PSAT Results are in!

I'm happy to share that the 2013 PSAT results are in! Yesterday, all 11th grade students got their scores back along with their testing booklet. Tomorrow (Friday) the 10th grade students will be getting their scores back in English class. If you are a parent or guardian of a 10th or 11th grade student and your child did not show you their score report, use Saturday as a day to go over this paperwork together.

What are the basics to know about the PSAT?

-- The PSAT is just for practice. Colleges cannot see PSAT scores. The only thing the PSAT even remotely counts for is the National Merit Scholarship Competition, a relatively small scholarship that is very prestigious but not particularly generous. Each year, ElRo typically has one to three NM finalists, but by and large the PSAT is more for practice than it is for this scholarship.
-- The PSAT is out of 240 points. If you add a 0 to the end of your score, you get the converted equivalent SAT score. Each section is out of 80 and corresponds to the 800 point section on the real SAT.
-- The scores are normed. Very few people get a low low score and very few people get a high high score. The national average is about a 150 - meaning half of the country gets above 150 and half gets below 150.
-- You are encouraged to compare your PSAT score to a practice ACT (which you can take via virtually any test prep company for free, even if you missed your chance at signing up for the practice ACT here at ElRo this Saturday). By comparing your natural ability on the ACT and SAT, you can determine which exam you should take in the spring of your junior year.
-- Once you decide the test you are taking (recommended to make this decision by the last week in December), you must register for the exams via either www.actstudent.org or www.collegeboard.com. The test registration is just like buying an online ticket to a concert - there are limited seats at every venue, if you have a preference for the site you want, you should register as soon as possible.
-- If you are qualify for free/reduced lunch, you should see me for a fee waiver. You can take the test two times for free.
-- If you are a junior and want to take a group SAT prep class, Kaplan will be offering two classes in our building in preparation for the March SAT. To register for the Kaplan class go to:  http://kaplanatschool.com/eleanorrooseveltny
   If you need a scholarship to be able to pay for the Kaplan class, contact Robin Kaufman at  robin.kaufman@kaplan.com

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FAFSA Information Night

The annual FAFSA information night with certified financial planner Anthony Becker will take place this Thursday, December 5, at 6:00 pm in the Michael Stolz Auditorium at Eleanor Roosevelt High School. Any senior (and their parent/guardian) who plans to submit a FAFSA in January to apply for financial aid for college should attend this meeting. It is also STRONGLY recommended that any junior family interested in financial aid attend so they can get a preview of the types of questions they will be asked a year from now when they apply for financial aid.

See you there!

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What to Expect from the College Process - Summary

Thank you to everyone who attended the 'What to Expect from the College Process" PTA meeting last night! I wish I could have kept talking for another hour, there is so much to say! The main message I wanted to get across is that the beauty of the college process is that while it might be very long and it might be labor intensive it doesn't have to be stressful. A large chunk of the process is extremely transparent. Especially with how many resources are available online, there is very little guessing involved in terms of what is required to apply, what the statistics are of the admitted classes, and what the timeline is for students.

My biggest suggestion for parents/guardians is to remember that children of any age look to their parents for cues about how to react to situations. If a parent or guardian approaches the college process with stress and anxiety, there is a 90% chance that the student will approach the process with stress and anxiety. If every conversation a parent/guardian has with a student is laced with pressure about being admitted to college, it isn't surprising when the student develops intense fear and anxiety about the admissions process. On the other hand, when the adults at home can be calm and honor the strengths of their student the college process can turn into a wonderful experience full of really meaningful memories.

The websites and resources I mentioned last night were:

1) The ElRo College Office website
2) The Elro Weekly Calendar - Found on the ERHS homepage under 'News and Announcements'
3) The calendar listing of college visits that take place at ElRo each fall
4) The College Office Handbook - given in hard copy in the spring of Junior Year, but available any time for download via the ElRo College Office website on the Juniors or Parent tab
5) This blog!
6) Naviance Family Connection -- every student will get their private account the spring of their junior year, but anyone can log in earlier as a guest - email me for the password (please include the name of your child if you are a parent/guardian)
7) The College Board website
8) The ACT Website
9) College Reality Check for net cost estimates -- be warned this site is NOT accurate for out of state public colleges, as the cost will come up as the average cost for most students and most students will be getting the in-state tuition rate. It is accurate for all NY colleges though as well as all private colleges.
10) NYC College Line

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What To Expect From the College Process

Are you the parent/guardian of a 9th, 10th, or 11th grade student? If so, I encourage you to join me Thursday, November 21 for the 'What to Expect from the College Process' Q&A PTA meeting. The PTA meeting begins at 6:00 pm and will be in the auditorium. Come ready to ask questions! Students are also welcome to attend.

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Sign Up for the Practice ACT at ElRo!

 











If you are in the 10th or 11th grade, now is your chance to sign up for a free practice ACT with Kaplan being held at ElRo on Saturday, December 7th from 9 am to 1 pm. This practice exam is recommended for all students so they can compare their results from the PSAT to this practice ACT to help determine what exam they are naturally better on. You can then decide which exam to prep for and take that real exam two time starting in the spring of your junior year. Just like dog people and cat people, some people naturally prefer one type of pet to the other. If you don't try both tests at least once, you'll never know where your natural aptitude lies. If you score equally well on both, you can then just pick the exam you like better.

The link to register for the December 7th practice ACT at ElRo is: http://bit.ly/ElROACT

The deadline to register is December 1. 

If you cannot participate in this ElRo based practice test, never fear! You can take a free practice ACT and virtually ANY test prep company. Just go to the company website or call their number to inquire. For example, see offerings through Kaplan , Revolution Prep, or Princeton Review. 

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Boo! It is the scariest day of all . . .

 . . . . November 1!

We've talked all year, and I'll say it again, the glitches with the Common App are going to cause stress. But do your best not to be scared. The vast majority of schools have been extremely flexible and have shared they too are being affected by the issues so students will not be held responsible for the issues that are out of their control.

So, where should you be doing right now?

1) If you are applying to CUNY or SUNY those apps should be either already submitted or well on their way to being submitted in the next 2-3 weeks. Same really goes for public schools that are out of state. Why wait?

