Cappex College Blog

A couple of weeks ago we had a discussion about the push for authenticity in the college admissions process. It seems some college consultants were pushing for students to make intentional mistakes on their applications to seem more real.

In Newsweek magazine’s recent college guide Bruce Poch, dean of admissions at Pomona College, clarifes what colleges are really looking for:

“Although it may seem mysterious, the admissions process is actually straightforward. It’s about finding relationships that will work, just like dating and marriage.”

And later:

“I worry that we as admissions officers may have unintentionally transmitted incorrect messages about what we hope to see. Students become supplicants, not applicants, doing the right things for the wrong reasons.”

Thankfully, Cappex is here to help cut through some of the smoke. We tell you which colleges want you before you apply. We let you know which colleges are interested in students just like you. Then, when it is time to submit your application, you don’t have to worry about being real. You just be yourself: On your Cappex profile, and on your application. Then, through your essay, letters of recommendation and activities list, colleges will get a true sense for who you are.

Will you be keeping it real when applying to college?

If you’re reading this then you: 1. Know what a computer is. And 2. Have access to a computer. You are now on your way to earning a computer science degree in college. Truthfully, there is a lot of work left to be done. So we’ll make things easier for you.

The Computer Science College Scholarship offered by Cappex is to help the people that will one day run the world because, in case you missed it, computers are everywhere. You’re on one right now, and you probably have a cell phone with Internet access in your pocket.

Computer science graduates make computers and Web sites do what they do. If you don’t think these are valuable skills, talk to the teen that traded his hacked iPhone for a car, three more iPhones and a job.

Rutgers provides a good overview of what CS majors do and where they work. If you’re a future computer science major use all your keyboard shortcut to apply for the Cappex Computer Science Scholarship because the deadline is Sept. 30. Check out the full details.

CAPPEX GIVES OUT COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS THAT GET THE WORD OUT

Cappex.com Promoter College Scholarship rewards a student and a friend for signing up and finding the college that fits them best.

HIGHLAND PARK, IL, Aug. 22, 2007­ – Cappex.com is spreading the wealth to students that spread the news.

The newly launched Cappex Promoter College Scholarship will reward the student who gets the most of his or her friends to sign up on Cappex with a $2,000 college scholarship. Also, one of the winner’s friends will get a $1,000 scholarship.

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Many of you deal with school-imposed dress codes on a daily basis at your high school. In college you can pretty much wear what you want to class. Three piece suit? Sure. Pajamas? Why not.

That’s not the case any more for students at Illinois State University’s College of Business. The faculty instituted a “business casual” dress code for all juniors and seniors. Said the department chair, Dr. Tim Longfellow: “We tried to come up with ways to enhance the overall professionalism of our students.”

What do you think about college dress codes? If you’ve got one at your high school are you looking forward to making your own wardrobe choices when you graduate?

Who would take advantage of a teenager looking for help paying for an education? You’d be surprised. CNN recently addressed the topic of college scholarship scams just in time for the school year, and scholarship application season, to begin.

Sadly, college scams are so common, the U.S. Department of Education publishes a regular guide to help keep students safe. Some pointers from the professionals at the Dept. of Education and Federal Trade Commission that look out for this sort thing:

• Beware of “guaranteed” scholarships. No college scholarships are guaranteed.
• Don’t give out credit card or bank account information. Someone asking for this information is fishing for personal information. What should be a deposit could quickly turn into an unauthorized withdrawal.
• Avoid application fees or seminar costs. The government says it best: “Free money shouldn’t cost a thing.”
• If you didn’t apply for a scholarship, you didn’t win a scholarship. Be wary of any letters or e-mails that claim you’ve won something you didn’t apply for. Again, scammers are just fishing for your personal information, and they may even use official sounding words like “National,” “Foundation,” “Division.”

Most scholarship providers are legit, but an ounce of prevention goes a long way.

You may indeed be a well-rounded student, but you’ve still got to have the right test scores to get into school. So even though you may still be in back-to-school mode, it may be time to start thinking about the ACT and SAT test.

There are registration deadlines for both tests approaching. Juniors, this may be a good time to take your first crack at the infamous exams. Seniors, if you still don’t have the score you need now is the time to breakthrough.

The deadline to register for the Oct. 27 ACT is Sept. 21. The deadline to register for the Oct. 6 SAT test is Sept. 10.

To help you out we spoke with a group of college freshmen that aced the test this time last year. In the video below they share with you the test tips that worked for them.

If you’ve already taken the tests: Care to add your own advice?

