both at Beaver and outside of Beaver. Keep your information brief. Highlights of your accomplishments are enough.
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THEATER AUDITIONS (adapted from www.ecampustours.com/collegeplanning/auditionsandtryouts.aspx) Many colleges and universities have a theater or performing arts department. If you are interested in majoring in drama, you may or may not have to audition in order to be accepted into the major. However, you will definitely have to audition for plays, and often times you will have to audition for scholarships. If you do have to audition in order to be accepted into the major, then you will probably have to set up an audition appointment. Most campuses will have a couple of dates set for on-campus auditions, and some campus reps may even travel to regional cities to hold auditions. Auditions for plays are usually advertised in campus newspapers or posted on campus bulletin boards. Often times, these auditions are open call. You may be required to come prepared with a monologue, or if you are doing a musical, you will need to come prepared with a song. Check with your school to see if there are guidelines on the kind of performance you should present, such as contemporary, classical, dramatic, or comedic. Sometimes you may be required to perform a cold reading, which is where you will have no prep time to study a script prior to reading it on stage. For play auditions, you are usually tested on how well you can read, project your voice, memorize lines, and follow directions. Judges will also look for whether or not you have the potential for growth, a sense of humor, and the ability to identify with the character(s). Remember these tips for audition day: Choose a lesser-known monologue/play and be ready to answer questions about the whole play. Give yourself plenty of time to pick out and practice an appropriate piece. (Ask your theater teacher/ director for guidance) Wear clothing that gives you freedom to move around but still remember to look neat and professional. Try to show that you are eager and ready to take risks. Dont go over the time limit set for your audition.
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ATHLETICS AND THE COLLEGE PROCESS The following information is for those at Beaver who are thinking about continuing with athletics in college and might be considered a recruitable athlete. If you have been contacted by college coaches at Division I, II, or III schools, you can feel fairly confident that you may have the ability to compete in college at some level. If you have not heard from any coaches, but hope to continue in college with a sport, or perhaps begin a new one that Beaver does not offer, we suggest the following: Self-Assessment: Take the time to be honest with yourself about your abilities and potential. If you have never been a starter, can you really play at the college level? How good is the program at the school at which you are looking? Do they welcome all to the program, with potential for development, or only those they recruit? Talk with others: Talk to your coach at Beaver, or former Beaver students who were similar to you in ability. Ask for their help in aiding you in self-assessment. If you now feel that you may be of interest to some college coaches, we recommend the following: Talk to your coach at Beaver about the kinds of schools you are considering. Discuss other programs that may be of interest to you. Ask if he or she will contact these schools on your behalf. When communicating with the admission offices at these colleges, be sure to inform them that you are a varsity athlete and the sport(s) you play. They will often pass this information on to the respective coach. Contact these colleges directly. Let them know of your interest in applying to their school and your intention to participate in their program. You should set up a visit to meet with the coach. Some colleges may ask for an athletic resume or a video. Depending on your ability, you may be of interest to some college coaches and not to others. Do your best to be realistic in your self-assessment of your athletic talent and the teams for which you are most likely to play. Remember that, while you may be good enough to play on a particular colleges team, your athletic talent may not be of the caliber to play a role in the admission committees decision making. Coaches have varying ranges of ability to support you in the admission process, so it is important to understand their system. Watch out for coaches tactics. Remember that your interests and a coachs interests dont always overlap to your advantage. A coachs goal is to build the best possible team. Typically, a coach is allowed to present to the admission committee a list of his or her most desired candidates from among the applicant pool. There is no guarantee that
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the admissions committee will admit all candidates on a coachs list or follow his/her order of preference; academic and personal factors will be taken into consideration. Coaches promises should almost always be taken with a heavy dose of skepticism. Coaches who guarantee you admission are probably overstepping their bounds. It is the admission committee that makes admissions decisions, not the coaches. A coach may lead you to believe that you will make his or her list, but there are no guarantees. You could be bumped from the list at the last minute if the coach finds a better athlete, or even a somewhat less talented athlete with better academic credentials who is more likely to make it through the admissions process. It is not unusual for a coach to ask you to state which college is your first choice. After all, in choosing which athletes to support in the admission process, a coach does not want to waste energy or a high position on the list on a candidate who is not likely to enroll. We do not want you to lie to coaches. Nor do we want your honesty to put you at a disadvantage. If coaches start asking you to commit, come talk to your college counselor before responding. Indeed, it is important that you keep us posted throughout the process about all communications with college coaches. Our work as your advocate is strengthened if we know which college coaches seem most interested in you. If coaches make unfounded promises to you or ask you to commit when you are not ready to do so, we can often intervene to your advantage by contacting the admissions office.