2) If you are applying to other schools with early action or early decision deadlines, those should also already be submitted or well on their way to being submitted.

3) If you have schools that require a CSS profile in November, that is of the utmost importance. That site is not being affected by glitches and to my knowledge those deadlines remain firm. You must check the individual college's financial aid website to see if they have a CSS deadline this fall. If you don't see a deadline (or if you don't see the CSS mentioned at all) then it is not required. I don't have the list of colleges that require this form memorize. You shouldn't either because it is published right there at your fingertips and you can look it up.

4) Teacher letters are my fun issue to worry about. Not yours. As long as your Naviance account has the accurate name of the college and round of admission listed you do not need to do anything else.

5) Thank you to the vast majority of you that have heeded my warning about the Common App letter of rec limits. But, some of you are taking it too far and opting to send zero letters schools that will allow 1 or 2. You are welcome to use your judgement, but if you have letters that are allowed to be sent go ahead and send them. The only thing to be careful of is to not exceed the maximum.

6) I continue to be shocked at the alarming number of seniors that have not been on college visits. It is November of your senior year and you are about to invest between $5,000 and $50,000+ in a college experience. You don't have time to go take a tour on a Saturday? Sorry, I don't buy it. Get out there and make tour reservations. Next Tuesday you don't have school, would be a smart time to visit a school if you need to.

7) Go Red Sox!

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Nov 1 is knocking on our door!

 The first big wave of deadlines is upon us, as November 1 is next Friday! But now is not the time to stress - remember, every single part of this process has detailed instructions available so nothing should leave you guessing. Have questions about Financial Aid? That is what Financial Aid portions of college websites are for. Common App giving you trouble? Check the Known Issues page to learn if your problem is already in the queue to be fixed. Here are some tips for this final week of October - let Halloween be the scariest part of the season, not college apps!

1) I've already sent this out to every senior and senior parent/guardian, but I'll remind you again. If you are applying EA or ED somewhere, be sure to check their Financial Aid instructions (on their school specific website) to see if a CSS Profile is due. The CSS Profile (more info here) is a Financial Aid packaging tool used by some schools and it is often due in November if you are an EA/ED applicant. If you want to be considered for Financial Aid, get this completed on time! Not every school asks for the CSS profile, so you'll need to double check for yourself to see if it is needed. You now start to see why I don't recommend applying to more than 10 schools . . . .

2) Deadlines are guidelines for the latest something can be completed, but they shouldn't be a sign to you that you need to wait that long to get something done. Even if you are applying Regular Decision with a January deadline, you should absolutely be polishing your essay now. With that said, some schools are being flexible with their deadlines due to the Common App shenanigans. This is a happy benefit of the new launch, not something to rely on or use as a crutch.

3) If a student is applying Early Decision via the Common App, the parent/guardian must digitally 'sign' their ED agreement. The place to do this is sent to you via email, but unfortunately the Common App does not have the link the is embedded in the email identified as a hyperlink. Don't let this fool you, use your cursor to find the hidden link so you can complete the online signature. That will then allow me to complete the counselor portion on time.

4) Deadlines are for students at 99.9% of colleges. I cannot force your teachers to get their letters done earlier than they are due. Heck, I can't even force them to get their letters done when they are late! Don't let yourself get stressed about the parts of this process you can't control. Be happy with your essay. Triple check your Common App. Verify that you spelled things correctly and that you are working hard in your senior classes. Don't stress over the school documents. I get to do that ;) Just be sure your Naviance account is up to date and the correct rounds of admission are listed.

5) Many of you re-tested for the October SAT. You are getting your scores back this week. You should order your score reports immediately when they are available. It can take weeks for the score to get to the college, they are prepared for that, but you should not let any days go to waste. You can (and should) also go ahead and send your scores to any school where you know they eventually need to go, even if you haven't applied yet. Do not be tempted to rush your scores. This is a con by the Common App to squeeze even more money out of you. Just send them regular. Rushing them costs more and just means they will arrive on paper and sit in a mail room until a human opens them. Sending them regular, they will be transmitted electronically.

6) The Common App essay can be edited twice after it is submitted for future schools that you submit to, but I don't recommend that you submit a draft that you aren't happy with. I get the sense, based on the volume of questions, that some of you are planning to just get something down on paper for your EA schools and then keep revising your essay for the schools you are applying to Regular. Why are you doing this?? Use time management to plan ahead and get things ready for all schools. Yes, if you find an error and can correct it for subsequent applications, be my guest and fix it. But to send a "rougher draft" to some EA schools and a "final draft" to other RD schools is not encouraged. I get it, you can keep refining and refining for weeks, but write your essay, edit it, and call it a day. There are always supplemental essays to obsess over. . . . .

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Thanks SUNY Maritime!

Yesterday I attended the SUNY OpInform Counselor Workshop at SUNY Maritime, located in Throggs Neck. What a total hidden gem of a campus! Despite being on the tip of the Bronx, I felt like I was a world away. The small campus is home to about 1,800 students who are mainly interested in working on ships. As a result, about 90% are part of the regimen that are hoping to earn their license to work on board a boat. This means that those 90% dress in uniform (contrary to popular believe, these are NOT military uniforms) and the vibe on campus is really unique.  I should add, there are ROTC options on campus and about 10% of the students plan to join the military (typically as part of the Coast Guard, Navy, or Marines), but it is a much smaller population than one might assume. SUNY Maritime is an amazing example of a true niche college located right here in the 5 boroughs. For students with a passion for the water, this is an amazing school for science, technology, and engineering. There is also a job placement rate of over 90% (very few maritime colleges exist, so they do a great job of filling need in the job market) and it seems like a place that is great for students that are hands on learners. They have their own ship docked right on campus and students were buzzing about all day. The campus is also home to Fort Schulyer, a US fort that predates the Civil War. The picture above is from the campus library that is inside the fort. It was stunning.Word of warning, about 86% of the students here are male. That is also probably a pretty accurate mirror of the percent of people in the maritime industry that are male, but it is certainly something to keep in mind for both the pros and cons that come along with it.

