Cappex College Blog

Kristin Hwu is the first ever winner of a Cappex College Scholarship. She took home one of the Cappex College Tour Travel Scholarships in September.

On this edition of the CappCast, Kristin joins us over the phone to talk about finding the right college and how her college search is going. She’s a future nurse looking for strong schools in the Midwest that “feel like home.”

Finding a school that feels right, a college that fits, is what Cappex is all about. Congratulations to Kristin and all of our other scholarship winners. There is still time to take home a Cappex college scholarship. We’ll be giving away two College Tour Travel Scholarships each month from now through January. All you need to apply is a Cappex profile.

Listen below:

 

 Kristin College Scholarship [5:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Application deadlines are looming, crunch time is here, and yet, the most pressing item on your mind may be “What am I going to wear on Halloween?”

But during this time there are lots of simple things you can do to help your chances of getting in. These are the small, detail tasks that many students forget. And after working so hard on the big stuff, like writing your essays, doing the small stuff, like proof-reading your essays, can seem like the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Before you send your application you should

• Proof read essays and applications for grammar, not just spelling. “Your” and “you’re” are very different.
• Check neatness. Is your application legible?
• Sort carefully. Don’t send the letter explaining why you want to go to Stanford University to the University of Maryland.
• Double check addresses. If your application doesn’t arrive it doesn’t matter.
• Check contents. Make sure the each application has what is required, be it essays, letters of recommendation or anything else.

Jay Matthews of the Washington Post has some more good insight and humor on college crunch time and what not to do. Take the advice, take your time and take a break when it’s all finished.

As sophomores around the country take the PSATs, the LA Times talks to students on the West Coast and finds that many students are spending lots of time and money preparing for the tests. Some are even taking the test multiple times.

Wanting to do well on these tests is understandable, but the article also talks to college directors of admission who say this is a bit counterproductive.

“Timothy Brunold, director of admissions at USC, is more forthright about taking the PSAT.

” ‘I think it’s absurd for students to take that more than once,’ he said. ‘The advice I give students is don’t make a career out of taking these exams. It’s counterproductive and really not what admissions officers are interested in seeing,’ he said. ‘I’d much rather a student be engaged in some meaningful activity’ instead of spending their time ‘prepping for these exams or taking multiple sittings of the exams.’ ”

Remember, the purpose of the PSAT is to prepare you for the real thing later on. The SAT and ACT test scores are the ones seen by admissions officials. Even when preparing for those tests, save some time to find and pursue your passions.

Cappex has updated the “Intended Majors” section of the profile. The new options let you get even more specific about what you are looking for from colleges. This, in turn, lets colleges seek out the students that are the right fit for their programs. In fact, many of these new majors reflect specific interests from schools across the country. These majors are among the fastest growing fields.

So if you have changed your mind about what you want to study, or couldn’t find just what you were looking for last time, try one of these majors on for size:

• Dietetics
• Computer Graphics
• Film & Video Production
• Visual Communications
• Pre-law
• Pre-med
• Multimedia & Web Design
• Media Production
• Interior Design
• Information Technology
• Forensic Science
• Fashion Merchandising
• Fashion Marketing
• Fashion Design
• Fashion

The winners of the Cappex College Scholarships from September are in! We’ve got lots of cash going to lots of great students from across the country.
Stephanie V. from Deerfield, Ill., is the winner of the psychology scholarship.

Sarah M, Hartford, S.D., is the winner of the computer science scholarship.

Oliva C. from Puyallup, Wash., is the winner of the nursing scholarship.

Jessica C. of Stockbridge, Ga., and Amanda L. from Dallas, Texas, are the two winners of the College Tour Travel Scholarships.

Congratulations, ladies. What, no guys? Get it together, fellas.  We’ll be awarding two College Tour Travel Scholarships each month from now through January. There is still time to apply for the October awards and the rest of the Cappex college scholarships.

Students applying to college are always looking for an edge, any edge, to get into their desired college. The latest trend: Thank you notes.

The New York Times reports on the growing number of students that are sending thank you notes to colleges after visits or interviews.

Within the trend there is much disagreement. Do the notes help? Some admissions officers said they liked to receive the letters while other colleges said they are tossed away unopened. Counselors, parents and students also have divergent opinions about what type of note to send and what to say.

Have you sent thank you notes to any prospective colleges? You should be sending them to anyone that helps with your college application, like your letter of recommendation writers.

Are you sending typed letters? Short hand-written notes?

Will a note help you get in? It might not make a big impact, but it certainly won’t hurt.

One question to ask of any potential college is: Are they accredited?

The next question you might is: What does accreditation mean?

Here to explain everything is a special guest blogger, Jean Morse. She is the president of the Middle States Commission of Higher Education, one of the accreditation groups:

Not all colleges are accredited by agencies recognized by the federal government. The most common type of accreditation of degree-granting colleges, from community colleges to large universities, is called “regional accreditation.” Each regional accreditor covers the colleges in one region of the U.S. Their Web sites list all colleges accredited by them and give other information such as the current status of the college’s accreditation and its degrees, students and other locations.

The following are the seven U.S.regional accreditors.

• Middle States Commission on Higher Education
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the Higher Learning Commission
• Northwest Association of Schools and of Colleges and Universities, Commission on Colleges and Universities
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Specific programs within a college may also be accredited by “special accreditors.”

Accreditation assures you that:

• Teaching includes analytical, communication and other basic “life long learning” college skills; expertise in the major field; and additional courses needed for the type of education it offers. Student learning is assessed.
• Federal funds for students are available to students of colleges accredited by federally recognized accreditors.
• Resources, funding and services, such faculty, equipment and student services, are available as needed.
• Credit transfer and degree acceptance by employers and other colleges will probably be facilitated because a college’s accreditation is usually considered in such matters.
• Management is performed by appropriate staff.
• Experts are used in reviewing the college, such as professors and college presidents.

This one’s for Elizabeth, who asks: “Does anyone know particulars about fashion design/ marketing degrees?”

There are several bachelor and associates degrees, and even a few master programs, available for students in various aspects of the fashion world.

Which area of fashion is best for you will depend on your interests. You can earn a bachelor’s degree in fashion marketing or merchandising and design; you can earn an associate’s degree in those areas as well. These programs vary in focus. Some are keyed to the business side of the fashion world. Other programs are more technical, focusing on design and the use of different materials.

There are fewer master’s degree programs offered, so your best bet may be an undergrad degree in your specialty and masters in a related field. Of course, you could always get two undergrad degrees.

Cappex works with many schools that offer all of these programs. In fact, these programs are so popular that Cappex.com now includes “fashion” on our list of intended areas of study. There are many schools across the country looking for students just like you. Make sure you selected fashion when you set up your profile and then be sure to check your message center. New colleges are being added all the time so check back often!

During a recent forum, Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton floated the idea of giving every child born in the United States a $5,000 bond to help pay for college. She said:

“I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time, so when that young person turns 18, if they have finished high school, they will be able to access it to go to college.”

She didn’t mention how she might pay for this, but this is an idea that could drastically change college admissions. What do you think? How does a $5,000 bond sound to start your freshman year?

The Chronicle has video from KWED about the virtual campus created by San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science in Second Life.

In the online world of Second Life, teachers hold office hours and online classes. Would a Second Life class make it easier to attend every class? Does the appeal of an online campus make San Jose State a place that might be the right fit for you? Or, do you prefer to have homework handed out in person?