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STANDARD FORMS
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) If a student wants to receive federally funded student financial aid, he or she must complete a FAFSA. This form is used to determine what a family can pay toward postsecondary education and, in turn, a students financial aid eligibility. The form must be completed after January 1. Do not complete more than one FAFSA. Also, do not submit the FAFSA before January 1. Apply on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov. However, before you begin the FAFSA on the Web, you need to get a PIN number (Personal Identification Number) at the web site: www.PIN.ed.gov. CSS/FINANCIAL AID PROFILE Many private colleges require this form which can only be completed on-line at www.collegeboard.com. The College Board web site lists all colleges and scholarship
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programs that require the PROFILE. PROFILE registration should be completed in the fall of senior year- at least four (4) weeks before your first financial aid deadline. INSTITUTIONAL FORMS Some colleges have their own aid forms in addition to the ones above. Check with each college and follow their instructions. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION If your family has a special financial need or financial circumstances that are not covered on any of the forms above, write a letter describing your situation and send it to the Financial Aid offices of the colleges to which you are applying. DO NOT attach letters or tax forms, etc. to the FAFSA or PROFILE. They will be destroyed. Help on completing the FAFSA can be found at http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/FAFSA For FAFSA on the web, go to http://fafsa.ed.gov All kinds of information and assistance, from the Massachusetts Educational Finance Authority: http://www.mefa.org Financial Aid Information Page: http://www.finaid.org For scholarship searches and an application to calculate range of aid possible given your income, go to http://www.collegeboard.org or http://www.mefacounselor.org AN ARTICLE OF INTEREST FROM THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION:
Friday, November 7, 2008
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needs the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or Fafsa, to process a loan, even for students who dont qualify for need-based aid. And, if a students financial situation changes, the financial-aid office cannot offer aid without that form. 2. Deadlines matter. Students have to apply for aid each year, and they must do so on time. Firstyear students need to understand that different colleges may have different deadlines. 3. All aid applications are not the same. All colleges require the Fafsa. About 250 colleges require a CSS/Financial Aid Profile, a form that asks for more information than is included on the federal form. State grants and outside scholarships may also require additional paperwork. 4. Students should know what colleges mean by family contribution. This figure is what a college determines a family can contribute based on the Fafsa, sometimes combined with information from a CSS/Financial Aid Profile. The dollar amount is not necessarily what the family will pay, since students dont all spend the same amount of money on items like housing. It could also vary from college to college. For example, some financial-aid offices will add in an expected contribution from a students summer earnings. 5. Students should be aware of what is included in the cost of attendance. This figure includes tuition, fees, housing, and indirect costs like books, supplies, and transportation. The actual cost paid for some of these items will vary from student to student. 6. Eligibility and need arent always the same. If a student meets the criteria for a federal Pell Grant, the college has to award it. But the college may determine that a student who is eligible for a Pell Grant on paper doesnt demonstrate the level of need to get other institutional needbased aid. 7. There is a big difference between need-based and merit aid. Merit aid is almost always tied to academic performance, and some is tied to specific criteria like having a certain major or being from a certain part of the country. Need-based aid is determined solely from families documented financial situations. 8. There are different forms of aid. Students can receive federal, state, and institutional aid. Aid can come in the form of grants, loans, or work. And yes, financial-aid offices view loans as a form of aid. 9. Award letters vary. Be sure to note whether aid is in the form of grants or loans and whether it is renewable from year to year. 10. Award letters can be appealed. If a family knows or expects its financial situation will change, it should talk it over with the financial-aid office. Most offices can help a family with special circumstancesan issue many expect to see happen more in a year like this one.
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that require the PROFILE can usually access data from your FAFSA electronically.) When you have a final (and correct) copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR, see below), you can then resubmit the FAFSA, replacing the names of colleges to which forms have been sent with the names of new ones. 9. Within four weeks after filing your form, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR will either request further information, or provide you with a number called an Expected Family Contribution- abbreviated as EFC. Once you have a final SAR (corrected if necessary) you should follow the directions on the form for signatures, etc. and give the SAR to the financial aid administrator at the college the student plans to attend. 10. For questions about the status of your application or to request duplicate copies of your SAR, call 1-319-337-5665. If you do not get a SAR in four weeks, it is wise to call and check on your application. EARLY APPLICANTS The issue of applying early and financial aid raises concerns for many. By applying early, you limit your opportunities to compare financial aid packages between schools. On the other hand, it has been our experience that the financial aid packages in the early round have been quite adequate for families demonstrating need. SCHOLARSHIPS Information about current scholarships comes through the College Counseling Office regularly, and families should check the Financial Aid pages on their Naviance Family Connection account. We update these pages as applicable. There are a number of web sites where you can search for free information about scholarships. A few good ones are: http://www.finaid.org http://www.college-scholarships.com/100college.htm http://www.ed.gov/studentaid As a rule, DO NOT use any websites or services that charge money to help you final scholarships. At best, this is unnecessary, and at worst you might find yourself the victim of a scam or of identity theft.
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www.fafsa.ed.gov www.mefacounselor.org
www.scholarships.com
www.finaid.org
www.fastweb.com
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NellieMae Loan Information The Educational Resources Institute Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority
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11. DECISIONS
THE RESULTS ARE IN Families and students should be aware that college decisions are not always as simple as accepted or denied. Along the way to admission there are a few other possible outcomes: DEFERRED. Students who are deferred from an Early Decision or Early Action application have their applications moved forward into the Regular Decision pool for later reconsideration. Students who are deferred should continue to show active interest in the college in order to be considered favorably. Some colleges use deferrals as a gentle way to say probably not, but others will give a student full consideration on the second round without the earlier deferral harming their candidacy. WAIT-LISTED. Many colleges put students on a waitlist after final admission decisions are made. Students may show active interest or submit further information, but some waitlists never move. Other colleges, however, regularly and actively go to waitlists throughout the late spring and early summer to fill their classes. JANUARY ADMIT. This is an increasingly common result, and it always seems to come as a shock. Some colleges will admit a student but not until the second semester of the students first year. The student may be able make up missed coursework over the summers to graduate on time, but this is often a way for colleges to admit candidates whom they want, but not immediately, and about whose qualifications they may have some reservations. CONDITIONAL ADMIT. Admission conditions come in many forms, from a mandatory year off before starting college to a semester of coursework at another college at a particular grade-point level. Some colleges use conditional admissions to hedge their bets when working to fill a class.
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Colleges Obligations
Students Rights
Before You Apply to Colleges and Universities, You have the right to receive factual and comprehensive information from colleges and universities about their admission, financial costs, aid opportunities, practices and packaging policies, and housing policies. If you consider applying under an early admission plan, you have the right to complete information from the college about its process and policies. You have the right to be free from high-pressure sales tactics. When You Are Offered Admission: You have the right to wait until May 1 to respond to an offer of admission and/or financial aid.