In terms of the meeting, I went to two sessions - one about college readiness and one about honors programs at the SUNY schools. The college readiness session mentioned something that I think ElRo does a good job, which is making the senior year the most challenging year. This helps to keep momentum and give students the bridge they need to be successful in college. For the second session, I think I probably could do a better job of reminding students and families about the honors opportunities at SUNY schools. I'm going be more conscious of this going forward. The SUNY honors programs have published stats that can be found here. They also made the great point that the bulk of SUNY honors programs exist at 2-year colleges. I know most ElRo students are looking at 4 year degrees, but starting at an honors program at a 2 year school isn't a bad option for students that would be more successful starting somewhere first and then applying to transfer to their dream school later.

Two more things of note: SUNY is ranked 4th in the nation for public school system 4 year completion rate - meaning students at SUNY are more likely to graduate and graduate in 4 years than schools in 45 other states. Not too shabby. Also, younger students, keep your eye on www.suny.edu - it is getting a face lift in the spring.

NACAC Toronto - Day 3!

Today is the final day of the conference here in Toronto.

My first session of the day was about Naviance. It was designed to let colleges see what counselors see on their Naviance screens and to let counselors see what colleges see when they receive documents online. A Hobsons representative (aka the owners of Naviance) was also there to give some updates about things that would look different this year in terms of the site's functionality. One issue that was raised had to do with additional letters of recommendation. What was shared is that every individual college has their own policy on if these letters are downloaded. And, a strong word of warning was sent out that if students do have non-academic letters sent it should be done with the knowledge that it could potentially trigger the application to be marked as complete (say if the school requires to letters and the second letter to arrive is the non-academic one) potentially leading the college to get only one academic letter during the review process. This does reinforce my general hesitance to encourage students to submit extra letters - but it was interesting to see it from the college's portal side of things. This panel also included a glimpse into the online reading that goes on at Franklin & Marshall. F&M uses a company called Slate to do their reading (a company I had just met the day before at the exhibitor fair, who got rave reviews from my former colleagues at Fordham). Wow -- has this industry changed in only a few short years. When I was reading files 7 years ago on paper, I never would have imagined the industry could change this quickly. Counselors now have the flexibility to read files on an iPad. I used to bring bags of files back and forth on the D train. Amazing! The presenters did a nice job of keeping the audience engaged and it was hard not to grin when the Hobsons rep's intro music was the Imperial March, seriously. Of the things she mentioned, it is important for us to take note that online Early Decision agreements can now be completed without the parent portion being done. This is good news in that I won't have to wait in order to do my part. But this is bad news because if a parent forgets to submit this I won't get a bounce back error letting me know. The responsibility is going to on the student more than ever before to verify that all portions of an application are complete. You've been warned!

My second session of the day was probably the most anticipated educational session of the conference: The Common Application Redesigned: An Open Forum. People obviously remembered the session last year, and how crowded it was, because people lined up like they were waiting for the next iPhone -- scratch that - like they were waiting for a free giveaway of the next iPhone. I was very happy to get in and get a seat. I can't go through every topic that was discussed but I think the biggest takeway for current seniors is this: prepare to be frustrated. And I'm not even trying to by cynical there - I'm really saying that this application was totally revamped and since you are the first class using it there are going to glitches. Many many glitches. Just know that you are probably experiencing the same glitch that many other students are experiencing and you will need to have patience in getting things sorted out. The good news is that 24/7 support will be offered starting October 1 - but as was the case before this help is going to be via email, not phone. There is also a helpful 'Known Issues' page where the Common App is listing major bugs they have found and the status of the solution. One thing they mentioned in particular is an issue where a student has completed all required elements of a section but the green check mark isn't showing up. They said this can easily be resolved (it is a bug, not anything the student did wrong) but that the STUDENT -- not the counselor or parent-- must contact the Common App support for them to fix it manually. A second word of note is that the FERPA confusion we experienced has been happening on a very large scale, but that once a student does complete the FERPA waiver it cannot be changed. So select carefully. They said they give students multiple pop up messages if they do not waive the rights just because it is so rare and they want students to know that they are in the vast minority. When the Common App sends you a pop up - read it! Another hot button issue had to do with the fact that in its current state, in order to see a print preview of the final application's PDF a student must first click on a button called 'Submit.' This is confusing to students because 'submit' sounds very final, even though the next page will include information about getting a print preview copy. I got the impression that The Common App people were genuinely listening to this concern and I'm betting this button gets updated before the end of the cycle with something to indicate that there are additional pages beyond the submit button that will be prompted to proofread. The issue of outside recommenders was brought up in this session as well. Here the strong recommendation was for academic recommendations to come through the school counseling office and the outside recommenders to use the Common App recommendation forms and procedure. If you are a person that is going to require a third outside non academic letter, see me if you need help deciding how to go about this. I could go on and on with other updates but the final two things I'll mention are that 1) a general resume upload is no longer an option and 2) the personal statement can't be cut and pasted directly from word because the formatting will not translate. The resume issue is mostly driven by the fact that colleges felt students should be able to explain their resume via the existing Common App and that colleges who were interested in seeing a resume could allow for document uploads on their individual supplements. Those that don't allow a resume to be uploaded are sending the message that they don't want to see resumes. In terms of the personal statement, since it is not a good idea to type the entire thing into the box on the CA itself, the recommendation is to complete and edit the essay in word, copy and paste it into a non-word program like Notepad, then copy and paste from the notepad into the CA. Weak sauce, but it is what it is. The other major bombshell dropped at this conference is that the same delays student users are finding with the CA are also happening for the member colleges. Member colleges do not currently have access to student applications that have been submitted and they have been told not to expect access until mid-October at the earliest. This means that if you submit your application, give me a transcript request form, see in Naviance that I've submitted your initial materials, and then call the college to confirm you could very well be told that your application remains incomplete. This is not going to reason to panic this year. We are ALL going to need to be willing to wait as the CA works out these kinks. This could even potentially trickle down to mean delays in EA and ED notification and will most certainly mean longer hours of reading for admissions officers during the month of November. Time will tell.

