Cappex College Blog

Most college applications are now out, and while students wait, colleges are weighing in. According to a recent Washington Post story, applications this year are up, in some places by as much as 30 percent!

“Vanderbilt: up 30 percent. Cornell: up more than 7 percent. Johns Hopkins: up more than 7 percent, to nearly 16,000 — about 6,000 more than six years ago.

Even schools that did away with early admissions have seen an increase: a 6 percent jump at Princeton, 4 percent at U-Va., almost 19 percent at Harvard, to a whopping 27,278. And, as at most schools, a few applications have yet to arrive.

Don’t freak out. There is a college out there for you. Much of the increase is due to more students applying to more schools. Despite the increases in student applications, 70 percent of colleges admit 70 percent of applicants.

So you’ve applied. Now what?

Once you apply there are certain steps to take to make sure that everything is order.

• Confirm that your application materials are complete at each of the colleges.
  • High school transcript
  • Recommendations
  • Official SAT or ACT scores
• Set up any required interviews with the college or the alumni interviewers
• Submit a first semester grade report form to your high school so that first semester grades can be released to colleges requiring these grades.
• Set up a visit to campuses of interest
• Send any required portfolios or additional information that might help with an admission decision

If you think that you can now rest from worrying about your academic record, you had better think again. Senior year counts. Many colleges will request grades from the first semester. Regardless, students will have to send a final transcript to the college they plan to attend. Being admitted is not a guarantee that the admission decision will stand. Colleges have been known to rescind a decision based on final transcripts. Students are expected to complete high school with the same or better record that they had when they were admitted.

If you do get placed on a waiting list, follow all of the college’s instructions if you are still interested in attending. Stay on their radar because some spots will likely be opening up.

Many students use the time between applying and deciding to take college visits. Even if you’ve already visited a college once, you can still gain good insight from another visit. After all, you will be spending lots of time on campus. If you spent your first visit in the classroom, use your second trip to check out student hang-outs or the city around the school.

Also don’t forget to: Send in AP exam scores, housing deposits, waitlist confirmation cards, scholarship applications and FAFSA forms.

We’ve stressed the importance of finding the right college fit many times, but there are two numbers that really drive this point home:

• 23 percent of of students entering college will transfer
• 54 percent of college freshmen will graduate within 6 years of their college start date

First, this means that one in four students will leave a first-choice school for another, be it because of grades, teaching environment, distance from home or anything else.

Second, most students need several years to complete college. In other words, be prepared to spend significant time at your college.

In short, you need to love your college, and I don’t mean if your parents like the college or you like the college’s name or school mascot.

If you choose a college based solely on your parents’ wishes or because a friend is going there, you could be in trouble. If the college isn’t right for you, you may want to transfer - which costs time, money and, often, class credit - or you’ll be stuck somewhere you don’t like for many years.

The best way to get into the right school for you is to take charge of your college search. From day one, make the college search about you. It can be easy to turn they keys of your college search over to your parents, but for this trip you need to be in the driver’s seat.

You should:

• Use the Internet to assist in your college search
• Review your academic record and courses planned for the rest of high school
• Seek information about specific college admission criteria
• Examine your interests and college major options
• Meet with college representatives to learn about the college and the college admission process
• Talk to your high school counselor about your college search
• Visit college campuses to get an idea about large, small, public, private, urban, suburban and rural campuses
• Keep communication channels open with your parents and let them be a part of the team
• Stay focused on academics to enhance your chances of meeting the college admission criteria for colleges on your list
• Be the driver of your college search

Remember: The right college for someone else may not be right for you.

Grades are cumulative, but junior year grades stick out larger and more than other years. So listen up juniors, the biggest semester of your high school career is just around the bend.

Junior year is the last full year used in determining college admission. For many schools, to get in you’ve got to get the grades. The second semester of this year, then, is your last chance to show potential colleges upward trending grades and academically challenging courses.

Upward-trending grades are important, particularly if you earned less-than-stellar marks during freshman or sophomore year. Some colleges do not count freshman year grades in their GPA. Others are more concerned with how you are performing as a student now, not when you were still adjusting to high school. Good marks during your junior year, even if the prior two years weren’t so great, could earn you a closer look from colleges.

A few A’s and B’s now can overshadow grades you would rather forget, especially with the right letter of recommendation from a teacher. If you are a student on the rise, a teacher can explain how your current efforts aren’t reflected in your overall GPA. Remember: It is easier to explain an upward trend or late-bloomer than a downward spiral.

If you’ve already got the grades make sure you don’t stumble. Use this semester to show your willingness to take on academic challenges. Junior year courses should include at least four academic core courses in foreign language, math, English, social studies and science.

Remember: freshman year counts, sophomore year counts, junior year counts and, yes, even senior year counts.

Jan. 1, 2008 is the first day high school seniors can file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), and the government recommends that students file as close to the first as possible.

The FAFSA is extremely important. FAFSA opens the doors to a variety of financial aid options. You need this form if you want to receive a Pell grant or apply for student loans. Many colleges and states use a student’s FAFSA information to award their own grants and scholarships. In fact, many schools require the FAFSA as part of their scholarship application.

If you’re a senior and haven’t yet filled out a FAFSA, don’t worry. The deadline to file is July 30, 2008. But, like we said, they recommend you get it in earlier. Some states have earlier deadlines, and a college may require you to have it submitted earlier to be eligible for their financial aid programs.

If you do have application work to do, get started as soon as you can. FAFSA requires a host of forms and information including driver’s license, your family’s tax returns, bank statements and Social Security numbers.

You can fill out the FAFSA online. First, get the FAFSA on the Web form which clearly outlines everything you need to file. Don’t dive in without looking at what information you need first; the form is eight pages long!

But the effort required is a small price to pay. FAFSA opens up all the financial aid available to college students. Ignoring this form could cost you thousands of dollars.

For more information, to apply, to download all FAFSA forms necessary, and for a full list of deadlines, visit www.fafsa.ed.gov/.

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.

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.

Did you apply for early admission to a school? Many students send in their application early in hopes of securing a spot at a competitive college. But the early admission deadlines vary from college to college. The New York Times has an interesting look into the reasons why there isn’t one firm early admissions deadline. From the story:

“But many highly selective universities now lock in a third or more of the freshman class through binding early decision. Students who promise to enroll if admitted can apply in the fall and have an answer by mid-December. Colleges are reluctant to tamper with a mechanism that helps them predict and shape freshman enrollment early.”

Early admissions can be a good tool for some students, but it can also lock you in before you can get full financial aid offers from more schools.

What are your thoughts? Did you apply for early admission? Would one nation-wide date be helpful?

You kept saying “I’ll work on my college application tomorrow.” Well, tomorrow is here. Time is running out on September, and you better have your ducks in a row. Or your sheep in a circle, whichever you prefer.

So, here are two crunch time tips to help you out as you get ready to start the home stretch. They courtesy of Mrs. Quest, a counselor that’s knows what’s up.

1. Write your resume so people outside of your hometown understand it. Beware of abbreviations for awards or clubs. Even if your group is part of a national organization don’t assume everyone is familiar with their work. Describe, in detail, what the club does and what role you played. Do the same with awards. The Reggie Howard Golden Star may be a big deal at your school, but a college admission rep on the other side of the country may not know its significance or merit.
2. Ask parents, teachers and friends to help you finish off your application. They may remember events, clubs or awards you’ve forgotten. Enlist their help to double check your facts, and add on to your resume.

Most importantly: Stop procrastinating. Get that letter of recommendation request out today!