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Colleges that request commitments to offers of admission and/or financial assistance prior to May 1 must clearly offer you the opportunity to request (in writing) an extension until May 1. They must grant you this extension and your request may not jeopardize your status for admission and/or financial aid. Candidates admitted under early decision programs are a recognized exception to the May 1 deadline. If You Are Placed on a Wait/Alternate List: The letter that notifies you of that placement should provide a history that describes the number of students on the wait list, the number offered admission, and the availability of financial aid and housing. Colleges may require neither a deposit nor a written commitment as a condition of remaining on a wait list. Colleges are expected to notify you of the resolution of your wait list status by August 1 at the latest. Before You Apply to Colleges and Universities, You have a responsibility to research, and to understand and comply with the policies and procedures of each college or university regarding application fees, financial aid, scholarships, and housing. You should also be sure you understand the policies of each college or university regarding deposits you may be required to make before you enroll. As You Apply, You must complete all material required for application and submit your application on or before the published deadlines. You should be the sole author of your applications. You should seek the assistance of your high school counselor early and throughout the application period. Follow the process recommended by your high school for filing college applications. It is your responsibility to arrange, if appropriate, for visits to and/or interviews at colleges of your choice. After You Receive Your Admission Decisions, You must notify each college or university that accepts you whether you are accepting or rejecting its offer. You should make these notifications as soon as you have made a final decision as to the college you wish to attend, but no later than May 1. It is understood that May 1 will be the postmark date. You may confirm your intention to enroll and, if required, submit a deposit to only one college or university. The exception to this arises if you are put on a wait list by a college or university and are later admitted to that institution. You may accept the offer and send a deposit. However, you must immediately notify a college or university at which you previously indicated your intention to enroll. If you are accepted under an early decision plan, you must promptly withdraw the applications submitted to other colleges and universities and make no additional applications. If you are an early decision candidate and are seeking financial aid, you need not withdraw other applications until you have received notification about financial aid. in the College Admission Process Revised March 2006 If you think your rights have been denied, you should contact the college or university immediately to request additional information or the extension of a reply date. In addition, you should ask your counselor to notify the president of the state or regional affiliate of the National Association for College Admission Counseling in your area. If you need
Students Responsibilities
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further assistance, send a copy of any correspondence you have had with the college or university and a copy of your letter of admission to: National Association for College Admission Counseling 1631 Prince Street Alexandria, VA 22314-2818 Phone: 703/ 836-2222 800/ 822-6285 Fax: 703/ 836-8015
There are some important ethical issues relating to applying to college. What follows is the official Beaver College Counseling Office position on some recurring issues. Early Action/Early Decision Applying early action/decision is not a decision that one makes lightly. Because of the nature of an early application, significant thought and planning must go into a decision to apply early. Students are not permitted to file more than one early application to a private college. Students may, however, apply to one or more rolling admission or early action schools in addition to one early decision private school. (Several collegesYale, Brown, Boston College, among others have their own restrictions around the early application process, and students are urged to make sure that their plans are consonant with these restrictions.) In December, when early decisions are rendered, should a student be deferred or denied from the early action/decision college, application materials for regular decision schools will be forwarded immediately. It is imperative that students applying to rolling admission schools who are accepted early decision at another college withdraw all other applications immediately. Completing Applications Honesty and forthrightness should be your bywords when writing your college applications. Your response to questions about extracurricular activities and achievements should be truthful and complete. Do not omit things out of a sense of modesty or because you feel that they may be insignificant. On the other hand, do not overstate the title of a leadership position you hold. If you are an associate editor, do not write that you are editor. If you are one of two or more cocaptains, do not write that you are captain. Obviously, you may include only activities in which you have actually participated and positions of leadership that you have actually held. Likely or Safety Schools Frequently, offers of admission will be tendered by schools that use rolling admission practices as early as December. Students accepted under such a plan have no obligation to attend the school. However, should a student receive an early acceptance at a preferred school, he/she should withdraw applications immediately from the less preferred schools. There is no excuse for a students continued presence in the applicant pool at a school which he/she has no intention of attending. This student is taking a place away from someone else who need not be a Beaver student,
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but who might desperately want to attend that school. You must inform your college counselor of any college acceptances, withdrawals, or enrollments immediately. Making the Choice May 1 is regarded as the Candidates Common Reply Date (CRD). This means two things. First of all, colleges that subscribe to the CRD (almost all do) cannot insist that an accepted applicant respond to an offer of admission before that date. On the other hand, colleges will insist that you do respond by that date. While some colleges, on petition, might be willing to extend that deadline if there are special circumstances, most are firm in requiring a deposit to be in place by May 1. The practice of putting down multiple deposits, and thereby guaranteeing oneself a place at more than one school, is obviously unethical and also dangerous. In doing so, one runs the risk of having an offer of admission rescinded should a college discover a double deposit. It is part of the understanding between secondary schools and colleges that multiple deposits are not to be tolerated. Deferring Admission for a Year Many schools will allow admitted students to defer their admission for one year. It is necessary to write to the college to request a deferral, but this should be done only after the student has been accepted. It is not incumbent upon the student to mention deferral plans prior to that letter--in the application, in an interview, or elsewhereunless specifically asked. (The College Office is concerned about the propriety of such a question and would appreciate knowing about it, if it should occur.) At the same time, students should be aware that many colleges have deadlines after which requests for deferral will not be honored. Make certain you meet your schools deadline. For Those Who Defer The decision to attend a particular college may be made as early as November of the senior year. That year and the year that follows frequently involve significant personal change. You may find that you are no longer interested in attending the college you committed to as a senior. Should this be the case, there is a procedure to follow. First, withdraw from the college to which you have committed. You are then free to apply to as many other colleges as you wish. Beaver will not process any materials for you until you have withdrawn from the college that you accepted as a senior, and we have received verification from the college. If there are questions about the issues discussed above, please feel free to talk to any of the college counselors.
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I read to him incessantly, convinced that the experts were right... if you read to your child, he or she will most surely develop a lifelong love of reading. Ha! I scheduled him to within an inch of his life with a wide assortment of resume-enhancing activities. I banned television. I paid him for good grades. I harangued him with such creative invectives as, Would it kill you to go above and beyond once in a while? Week by week, year by year, his childhood slipped away from me, as I was too lost in dreams of future success to appreciate his presence in the present.
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Parents: dont let this be you. If you hunger for an Ivy League education for your child, and nothing less will suffice, I encourage you to examine your motives. We boomers suffer from a collective case of sticker lust. We want the top-of-the-line stickers for the rear windows of our top-of-the-line cars. As you embark on the adventure that is the college application process, try to keep the following in mind.
When you wished for a perfect child, your wish was granted. Leaving home for a new independence is a stressful proposition. Adolescents often handle stress by sleeping. Dont be surprised if your child dozes off at college night or even at those stimulating information sessions on campus. And dont despair. If you look around, half the room is asleep. The young half. Dont expect your child to choose a college based on the number of books in the library or the faculty- student ratio. Its more likely that shell like the bands that performed there last year, or the gorgeous hunk she saw in the cafeteria. Before you blab your childs SAT scores to the rest of the world, think how youd feel if she did that with your weight. Your child is not the sum of his SAT and GPA. Dont smirk. I acted like mine was for a while and I know there are many other parents who do the same. Dont confuse your college visitation trip with your family vacation. It is a business trip. Dont be surprised if your child doesnt view it as a wonderful opportunity for bonding with Mom and Dad. Remember, Harvard admitted some geniuses, but they also admitted the Unabomber.