My final session of the day was about institutional aid (aka merit aid) and the ethics and standards recommended by NACAC. Technically this session is designed for post-secondary members but I sometimes find it useful to cross over and attend these types of things to gain valuable insight as to how things run from the college side of things. It is always useful to view things from a different lens and this session shed some light on some interesting topics when it comes to awarding money. Seeing some highlights of the statement of principles of good practice was really fascinating. For example, I didn't know that it says in writing that best practice is for colleges to not offer financial incentives to ED students that are not also offered to RD students. (I'm curious in fact though if the reverse is also the standard - is it ethical to offer RD students aid that ED students are not offered?). There is also a provision that states that colleges should not offer merit aid incentives to students who are committed to attending other schools (in other words no poaching) - but this has interesting interpretations and applications when it comes to the waitlist. It got me thinking, is this part of the root of why coming off the waitlist almost always means being a full pay student? The other part, of course, being that you were a borderline candidate to start with and colleges hold the upper hand by admitting you at all. If there could be one takeaway from the panel though it would be this - a quote from a panelist from a large land grant public university - "merit aid is about the institution, not about the kid." I know it sounds harsh, but it is the cold and hard truth. With the exception of the truly elite merit scholarship (and honestly, even then it is still about furthering the institution by enrolling a top student, not rewarding student accomplishments), most free money given to students by colleges via financial aid packages is about enticing you to enroll, not about recognizing or honoring your achievements. It is called a scholarship but it is really a calculated risk by the college to try and discount the tuition enough so that you'll enroll. As she put it, most colleges do not have "rewarding the student for their accomplishments in high school" as part of their mission statement. Admission and financial aid is a complicated dance - this session brought up some interesting ideas and definitely got me thinking in new ways.

I've already rambled on here for awhile, so I think it is best to sign off. I look forward to my return back to school on Monday where I can continue to think about the things I've learned and can jump back in to working with the class of 2014. I'm always thankful for the opportunity to learn more about this industry and I'm more energized than ever to see how this year's application cycle goes.

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NACAC Toronto- Day 2!

Friday is always the toughest day at NACAC because it is LONG. This morning I had the pleasure of attending a breakfast hosted by Reed College in Portland and it was a great opportunity to learn more about Reed and interact with other school counselors in an intimate environment. As another colleague at the breakfast described it, Reed is known as a school for the student who looks up and reads the paper cited in the footnote of the original research article they were assigned. But something important that was added by the Reed rep is that students don't need to arrive at Reed knowing how to do that. In other words, the reputation of being intellectual is not entirely false, but students are allowed to be in a raw form, only to be polished by the Reed curriculum. Many thanks to Reed for including me, it was a great chance to start Day 2 on a good note.

The first morning session I attended was "What Admission Directors Think" a share out of the results of an annual anonymous survey by Admission Directors. A few stats:

- 2/3 of responders said they had not met their admission goals by May 1
- 29% of colleges continue to pursue students after May 1 (aka poaching students who have already committed elsewhere)
- 1% of public colleges and 2% of private colleges admit to falsifying data when reporting to organizations like US News and World Report
- 7% believe there are systems in place to prevent false data from being reported
- Around 35% feel their boss judges them based on the school's ranking

I could expand on most of these topics, but for the sake of time I'll just say that this session left me with a lot to think about. It is also a reminder that colleges are made up of humans just like applicants and their moral compass can get just as turned around sometimes. The final piece of trivia that I learned is that the next predicted wave of international students after China will be Brazil. Expect to see Portuguese programs popping up where you might not expect them.

The next session I attended was "The Impact of Wait Lists in College Admission." This session was really a pleasure to attend. While I can't say I learned a tremendous amount of new information (contacting a school when you are waitlisted is recommended but not required, very few people traditionally get off the waitlist, schools waitlist way more students than they need to as an insurance policy to shape the class, etc), I did greatly appreciate the candor of the colleges that participated. The session was transparent and clear. Each participant college (Carlton, Pomona, University of Chicago and University of Michigan) gave both data and anecdotal explanations of their waitlist activity. My one criticism of the practices that were described would be aimed at the universities who both utilized what seem to be obviously bloated lists. But old traits die hard and it can't be easy for a director of admission to fix a problem that doesn't have a direct negative impact on them. I was interested to see how varied the response to join the waitlist was depending on the school. At Carleton, out of 1450 students waitlisted in 2013, only 385 ask to remain on the waitlist (none came off that year). Yet, at Chicago in 2013, 3000 students were waitlisted and 2886 accepted their spot (and, are you sitting down, 26 got a chance to move off the list and join the class). There were a few common practices among all four schools - mainly that the waitlist is not ranked or sorted at the time of decisions. Decisions about who to bring off the list, if any students at all, isn't determined until the shape of the class unfolds. Each school also gave more than the recommended minimum of 72 hours response time, in fact the panelists grant between a week and 10 days. All in all, this session was really well organized and extra points to the great moderator, a school counselor from Minnesota.

The afternoon was filled with the exhibitor fair and college fair. The picture above comes from one of the Exhibitor booths.  One highlight from the fair- props to Williams College who includes their SAT Subject Test averages in their printed profile material. Very helpful!

Tonight I attended receptions hosted by Northeastern, Colleges That Change Lives, and the National Catholic College Admission Association. Big thanks to them for the chance to network, I can't believe we are already 2/3 of the way finished with this year's conference!

More to come tomorrow!

NACAC Toronto - Day 1!

 

Thanks to the generous support of the PTA, I am currently in Toronto, Ontario to attend the National NACAC Conference – an annual gathering of high school counselors, admissions representatives, and various others who work within the world of post secondary education.

