I don’t think there are any optional choices when it comes to college admissions. This holds true for interviews as well as optional essays.
A resume is not a necessary component of your college application. However, I generally advise students to create one.
What are some ways to learn about schools if you don’t have the chance to visit?
Answer: While most students and their families are familiar with the popular guides such as The Fiske Guide for Colleges and Princeton Reviews Best of the 373 Colleges to name a few, many students and parents are unaware of the material that is available on the web. While I also advise students to research colleges online and send away for material from the specific colleges themselves, I also now advising students to familiarize themselves with some of the newer web sites that host student reviews and campus videos.
I am nervous about asking for a letter of recommendation from my teachers. Who should I ask?
Every year when I review the stats for the incoming class of freshmen, I feel a sense of dread knowing that each year the percentage of admitted students drops. This year almost feels laughable with Harvard and Columbia admitting only 6 percent of students, with Yale and Stanford following close behind with a 7 percent admittance rate.
Question: My daughter, who is a junior, is an emotional wreck because of looming college applications. Is this typical?
What are colleges really looking for when they evaluate students?
There are many criteria that schools use to measure students. It is true, of course, that colleges will first and foremost want to look at the rigor of a student’s high school courses and the grades that the student received.
You describe a situation that I see all the time. Few families have the time to see all the schools they might be interested in, especially if they try to limit their visits to school vacations when college is still in session. For that reason, it is important that you explore other options that are readily available to you. I usually tell families to use search engines such as those found on College Board or College Navigator, which will allow you to do a rudimentary search for colleges based on preset parameters.
Question: What should I know before I attend a college fair?
Answer: The annual National College Fair is coming to the Washington State Convention Center on Nov. 14 and 15. It is very well attended, especially on Sunday, making it wise to have a strategy before you go. If you want a list of schools that will be participating at the fair, search for NACAC on Google and follow the link for college fairs.
Question: What is the right number of schools to apply to?
Answer: On the average, I recommend applying to six to 10 schools, but it can be a very individualized decision. If you have a student who appears to have a strong chance of being accepted to the University of Washington and that is the student’s first choice, you can comfortably apply to fewer schools.
Question: I have been too busy during the spring of my junior year to make plans for the summer. How can I use the summer to make myself a more attractive college applicant?
Question: What admission trends did you notice this year, and how would you advise students based on what you have learned?
Answer: This was a tough year for students who applied both locally as well as across the country. Although one might think that with the economic crisis, fewer students would apply to private colleges, we saw just the opposite trend. Some schools like the University of Chicago, which did a major marketing blitz, saw their applicant numbers go up by 42 percent. Other schools where there was a notable increase in the number of students who applied were U Penn, with an 18 percent increase, as well as Duke and Princeton, which went up by 12 percent and 19 percent respectively. Perennial favorites such as Pomona and Williams saw their numbers climb by 10 percent, while other highly selective schools such as Harvard and Dartmouth were up by about 5 percent.
Question: Should I bother to go on a college trip with my student, who is a junior this spring, or…
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