I am a recovering hyper-parent who now truly believes that my children will be unique gifts to the world regardless of the college they attend. Yours will be, too.
Karin Kasdin is the author of Watsamatta U: A Get-a-Grip Guide to Staying Sane Through Your Childs College Application Process (Chandler House Press).
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6. Quality of Life. Canada is an incredibly safe place in which to live and study. A low cost of living together with the scenic beauty of the countryside makes Canada very attractive to American undergrads. 7. International Experience. Canada is close to homebut a world away! Without crossing an ocean or sometimes changing time zones, US students have the opportunity to explore a new culture as they engage in an international campus community. And the global perspective gained while studying in Canada will open doors around the world after graduation. 8. Graduate School. Canadian degrees are recognized by all the top graduate and professional schools in the US as well as in Canada. The quality of a Canadian education will support applications to the best law, business, and medical schools. 9. Employment. Canadian universities have outstanding job placement ratesboth in Canada and the US. With a student visa, students qualify for employment opportunities in any of the provinces as well as closer to home in the US. 10. Network. Thousands of graduates of Canadian universities live and work in the US, and the ability to connect with so many alumni is a real plus on many different levels. Canadian universities follow same Bachelors/Masters/PhD-Professional system as in the States. Canadian colleges, however, are more similar to US community colleges, granting certificates and diplomas. Last year, Canadian universities educated over 1.5 million students and were responsible for over $10 billion in ongoing research. The schools are welcoming to American students, and the opportunities are every bit as attractive as those found at US colleges and universities. The experience of living in Montreal for four years and the quality of the education I got were definitely the best things about going to school at McGill, said Ms. Brooks, who is currently a graduate student at Cornell University. When it came time to apply to jobs and later grad school, the fact that I had studied in Canada was not a problem people knew about McGill and that it was a great school, so it actually helped me. Specific application procedures and deadlines vary by institution. For the best and most current information on how to apply, contact individual colleges and universities directly (a complete list is provided on the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada website). But in the meantime, to learn more about Canadas colleges and universities, check out Macleans Magazine OnCampus or visit the Education au/in_Canada website. September 14, 2011
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Dare to Dream
Matthew Crowley was set on going to Stanford University last fall, but all the signs told him he wouldnt make the cut. He plugged his grades and test scores into a computer program that tracked college-acceptance statistics and came out on the low end of a graph for Stanford. Guidance counselors at Kent Denver, a private school he attended in Englewood, Colo., did not include Stanford on a list of suggested colleges. And he says a college adviser his family hired for $2,800 told him not to bother applying. But Mr. Crowley, who at age 16 started a company that built and tested skis, didnt like being told what not to do. He remembered his father, who died when Matthew was 11, telling him, Whats the harm in trying? He sent in his application early, but also applied to seven other schools. Soon he got the news that Stanford had put him on the wait list, meaning a slot for him could open up later. Then, while hanging out in the basement with his brother, he got the email from Stanford: accepted. Mr. Crowley ran upstairs with the news. It was the greatest joy Ive had as a parent other than giving birth, says his mother, Melissa Crowley. Now a freshman, hes majoring in product design and was accepted to a small class led by Banny Banerjee, the director of Stanfords design program. Prof. Banerjee once worked for IDEO, an innovation and design firm that Matthew had admired so much, he toured the companys Boulder, Colo., office as a 9-year-old with his father. I walk into his class and I cant stop smiling, Mr. Crowley says. Advice: Have a backup plan, but dont get scared off by long odds. It pays off to keep on going for it even if youre told you cant do it, he says. His mother says with the next kids, twin high-school juniors, shell seek advice that is realistic but still gives them hope.
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Keep It Neat
When Dartmouth College rejected Ramond King last December, he blasted Radioheads Let Down and tried to figure out why he wasnt at least put on the wait list. He had a 3.9 grade-point average his senior year, took five Advanced Placement courses and won the headmasters cup, an award to the student who showed the most personal growth at the Branson School in Ross, Calif. A few weeks later, as he was finishing 13 applications, Mr. Kings college counselor called with a possible explanation. On his application, where hed described his course load, Ramond had spelled chemistry as chemestry and literature as literatre. The errors appeared six times. When it happened, of course, Im freaking out, Mr. King says. Before hed sent that Dartmouth application, his mother, father and sister had studied each word, scouring for mistakes. But the errors were on a page he filled out on his own and gave to the guidance office to complete with recommendations. In his next round of applications, the errors were corrected. This time, he was accepted to five schools, including Cornell, where he is now a freshman. He says blatant misspellings can be fatal to an application: I try and laugh about it now, he says. Advice: Check every section of an application immediately after finishing it, as well as before sending it. Many college counselors recommend printing out an online application and proofreading the hard copy.
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clichd essay topics, such as community service, unless theyre essential to a students identity. Students can also consult how-to books to view sample essays.
Virat Gupta was at the top of his class at Detroit Country Day School, president of the student council, captain of the cross-country team, captain of a public speaking team and secretary of the honors choir. So when he applied to about 10 colleges, including four Ivy League universities, he felt pretty confident. In December, Columbia University rejected his early application. In April, he was put on the wait list by Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown and Rice. Rejections came from Yale, Cornell, Northwestern and Washington University in St. Louis. He got the news while on vacation in Paris. I had a couple of breakdowns, he says. Last fall, Mr. Gupta was accepted at two in-state schools, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, but he considered them safeties -- schools he had a strong chance of getting into -- and barely paid them any mind. Now hes a freshman at the University of Michigan, where he says he enjoys working in student government and singing in the mens glee club. I really, really like it, he says. He thinks less about transferring than he used to, though he still may send applications to some schools that rejected him. Its not the end of the world, he says. Everything will end up working out. Advice: Students shouldnt just apply to dream schools and safeties, but schools in between as well. And make sure that all the schools you apply to, youre pretty sure youd be willing to go there, Mr. Gupta says. In his view, the pressure of college is nothing compared to the stress of getting in, he says. And he still has big plans. Ill do my best and get into a killer law school, he says.
