Is Facebook Distracting you from your College Goals?

Blogged by Educational Consultant, Lauren Kahn, M.A.

In October, Facebook reached 54.7 percent of people in the United States ages 12 to 17, up from 28.3 percent in October last year, according to the Nielsen Company, the market research firm. The average user spends 55 minutes of their day on Facebook, and I imagine this time is exponentially longer for teenagers.

While Facebook has many highly valuable services, it can also be a major distraction to getting things done.
Some teenagers are actually making the responsible decision during finals and near college application deadlines to temporarily disable their Facebook accounts. A forced vacation from Facebook during finals is something I highly recommend for my students. As a professional, I sometimes create a self-imposed break from facebook.com by blocking it as an allowed site from my wireless network. Are you disciplined enough to self-regulate your exposure to facebook and other internet sites?

For Some Seniors, It's Crunch Time ! College Planning Tips

1. Be smart about your short list. While it might be tempting to pile on a few extra applications, don't do it. Don’t assume that the more applications you submit, the greater your likelihood of getting in. Focus on schools that are good fits and you’ll be fine. I recommend students apply between 8 to 10 schools unless they are applying to an extremely esoteric field.

2. Make sure you feel good about the schools to which you are applying. I can’t tell you how often, after the admission decisions have been revealed, a student says about a school on her list, “But I don’t want to go there.” Don’t apply to a school if you would not consider enrolling should you be accepted.

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3. Develop an application tracking document. List all of the schools that are on your preliminary list as well as the various forms and deadlines required by each. Post it on your refrigerator or someplace where you will see it every day. Make sure you also have all of your user IDs and passwords for your college applications in a spreadsheet. I recommend that you use the same password for all college applications. For security reasons, use a unique password that only pertains to your college applications, SAT / ACT registration, and scholarship / financial aid forms. This way you can share your password with your mom or dad and won't have to worry that your parents will break into your Facebook or My Space account.

4. Read the Supplemental Forms. Schools that use the Common Application or the Universal Application may require additional information and/or essays. Become familiar with the information requested on these forms sooner than later. Along those same lines, understand the application policies for the schools you are applying to. Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) or Restrictive Early Action (REA) is the newest option, which limits you to applying early to only one school to get an answer in advance about acceptance. It’s not binding, but restricts you from applying anywhere else under an EA or ED application. You can apply elsewhere during regular admission and do not have to make a decision to enroll until the school’s regular deadline.

College Admission and Ethical Implications of Uncertain Economic Times

Register Now for NACAC Webinars on the

State of College Admission and Ethical Implications of Uncertain Economic Times

NACAC State of College Admission Webinar

When: October 20

Time: 2:00 p.m. EDT

Cost: $25

Register Now at NACAC

On the release date of the annual State of College Admission report, NACAC will present a Webinar to provide a detailed overview of trends in college admission counseling. This year’s report also includes analysis from NACAC’s survey on the Effects of the Economy on the Admission Process.

With the influx of marketing propaganda out there for students, the high tuition costs, and the rising obstacles in gaining admission to the top universities, it is not surprising that some college admissions offices are facing public scrutiny for their questionable ethics. "Recognizing these ethical challenges and dilemmas and effectively dealing with them is a professional imperative for admissions officers and the academic institutions they represent," says Michael McCuddy of International Journal of Educational Management. McCuddy addresses three areas of admissions where ethical dilemmas are plaguing the current admissions climate. They occur in recruiting practices, personal biases in admissions decisions, and conflicts between personal ethical standards and institutional directives.

Example of an ethical dilemma: Athletics is dictating to admissions at a selective institution, they should admit a candidate based on their physical talents and leadership skills, but not their academic merits. It is a division III school and there are no athletic scholarships or special provisions provided for athletic admits. The star football athlete may potentially bring in more revenue to the school with increased ticket sales and national media hype, but the athlete is not near the school's average standards in regards to class ranking or test scores.* fictitious example

Should admissions offer this student a place at their university or risk the wrath of the athletic department and deny him? What are your thoughts? With every circumstance, you need to weigh the pros and cons of your decision. My professional opinion: I would really have to read the student's essays to determine their level of motivation and desire to attend the academic institution. I would also do a follow up phone interview as well.

