NACAC Steps to College articles

I am constantly reading articles and news releases from various organizations to gain insight that will help all of you with college options. I received this email today from the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) distribution list and wanted to share this resource. I found this particular article to be informative, and thought many of the others may be helpful.

"NACAC's Steps to College articles serve as ongoing discussions of the important factors students face during the admission process. Their primary function, however, is to introduce and reinforce the issues students tend to neglect. The latest article in the series reexamines student debt and financial aid against the backdrop of a recession.

Looking Ahead: Student Debt and the College Admission Process directs students to look closely at their potential for debt very early in the admission process. The article also steers students toward sound financial aid resources from the Department of Education.

“Looking Ahead” joins a collection of other financial aid articles in the Steps to College series that speak directly to college applicants. Please pass along this article and others in the Steps series to interested students and families.

Sean Nyhan
Public Policy and Research Coordinator
National Association for College Admission Counseling"

College Major Quiz

The buzz has begun! Seniors are talking about their college ideas and applications, and many have begun to compare college major choices. Are you still undecided? Don't worry, many people are, even as they enter their sophomore year of college. To help rest your mind, I entered college set on double majoring in biology and music. I exited with a major in cultural anthropology. And now I'm a counselor. I was certain that I was going to be a doctor from at least fourth grade. Even the best laid plans can change when you find something unexpected that interests you.

There are some connections between my interests that I can see now. Every goal I had - doctor, orchestral musician, and counselor - required social interaction. Not sure how your future goals are connected? Try taking this quiz at About.com. The quiz utilizes Holland based theory to help you find a general area, and then you can narrow down your interests to find a possible major. For example, my result was "Social Personality," which suggests college majors in... wait for it... counseling and anthropology, among many others. The quiz takes about 3 minutes to complete and is only a starting point.

Something else to consider - it is okay to change your mind. Start exploring your academic and extracurricular interests and see if any college major or career choice starts to sound interesting. Research your options. Ask questions of people in the field. If you find something else, repeat the process. Stop by if you'd like more information on a specific major, career, or college. I'd be happy to help.

Welcome Back!

It was my intention to post the first day of school, to reflect on returning after a year away, to discuss all of the smiling faces and the new opportunities at Perry this fall. Somehow the time escaped, and it is the third day of school.

Thank you for making the first few days successful. Working through scheduling issues, credit checks, and the anxiety that accompanies the beginning of the new school year is always a challenge, but we made it. The first Friday of the school year approaches, bringing with it an opportunity to show our spirit (wear red!), spend time celebrating our extracurricular strengths, and reflect on the week while looking forward to the coming year.

A few reminders as we enter the year:

1. We are still on an alphabet split - I work with students A-K.
2. No schedule changes to courses that you requested. We go over this many times in the spring. We mean it.
3. Visit us early and often. Show initiative and seek us out before we have to track you down.
4. We do much more than work with your schedule. Talk to us about college, careers, testing, social needs, extracurricular involvement - whatever you need. Think of us as the Help Desk - we will assist you in navigating your path through high school.

Look for announcements and other notes here. I will be updating our department web page soon, and will note changes. I look forward to a great year!

College Board (SAT) Score Choice Article

An interesting article on how College Board is presenting the Score Choice option for SAT scores:

"Giving Choice and Taking It Away" from insidehighered.com

"College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S."

Interesting NY Times article. Click here to read the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/education/03college.html?_r=2&hp

College Panel Calls for Less Focus on SATs

September 22, 2008

By SARA RIMER

A commission convened by some of the country’s most influential college admissions officials is recommending that colleges and universities move away from their reliance on SAT and ACT scores and shift toward admissions exams more closely tied to the high school curriculum and achievement.

The commission’s report, the culmination of a yearlong study led by William R. Fitzsimmons, the dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard, comes amid growing concerns that the frenzy over standardized college admissions tests is misshaping secondary education and feeding a billion-dollar test-prep industry that encourages students to try to game the tests.

A growing number of colleges and universities, like Bates College in Maine, Lawrence University in Wisconsin, Wake Forest University in North Carolina and Smith College in Massachusetts, have made the SAT and ACT optional. And the report concludes that more institutions could make admissions decisions without requiring the SAT and ACT.

It encourages institutions to consider dropping admission test requirements unless they can prove that the benefits of such tests outweigh the negatives.

“It would be much better for the country,” Mr. Fitzsimmons said in an interview, “to have students focusing on high school courses that, based on evidence, will prepare them well for college and also prepare them well for the real world beyond college, instead of their spending enormous amounts of time trying to game the SAT.”