Just Do It
Mari Huessy says she was expected to be the pride of the high school in Essex Junction, Vt. But when December of her senior year rolled around, she was overwhelmed by the prospect of applying to 10 different colleges. I totally freaked out, she says. Her approach: apply only to her top choice, Grinnell College in Iowa. An aspiring writer, shed been hoping to attend the school ever since ninth grade because of its top English program. But she froze when it was time to follow through on her dream. She didnt visit the campus or interview with the admissions office. She struggled with her essay about imagination. It was really bad, she says. Her rejection notice came on April 1, her birthday. Instead of applying elsewhere, she took a year off after high school to teach English at a school in Germany, hoping the experience abroad would strengthen her bid. When application season came around the next fall, she spent nearly two hours speaking with Nancy Maly, Grinnells interim director of admission, describing the ways Germany had changed her. Two days before Christmas, Ms. Huessys parents called to tell her she got in. It was incredibly, incredibly wonderful, she says. The 20-year-old freshman says the gap year didnt just help her get into Grinnell; it also enabled her to make the most of college once she arrived. Shed given her major a lot of thought during her year off and gained confidence from living in a foreign country. Advice: Had she visited a number of campuses, Ms. Huessy says, she probably would have gotten
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excited and applied to more schools. Many school counselors urge students to apply to at least 10 colleges, and some say seniors should apply to extra schools this year to give themselves some lower-priced options. Ms. Huessy also tells peers not to apply at only one school: I got lucky, she said.
Know Thyself
Caitlin Flood, the oldest of six children, turned down Georgetown, which costs about $50,000 a year. She also passed on Cornell, too, worried shed feel timid in big classes at a school with more than 13,000 undergraduates. After visiting 40 campuses, Ms. Flood of Bellerose Terrace, N.Y., discovered Lafayette College. The Easton, Pa., school offered $16,000 in financial aid, and she thought shed thrive in a freshman class of 600 students. The choice surprised some classmates at Mary Louis Academy in Queens, N.Y. It was hard for me, she says. Most people hadnt heard of Lafayette. For three weeks, she questioned turning down two elite schools. But she also knew she didnt want to worry about a mountain of student loans, and she didnt want to go to a pressure-cooker school where shed feel guilty if she left the library before 2 a.m. Since starting her freshman year, shes joined the College Democrats and the schools law society. Shes also helping kids with educational projects at a local community center. She says she adjusted to college right away, while some friends at big universities still havent gotten comfortable. Advice: Ms. Flood suggests setting limits on campus visits; touring dozens of colleges just ended up confusing her. To get up to speed on financial-aid options, students can use calculators found on the prospective schools Web sites. The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities also has financial-aid resources at information on its site at www.ucan-network.org.
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If so, that means spurious ranking methods, arbitrary rating schemes and any other system that presumes to provide a definitive measurement of a schools quality are inherent shams. As Jim Conroy, who heads the post-high school counseling program at New Trier High School just north of Chicago, says, I think you can rank a car. You can base it on its gas mileage, power, durability. But when you start ranking schools, its like ranking people. And how can you rank people? Even the one remotely plausible claim that can be made for the virtues of a schools reputation in the culture at large that it may give you a better shot at a particular job, especially a better-paying one has recently been proved meaningless. Employing highly sophisticated statistical techniques, Princeton University economist Alan B. Krueger and Stacy Berg Dale of the Mellon Foundation conducted a study that convincingly established that future earnings correlate with the qualities of the individual far more than with the qualities real or perceived of the college he or she attended. Overwhelming evidence proved to Krueger and Berg Dale that students with, say, 1350 SAT scores who went to Harvard did no better in life than students with 1350 sat scores who went to No Name U. As Krueger wrote not long ago, Students who attend more selective colleges are likely to have higher earnings [only because of] the very reasons they were admitted to the more selective colleges in the first place. In other words, your post-college life is shaped by who you are, not by the decal in the back window of your mothers minivan. It is possible for apathetic students at lite schools to find other apathetic students with whom to play Nintendo and guzzle beer, Krueger says. By contrast, a good student can get a good education almost anywhere. That certainly has never been truer than it is today, given the incredibly rich buffet that is the American students choice of colleges. There are more than 2,000 degree-granting, four-year colleges in the U.S., and if the dedicated searcher cant find something imaginative, distinctive and nearly unique at every one of them either academically, sociologically or both he isnt really looking. You can major in aviation at Lewis University in Illinois, in jazz studies at Loyola University in New Orleans, in the great books at an increasingly wide range of colleges that have made a sharp turn back toward classical education. (At Wilbur Wright, a public two-year school in Chicago, Professor Bruce Gans has community-college students writing papers with such titles as A Politically Incorrect Defense of the Athenian Empire and on such topics as social codes in Beowulf.) At the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, the only major is human ecology; the schools primary laboratory is the ocean just outside the colleges doors. Irrespective of your intended major, your hoped-for career or any other curriculum-related matter, you can very sensibly make your choice on the issues that matter most to you. Nafeesah Cumming, a sophomore at Clark Atlanta University, chose her school because one of the most important benefits of attending an HBCU (historically black college or university) is that the classroom setting and campus activities are culturally comfortable. Joshua Kalven finds himself productively challenged at Colorado College where the innovative block plan has students taking one class at a time, full-time, for 3 1/2 weeks because it allows him to focus more acutely on each subject. For Karen Norcross, a recent graduate of Bostons Suffolk University, being able to study with students from all over the world made a tremendous difference for me, a difference she could locate at Suffolk, which has some 650 foreign students from 96 different countries. What all these students have found is a school that may or may not have been right for the inexpert experts but was precisely right for each of them.