As a former admissions officer for a private university, I understand the intense pressure placed upon admissions to convert qualified prospective students to matriculated students. There is a fine line between encouraging a student to apply to a university and telling them that they will be admitted based upon their credentials. Universities that are less selective run the risk of over enrollment if they accept too many students. This year Ithaca College had to be very creative in how they addressed their over enrollment problem. They are paying 31 students $10,000 each, to put off going to college for a year, a sort of mandatory GAP year. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that Ithaca had hoped “to enroll 1,700 to 1,750 new freshmen but found itself with an incoming class of 2,027 for this fall.”

'It's an extreme case of what we're likely to see in other places,' said John C. Nelson, managing director of the division at Moody's Investors Service that rates colleges' debt. In addition to adding physical capacity, Ithaca's challenge is to 'manage the student services extremely well,' he said, particularly in light of the competitive and demographic challenges facing private colleges in the Northeast. - Chronicle of Higher Education

Ithaca College made a recruiting mistake that they will be paying for physically and monetarily over the next few years. Chronicle reports that Ithaca had suffered a decline in freshman enrollment in 2008, falling 11 percent below its budgeted target of 1,600. Many of the steps it took over the past year to enroll the entering class in 2009 were designed to compensate. The steps included lowering selectivity (Ithaca accepted 73 percent of its 2009 applicants, compared with 59 percent in 2008) changing its merit-aid policy so money could be spread among more applicants, and intensifying "yield" efforts to get more admitted students to attend. Other colleges did the same things, according to a survey released last month by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling. But Ithaca lacked some of the levers colleges traditionally use to give themselves more control over admissions, most notably the early-decision option.
The ethical dilemma above: Is it ok to pay students to defer their college dreams? Your thoughts.

Ithaca will reinstitute their early decision application option this year to compensate for the over enrollment problem they encountered. Mr. Maguire, Ithaca's new enrollment-management chief, came from Franklin and Marshall College will work directly for the president. He said the college is reinstating early decision, two years after dropping it. Without it, he said, Ithaca didn't have a solid picture of its admissions situation until very late in the process. Freshman deposits came in with a "huge spike at the very end of April." He also plans to raise admissions standards, although he acknowledges that after lowering selectivity in 2009, Ithaca will face a challenge in getting that message out to applicants.

Ithaca College has over 100 bachelor degree options and is known for their emphasis on performing arts. They have reknowned masters programs in sports management and sports marketing. Visit Ithaca College for more information on the university.  

The information provided was written by Lauren Kahn, CEO of Lone Star Ed Consulting. If you would like more information about Lone Star Ed Consulting's college planning services, please e-mail Lauren Kahn or call her at 512-294-6608.

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Easy Apps and Less Selective Admit Standards; Beyond the Ivies

Free Advice Friday! Here are a couple of suggestions for "fun and spirited" schools for the B/C student with relatively easy admission requirements and without the endless supplemental questions. (Coincidentally, the tiger is both LSU and Auburn University's mascot).

1) LSU -   Lousianna State University, located in historic Baton Rouge, offers an incomparable guaranteed admission program for the B/C student ready for the challenges of a big-school experience in a classic southern community. Here’s the deal: to claim automatic admission a student must have A GPA of 3.0 or higher (weighted or unweighted) ACT/SAT scores of 22/1030 (minimum Eng/CR 18/450 and M 19/460) 18 specific core high school credit units (American Sign Language fulfills the 2 units of foreign language) For as long as space remains in the class, the admissions office will provide a decision within 48 hours of application. No strings. No binding clauses.

• Out-of-state Scholarships Galore! Students with SAT’s totaling 1250 and 3.0 GPA qualify for full exemption from nonresident fees; those nonresidents with SAT’s totaling 1330 and 3.0 GPA qualify for full exemption from all tuition and fees. And, those are just the beginning of the scholarships available at LSU!
• The LSU campus is alive with school spirit and friendly faces. Anyone familiar with the college sports scene will recognize the LSU Tigers as perennial contenders. Team mascot Mike VI lion rules his den! Similiar to Baylor's "Lady" and "Joy" bears that live on campus, Mike VI lives in a tiger habitat right beside an over-sized football stadium that positively rocks the Richter scale on Saturdays during the fall months (Nancy Griesemer, College Explorations).
• In addition to sports, LSU has plenty to offer in the way of academics and student life. Students major in everything from Cajun French to Petroleum Engineering. And, each year, LSU conducts more than 2,500 sponsored research projects funded by more than $140 million in external grants from an amazing assortment of funding sources including NIH, NASA, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, to name a few. The large but easy-to-navigate campus is beautifully landscaped with towering live oaks insured for millions gracing the walkways. Make no mistake. This is a big school. The largest classroom holds 1000 students and clickers are among the tools routinely used by professors to keep up with the numbers. For the right student, however, the welcome and value are there.
• If you are a stellar high school student and find out that LSU is your dream college, there is also an honors college program for you to consider. Please note, the admission selection process is separate from your overall admission to LSU. You will not get the 48 hour admit or deny turn around time. 