I started my day with a morning trip to the St. George campus of University of Toronto, the largest university in Canada. It is only my second time on a Canadian university campus, so it was exciting to get to walk around, especially at a time of year when so many students were on campus. Our tour was standing outside of the building where the largest lecture hall is located (it seats 1700! But don’t worry, I think the tour guide said the the largest class tops out at a measly 1200 or so) and let me tell you, we could tell when class let out. So many students bustling about! There are five schools within U of T, Art & Science, Architecture, Engineering, Kineseology, and Music. In addition to these divisions, the university is also divided up into 7 colleges – each student taking their place in a Harry Potter style group which is purely symbolic (students get to rank the colleges that they want most and it is not based on major or interest). No doubt this is designed to help students build communities within communities since the urban campus has so many undergrads. Application to the University of Toronto is completed on the OUAC website (like the Common App, for Ontario) and students are then contacted for a second phase of the application based on what their particular program requires. The average admitted student has an 1800 or above on their SAT (26 or above on the ACT) and has a B+/A- average. Students must also submit either two AP scores or two SAT Subject Tests. All in all, I think this school would be most appealing to students looking to be at a top research institution (Harvard is the only North American school that publishes more than they do). It is also an interesting option for students that are not US citizens and thus won’t be sacrificing Federal or State aid by popping up to Canada for college.

Next, I attended the opening Keynote address by New YorkTimes columnist Thomas Friedman. I would be remiss to try and summarize all the different things that he touched on, but suffice it to say, his message was focused on asking us to consider the new reality of the modern world – that the intersection of technology and education is not going away and that colleges will need to adapt and adjust. Just as Mr. Friedman has seen the advent of the internet and blogs drastically change his work in print journalism, colleges will need to be ready for the new wave of online education, MOOCs, and a new highly interactive admission experience. He also discussed how technology is making average obsolete. New jobs being created are not average. Average tasks are now done by machines, and done more efficiently at that. Instead, the new college graduate is going to need to be more innovative, more entrepreneurial, and more passionate so they can create the job that they need.

There was only one education session today and I decided to attend the session with College Board President David Coleman. The title of the session led me to believe that we would learn more about the ‘new’ SAT revamp that is on the horizon to align the SAT more closely with the Common Core Standards (guess who designed the Common Core Standards? It rhymes with Lavid Boleman). I genuinely went into the session with an open mind. Not expecting to like what I heard, but expecting to at least glean some concrete advance information about the changes to the test and the trajectory for the future. What I experienced instead was a whole lot of hot air with little to no actual information. I had my pen in hand ready to take notes and I couldn’t even find a single thing to write down for the first 25 minutes of the session. Even then, the only two things I really learned about the revised SAT is that it is projected to launch in 2015 and that it will try to replace esoteric “SAT words” (see what I did there? :) with more commonly used words like “distill.” Mr. Coleman waxed poetic about the beauty of the changes. In my opinion, he spoke in a patronizing tone and essentially said that we’d get more details in January. The aim apparently is to integrate the new design with the best of the course work that is going on in the high school classrooms. And instead of just being asked to give the right answer, students will need to give evidence for why it is the right answer. What will that look like? I guess we will find out in January. 

More tomorrow!

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Class of 2014 Kickoff - Part 1!

Today I made the first of two presentations to the senior class about the college application process. The second one will include parents/guardians and will take place on Friday at 7:30 am (sorry!).

The two presentations have some overlapping themes, but the content is different. Today, we focused a little more on college office policies and procedures and pieces of advice for seniors as they start to kick this process into high gear.

Friday, I will talk more about some general college application process strategies and go into a little more detail about application terminology. I will also spend some time talking about the essay.

At today's assembly, students were given their yellow teacher recommendation signature forms. Over the next two weeks, students should get that form signed again in order to lock their recommendations into place. This is also an opportunity to have a brief conversation with the person writing your letter to find out if they require any additional steps (Do they want you to email them a sample of your work from the class? Do they want you to fill out a certain form or worksheet to help them write a better letter?) and to give them a heads up about your earliest deadline.

And we're off!

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Thanks VCU!

Student Gym Facility

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to visit Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. VCU is a large public university in the heart of Richmond. Known for their top quality art program, they also offer a wide variety of majors in business, engineering, and the liberal arts. My impression of VCU included a few surprises. First, I didn't realize how large the school was, as I typically think about large colleges being set in small town land grant settings. However, this school with 23,000 students somehow fits into the city of Richmond, right alongside the Crape Myrtles. The school was also shockingly diverse. The South has an admittedly spotty history with race relations and diversity, but only at Lawrence University in Wisconsin have I noticed so many groups of students that were not divided by race or ethnicity but instead walking, talking, and socializing together. New York students who want to attend a college with a meaningful number of students of color, should put VCU on their list. There was also a very strong sense of humble authenticity on campus - meaning the students did not exude privilege or superiority. They were excited to be in college (I was there right after freshman move-in) and ready to work hard. Another appealing feature about VCU for NYC students is that fact that it is in a city. Not to say that there are not drawbacks to city living, and VCU is certainly not immune to all of the traditional issues that face colleges in urban settings (including town/gown relations, crime, constraints on space, etc). However, for a student leaving the 5 boroughs, I think they would find Richmond to be an acceptable place to spend four years full of gorgeous architecture, great restaurants, quaint shops, and enough to see and explore to stay busy when they are not in class. The last thing to take note of: tuition. Because VCU is a public school, even as an out of state student the full sticker price of tuition and room and board will come in only about $5,000 more than the full price of a SUNY. Not cheap, but not $60,000 a year either.

Glass Blowing!

Glaze Samples in the Ceramics Studio!

 Our tour consisted of things like an extended visit to the Nuclear Engineering lab, a glimpse of probably the most impressive student gym facility I've ever seen (rock wall, check. SALT WATER pool, check, brand new cardio equipment, check . . .), and top notch art studios.  I haven't even mentioned the Division I sports and high levels of school spirit.

Thank you to VCU for hosting me on campus. I also had the opportunity to stay at The Jefferson Hotel, a true Americna gem. I can't resist posting a picture of the amazing lobby!

Common App 4 is Live (But That Doesn't Mean You Should Press Submit)

 

No doubt, there are some high school seniors out there (hopefully none from ElRo!) who have already submitted their Common Application for Fall 2014 admission. For those high school seniors, I feel sorry for you. Your intentions were probably good, but you have most likely rushed to be the 'first in line' to a party that hasn't even been set up yet. What I mean by that is colleges and universities are just now setting up their fall high school visits, they certainly are not checking the time stamp on your application to give any bonus points for students that applied the first week of August.