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Northeastern University in Boston emphasizes a celebrated co-op program that assures graduates a specific, career-related occupational experience obtained from one of 2,400 different relationships NU maintains all over the country and in 18 nations around the world. At Warren Wilson College, high in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, every student must spend 15 hours a week working at an on-campus job ranging from slopping hogs to re-wiring buildings effectively eliminating any divisions between wealthy students and the less well-off. Says Eliza Lynn of Evanston, Illinois, a recent Warren Wilson graduate: I knew that to pay for college, Id have to work. I wanted to be in a place where everybody had to work, where the person behind the counter wasnt divided [from others] by economic class. In the end, once you acknowledge that there is no reason to choose a college based on something as insubstantial and probably irrelevant as reputation, the meaningful standards by which to choose begin to burst forth like daffodils in the spring. Career plans, extracurricular interests, study habits, social inclinations whatever combination of these and a hundred other factors go into your decision, they are likely to lead to a rewarding (in every sense of the word) college experience. How to choose? Its simple. Ask yourself: Who are you? Only after youve answered that will you be ready to pick where youll be spending four of the most rewarding years of your life. What really matters, says Bruce Stempien, guidance director at Weston High School in Connecticut, is going to a school that you really want to go to. Could anything be simpler, or better?
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For almost 30 years, Harvard has been recommending a gap year in its admission letter. At Yale, We just think its a great idea, said Margit Dahl, director of Yales undergraduate admissions, noting 20 to 40 Yale students defer admission annually. We would love it to grow. Lewis & Clark and Haverford Colleges are seeing more deferments. A decade ago, Haverford, a small, liberal arts college in Haverford, Pa., averaged one deferment a year, related to unusual family circumstances, said Robert Killion, the director of admissions. Now, Haverford is granting deferments to about a dozen students for gap year experiences and fielding many more related inquiries, Mr. Killion said. Michael B. Sexton, dean of admissions at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., said it has seen a slight increase of gap year students. We dont see a downside to it, he said. Educational consultants said it is growing in New England, California and New York. Some programs, like City Year, pay participants a stipend, while other programs here and abroad dont pay anything and cost participants thousands of dollars in fees and airfare. City Year also gives a $4,725 higher educational award after completing the program. At Hall High School in West Hartford, five students from the class of 2003 deferred college to work at City Year sites in New York and Boston. The students decisions set a record at the school, where high-achieving seniors take five Advanced Placement courses and town officials recently eliminated class rankings because so many students had such high grades. Adwoa Arhin, 18, a Hall High School graduate, didnt let the pressure affect her. Im a pretty mellow person, said Ms. Arhin, who deferred admission to Reed College in Portland, Ore, to work with children in New York with City Year. I felt it was a like a good time for me to give back. Cassie Cats, 18, another Hall graduate in the City Year program, said she needed a break. High school was difficult for me. Im just not that competitive. I had to take a break from that mindset, she said, noting that she didnt apply to college. Some counselors and consultants said many students are saying that.They just feel like Theres no time for myself. And if there is free time, I sleep late, said Diederik van Renesse, a Westport educational consultant noting, They feel so much pressure and they want a change. Miss Cats works with elementary school children and on community improvement projects in the Hyde Park section of Boston. Despite the often long hours and busy pace, I love it, she said. You feel a sense of accomplishment. Miss Cats, who said her goal is to be a special education teacher, is applying to Boston area colleges.
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Dr. Nancy DePalma, Hall interim principal, is judiciously enthusiastic about the gap year concept. Its an appropriate alternative for the right student, she said. An unfortunate demographic of too many top students vying for admission to the same select colleges in the Northeast has brought inevitable rejections to even the best students. A wellstructured, interim year is a welcome alternative, said Joan Ramsay, guidance director at Simsbury High School. Its exciting, acceptable, unique and something fun I can do out there, when so many doors are being closed, Ms. Ramsay said, describing some students reaction to the concept. Some consultants see the gap year as a way to make a student a more desirable college candidate, bettering their admissions chances the second time around. Robert P. Gilpin, co-author of Time Out: Taking a Break From School, to Travel, Work, and Study in the U.S. and Abroad, said the strategy has worked well. In the past three years, Ive worked with 40 kids in that situation; three of them did not change their status, but the others did significantly, he said. For example, one student, unhappy with her college choices, spent a gap year working as an intern at a biotechnology firm and studying in England, and then was admitted to Cornell University; another got into Brown University, Mr. Gilpin said. But some counselors are uneasy with the notion. Marilyn Moks, college and career center director at Weston High School, said the strategy could backfire because the competition could be even tougher the next year. While relatively few students are taking a gap year, the prospects of an interim year are being discussed in many Connecticut high schools. Its part of the conversation, said Gary D. Meunier, director of guidance at Daniel Hand High School in Madison. A few students at Joel Barlow High School in Redding also are planning a gap year, said Anne Kipp, the guidance director. Christine M. Collins, a post high school planning specialist at Wilton High School, said her department has worked with five families seeking alternative programs. At Edwin O. Smith High School in Storrs, Doug Melody, the guidance director, said he had just met with a student who wanted to take a year off. Several Smith alumni have taken the gap route. To a person, everyone has been enriched by the experience, he said. But, Barbara McGehan, a secretary in Glastonbury High Schools guidance department, said the gap year would have a tough reception there. The school said only one student has taken a gap year in the past couple of years. This town is very big into college, she said. Its college, college, college. Similarly, at Ridgefield High School, Charles McFarlane, college placement counselor, said parents and students were focused mainly on getting into the best possible schools and have shown no real interest in gap year programs.
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Internet access to gap-year programs, word-of-mouth and school visits by satisfied gap-year alumni are helping spread the news. A recent presentation on a gap year by a Brookfield High graduate prompted visits by a dozen interested students to the guidance office, said the schools guidance director, Jean Baker. A similar visit by a Hall graduate helped ignite interest there. Yet, many guidance counselors are reluctant to bring up the option for fear of upsetting parents and their traditional college ambitions. Its a frightening thing for parents, said Robert A. Esposito, the new director of pupil services and guidance at Fairfield High School, whose son, Scott, worked in an Oriental rug store in New Haven before entering the University of New Hampshire. In some communities how do you tell your peers? My son is going to Yale. My daughter is going to Brown. My son is going to work in an Oriental rug store. When other parents learned Lynn Bards daughter, Maggie, also a Hall student, was enrolled in City Year, they said, Oh, youre going to let her do that? Ms. Bard said, adding, I was thrilled to death. As recognition of the gap year and the intensity of college competition grow, some guidance counselors are seeing parent attitudes change. Several years ago, when Choate Rosemary Hall offered a session about the gap year, We literally had parents come up to us and be angry at us for offering a session, said Rosita Fernandez-Rojo, the schools director of college counseling, noting now, Parents are more receptive to the idea. Connecticut educational consultants who provide admission counseling and gap-year-planning are busier than ever. We are getting lots of calls, said Joanne Carter of Education Solutions of Essex. Mr. van Renesse said about 15 percent of his clients want to discuss a gap year compared to about 5 percent a decade ago. Gap year programs such as Dynamy, a residential, supervised internship program in Worcester, is seeing a steady increase in Connecticut students, said James Zuberbuhler, Dynamys executive director, adding that the organization is planning to expand to other sites. Despite the gap years episodic growth, William Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard College, is confident the trend will become more commonplace. I think it takes, he said, believe it or not, a generation.