Q: If I have a musical talent should I send a DVD with my application even if I’m not intending to major in music? — Seth, Alpharetta, Ga.

A: If a college will accept additional information, and you have a special talent for music, go ahead and show off. This is your chance to color yourself brightly and make your application stand up and sing. Write a brief description of what you are including with the application. Make sure your DVD works and is clearly labeled with your name and the work you perform. To strengthen this addition, have your music teacher write a recommendation that substantiates your talents and passions. Or, even better, send news clippings of your great reviews. If you don’t have news clippings, call up your local paper and invite the reporter who covers cultural events to attend your next performance. They will write one and you can clip it!

Keep in mind that you’re not the only gifted high school musician in the country, and including a DVD won’t guarantee admission. It may not even get played, but if a DVD of your talent helps paint a more vivid picture of what you offer a college we say go for it!

Also, make sure your performance is suitable for all ears and eyes in the college admissions office. As a general rule colleges will be less impressed with a rock band and more impressed with anything else. The exception would be if your band has a professional recording contract - send the album.

Got a question for Ask the Experts? Send it to: experts@cappex.com

Special thanks to counselor Mary Beth Kravetz.

If you would turn down free money for college then you probably need to see a psychologist. If you want to be the psychologist that helps these people out, Cappex can help you.

We’ve got a college scholarship specifically for future psychology majors. All you need to get our psychology scholarship is a free Cappex profile and an interest in the workings of the mind. You will also need some fast fingers because the deadline is coming. To be eligible, you must sign-up by September 30. Check out the full details on psychology scholarships.

If you’re considering a major in psychology but need some more information the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has a good look at the question “What can I do with psychology?”

If you need more information on psychology — career paths, everyday applications — check out the American Psychology Association. If you want to enter a professional conversation check out the World of Psychology blog.

Q: Is it better to send in my application much earlier than the deadline date? — Sarah, Lansing, Mich.

A: Being early is always better than being late, but most importantly you need to be on time. You have control over when you submit online. However, you do not have control of the postal service that is responsible for delivering your high school transcript and school forms to the colleges. Also, your high school may need time to process your transcript or application before it can be sent. Therefore, we say apply as early as you can as long as you have been diligent in preparing the application.

Some colleges review applications as soon as they arrive – this is called “rolling admission” – and will make decisions as they go along. This means that a college will make decisions on applications as they are received. Once the spots for admissions are filled other applications arriving later, even if they are on time, may be held until a college determines how much room is still available. Some examples include Baylor University, Depaul University and Seton Hall University.

Other colleges operate on what’s called “priority deadline.” This means that all applications received by the deadline will be reviewed equally.

Your best bet: Keep things stress free and get your applications out early. Then enjoy the rest of the semester.

Got a question for Ask the Experts? Send it to: experts@cappex.com

Special thanks to counselor Mary Beth Kravetz.

The AP has a must-read for anyone sending in a college application this fall. The story centers around “authenticity” on your college applications.

The story quotes counselors and admissions deans as saying authenticity is “an increasingly hot selling point in college admissions as a new year rolls around.”

So what is authenticity? For one counselor it means telling his students to include mistakes, like typos, their applications. For others, it is essays on their flaws or problems. Key passages from the story:

• Colleges say what they want is honest, reflective students. As Jess Lord, dean of admission and financial aid at Haverford College in Pennsylvania puts it, “everybody’s imperfect.”
• For some students, the challenge of presenting themselves as full, flawed people cuts against everything else they’ve been told about applying to college — to show off as much as possible.
• How do colleges find authenticity? They look for evidence of interests and passions across the application — in essays, interviews, recommendations and extracurricular activities.
• The challenge for students is a tough one to get your mind around: If you’re authentic, you feel pressure to rise above the fakers. But try too hard to do that, then you just appear to be, well, inauthentic.
• Colleges are guilty of playing games with authenticity, too.
• “They soften their image with pictures of kids under trees, smiling in front of the library, engaging with a professor in a small group discussion,” Goodman says. What’s the difference between a college trying to look good to students and the reverse?

What does this mean for you? I wouldn’t advise adding mistakes on your resume. But two points to take away: First, be yourself. Don’t join yearbook because you think colleges will like it. Everyone is on the yearbook staff. Find something you love and make it yours.

Two: Make your passions show up on your college application. I’ve spoken with lots of students that got into the college they wanted. One piece of advice regularly shared is “be honest.” Tell a school about yourself. Don’t tell them what you think they want to hear.