For those that are going through this process for the first time, let me give a little background. The Common Application is a website that hundreds of colleges use to allow students to have one portal where they can submit their college applications to participating colleges. The participating colleges all agree to accept the same main application (hence, it is 'common') and then have the option of requiring a supplemental application. The benefit of this is that students can type in their 'common' information just once (things like their name, address, extracurricular activities, personal statement aka essay, etc) and then schools can ask school specific information (like prospective major, housing status, etc) on the supplement.

The Common App 4 is the 4th version of the website and it made its debut this month. Like the FAFSA before it, the new Common App is going to be a 'smart' app so it will personalize questions based on student's previous answers. The other major change is there will also be a firm word count limit imposed on the essay, so be concise!

My advise to seniors is this: you should absolutely create your Common App account and feel free to start filling it out. However, you should NOT submit any college applications, including any application on the Common App, until you have your senior meeting with me this fall. Why? Because our second meeting can sometimes change the nature of your list and I would hate for you to put in time, effort, and money of submitting applications only to change directions later. I also urge you to wait to press submit because rushing is something you absolutely do not want to do in this process. You want to take your time, go section by section, and double check everything before sending it in. Finally, the online application is definitely a huge part of the application but it isn't the only part. Your application file won't be looked at until your school items and test scores reach the college. Why rush to get the first part in when the other parts are at least 6 weeks away? *Note, these comments apply only to applying to college in the summer. I do find great benefit to submitting college applications well in advance of the deadline, just not 5 months in advance.

There are a few instances where applications are time sensitive, but there are none that require application before school is in session. What you should be doing in the last weeks of summer is visiting colleges (remember, college visits are not a reason to be missing days and days of school), beginning to draft your personal statement and supplement essays, and researching the schools you are considering to be sure that your list is balanced. If you are retaking the SAT or ACT, now is the time to get your ticket if you haven't already and now is the time to do any additional test prep, before your school work starts up again in September.

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PHACC Tour - Day 4

My apologies for the delay, but 11 schools in 4 days, I just couldn't bring myself to make a post on Friday. So, without further ado - here is a roundup of the final day of the Philly Catholic colleges tour.

The final morning began with a visit to Villanova University. An Augustinian school, Villanova was both the largest and the most selective (in terms of admitted student profile) of the schools that we saw. With 6,500 undergraduate students and 80% of them identifying as Catholic, this was also in the running for the highest concentration of Catholic students of the schools we saw this week. Though keep in mind, 20% of a larger student body will still be a higher overall number of students from other faiths than were found at the other schools. Aren't statistics fun? One of my other favorite stats: 60 Olympians have gone to Villanova and they have sent an athlete to every summer games since 1948. With an average SAT score over 1300 on the first two sections, Villanova falls into that unique category of being a medium sized school with a selective academic profile that also offers competitive Division I athletics and palpable school spirit. There was also a very strong emphasis on service, embodied by the short film we screened about the student run homeless shelter SREHUP.  Villanova should find its way onto many students lists if they want a high quality school and a strong sense of community.

Our last stop was at Neumann College, a commuter-friendly school with about 2,000 students. Priding themselves on having one of the private schools with the lowest tuition in the area, Neumann seemed to me to be a school investing in itself in hopes to be a school on the move. What I mean by that is the combination of new construction and expanded housing opportunities seems to me that this relatively young school is working to define itself as an up and comer. If our tour guide was any indication, it is working, because he was really passionate about this place. Like Chestnut Hill, I do have some trepidation about the graduation rate, but I am willing to cut a little slack for a school that does see a high transfer rate for athletes moving on to DI and a place that does open their doors to so many commuters (who do, statistically, have a lower completion rate than residents). Residents, also know that most students are automatically placed in triples, so living quarters are tight.

The thing that probably left the biggest impression on me though was that there seemed to be a real marriage between progressive thought and faith on this campus. There seemed to be strong ties to the religious mission of the school, but ties that focused on social justice, progressive opinions, and equality in the eyes of god. On our visit to the Ministry Center on campus, our tour guide specifically mentioned the school's efforts to eliminate the use of the word 'illegal' in reference to undocumented people. This was the first tour in 11 that I heard a student mention this population. There was also a Pride flag hanging on the wall of the Ministry Center along side a poster denouncing torture (see above). So students, before you write off Catholic schools for being too conservative check to see if you are the one with preconceived stereotypes.

Thanks for all of the schools and their generosity in hosting us last week!

PHACC Tour - Day 3

This morning, we started our day at La Salle University. This Christian Brothers school has about 3,300 undergraduates with 85% residing on campus. The most popular majors include Nursing, Accounting (about 90% of students in their 3+1 masters program pass their CPA exam), Education, and Communications. It was also really interesting to learn that the school purchased an old hospital for their nurse education program and it includes within it a Speech and Language wing complete with a swallowing clinic for individuals with swallowing disorders. So unique! Other attributes of La Salle include having 21 Division I sports and free laundry in the dorms. With an average admitted student SAT score of about 1100 on the first two sections of the SAT, La Salle is another prime example of a merit scholarship alert -- about 50 full tuition scholarships were offered last year. The second picture above comes from the 3-D printer they have on campus, a fast growing piece of technology that merges design and computers. Fun fact - the author of Silver Linings Playbook is a La Salle alum. Bradley Cooper, call me!

Our middle stop for the day was Chestnut Hill College, a small school (only 1,000 undergraduates) located right on the city line of Philadelphia (but it doesn't feel urban at all). Formerly a women's college, Chestnut Hill turned co-ed in 2004. This is the type of school where students can definitely work at their own pace to get adjusted to college and experience small classes. I was especially happy to hear that they run a fall success program for at risk students, something that is key for some first generation college students. They also offer a certificate program in Montessori Education, something I have not seen before. The campus itself is gorgeous, with the more recent buildings really blending smoothly in with the original 1903 main building. The low graduation rate is a concern, but it also has to be viewed in context given the profile of student that finds their home at Chestnut Hill (the average SAT score hovers around 1000 on the first two sections). For the right student, who was looking for a 4 year experience and was able to get an affordable financial aid package, it might be the perfect balance of a residential small college experience.