Mr. Fitzsimmons’s group, which was convened by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, also expresses concerns “that test scores appear to calcify differences based on class, race/ethnicity and parental educational attainment.” The report calls on admissions officials to be aware of such differences and to ensure that differences not related to a student’s ability to succeed academically be “mitigated in the admission process.”

“Society likes to think that the SAT measures people’s ability or merit,” Mr. Fitzsimmons said. “But no one in college admissions who visits the range of secondary schools we visit, and goes to the communities we visit — where you see the contrast between opportunities and fancy suburbs and some of the high schools that aren’t so fancy — can come away thinking that standardized tests can be a measure of someone’s true worth or ability.”

Mr. Fitzsimmons said that at Harvard high school grades and the College Board’s individual subject tests are considered better predictors of college success than the SAT, also administered by the College Board, or ACT, and that the university is studying the use of standardized tests in its admissions. He added that it was possible that the university might eventually make such tests optional.

The admission counseling association gave the report to The New York Times in advance of its official release at its annual meeting in Seattle this week. The report emphasizes academic research that suggests that test preparation and coaching results in an increase of 20 to 30 points on the SAT, which it calls “a modest gain (on the old 1600 scale)” that “is considerably less than the 100 point or more gains that are often accepted as conventional wisdom.” Even so, the report acknowledges that test preparation can raise scores, however modestly, and that students without the financial resources to get such help may be “penalized for lower test scores” in some admission and scholarship cases.

The report calls for an end to the practice of using minimum-admissions-test scores to determine students’ eligibility for merit aid. And it specifically urges the National Merit Scholarship Corporation to stop using PSAT scores as the initial screen for eligibility for recognition or scholarships. The National Merit Scholarship competition “contributes to the misperception of test scores as sole measures of ‘merit’ in a pervasive and highly visible manner,” the report says.

More than 280 four-year colleges do not require standardized test scores for admission, according to the study. The report says that the College Board’s Advanced Placement exams and Subject Tests and the International Baccalaureate exams are more closely linked to the high school curriculum than the SAT and ACT, and have little expensive test preparation associated with them.

The report suggests that what is needed is a new achievement test, pitched to a broad group of students, that would predict college grades as well as or better than available tests.

Using such an achievement test in admissions would “encourage high schools to broaden and improve curricula,” according to the report, and would also send a message to students to focus on their high school course material instead of on test preparation courses.

David Hawkins, the director of public policy and research for the association, pulled together the commission’s findings into the report. He said its value was “in the nearly explicit sentiment that the current admission tests are not optimal tools for admission in 2008.”

Robert Schaeffer, public education director for The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, a group critical of standardized admissions testing, called the report “a strong condemnation of the overreliance on test scores,” and said he expected it to carry much weight with association members, who include thousands of college admissions officials and high school guidance counselors.

One commission member, Steve Syverson, is vice president for enrollment at Lawrence University, which made the SAT and ACT optional several years ago. Mr. Syverson said he hoped the report would encourage more college admissions officials to question their use of standardized admissions tests.

“We’re all just making assumptions about these tests,” Mr. Syverson said, referring to the SAT and the ACT. “We’ve all grown up with it. It’s embedded in the culture. If you really ask around the country, how many admissions officers can tell you at their institution what the predictive validity of the test is? What does it add to our understanding? What do tests help you predict? You’d find a lot of them equate these tests with intelligence. It’s not an intelligence test.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/education/22admissions.htm?_r=1&oref=slogin

College Applicants, Beware: Your Facebook Page Is Showing

By JOHN HECHINGER

High-school seniors already fretting about grades and test scores now have another worry: Will their Facebook or MySpace pages count against them in college admissions?

A new survey of 500 top colleges found that 10% of admissions officers acknowledged looking at social-networking sites to evaluate applicants. Of those colleges making use of the online information, 38% said that what they saw "negatively affected" their views of the applicant. Only a quarter of the schools checking the sites said their views were improved, according to the survey by education company Kaplan, a unit of Washington Post Co.

Some admissions officers said they had rejected students because of material on the sites. Jeff Olson, who heads research for Kaplan's test-preparation division, says one university did so after the student gushed about the school while visiting the campus, then trashed it online. Kaplan promised anonymity to the colleges, of which 320 responded. The company surveyed schools with the most selective admissions.

Getty Images

Admissions officers have acknowledged looking at social-networking sites like Facebook to evaluate applicants.

