What Are the Latest College Admission Trends?

Challenges and opportunities abound this year for college applicants…here are just a few of the trends that College Match spotted:

1. College counseling goes private. For an increasing number of the nation’s 1.7 million college-bound students, personal advice for college applications is a phone call away. Faced with counselor to student ratios of 315:1 (source: National Association for College Admission Counseling, 2007) at public high schools (241:1 at private schools), students and their families are turning to consultants in record numbers. Last year, 20% of private high school students and 5% of public high school students hired a private college advisor with the number expected to increase this year (Independent Education Consultants Association).

2. Dance is one of the top ways to get into top colleges. Among the usual performing arts that students take part in, dance is now one of the most sought after with college admission offices around the country. For the first time, a number of competitive schools are reporting dance statistics among accepted students. Pomona and Occidental Colleges now record the number of accepted students involved in dance among their freshman class profiles (t5 % and 8% of the freshman class, respectively). And at Harvard the Dance Program there just moved into a new 200-seat dance center. Echoing this trend, construction is underway on new dance studios at Vassar –one that seats 244 people and new facilities have been built at Tufts, University of New Mexico, Hamilton College, and Emory University this year.

3. High schools team with organizations like Rotary Club to extend service opportunities abroad. Among the nation high schools, a higher percentage of students are embarking on overseas service projects through Rotary’s Interact program. With 246,000 members, 10,700 clubs in 109 countries, opportunities abound for Interact Club students to engage in service projects in developing countries. At Seattle’s Garfield High for example, students regularly travel to Uganda and dispense computers to schools through Interact-sponsored program, “Computers for the World”.

4. Urban colleges offer “chic” appeal to more applicants. In a 2007 poll of more than 3,000 students conducted by Princeton Review, New York University came out on top as the college that students most often dream of attending. In general, applications to schools in the country’s major urban areas, NYC, LA and Chicago, have dramatically increased, For example, at one urban liberal arts college, Occidental, college applications have risen 170% over the last 8 years.

5. Schools with strong international studies programs increase in popularity. Like their urban counterparts, colleges with significant international programs have gained ground in admissions. Applications to international majors and schools such as Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service have increased over last year to 3,400 and represent Georgetown’s most competitive applicants according to its Admission Office. Other strong international programs include, Macalester (where former UN Secretary Koffi Annan attended), Occidental College, which sponsors undergraduates at the UN, and Tufts University where undergraduates benefit from the research of the school’s graduate programs at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. According to Institute of International Education, US students studying abroad also increased by 8% in 2006.

6. The medium is the message: a new professional look is taking hold for extra-curriculars. Students hoping to gain an edge in an increasingly competitive admission picture can improve their chances by “professionalizing” their extra-curriculars by using slide portfolios, CD’s/CD-ROM’s, to showcase their work to art departments and admission committees. By creating artist’s statements, portfolios or publishing their manuscripts in advance of applying to colleges, students can stand out more from the rest of the crowd.

7. Bad news for good students: top students across the nation face less than 5% chance of admission to top Ivies. Among the very top tier of colleges including, Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford, chances for admission have become very unlikely for most candidates who don’t have a “flag” or “tag” in the admission process. Flags and tags represent varying degrees of admission importance to colleges and include sought-after athletes, under-represented minorities and or legacies. If you happen to be in one of these special categories you may enjoy a far better chance of admission. At Harvard, for example legacies (that is, when your mother or father attended Harvard College) have been admitted a rate as high as 40% in 2003 (according to Daniel Golden in his book, “Price of Admission”). For the rest of us mere mortals with top grades, SAT’s and extra-curruculars that leaves us with a less than 5 percent chance of admission—which viewed conversely, reads more like a 95% chance, against getting in.

8. More students attend undergraduate “feeder” colleges en-route to Ivy League graduate programs. Based on an assessment of colleges originally conducted in 2003 by the Wall Street Journal, it was then revealed that students who got into graduate schools such as Yale Medical School, Harvard Law School or Penn’s Wharton Business School obtained their bachelors degrees at some very unlikely places. Apart from Ivy League colleges, this year’s students gaining ground in elite graduate admission offices continue to include private liberal arts colleges Pomona and Claremont McKenna in California, Haverford and Swarthmore in Pennsylvania, Bates, Bowdoin and Colby colleges in Maine, Washington and Lee in Virginia and Reed in Oregon. Similarly the state schools that “feed” into top graduate schools are also enjoying more applications; these include New College, in Florida (a public liberal arts college) along with three familiar research universities: Berkeley, Michigan, Virginia,

Dave Montesano is director of college planning at College Match in Seattle and can be reached by email: david@collegematchus.com or by calling (206) 799-4986.

