Advice, Observations and the Broad View from Brandeis' Andrew Flagel

Posted on Mon, 08/19/2013 - 12:41

Gimmicks in essays, the "perfect school' fixation, testing, and show 'em the money... Andrew Flagel, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, talks all things college admission with the Boston Globe. One of the great takeaways:  "There is a disconnect between this current worry that somehow being an English major is a disadvantage. In reality, what employers are looking for is great employees — employees with communication skills, who are critical thinkers, problem solvers, able to work with others, and good leaders. And that’s exactly at the heart of a liberal arts education." Read all of his terrific advice here.

2013 Colleges and Universities that Require TWO Letters of Recommendation from Teachers

Posted on Mon, 08/19/2013 - 12:02

Letters of recommendation can play an important role in the admission decision, particularly at the most selective schools. Letters of recommendation from teachers tell admission officers how students contribute to the academic and intellectual life of their high school. Your teachers' input tells the colleges what their faculty can expect from you. Remember, in the college admission process, you are being evaluated to enter a learning community! High school counselor Cigus Vanni joins us again today with another excellent list -- this time of the colleges and universities that require TWO letters of recommendation from teachers.

 

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES THAT REQUIRE TWO LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FROM TEACHERS      

 

A Pencil Can Write 45,000 Words and other Back-to-School Shopping Trivia

Posted on Fri, 08/16/2013 - 14:28

“An apple for the teacher will always do the trick when you don’t know your lesson in arithmetic.”

We're suckers for Back-to-School. We really don't need the 96-count box of Crayola Crayons. Our children are past that stage and need new laptops. But we want crayons! And new notebooks and pens, too.  Luckily, homeschooler Heather Sanders posted this list of "…20 interesting things you may, or may not know, about your back-to-school supplies" over at the Pioneer Woman. It helped us with our Back-to-School shopping addiction... -- we can now resist throwing those crayons in the grocery cart -- so we're sharing it here with you. Read all about backpacks, paper clips and tape… and why children brought apples to their teachers.

Scholarship Tips from the #CollegeCash Twitter Chat

Posted on Fri, 08/16/2013 - 13:39

Last night we participated in a live Twitter chat lead by Jodi Okun of College Financial Aid Advisors and her guest, the folks at Central Scholarship, a non-profit that awards scholarships and interest-free loans to students pursuing higher education.  It was a lively group and we learned -- or were reminded of -- a few things worth repeating.

2013 Colleges and Universities with Early Action Admission Plans

Posted on Wed, 08/14/2013 - 13:01

We're back today with high school counselor Cigus Vanni who for eighteen years has created and maintained a series of lists that are great tools for students -- and counselors. Earlier this week, we posted his list of 2013 Colleges and Universities with Binding Early Decision Plans. Today, we are featuring 2013 Colleges and Universities with Early Action Plans. 

2013 Colleges with Early Decision Plans

Posted on Mon, 08/12/2013 - 12:53

For eighteen years, high school counselor Cigus Vanni has created and maintained a series of lists that are great tools for students -- and counselors. Today, we're featuring 2013 Colleges and Universities with Early Decision plans. Early decision (ED) plans are restrictive -- they place conditions on the student restricting them from applying to other schools or committing them to enrolling. Under early decision plans, students apply to only one ED college and sign a binding commitment to enroll if accepted. Applications are submitted early, usually in November, and notification usually occurs in December.

Resource Lists for Students and Counselors

Posted on Mon, 08/12/2013 - 12:34

For eighteen years, high school counselor Cigus Vanni has created and maintained a series of lists that are great tools for students -- and counselors. These lists track schools that require two teacher recommendations; schools in the U.S. that offer non-binding Early Action admission plans; schools in the US that offer binding Early Decision plans (with annotated crossovers, designations for restricted plans and tagging of schools that offer both EA and ED); and mid-50% SAT ranges for more than three hundred U.S. schools.  We're delighted he is back again to share his 2013 lists with our readers. Because of the length of the lists, we'll be featuring them as separate posts over the next few days. Up first: Schools that offer binding early decision (ED) Plans.

Say it ain't so... the SAT QOTD email is riding into the sunset...

Posted on Mon, 08/12/2013 - 11:13

Oh,  noooo... We received the following message in our inbox this morning: We hope The Official SAT Question of the Day™ has been an engaging and successful part of your SAT® practice plan. We are developing new digital student resources, and the SAT Question of the Day daily email will be discontinued later this month.

In the future, your test results are life and death...

Posted on Thu, 08/08/2013 - 13:59

Every year the United Commonwealth reviews the achievements of the graduates in all eighteen colonies. The top students from that pool of graduates are brought to Tosu City for testing to attend the university. Being chosen is an honor. The graduates of the university are our greatest hope -- the ones we are all counting on to help regenerate the earth and improve our quality of life. They are the future scientists, doctors, teachers, and government officials.  YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TESTING.