The vast majority of the colleges surveyed had no policy about when it was appropriate for school officials to look at prospective students' social-networking sites. "We're in the early stage of a new technology," Mr. Olson says. "It's the Wild, Wild West. There are no clear boundaries or limits."

The lack of rules is already provoking debate among admissions officers. Some maintain that applicants' online data are public information that schools should vet to help protect the integrity of the institutions. Others say they are uncomfortable flipping through teenage Facebook pages.

Colleges' recent interest in social-networking sites is leading many aspiring students to take a hard look at their online habits and in some cases to remove or change postings. With a high-school graduating class nationwide of 3.3 million students, colleges are expected to be sifting through a record number of applications this year.

Nicholas Santangelo, a senior at Seton Hall Prep, a private school in West Orange, N.J., says he expects colleges might look at his Facebook site but hopes admissions officers realize the postings reflect only a partial view of any student. "There are some things I might think about getting rid of," says Nicholas, 17, who is considering such competitive schools as Amherst College and Wesleyan University.

Sites like Facebook and MySpace let users set up online profiles -- including pictures, videos and other personal information -- then solicit others to join their network of online "friends." Users can exchange messages, often publicly, and sometimes offer detailed descriptions of their activities, dreams and fears.

The sites have inspired many a national conversation over privacy and exhibitionism. Some job applicants have already discovered the hard way that employers often examine the sites to weed out candidates. Representatives of the sites say users can establish online privacy settings that let their pages be viewed only by invited "friends." MySpace is part of News Corp., which owns The Wall Street Journal. Facebook is closely held.

But Kaplan and many high-school guidance counselors say students often don't restrict public access on social-networking sites and, in any case, damaging information can find a way to leak out. David Hawkins, director of public policy and research for the National Association for College Admission Counseling, a professional organization, says schools don't have time to scour the Internet systematically to check out thousands of applicants. But he says admissions officers at times receive anonymous tips, which may be from rival applicants, about embarrassing Facebook or MySpace material, such as a picture of a student drunk at an underage party.

In another recent study, Nora Ganim Barnes, director of the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, found that 21% of colleges used social-networking sites for recruiting prospects and gathering information about applicants. It's especially common when universities are awarding scholarships because it isn't hard to go online for a handful of finalists. "No one wants to be on the front page of the newspaper for giving a scholarship to a murderer," she says. "Everybody is trying to protect their brands."

Thomas Griffin, director of undergraduate admissions at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, says the school will do an Internet search, including Facebook and other sites, if an application raises "red flags," such as a suspension from school. Mr. Griffin says several applicants a year have been rejected in part because of information on social-networking sites. In a recent case, the university researched a student who disclosed on his application that he had been disciplined for fighting. The school found a Facebook page with a picture of the applicant holding a gun. "We have to use this information to make the best decision for the university," Mr. Griffin says.

Janet Lavin Rapelye, dean of admission at Princeton University, says the school hasn't rejected any applicant because of information posted on the Internet. Princeton doesn't have time to look at all applicants' online information, but if an offensive Facebook post came to the college's attention, the school would examine it, Ms. Rapelye says. "All of us would consider anything that would cause us to doubt a student's character," she says.

Greg Roberts, senior associate dean of admission at the University of Virginia, says his staff is free to check out anonymous tips about social-networking sites or make use of the information if the admissions committee is evaluating a "tight" decision.

Sandra Starke, vice provost for enrollment management at the State University of New York at Binghamton, says she instructs her staff to ignore Facebook and other sites because she considers postings to be casual conversations, the online equivalent of street-corner banter. "At this age, the students are still experimenting," she says. "It's a time for them to learn. It's important for them to grow. We need to be careful how we might use Facebook."

Marc Prablek, a senior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in suburban St. Louis, considers Facebook information "out in the public" and fair game for colleges. The 17-year-old, with some 550 "friends," says, "I don't have anything bad on Facebook," but he may tweak his profile to be "more sophisticated."

Marc, who plans to apply early to Stanford University, says he won't mention that he loves to read X-Men comic books. His Facebook literary picks currently include "Crime and Punishment" and "Pride and Prejudice."

High-school guidance counselors advise applicants, even if they restrict public access on their sites, to refrain from including anything that could hurt them in college admissions. They especially caution against foul or offensive language, nudity, or photos of drinking and drug use.

"Students need to be accountable for their actions," says Scott Anderson, director of college guidance at St. George's Independent School, a private school near Memphis, Tenn. When writing on Facebook or MySpace, he says, they should be thinking, "Is this something you want your grandmother to see?"