Admission Requirements
1) Freshmen entering Louisiana State University are eligible to apply to the Honors College if they meet the following recommended admission criteria:
2) Academic high school GPA: 3.50 (weighted by LSU)
3) Recommended ACT: 30 Composite with 30 English, or 29 Composite with 31 English
or
4) Recommended SAT: 1320 Critical Reading + Mathematics (combined) with 660 Critical Reading
Completed SAT or ACT essay

LSU Honors College admission is very competitive. Selection for incoming first-year students is based on high school GPA, ACT or SAT scores, and the writing test of the ACT or SAT. The writing sample is weighed on an even scale with GPA and standardized exam scores, so special consideration should be given to this component of the application. The strength of courses taken in high school will be considered and is factored into the calculation of the high school GPA by the Office of Undergraduate Admission and Student Aid.

2) AU- Auburn University is located in Auburn, Alabama. It is a great spirit school, ranked 88th in the nation (out of 1800 college/university). They have more than ten different engineering programs and will admit students that may have had a rocky first year in high school. They reach out to the schools in the community and have a program called Engineering Outreach.  The technologies and workforce that are developed on Auburn's campus help fuel the engine that keeps our economy vital. Each year, Auburn has an entering class of about 4000 college/university students. Admission: 17,068 applied; 12,085 admitted; 3,984 enrolled. Average high school GPA: 3.69. This is an extremely skewed number however, because this takes into account weighted GPAs. The admit rate is close to 71%.

• Test Scores -- 25th / 75th Percentile
  
  
  • SAT Critical Reading: 520 / 620
  • SAT Math: 550 / 650
  • SAT Writing: 520 / 620
    
    
    • (SEC SAT score comparison chart)
    
    
    
  • ACT Composite: 22 / 27
  • ACT English: 23 / 30
  • ACT Math: 22 / 28
    
    
    • (SEC ACT Comparison Chart)
    
    
  
  

Admission Requirements: You need three things, plus the application fee of course. No long essay is required.

• Activities and Interests Form (Short Answer Essays)
  
• Official ACT and/or SAT scores (including the writing score)
  
• Official High School Transcript
  

Students may begin applying for admission August 1, 2009 at www.auburn.edu/apply.  Applicants with excellent academic credentials can be admitted by Early Action beginning in October.  Early Action decisions are strictly academic, based on a combination of high school GPA and the ACT or SAT score of the applicant; other factors are not considered.  Students who meet the Early Action criteria will be accepted on a weekly basis from October 15 to February 15.  Decisions are made by October 15 for students who have completed an application by October 1. 

The information provided was written by Lauren Kahn, CEO of Lone Star Ed Consulting. If you would like more information about Lone Star Ed Consulting's college planning services, please e-mail Lauren Kahn or call her at 512-294-6608. 
 

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Obama on Economy, Student Loans; Rise in Community College Enrollment

President Barack Obama shows his legitimate concern and pledges to help students pursuing higher education during these trying economic times. On September 21st, he spoke in a town forum style to a group of Hudson Valley community college students in Michigan. I know that with the lack of support for universal health care and the war in Afghanistan, his approval ratings are not exactly stellar, but I endorse his dedication and methods to improve the quality of both secondary and post-secondary education.

Did you know Obama was actually a transfer college student during undergraduate school? Prior to the President enrolling and eventually graduating from Columbia University with a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies, he attended Occidental College.

Yes, Obama attended Occidental College in California for two years as an undergraduate from 1979-81:Jim Tranquada, Occidental's Director of Communications, said: "Contemporary public documents, such as the 1979-80 freshman 'Lookbook' published at the beginning of President Obama's first year at Occidental, list him as Barack Obama. All of the Occidental alumni I have spoken to from that era (1979-81) who knew him, knew him as Barry Obama."