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ACT (formerly stood for American College Testing): A 4-year college admissions test covering English, critical reading, science reasoning, and mathematics. (www.act.org) Admission Requirements: A set of rules established by each college for a student to be accepted. Alumni Interview: Many highly selective colleges offer students unable to schedule on-campus interviews the opportunity to interview with graduates in the area who have been selected and usually trained to do this work. AP (Advanced Placement): A system by which college freshmen may simultaneously earn high school and college credit and thus bypass entry-level courses by proving that they have already taken the equivalent in high school. College credit may be awarded by many colleges if a student earns a certain grade on the specially designed College Board exam at the conclusion of an AP course. Refer to each college catalog for further information. Application Deadline: Most colleges have a specific date by which applications must be filed. In some cases the colleges will state that the application must be postmarked by that date. You will be wise to assume that the deadline date means that they want to have the application in hand by then, so mail early. Candidates Reply Date: By May 1, you must decide and convey to the chosen college your decision to attend and send your deposit. You must inform all other colleges that accepted you that you do not plan to attend. If you wait until after May 1 to inform the college of your decision, your place could be released and given to someone on the waiting list. College Board: Company which provides college entrance testing, such as SAT, PSAT, etc. It also oversees AP testing. Test information: (www.collegeboard.com) College Catalogue: A book published by the college describing requirements for admission, degrees, services and course descriptions. Often confused with the viewbook, which is a glossary, picture-filled piece of promotional literature published by most colleges.
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CEEB Code: The school code used for all testing and college applications. The Beaver code is 220595. Common Application: Standardized application form accepted by over three hundred colleges. Check www.commonapp.org to see which colleges currently accept the Common Application. CSS/PROFILE (College Scholarship Service): Some colleges (most of them private) require the Profile to be completed as part of its a financial aid process. Students register for and complete the Profile online at www.collegeboard.com. Note: This does not replace the FAFSA. CSU: California State University. (Apply online at www.csumentor.edu). Deadline: Due dates strictly adhered to regarding Secondary School Reports, Mid-Year Reports, Applications, Transcripts, and Letters of Recommendations. Deferred Admission (do not confuse with Early Action Deferral): College applicants may be offered admission to college for up to a year after graduation. Early Action (EA) or Notification: A small but growing number of colleges have early action or early notification policies. You may apply early, be notified of acceptance in December of the senior year, but not be obligated to make a decision before May 1. Students who are not admitted through early action or early notification may possibly be considered again, with the regular candidates. Check college websites to be sure. NOTE: Several colleges have Restrictive Early Action programs that prohibit a student from applying simultaneously via other EA or ED programs. Early Admission: Some colleges accept a student to begin college without the student yet having finished high school, typically this happens at the end of the junior year of high school. Early admission is very rare, but may be appropriate for the student who has clearly taken an accelerated academic program, has a top academic record, and who demonstrates exceptional maturity. Early Action Deferral: Students denied Early Action Admission may be deferred to the Regular Admission applicant pool.
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Early Decision (ED): Some colleges allow students to apply early (usually with a November deadline, although some colleges have an ED II program with a later deadline), and then, if you are admitted, you are obligated to attend that school. If you have a clear first-choice college that has an early decision policy and if you have very strong grades and SAT or ACT scores, early decision may be for you. Talk it over with the college counselor. Be careful! If you are not accepted for early decision, you will want to make sure you will be reconsidered with the regular decision applicants. Colleges vary greatly in their early decision policies, so check with the college very carefully for specifics. EFC (Expected Family Contribution): Amount of estimated college costs the family is expected to pay after a Need Analysis has been done. FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid): Used to file for financial aid from colleges, CAL grants A, B, and/or C, and the Pell Grant. (www.fafsa.ed.gov) Fee Waiver: A form available to students already receiving substantial financial aid from Beaver. The Fee Waiver is submitted instead of money when applying for college testing or admission. See the college counselor if you qualify. Financial Aid: Money which may be derived from a variety of sources (grant, loan, scholarships, work study), which helps pay for college costs. The package of funds is determined by family financial need and the availability of funds. Financial Aid Package: The financial aid offer from the institution which is usually made up of a combination of grant/scholarship, work study, and loan money. Financial Need: The difference between the cost of education and what the family or the applicant can reasonably be expected to contribute. GPA (Grade Point Average): Different colleges compute this differently some only include certain grades or courses. Some limit the student to a 4.0 scale while others allow extra points for honors or Honors Advanced classes. Impacted Program: A college degree program, such as computer science or nursing, which may be temporarily closed to new students due to heavy enrollment or may require supplementary screening of student records for selection of the strongest candidates.
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January Admit: A growing number of colleges will offer admission to students for the second semester of the year in which the student intends to enroll. There are many reasons for a January Admit, and some possible advantages. Major: The main area of study in college, usually requiring about the equivalent of a year and a half of study in a planned series of courses during the 4-year program. Mid-Year Report: Many private schools require that a Mid Year Report form be submitted in the middle of senior year. This form is similar to the SSR. Minor: At most colleges, approximately 18 credits in an area outside major department. Naviance: The name of the web-based service through which Beaver maintains college counseling records and submits applications. Students and families have access to the Naviance Family Connection service, which has search engines and other information useful to Beaver students applying to college. NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Clearinghouse, now known as the NCAA Eligibility Center: The arm of the NCAA that evaluates student athletes academic records for eligibility for athletic scholarships to Division I or II colleges after the junior year of high school. Need Analysis: A technique used to estimate a students need for financial assistance. It consists of two major components: (1) estimating the students educational expenses and (2) the familys ability to contribute (EFC). Open Admissions: Students are accepted upon application (usually community colleges). Some programs within these same schools may have more selective admissions. PLAN: A preliminary version of the ACT examination, given at Beaver to students in the spring of the tenth-grade year. Private College: A school which is not supported by state taxes. Also referred to as an independent college.