The day finished up with Rosemont College, another small recently co-ed college (admitting men for the first time in 2009) located 11 miles from Philadelphia. This gem of a school is certainly small, but I really liked the look and feel (along with the academic offerings). Students can cross register at nearby Villanova (one class per semester), participate in some accelerated 3 year Bachelor's degree programs, and benefit from a critical mass of full time faculty (as opposed to an overwhelming majority of adjuncts). The best part is that more than half of ElRo's senior class would be a strong candidate for the Honors program - and the merit scholarships that go along with it. They also have two highly selective programs with Drexel Medical School where students first attend Rosemont and then have a seat waiting for them at Drexel after 3 or 4 years respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, Rosemont also runs a highly effective "Bridge to Success" summer bridge program for students who might need an extra push to make the transition to college. And one last thing, the on-campus Chapel (aside from being beautiful) has a little twist to it - all of the stained glass windows feature women!

PHACC Tour - Day 2

The second day of the tour started with a visit to St. Joseph's College. Disclaimer: I'm a sucker for a Jesuit school. (The stone carved heads poking out of the building above are Jesuits - it was our tour guide's favorite courtyard on campus, and it was mine too!) St. Joe's is larger than the other schools we have seen so far, with 4,600 undergraduate students. They describe it as having a suburban feel with an urban connection (Philly in is only a SEPTA ride away) and I think a student looking for the right balance between city life and traditional campus would be satisfied with the balance. St. Joe's offers both liberal arts and business majors (which include opportunities for co-op education). I was interested to learn that one of the best business programs on campus is food marketing - sounds yummy! Another thing that made St. Joe's a little different is their Division I athletic program (*there is no football team). Job placement rates are high and admission requirements are very attainable for the vast majority of ElRo students (our average GPA fits right into their admitted student range and their middle 50% on the first two sections of the SAT is 1060-1230). Are you thinking what I'm thinking? That's right -- options for Honors programs and merit scholarships for students with strong grades and scores. If you have strong grades and above a 1300 or 1350 you might get selected for these programs. Parents/Guardians - this school is also one that only considers the FAFSA for Financial Aid. It should also be noted that St. Joseph's is now testing optional, so if you are not happy with your test scores, admission could still be an option. The vast majority of students (to the tune of 95%) live on campus, a plus that translates into strong campus connections.

Our next stop was Manor College, a small 2 year school with the option for students to live on campus. Dental Hygiene and Veterinary Technician programs are in high demand (and can be more selective in terms of admission) but they offer a wide range of foundational academic programs outside of these two. Manor makes it clear that they are committed to treating students as individuals and it was exciting to see the student panel was made up of all first generation college students. The mission of this school, and really all 2 year schools, is to help meet students where they are and give them a boost to where they want to go. There is also a small but thriving athletic department on campus, with 5 sports, something that was a clearly integral part of helping students stay on track and make the jump to a 4 year program. It was great to hear that merit scholarships are available for students with SAT scores above 950. Starting at a 2 year school can be a huge financial lifesaver and giving additional aid is always a welcome bonus. Though there is housing, I think this school is probably best suited to students with family they can live with in the area. If the dorms got a face lift, I would probably be less inclined to feel that way, but for now the real shining success are the people.  I respect the mission of this school and the genuine support they give to their students. Dorm opinions aside, I was totally smitten with a light fixture outside the chapel:

Hello mid-century chic!











The last school of the day was Holy Family University, a relatively young college (only 60 years old) with about 1,900 undergraduate students. They have four divisions: Arts & Science, Business, Education, and Nursing (the B. S. N. degree being the most popular on campus). Interestingly, Holy Family just became a residential college in 2005. This translates into brand spanking new dorms, with the eventual addition of more housing in coming years. About 80% of students at Holy Family have some type of internship or co-op hands on experience, and 87% of those placements lead to job offers after graduation. Holy Family also has the distinction of being ranked #2 of the Roman Catholic colleges in terms of starting salary for recent grads (about $49,000 -- a pretty decent return on investment considering the average net price of attendance is less than $20,000 per year).

For the first time ever in the history of my college tours, I got to see an in depth demonstration with the nurse training facilities (pictured above) including a patient that breathed and blinked and a mock labor and delivery. A fellow counselor served as the student and we had a real Baby Simba Lion King moment when the baby was born. Was Holy Family inspired by Prince George? Who can say?

As a treat at the end of our second day, we visited a real Philadelphia area landmark. Not the Liberty Bell, the original Rita's Water Ice. I got a Juicy Pear and Vanilla Custard Gelati.

It was glorious.

Halfway done with the tour . . . .

PHACC Tour - Day 1

Yesterday I arrived in Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Area Catholic Colleges tour. I'll be spending the week visiting 11 Catholic Colleges in the area and today had the chance to visit the first three. I'm going to do my best to make posts every night, but with most of the days including 3 schools in a day, you never know if I'll be able to rise the occasion -- this schedule is ambitious!

Immaculata University

 Our first school of the tour was Immaculata University, a now co-ed (as of 2005) college with about 1,100 undergraduate students. The photo above is of the stained glass dome in the rotunda = gorgeous. A growing area of study here is Human Movement and Exercise Science - with offerings in Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy. A brand new 'lab' facility for these majors is a keystone of the campus, giving students hands on access to learn the techniques used to rehab after surgery or injury. There is also a selective partnership with Thomas Jefferson University in downtown Philly where 5 students per year can have the chance to be accepted into a 3-3 PT program or 3-2 OT program. Best advice for students interested in this field - be sure that you like math and science, not just sports. Anatomy and Physiology are difficult topics and a strong high school foundation in math and science are key elements to being successful in the program. Other key thing to note about Immaculata -- tuition is fixed for students at their freshman year rate, so you can rest assured that the cost of attendance will not increase over time. Finally, I'm always a sucker for a good pun - check out the name of the Library cafe:

Cabrini College

Next up was Cabrini College, slightly larger than Immaculata with 1,300 undergraduate students. This 112 acre campus is known as a 'Cathedral of Trees' - a name that really suits this lovely campus. A liberal arts college with additional offerings in more specialized fields like business and education, Cabrini had a great energy about it. Their core curriculum, called "Justice Matters" integrates the school's focus on social justice. Enough said, I'm sold :). In all seriousness though, the commitment to diversity was really impressive (with huge strides made even in the past 3-4 years) and the strong job placement rate makes Cabrini an great option for students looking for a small school 30 minutes from an urban center. Cabrini also dominates in their Division III athletic conference, winning 6 conference championships of late and about 25-30% of students playing on a sports team (though, be warned, you won't find a football or baseball team). The Roman Catholic faith tradition is balanced by the more over arching idea that religious literacy is more important than ascribing to a particular religious dogma. The photo above is of the newly opened science building.