Although Obama did not attend community college, he is a huge advocate of the community college system. According to an article in the August issue of U.S. News and World Report, enrollment at public community colleges has grown by 30 percent since 2000. President Barrack Obama’s “American Graduation Initiative,” which would invest $12 billion in community colleges over 10 years, has created quite a buzz around two-year colleges.

Community College Fast Facts

Community College Students Constitute the Following Percentages of Undergraduates:
All U.S. undergraduates: 46%
First-time freshmen: 41%
Native American: 55%
Asian/Pacific Islander: 46%
Black: 46%
Hispanic: 55%

Employment Status:
Full-time students employed full time: 27%
Full-time students employed part time: 50%
Part-time students employed full time: 50%
Part-time students employed part time: 33%

Percentage of Students Receiving Financial Aid:
Any aid: 47%
Federal grants: 23%
Federal loans: 11%
State aid: 12%

Percentage of Federal Aid Received by Community Colleges:
Pell grants: 34%
Campus-based aid: 9%

Average Annual Tuition and Fees:
Community colleges (public): $2,361
4-year colleges (public): $6,185

Degrees and Certificates Awarded Annually:
Associate degrees: 555,000
Certificates: 295,000
Baccalaureates: awarded by 29 public and 66 independent colleges

Revenue Sources (public colleges):
State funds: 37%
Tuition and fees: 17%
Local funds: 21%
Federal funds: 16%
Other: 9%

Obama on Economy, Student Loans (CNBC) Published: 09 Please click here to see CNBC's coverage of Obama's speech at Hudson Valley Community College in which he discusses the economy and student loans. Obama's Video on Education and Student Loans

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Top 8% Auto Admit... What Will the Impact Be?

In the educational community, many of us have been waiting for change in the way U of Texas - Austin admits their freshman class for quite some time. Last week, the University of Texas at Austin announced they will automatically admit all eligible 2011 summer/fall freshman applicants who rank only within the top 8 percent of their high school graduating classes, with remaining spaces to be filled through holistic review. They will admit automatically enough students to fill 75 percent of available spaces set aside for Texas residents in an entering freshman class. I have to ask the question, "Will the new Top 8% auto admit law really satisfy our desire for a truly diverse, talented pool, full of students who perhaps bloomed later in life?" I am not convinced that the Texas legislature went far enough to ensure a different student body than we currently have. The current class of 2013 is comprised nearly entirely of students from the top 10%; 86% is the number I have seen quoted in The Daily Texan.

I find it absurd that a student possibly could be accepted to Rice (A Top 20 Ranked Private University), but be denied to the largest public university in Texas. Believe it or not, this has happened and will continue to occur under the new law. I propose that we eliminate the concept of "auto-admit" for all students, but set a minimum level of standardized test scores or AP scores for the top 10% to gain a conditional auto admit status. University of Texas' standardized test averages would most certainly rise and the calibur of the students would as well. I find it unjust that a student at Westlake HS (Eanes School District) who is ranked in the 48th % of their class with a 92 average and 1200 SATs (CR and Math) has literally less than a 5% chance of admission to U of Texas at Austin as a freshman, while a student at LBJ (Austin School District)with a 2.9 GPA, less than 900 SATs (CR and Math) and a 9% ranking will automatically be accepted to UT. This is way too large of a discrepancy in academic standards and reducing the auto admit law from top 10% to top 8% will not eliminate these types of examples.

Background: William Powers Jr., president of the university, said that automatically admitting students in the top 8 percent of their high school graduating class to the 2011 entering freshman class would fill 75 percent of available spaces. A new state law, Senate Bill 175, passed by the 81st Legislature, modified the university's admissions program, which previously had been required to automatically admit students in the top 10 percent of their high school class. The top 10% went into effect in 1997, originally intended to increase diversity in regards to ethnicity, SES, and geographics. The Top 10% Law (originally styled “Texas House Bill 588”) was passed in 1997 and went into effect the following year. The law was a response to the Hopwood decision, in which the U.S.Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit prohibited public universities from using a student’s racial or ethnic background as a consideration in admissions decisions.

While Top 10% students on average earn slightly higher grades at UT than non-Top 10% students, the performance is not uniform throughout the Top 10%. Those students in the 6th through the 10th percentile of their high school graduating class earn on average a grade point average equal to students in the 11th through the 20th percentile. (Source: The Top 10% Law and its impact on The University of Texas at Austin from UTexas.edu)

Posted by: Lauren Kahn,M.A. College Educational Consultant
www.lonestar-edconsulting.com