The Common Application goes live next week -- on Friday, August 1! So we're bringing you a real-time digital supplement to College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step -- our completely revised and updated guide to The Application Form .
It's a complete guide to filling out the college application, which serves as the cornerstone of a student's admission file, including:
Juniors, as you meet with your counselor to select your classes for next year, keep in mind that what colleges want to see are students whose course of study is characterized by appropriate challenge and rigor.
So what does that mean?
It means that colleges want to see evidence in your courses that you are willing to stretch intellectually and academically in the core areas of the curriculum -- science, math, English, social studies and foreign language -- and that your choice of classes demonstrates a pattern of increasing difficulty. For example, if a student wants to study science, she would take progressively more demanding courses in that core area. This is an important signal for college admission officers. In fact, one report found that taking progressively more difficult and higher- level courses increased an applicant’s chance of being accepted at a competitive college— more so than a higher grade point average.
Here's what Douglas Christiansen, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions at Vanderbilt University, has to say about what challenge and rigor mean:
Juniors, as the semester winds down and thoughts of winter break begin to dance in your head, remember to continue to give your best effort in all your classes and finish strong. Grades have been consistently rated as the top factor in admission decisions by colleges for the past decade. In the most recent State of College Admission report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling, 84 percent of colleges reported grades in college prep courses as decisive. One more time for emphasis: the grades you earn and the classes you take are important -- and grades in your junior year can be critical. For now, focus your efforts in the classroom… Winter break will be here soon.
Check out Chapter 5 in College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step for more information about what defines a challenging curriculum and achieving balance between grades, challenging courses, and personal time.
Thank you to Karen Berkowitz of Highland Park's Pioneer Press for the great article on our appearance tomorrow night, speaking with the parents of Highland Park and Deerfield High Schools. We'll be talking about grades, courses, essays, financial aid, what colleges are looking for and why and, most important, how to approach the college admission process with calm and purpose. You can read the Pioneer Press feature here.
If experience has taught me anything about these waning years of hands-on parenting it is that there is very much a time and a place for parents to help. The area where parents can do their kids the greatest service is in time management. Even the most mature teens would be hard pressed to recognize at the outset the huge demands on their time as the wind through the final years of high school. Our role, I believe is not to do things for them, but to help them envision the process, its demands and how they will squeeze it all into their busy lives.
Here are some suggestions to help them on their way:
1. Help your child plan out their academic life
Sit down with your 9th grader or 10th grader and their high school course catalogue and plan backward from 12th grade. Together, think about what they hope to accomplish academically over their high school years. Help them pick the most challenging classes they hope to take in the subject areas they enjoy. Have them look at the prerequisites for these classes and the paths they are going to take to reach their goals. Granted interests change and so do school schedules, but but kids with a plan have goals for themselves.
2. Ask your child to select one activity in which they will try to excel.
Independent college counselor Lee Bierer has some great advice for HS juniors on the college application process. You don't need to know which college you want to attend or what you want to study in order to prepare well -- from planning for testing to a first campus visit. Check out all her recommendations here.
In a guest post today, Jennifer Karan, Executive Director of the SAT Program at The College Board, discusses the steps high school freshmen can take to plan ahead for a college education -- a key to success. This article originally appeared on The College Board website.
As a former English teacher and high school dean of students, I know that there are few things as daunting, mysterious and exciting to a teenager than freshman year of high school. It’s a whole new world: the hallways are foreign and at larger schools, students sometimes feel as though they need a GPS to get from class to class; the upperclassmen seem so much older and are brimming with a glowing confidence; teacher expectations and homework may require substantial adjustment. And college seems like a distant point on the horizon.
Part of the trepidation may be what adults understand as not being able to see the forest for the trees. However, when students are able to envision how the various academic courses and opportunities in arts, athletics and other programs that develop interests (the school paper, community service or a part-time job) form the "Big Picture," they are able to navigate this terrain successfully, with greater purpose and enjoyment.
Your senior year is important to colleges. Acceptance letters are contingent on your finishing the year at the same performance level as when you applied. Keep your focus and stay fully engaged -- both in the classroom and on campus. If slacking off gets out of hand, it can have serious consequences. If you are waitlisted, a dip in grades or lapse in judgment can work against your being admitted. Admission can even be rescinded for significant changes in grades or disciplinary action for behavioral issues. And it's important to model good behavior for the junior class following in your footsteps. Keep up the good work! You'll be glad you did.
Juniors, as the semester winds down and thoughts of college dance in your head, remember to continue to give your best effort in all your classes and finish strong. The just-released 10th annual State of College Admission 2012 report from the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that "academic performance in college prep courses" has been consistently rated as the top factor by colleges in admission decisions for the past decade. In 2011, 84 percent of colleges reported grades in college prep courses as decisive. One more time for emphasis: the grades you earn and the classes you take are important -- and grades in your junior year can be critical. For now, focus your efforts in the classroom… It's almost time for winter break.
In October of senior year, it may seem like everyone is jumping on the early admission bandwagon. Students report a lot of pressure to apply early. It comes from peers, parents, newspaper headlines— and sometimes it comes from oneself. But there is nothing wrong with sitting out this round and opting for more time and the greater choice it allows. There are distinct advantages to waiting and applying regular decision. Before you jump on the early bandwagon, seriously consider whether it's right for you. That depends on a number of factors. Most important are the plans offered at the colleges on your list, especially the ones that have emerged as your top choices. Other factors that you must consider include your own goals, your grades and test scores, and your family’s need for financial aid.
For more information about early programs, including a list of questions to help you figure out whether an early program is right for you, see Chapter 15, "Decision Plans," in College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step.