College Admission: 5 Tips for First Generation College Students

Here are some of my thoughts to help foreign students who are applying to colleges in the United States:

1. When considering a US undergraduate program for your student, look beyond college rankings. College rankings like US News and World Report and The Times of London rank colleges and universities based on scholarly productivity and not on ability to teach undergraduates or undergraduate research or prizes won by students. It is wise to supplement these rankings with more undergraduate-focused criteria. Rhodes Scholarships, Fulbright grants, Ph.D. production on a per-capita basis are all good measures of undergraduate quality. A good source of information is the discussion board, College Confidential (www.collegeconfidential.com)

2. Don't worry about your student's major. Unlike other parts of the world, students in the US do not typically specialize at the undergraduate level. Many students attend post-graduate programs like business, law and medical schools to get the specialization they will need for their jobs.

3. Undergraduate admission is difficult at top schools the US. If a family is considering undergraduate admission, admission is competitive and costs may be high. Since most spaces are designated for US citizens the number of spaces is often limited to below 10%. In addition, most foreign students pay the full costs of education since most need-based aid is unavailable due to federal rules on financial aid.

4. Look beyond the Ivy League. Don't overlook smaller prestigious colleges. Instead of focusing on Ivy League, MIT and Stanford, look for smaller, prestigious colleges that feed into these for graduate study. The Wall St. Journal published a study of the top 50 "feeder" colleges (http://www.collegematchus.com/related_resources.htm)

5. Look for the right college match. Base your decisions about where your student will attend not soley on location, prestige or cost--instead make sure that the college's values are the same as your student's. Colleges, like people, have values; it's like joining a family. The network that you inherit by attending a particular college is for life!

College scholarships: Student Debt Help-great Tips To Help You Eliminate Your Debt

College scholarships: Student Debt Help-great Tips To Help You Eliminate Your Debt

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NEW BENEFIT ALLOWS EMPLOYERS TO HELP WITH COLLEGE PLANNING

A CRITICAL BUSINESS ISSUE: EDUCATION

After home buying, education is the number one cost facing employees. Whether it’s putting a child in a day school, researching colleges, or applying to continuing education programs, employees spend a significant amount of time and energy and money focusing on education-related issues.

Increasingly, companies are turning to experts to help alleviate employee concerns and save time while on the job. Companies can manage employee time and productivity by making education advice available to employees in the workplace. This approach benefits employers by improving the performance of top employees by allowing them to focus on the critical tasks of business at-hand.

Specifically, companies may offer employees access to educational consulting services that help employees and their families:

•Determine the best possible college options for employees’ college bound children
•Finance college; identify sources of merit-based and need-based aid for education
•Identify their children’s qualities, talents and skills that matter most to colleges
•Navigate the high school, college, and or graduate school admission process
•Deliver applications that will offer the best chance of admission to a school of choice

Below is a list of College Match US’s complete work/life benefit based on "life stages".

COLLEGE MATCH’S CORPORATE BENEFIT PROGRAM

College Match US’s Corporate Benefit Program (CBP) provides companies and employees with full life-cycle assistance including workshops, one-on-one counseling. The Strategic College Matching™ process and tools used by our education experts provide the necessary guidance and coaching to improve time management, lower stress levels of employees and their family members, and help reduce education costs through merit-based aid and financial advising.

The following graphic illustrates the stages of College Match US’s Corporate Benefit Program:

LIFE STAGE WORKSHOPS AND / OR INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING

K - 6th Grade College Investment (Saving)
K - 12th Grade Learning Disabilities and Academic Success

6th Grade - 12th Grade Keys to Success - Excelling in School
6th Grade - 12th Grade Activities and Academics – What Matters to Colleges
6th Grade -12th Grade Developing Leadership Qualities in School
6th Grade -12th Grade Reading and Writing Skills
6th Grade - 12th Grade Math Skills

7th Grade - 8th Grade Selecting the Right High School
7th Grade - 9th Grade Discovering Your Child’s Academic Talent/Passions

9th Grade - 11th Grade Improving Academic Performance for High School Students
9th Grade - 11th Grade Developing Extra-curricular Activities for College Admission

10th Grade -11th Grade Preparing a List of Colleges

11th Grade - 12th Grade College Application Workshop; individual guidance
11th Grade - 12th Grade Paying for College: Financial Aid and Merit Aid

College Freshman Get What You Put In: Performance Skills in College
College Sophomore Study Abroad: Why, Where and How
College Junior Internships and Graduate School
College Senior Resume and Interviewing for Jobs

Parents/Employees Degree Completion Programs, MBA / MA / PhD


THE COLLEGE MATCH TEAM

College Match US's staff consists of former Ivy League and top liberal arts college admissions officers, counselors and admission strategists, a certified financial aid advisor, college and high school entrance exam tests tutors, MBA admissions advisor and life coach, performing arts advisors (dance, music, theater), writing instructor/ essay coach.


MORE INFORMATION

For more information or to schedule a meeting to further review the many benefits of our Corporate Benefit Program, such as case studies and testimonials, please contact David Montesano: david@collegematchus - (206) 799-4986.

Finding the Right College Does Matter

Dear Parents,

A Princeton Review poll indicates nearly half of all students' greatest worry is finding the best match for college. Recent college admission rates show both parents and students more than a little concerned over getting into the right college. These are valid concerns. The right college affects:

• A student's choices and path in life
• The quality of their social network and career connections

In our global society, change is the only constant; the best strategy for change is an education that offers numerous and high quality options towards a career or graduate school.

