Recorded Webinar: Planning a Meaningful Summer
Summer is a great time to explore something new. In this webinar, we discuss many different ways you can explore your interests over the summer. From delving into podcasts to…
What is the difference between a liberal arts college and a research university?
Below are definitions and examples of different types of colleges (liberal arts colleges, research universities, specialty schools and comprehensive colleges). Much of the content is from College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, by Robin Mamlet and Christine Vandevelde. This is a great book if you are looking for a comprehensive and easy to read book for both parents and students about the college process.
What’s in a College Mission Statement?
Choosing the type of college that matches your educational priorities and goals is just one step in the process of finding schools that are a good match for you. One of the best places to start is to look at a school’s mission statement or letter from the President. The language, tone and content of a mission statement can tell you about university priorities, values and strengths.
Questions for Campus Visits
These are just ideas . . . . highlight the questions you are interested in and then plan to ask them on your visits.
ACADEMICS:
- Do you have a learning community or other freshman experience?
- Do you have a required core curriculum?
- How much interaction, if any, will the typical undergrad have with tenured professors?
What is Demonstrated Interest?
In the world of the Common Application, demonstrating interest is showing colleges that you are truly interested in their institution and not just checking a box. Why do colleges care? Colleges are very interested in yield, or the number of students who are admitted that choose to enroll. Yield is important because it has become a proxy for popularity—the higher the yield, the more popular the school. Yield is also an important number in the US News and World Report rankings. If colleges want to move up the ranks, increasing yield numbers is very important. In general, the highly selective colleges (think Stanford and the Ivies) do not need to measure if students are interested, they are always going to have high yield numbers. However, many other private institutions use demonstrated interest as a factor in admissions. Keep reading for 5 specific things you can do to demonstrate interest right now. (more…)
Find Some Time to Play
It is now officially SUMMER!!! I know here at College Calm we talk about how much we can “get done” over the summer for the college process, but the article below serves as a reminder that summer is also a time to play — for everyone — young, old, adolescent or middle aged. We encourage everyone to leave some space this summer to PLAY.
This article was originally written for Patch.com by one of our wonderful students (before we even starting working together). It is a great synopsis of how we know many of our high school students are feeling, but cannot always articulate. Read this with your child/parent/friends and talk about your experiences and observations. Then you should read the article, “Who Fares Best in the College Process,” by Alice Kleeman, who references Laurel’s article and advocates for doing things you enjoy.
” I had a really hard time figuring out what to write about this week. I went back and forth between two other article ideas, wrote them out, but they didn’t sound like me. They were too critical and condemning for my taste. I took breaks in between these episodes of writers block to watch some TV, do some math homework, and just have time to be a teenager.
I realized then that I don’t really get that much time to just have moments to myself and to just rock out to music in my room. It seems that I always have another essay to write, another history chapter to read, or another chemistry test that needs to be studied for. (more…)
The College Search- How to find the college that is right for you
I love this graphic as it is just the start to how 17-year olds can think about college. This month students are starting to investigate colleges to begin to determine what is important to them in their next educational adventure. This graphic comes from a New York Times article, “How to Choose a College” and I think it is a good read for both parents and students. The author presents s
ome of his suggestions of things to consider like the number of students from other countries (as a sign of an international environment) and the percentage of students who study abroad. The goal this month and the month to come is to really start to think about what is important to you, what you value in your education and how you can find a school that matches up with your priorities. Rest assured, many students change their priorities during the college process and we are adept at handing changes because all our students are still maturing and growing.
Testing optional colleges and universities? Do they really exist?
The answer is YES! Fair Test lists every college and university that does not require the SAT or ACT for admission. In some cases students must submit a writing sample…