National Merit Finalist Contest: PSAT Cut Off Scores are in for 2011 Class

Written by Lauren Kahn, Educational Consultant / CEO of Lone Star Ed Consulting, LLC
512-294-6608  Lonestaredconsulting@gmail.com

Updated on January 2011
Before we delve into the "overachiever" scores for the 2009 PSAT (Class of 2011), I want to put things in perspective. If you are a national merit semi finalist for the 2010/2011 school year, you performed exceptionally well on this standardized test and scored in the top 1% of your state. Bravo to you. To see the next steps in the process to cementing your place as a National Merit Finalist and possible scholarship recipient, click here.

According to the College Board, the average Selection Index for students in eleventh grade is about a 141. Note: Only students in eleventh grade are eligible to enter NMSC scholarship programs. This score is equivalent to about a 1000 on the CR and Math combined for the SAT. The PSAT Selection Index, which is used to determine eligibility in National Merit Scholarship Corporation programs (NMSC), is the sum of the three scores in each test section (CR + M + W). The Selection Index ranges from 60 to 240.

Women in College Exceed Men ... The Gap is Widening

Written by Educational Consultant, Lauren Kahn, M.A., CEO of Lone Star Ed Consulting   
Commentary from Nancy Greisemer of College Explorations and Mark Perry from University of Michigan (Flint)

When I graduated from Emory University in the late '90s, there was nearly an equal ratio of 1:1, women to men in my undergraduate class. Today, 52% are female and 48% are male. This may not seem like a significant gap, but let me break it down for you in numbers. In a freshman class of 1300, there will be 52 more women than men, which means it will be even harder for a woman to get a date on campus, much less find a nice gentleman to help her with her heavy groceries. All kidding aside, whenever there is a significant gender discrepancy in any direction, it affects the college climate.

Women continue to account for a disproportionate share of the enrollments at postsecondary institutions.

Reprinted from The Texas Tribune and brought to you by Lauren Kahn M.A., lead college consultant from Lone Star Ed Consulting, LLC 512-294-6608

The Graduation Gap in Texas Universities 

Written by Reeve Hamilton
May 11, 2010  |

Picture of Texas State University Business School by Lauren Kahn

For years, Texas universities have focused on getting more students, particularly low-income students, onto their campuses. The hard part, it turns out, is getting them to leave — with degrees.
Of the 32 Texas state universities tracked by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, only five schools have self-reported graduation rates above 50 percent.
                                                                          
The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University have the highest graduation rates: Both graduate 78 percent of their students in six or fewer years, but that's still a step behind national peers like the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan, which graduate 90 percent and 88 percent, respectively.

Post April 1st ... The Countdown To Making Your Final College Choice

Written by Educational Consultant, Lauren Kahn, M.A., CEO of Lone Star Ed Consulting  

It is now post April 1st and you still have not made your final decision on where to attend college next year. Perhaps, you got offered the wait list from your first choice school, but a great scholarship opportunity from your "safety" choice. Maybe, you have decided you would like to defer going to college for a year.  What to do?  No need to fret just yet. 

Please find below some helpful guidelines and blogs on how to make this life altering decision more palatable.