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PSAT/NMSQT: Formerly the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, a practice version of the SAT Reasoning Test given at Beaver to tenth and eleventh graders. Although scores are not seen by colleges, students scoring at the top of the PSAT nationally become eligible for several scholarship programs administered by the National Merit Scholarship program. Rank in Class: Most colleges and scholarship programs request a students rank in the graduating class. Beaver does not rank its graduates. If an application says RIC is mandatory, talk to the college counselor. Rolling Admissions: Some colleges have rolling admissions. As soon as the school has your application and supporting documents (transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.), the admissions committee will make a decision usually within a few weeks. Schools using rolling admissions oftentimes do so until term enrollment is full. SAT Reasoning Test (formerly the Scholastic Aptitude Test or SAT I): Previously called SAT I, this is a test of critical reading, math, and writing skills. Nearly all 4-year colleges require this or the ACT for admissions. SAT Subject Tests (formerly SAT IIs or Achievements): One-hour exams offered in many different subjects: writing, mathematics (levels 1 or 2), social studies, foreign language, science, English literature, etc. Many colleges require as many as two SAT Subject Tests scores in addition to the SAT Reasoning Test. Subject Tests may be taken in the sophomore or junior year, but must be taken by December of the senior year. Check with colleges to see if they have special requirements regarding Subject Tests. Scholarships: A gift of money awarded for merit (achievement, skills, talents) and/or financial need. Scholarships may be a onetime grant or be renewable based on maintenance of certain criteria. Score Choice: A policy instituted by the College Board that allows members of the Classes of 2010 and later to select scores from individual test administrations to be submitted to colleges. This policy is not available to students applying to all colleges; some colleges will require students to submit scores from all administrations. (The ACT has always had the equivalent of score choice, although a few colleges state a requirement that all ACT administration scores be submitted.)
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Secondary School Report (SSR): Form included with college application that requires information (i.e., GPA, rank, transcript, letter of recommendation, etc.) that is submitted directly from the college counselor and not the student. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): Test for students English is not a first language, show proficiency in English, often required as part of admissions process. (www.ets.org/toefl ) Transcript: Copy of students official academic record, showing all courses taken and grades earned. UC: University of California system of colleges. (www.universityofcalifornia.edu) UCAS: The online system through which students apply to universities in the United Kingdom. Registration required. (www.ucas.co.uk) Viewbook: A glossy, picture-filled piece of promotional literature published by most colleges, sometimes used interchangeably with the term college catalogue. Wait List: If you are put on the wait list, it means that you are an acceptable candidate, but the college did not have room for all of their strong candidates. How much of a chance you have usually depends on factors the college cannot pinpoint before May 1. If you are notified that you are on the wait list of your first choice college, talk to the college counselor. There may be something you could do to enhance the chances of being accepted from the wait list or perhaps you should put in a deposit at another college where you have been accepted to be sure you have a place in the fall. Work-Study: A form of financial assistance in which the student works on- or off-campus to help pay for costs of college attendance.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Objective College Reference Books: These books provide thorough, fact-based profiles of the colleges and are quite helpful in the initial stages of the college search. Always look for the most recent available edition of these: Barrons Profiles of American Colleges. College Admission Data Handbook. The College Handbook (The College Board) Petersons Competitive Colleges Petersons Guide to Four-Year Colleges Subjective College Guidebooks: These books provide colorful commentary and anecdotes that can help a student get a feel for the spirit and tone of a college. Some of the insights can be quite valuable; all should be taken with a grain of salt. Again, always look for the most recent available edition of these: Antonoff, Stephen, The College Finder Fiske, Edward B. The Fiske Guide to Colleges Fiske, Edward B & Hammond, Bruce, The Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College, Yale Daily News. The Insiders Guide to the Colleges The College Prowler series Books with a Specific Focus: These more specialized publications provide information pertaining to specific backgrounds, interests and needs. Everett, Carole, The Performing Arts Majors College Guide (Arco) Jewish Life on Campus (Bnai Brith Hillel) Killpatrick, Frances and Killpatrick, James. The Winning Edge: A Complete Guide to Intercollegiate Athletic Programs. (Octameron) Kravetz, Marybeth and Wax, Imy, The K&W Guide to Colleges for the Learning Disabled (Random House) Mitchell, Robert, The Multicultural Students Guide to Colleges (Noonday) Steinberg, Jacques, The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College (Viking, 2002) Windmeyer, Shane L. The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students (Alyson)
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Books with Alternative Perspectives: These books pose ways of evaluating and conducting the college admission process that fall somewhat outside the mainstream. They can help families retain their sensor of humor and perspective. Asher, Donald, Cool Colleges for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming And Just Plain Different (Ten Speed, 2000). Pope, Loren. Colleges that Change Live (Penguin, 1996) Pope, Loren, Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College Thats Right for You (Penguin, 1995) Weinstein, Miriam, Making a Difference College Guide (Princeton Review, 1996) Books for Parents: These books help parents understand their role in the college process. Coburn, Karen and Treegar, Madge. Letting Go: A Parents Guide to Understanding The College Years (Adler and Adler, 1997) MacGowan, Sandra & McGinty, Sarah. 50 College Admission Directors Speak to Parents (Harcourt Brace, Jovanovich, 1988) Mayer, Bill. The College Admissions Mystique (Noonday, 1998) Test Prep Books: Youll never guess what these books provide: How to Prepare for the ACT (Barrons) 10 Real SATs (College Board) Real SAT Subject Tests (College Board) Financial Planning Books: These books will help families navigate the financial aid process or point them in the direction of applicable, merit-based scholarships. Cassidy, Daniel & Alves, Michael. The Scholarship Book: The Complete Guide to Private- Sector Scholarships, Grants, and Loans for Undergraduates (Prentice Hall, 2000) The College Cost and Financial Aid Handbook (College Board) Dont Miss Out: The Ambitious Students Guide to Financial Aid (Octameron, 2000)