College Prep

Myth #7-Choosing a College

"Test scores are the most important criterion in college admissions"

 Steven says: Not True!!!! What is valued most highly now a days is the quality of courses you take in your high school and your grades in those courses. Your classes taken in comparison to the high school profile to see if you are challenging yourself is most important. Also what is looked at is your extracurricular activities and college essays.  Some colleges still do the interview process and colleges always want to know what special qualities you will bring to their school.

Most colleges and universities use the holistic approach. They want to see the whole package.

Steven also adds that for some colleges the goal is to admit students who have evidenced tremendous scholarship and who will benefit from the facility while other colleges enroll a freshman class large enough to allow the college to continue to expand and add new departments or programs.

But one thing to keep in mind is that the admission counselors are human beings with a job to do. Steven says historically admission officers existed for the purpose of reading applications and making accept and reject decisions. In recent years this has changed and more focus is on recruiting and attracting students. This has increased the competition to get into selective institutions.

There are many factors they consider in their admissions process and this blog cannot adequately explain each process. Contacting the college prep consultant of this blog will be helpful and the process can be explained in details.

by arvi

Myth #6: About Choosing a College

"Cost is really important in determining where I can go to college, so I will likely have to attend a local school."

Steven Antonoff says not necessarily.  There are billions of dollars given to students for college and in some cases full tuition is given.  He says that the federal, state and individual colleges and thousands of public and private organizations make  funds  available to college students.

The key is research.  So all you high school students, you must do the research, the money is out there, just sitting and waiting to be collected. 

Here is a list of some books that can help:

 The A's and B's of Academic Scholarships

Loans and Grants from Uncle Sam

Don't Miss Out: The Ambitious Student's Guide to Financial Aid

by arvi

Myth # 5: About Choosing A College

"The more rigorous the admission standards, the higher the quality of education"

Steven says that there are many reasons why a college might have high admission standards. Some in-state  universities students feel an obligation to their students and therefore out-of-state students face more restrictions. Also if colleges have a Bowl game and is known for their team or if the college was mentioned in a magazine, their restrictions will increase.

Steven also points out that even though some colleges describe their admissions requirements, many students still apply who may not be appropriate for that college.

Finally the point here is that the quality of education is often not directly related to admission standards.

by arvi

Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn and Stanford

Yes, these great institutes are coming to Fresno on Oct. 4, 2011 at the Holiday Inn Fresno Airport. The event starts at 7:30pm. You must register one week prior to the event. Here is the link: www.exploringcollegeoptions.org

If you want to see them earlier, they will be in Modest Oct. 3, or later than Fresno they will be in Bakersfield Oct. 5th.

These are the closest to our valley. Great opportunity to get information.

by arvi

Myth #4: About Choosing a College

"Schools that cost more are of higher quality"

The college cost  has more to do with the size of its state subsidies, and its endowment. The cost says nothing about the quality of its undergraduate program or if its the right fit for you.  The important thing to look for is the quality of education and how the environment of the  campus is right for you.  Match what the college offers to the criteria you have set for yourself and if the college is right for you AND the cost is low, how great is that!!!

by arvi

Myth #3:About Choosing a College

"Colleges always choose the 'best' students"

Steven Antonoff says its not true. He is a PH.D., CED , Certified Educational Planner in Colorado. He is an expert of higher education. He says there is no foolproof formula or magic exists  in choosing a student for admissions.  The admissions counselor are humans too who work long hard hours and their decision is open to different interpretation and judgement. Most colleges consider so many variable not just G.P.A. things like test scores, courses taken, extracurricular activities, athletics, kids of faculty member, legacy, and the essay.

One thing Steven points is that admission directors often say that in any given year, if they had to go back and make their decision allover again with the same candidate pool, they would often choose different students to receive letter of admission.

So you see they all want the whole package of a student not just one piece; a well-rounded individual who can make a difference not only in their high school but the college campus also.

by arvi

College Visits

Did you know Drexel has a co-op program where you go to school for 6 months and then go on a job related to your field for 6 months?  They have 8000 microcomputers available to all students.  They have an early decision for Media Arts majors and they are known for Engineering, Business and Nursing majors. Total campus enrollment is 23,845.

Swarthmore College a small campus with total campus enrollment of 1525. They are a need blind and need aware college. They have only 1 merit aid per year. Very interesting fact about Swarthmore is that really intelligent students go there: 87% of the freshmen class was in the top tenths percent of their high school!!!!!

Princeton University, wow what a beautiful campus!!  It has the 3^rd largest chapel in the world. Founder is John Witherspoon you know the one who signed the Declaration of Independence. The beautiful Sun Dial located on the campus was a gift fromOxfordUniversity. Did you know that 18% of the student body is engineering major?Princeton has degrees and certificated programs also.

Did you know that Albert Einstein taught lecture there? How about the fact that the 50% of the students do the abroad program.  Princetongives students the option to stay all 4 years on the campus. It claims to have the lowest tuition of all the Ivy Leagues 33K.

by arvi

Myth #2: About Choosing a College

"Future employers and graduate schools give an edge to those who have degrees from prestigious universities"

Steven says not necessarily. So many graduate schools have improved their quality of education and have distinguished themselves that employers and graduate school admissions staffs can no longer rely on just the name of a school as a factor for selection.

Steven goes on to say that wise students are matching themselves to colleges within which they have the potential to make good grades and contribute positively to campus life and that after graduation a person's own qualities will decide whether he/she gets a raise. Look for Myth #3.....Read more

by arvi