San Francisco Magazine

Posted on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 19:00

Robin Mamlet and Christine VanDeVelde: College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step (Crown Books) The question isn't quite as old as the Sphinx's riddle, but many high school seniors consider it just as baffling: How do I get into college? Or, for anxious parents: How do I get my child into the right college? If the media storm about admissions that blows through our nation every fall is any indicator of public opinion, the "right" colleges are the 15 most hyperselective ones. For some families, failing to crack this puzzle is tantamount to forfeiting the kids' future happiness. Enter Mamlet, a former dean of admissions at Stanford, Bay Area journalist VanDeVelde, and their riddle-free guide, which breaks down the application process into 21 chapters of advice -- on preparing for the SAT/ACT tests, writing the essay, applying for aid, and thanking teachers for their recs. Filled with words of wisdom from more than 50 admissions deans (at Stanford, the UCs, Harvey Mudd, and more) and from high school counselors (including those at Peninsula mainstays Menlo-Atherton and Castilleja), the book avoids all strategems for shoehorning your child into Harvard. Instead, it shows us how to treat the app process as a chance for self-reflection, culminating in acceptance to a school that's an authentic fit.

Rising Costs and Rising Rewards

Posted on Tue, 08/23/2011 - 00:14

Average tuition, room, and board at colleges has more than doubled since 1990, according to the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics. But -- consider this from the U.S. Census Bureau: the average annual 2008 earnings of workers 18 and older with an advanced degree --$83,144. Those without a high school diploma earned  $21,023. All this and more stats from the Washington Post's Valerie Strauss . $7.4 billion spent on back-to-school shopping! Read more here.

What's a standout college essay? It's the one about you.

Posted on Thu, 08/18/2011 - 07:10

According to a recent New York Times article, students are cultivating summer experiences such as expensive internships or exotic travel experiences "with the goal of creating a standout personal statement." We couldn't disagree more with this "strategy"! Or, as a former admission officer on Robin Mamlet's staff at Stanford put it -- more colorfully --in an email to us, "YUCK.  That should be YUCK in all caps, bold, italics, the works. With many, many exclamation marks." If you ask college admission officers -- including College Admission coauthor Mamlet -- about the essays they find most memorable, overseas internships or travels abroad don't usually top the list. Mamlet remembers an essay about Tom Robbins' novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and another about why an applicant hated piano lessons.  Others recall essays about silverfish, babysitting a younger sister, astronomy, holiday rituals, the family's backyard chicken coop, repairing motorcycles, thrift store shopping for vintage clothing or family breakfasts. With the essay, colleges are trying to get to know you. So the topic is you. The "right" essay is one that reveals your true self, in your own voice -- whether you're talking about studying viruses, raising pigs in 4-H, or your collection of vinyl records.

James G. Nondorf, The University of Chicago

Posted on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 14:36

James G. Nondorf

Each month we'll pose five questions to a Dean of Admission. We may ask their best advice for applicants, how their office reads applications, their favorite thing on campus, or the most surprising fact about their college or university. If you'd like to pose a question to a Dean of Admission or if you'd like to nominate a Dean for us to feature, please email us at authors@collegeadmissionbook.com.

We are proud to present our first interviewee from the other side of the desk -- James G. Nondorf, Vice President and Dean of College Admissions and Financial Aid at The University of Chicago.

1. How can a student stand out when applying to the University of Chicago?

Many qualified applicants to the University of Chicago have excelled academically, have challenged themselves with rigorous coursework, and are engaged in extracurricular activities and the community. The students that stand out are the ones who demonstrate a level of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and honesty in their applications.

Hello...

Posted on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 09:10

hello
Welcome to Admission Now, the blog for the book College Admission. Here we'll bring you the latest news, vital statistics, and color commentary on applying to college. When a college changes their early decision policy, we'll explain what that means. We'll scrutinize the headlines and provide some perspective on hot button issues like rankings and cost. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors will get a heads-up on what they should be thinking about right now. And there will be plenty of fun - because any journey through the college admission process can be improved with regular doses of levity (SAT word). So we hope you'll visit often and, along the way, learn more, stress less, stay informed, and once in a while, laugh out loud.

Juniors: What You Should Be Doing Now

Posted on Sun, 08/14/2011 - 12:27

Attention, juniors! Here's your checklist as you head back to the classroom:

  • If you haven't yet made a testing plan (think PSAT, PLAN, ACT, SAT, SAT IIs, AP exams...), do it now.
  • Research colleges by browsing online. Enter the email addresses of any college of interest in your address book so emails get through the spam filter.
  • Make sure you have a challenging, college-prep course load. If you feel your course load needs adjusting, discuss this with your advisor, counselor or principal prior to the start of the school year.
  • Talk with your parents about planning a college road trip.
  • Try out a net price calculator - with your parents, if possible. Set aside 15 – 20 minutes, and visit the financial aid website of one of the colleges on your list, or try one of the net price calculators available at http://netpricecalculator.collegeboard.org/ to begin to understand financial aid.

Seniors: What you should be doing now...

Posted on Sun, 08/14/2011 - 07:17

Attention, seniors! You will need to hit the ground running this fall:

  • Just getting started with your college search? Sign up for the tests you will need to take - the SAT and/or ACT.
  • If you haven't asked two teachers to write recommendations for you, make your request now.
  • Narrow your list of colleges to the eight to ten schools to which you will apply.
  • Decide if you will be applying under an early decision or early action plan at any schools.
  • Try out a net price calculator - with your parents, if possible. Set aside 15 – 20 minutes, and visit the financial aid website of one of the colleges on your list, or try one of the net price calculators available at http://netpricecalculator.collegeboard.org/ so you can begin to understand what your financial aid package might look like.

A Good Choice that You Will Make Great

Posted on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 07:19

good choice

Marissa Mayer gave the commencement address at Harvey Mudd College last summer and talked about how she chose among her 14 job offers after graduation - nice problem to have - to become Google's first female engineer and employee #20.

"I got together with my economist friend and we carefully weighed them all. Being a computer scientist, I love logic and data, so I created a big matrix: one row for each job with columns for salary, location, quality of life, career trajectory, and likely happiness, all rated on a scale from one to 10. We drew up charts, graphs, and equations, and it was all so incredibly focused and detailed and analytical that by midnight, I just totally lost it and collapsed into tears.

Then my friend said: 'You're approaching this as if there's one right answer. And I have to be honest, that's just not what I'm seeing here. I think you have a bunch of good options, and then there's the one that you'll pick and make great'

That's good advice for life and the college application process. Do your homework so that you have good choices, then pick the one that you will make great.