Gwynedd-Mercy College

Our last stop of the day was at Gwynedd-Mercy College. Similar in size to Cabrini in terms of enrollment, Gwynedd-Mercy is unique in that it offers both 2 and 4 year degrees (though the majority of majors are 4-year). Health Sciences are really what the school is known for, though they do offer majors in 3 other schools (Arts & Science, Business, and Education). There are unique offerings, like gerontology (aka working with the elderly and aging aka getting a job in about 3 seconds). Only about 40% of students live on campus, but I got the sense that students feel very connected to the campus and the individual attention they receive leads to a true community feel (something that isn't always found at schools where so many students commute/live off campus). Be warned, Health Sciences programs do fill up so don't delay in submitting your application. I also got a kick out of the nursing supply section in the bookstore - stethoscopes hanging across from the index cards - love it!

Lastly - while it was not mentioned explicitly on any campus, I was relieved to see evidence of LGBT friendly environments on two of the three campuses. As a former employee at a Catholic college, I can attest to the fact that many schools still have a long way to go in terms of addressing the needs of LGBT students. I was encouraged to see subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) indications that these colleges are places where all students can feel welcome.

Fall SAT Test Prep at ElRo

If you are interested in taking a Kaplan group SAT prep class for the October 2013 SAT, registration can now be completed online. The website is: www.kaplanatschool.com/eleanorrooseveltny

The first session is August 17th and the course includes both classes and practice exams. Be sure, when you register, to use the discount code 150CLASS to get the best price. If you want to take an ACT prep course or a different SAT prep course, please still start your registration from the link above, as the PTA will benefit from the Kaplan partnership even if you don't take a class at ElRo.

If you qualify for free/reduced lunch, further scholarships are available. Contact Robin Kaufman at robin.kaufman@kaplan.com or call her at 914-364-0336.

Register now to reserve your spot! Don't wait to register, as August will be here before you know it!

++ Please note, previous versions of this website had an error with the slash, so the site above should be the correct one!

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Congrats Grads!

Best wishes to the Class of 2013!

Best Website of All Time

Ok, the jury might be still out on the 'all time' award -- but boy is this website a useful tool. College Reality Check is a transparent way to look into college data and potentially help students and families guide their college search. A few caveats:

1) This data is based on AVERAGES - a net price you see listed should NOT be assumed to be the cost you'll be given. Remember, Financial Aid is based on a lot of factors, not just income. Your true price could be higher or lower than the amount listed on this site, but this site CAN be used to give you a general sense of if a school leans more toward the affordable or expensive side.

2) Use the graduation data as part of the picture, but not all of it. It is great for colleges to be held more accountable for the percent of students that actually attain a degree. However, I think most students would be shocked to see how common it is for students to not finish college. You'll see that the national average for college graduation is a mere 33.3%. Yes, there are some schools with graduation rates well above 90%, but the playing field isn't level - it is easy to have 90% graduation rate when you are an Ivy League school who starts with students that are already predisposed to being academically motivated AND where a strong endowment can make sure that students don't have to drop out for financial reasons. The converse of this means that the graduation rate at community colleges also has to be taken with a grain of salt -- only a small fraction of community college students earn an Associate's degree. Why might that be? Well, for starters, the mission of community colleges is to have much more open enrollment than a more selective 4 year school. That means that there is a trade off where these colleges take a hit on graduation rate in exchange for giving everyone a chance to succeed. Plus, many students use community colleges as a springboard for transferring to a 4 year school. Maybe the student only spends 2 semesters there then moves on to get a bachelor's degree? The community college doesn't get credit for graduating the student (because they didn't award them an Associate's Degree) but they did serve as a conduit for that person to eventually earn a degree somewhere else. When you add the transfer rate to the graduation rate many community colleges DO meet that 33% national average. For ElRo students, also consider that since you are coming from a rigorous high school you have a much higher chance of being part of that graduating cohort. Lastly, many community college students are enrolled without the intention of earning a degree (they may be adult students taking a few classes after retiring from a different career, they may be part time students taking classes for enrichment, etc).

3) Remember to look at all the data - not just one piece. One school might have a higher graduation rate, but if the cost is also higher that graduation rate might not apply to you if you have to end up dropping out because you can't afford it. Another school might be a few thousand dollars more expensive but the starting salary for graduates might be $20,000 more per year - potentially making it worth the investment.

4) One flaw I see on this site is it doesn't seem to take into account in-state vs out-of-state costs at public colleges. I wish they would show a breakdown of how residency impacts net price. Maybe for version 2.0  . . . .

Sorry for the lack of recent posts! May is a very busy time with AP exams, but I'm happy to report that the AP testing season is complete for 2013. As the year winds down, the college process doesn't. Now is the time that all juniors should be planning their college campus visits. Between now and the fall of senior year is a prime time to spend your weekends and days off of school to take campus tours and get a feel for the type of environment that you are looking for. Don't put off these trips, as the fall of senior year is a very busy time! A frequent concern is that summer is a bad time to visit colleges because there are not as many students on campus. It is true that this a downside, but visiting when the campus is a little quieter is still better than not visiting at all. You will always be able to make a second visit after you are admitted if you feel that you need to see the campus at full capacity before you can make a deposit. Plus, the bones the campus are going to be the same regardless of if there are tons of students milling about or only a few people on campus doing research. There is also the upside in that you can visit during a time when your schoolwork load is either small or nonexistent. Being able to see a campus with a clear head might be more valuable than seeing it when fall or spring classes are in session.

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