Some important facts to understand about college:

• College is the second largest investment after buying a home
• It’s an investment with high returns--on average about 2 million over a lifetime
• Decisions about where to go are not always wise: 1 in 3 students transfer and only half finish in four years
• College counselor/student ratios are 300:1 at public schools and 200:1 among private schools
• Each year, 100,000 new high school students compete for places; college admission has never been more difficult

While grades and test scores matter, they don't guarantee admission. More crucial to success is that students demonstrate their value to each college. In 2007, 93% of College Match clients were accepted to their first choice school (chances without using our service are about 51%); the average merit award was $17,366.

College Match, which has been featured in Newsweek, Seattle Magazine and GreatSchools.net, helps students appeal to the college of their dreams.

• We develop key “proof points” that communicate each student’s value through each application to each college
• College Match takes a holistic, yet strategic, approach to working with students: Our consultants work one-on-one with students to discover their unique skills and abilities so that colleges will value each admission application
• We have a unique process that implements special tools to highlight the qualities that College Match’s applicants offer

College Match offers a 20 minute presentation called, “Navigating the College Admission Maze” students and parents have found quite useful. We have been very successful in presenting at high school “college nights” or other relevant discussions on college admissions topics.

We would be pleased to share with you how College Match can help your student achieve their educational and life goals.


David Montesano
Admission Strategist
College Match US
(877) 658-4400

What Are the Latest College Trends?

COLLEGE MATCH'S LATEST COLLEGE ADMISSION TRENDS

Challenges and opportunities abound this year for college applicants…here are just a few of the trends that College Match spotted this year:

1. Rise of SAT Subject Tests: among students applying to selective colleges this year there has been increased number taking the SAT Subject Tests; on average students take 2-3 Subject Tests.

2. De-emphasis on college board testing at some top colleges. A small but growing number of top liberal arts colleges have made the SAT 1 optional. While this list increases each year, we found a couple more that were of interest to our clients including, Knox, Lewis and Clark and Mt. Holyoke colleges, among longstanding holdouts, Bowdoin and Bates in Maine.

3. Merit scholarships become standard feature of some liberal arts colleges. High quality, yet slightly less selective colleges such as, Allegheny and Lewis and Clark, routinely offer top students modest scholarships to help offset the cost of attendance (versus other State or less expensive regional, private colleges).

4. Party schools take on a serious tone. Colleges like USC and NYU once known more for their partying ways than “nerdy” academics now boast students with top grades and SAT’s and extracurricular accomplishments. Instead of accepting lower academic achievers with high social ability, these places have become so sought after that the average grades and test scores to gain entrance are now more likely to favor the honor student who’s spent significant time in the library and laboratory.

5. “Information Age” makes applying easier but also more competitive. The rise of Common Application use and Internet research in general has created a huge increase in college application numbers; some colleges, like Occidental, have seen applications increase by as much as 185% over the past nine years (www.oxy.edu). Similarly, the average number of colleges applied to has increased according to the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC), to an average of 12 colleges.

6. West Coast colleges bask in the spotlight. The rise of West Coast colleges can now be measured in terms of both the quality and quantity of applicants. West Coast universities and liberal arts colleges now feature more prominently in the admission picture and often overlap increasingly with Ivy League and Little Ivy (Amherst, Wesleyan and Williams) applications. (“West Coast Ivies” include: Caltech, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Occidental, Pomona, Reed, Scripps, Stanford, USC, and Whitman (schools in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (and drawn from US News “Best Colleges”)

7. New, “holistic” approach to admission for top research universities. University of Washington recently announced it would employ 20 more Admission officers to consider an applicant’s essay and extracurricular involvements and special circumstances and talents. This approach has been practiced successfully in the past by mainly private colleges.

8. Extracurricular involvement comprises nearly 50% of the admission decision at selective colleges: once the initial hurdles have been cleared--SAT and GPA--then extracurricular activities matter most including but not limited to, depth of involvement, leadership and national-level competition. Superior extracurricular accomplishment has become one of the main hallmarks of admission to a selective college.


Dave Montesano is director of college planning at College Match US and can be reached at david@collegematchus.com or by calling 1-877-658-4400.

Making Your College Visits Count

Applying to college is a two way street...students have needs and so do colleges.

More often than not college applicants are not aware about what colleges really want in an applicant until it's too late and their application has been denied. One way to find out what a college is looking for is to interview current students. While on a college visit, a student can basically conduct his or her own survey by asking a minimum of 10 students what they like, and more importantly, what they dislike, about a particular college. Similarities among the dislike(s) may be important. For example, if everyone is saying that a college is too career oriented, a student who is less interested in a career may have an edge. This "qualitative interview" approach can yield interesting results for students looking to find out more about the unmet needs at colleges. Based on these weaknesses, students can figure out how to best position their applications to meet these unearthed needs.