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.

Image

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!

Image

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.

Image