Write to John Hechinger at john.hechinger@wsj.com

College students: Don't limit dreams with debt

Huge school loans can hinder future growth. Think about potential income before signing the dotted line.

By Kathleen Connell

from the September 15, 2008 edition

A college education has long been viewed as a ticket to a better quality of life. It is probably the most important decision a student will make and it may have the highest rate of return in achieving life goals. Unfortunately, some students do not think clearly about this decision, buying the "hot" college brand and assuming large amounts of debt. By overinvesting, they destroy their chances for a brighter future.

"Excessive student debt, often made without an explicit decision on its impact on future life choices, not only restricts traditional career choices but the basic ability of young people to take risks – requiring them to defer their dreams," says Robert Shireman, executive director for the nonprofit Project on Student Debt.

Carmen Berkeley, a 23-year-old who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh last year, assumed a huge financial burden to attend a public university as an out-of-state student.

"My life is definitely impacted by my $80,000 college debt from the University of Pittsburgh," she says. "I really want to go to law school, but can't unless I get a scholarship. Though I believe my college education was a good investment, I doubt I will ever own a car or a house."

The nonprofit US Student Association, where she serves as president, contributes a $200 monthly stipend to assist in retiring her loans. Once she completes 10 years of public service, Ms. Berkeley will also qualify for loan forgiveness under the 2007 Higher Education Act for a portion of her outstanding federal loans. Even with the stipend and loan forgiveness, it will take her more than 20 years to repay her debt.

Berkeley did not consider future income before assuming her loans, although she anticipated always working in the nonprofit or public sector. Her choices confirm a recent survey by student-loan provider Sallie Mae that post-graduate income was not a factor for 70 percent of students and parents in determining how much to borrow to finance a college degree.

So after the glossy college brochures arrive in the mail and the visits to leafy college campuses are over, students need to ask themselves: Can I afford this school without excessive borrowing? How long will it take to pay off that wonderful four-year experience at the campus of my dreams?

Students, remember: You will be deferring other dreams for a cool car, well-furnished pad, weekend ski trips, summer beach vacations, and the latest tech toys.

According to the Project on Student Debt, the average 2006 graduate carried $21,100 in loans. But student debt has a disproportionate effect on middle-class families. Families with incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 will borrow nearly $5,000 a year to pay for college. Those that make less than $50,000 will borrow on average $3,900, and families that earn over $100,000 will borrow $3,710.

To begin paying off those loans, graduates of the class of 2008 will receive an average salary of $36,400 according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Sounds great, until those graduates have to pay taxes, bringing net income to $27,500 or approximately, $2,300 a month. According to federal tables, they can expect to spend $1,800 to $2,000 a month for rent, utilities, out-of-pocket healthcare, car payments, gasoline, insurance and, entertainment. The remaining $300 to $500 a month may seem comfortable enough for the $230 a month needed to repay a $20,000 student loan at 6.8 percent over a 10-year period.

But repaying college tuition is only one part of the debt equation.

"Social debt is another concern as students face the pressure of keeping up with other students, hanging with the right crowd," says Sharon Fries-Britt, an English professor at the University of Maryland. "Credit cards are being overextended, and students are indebting their future, limiting their life choices."

For students who don't want to have daunting repayment obligations, consider these ideas:

•Know the average amount of debt that students carry at each of your potential colleges. Check economicdiversity.org for more information.

•Use the 2009 US News college ranking table that values schools based on debt load (usnews.com/sections/rankings/index.html).

•Remember, you may not qualify for a grant based on need if your family's income exceeds $100,000, so don't assume a grant unless you are certain you qualify.

•If short on funds, choose a cheaper route. Live at home for two years, attend a community college, and transfer to a state university.

•Check out your likely starting salary at naceweb.org – don't plan to borrow more than your first year's income.

• Dr. Kathleen Connell is a professor at Haas Graduate Business School, University of California, Berkeley.

Find this article at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0915/p14s01-wmgn.html

Tip of the Day - College/Career Prep

Peterson's MyStudentEdge is coming!

This FREE resource will be rolled out to all Perry High School students this fall. It includes:

• FREE ACT and SAT practice tests and test preparation classes
• College searches
• Career searches
• College application help
• Resume building
  
• And much more!

A flyer will be mailed home soon. Watch for it!

One in five bosses screens applicants' Web lives

Top concern: Candidates posting information about drinking or using drugs

Reuters

updated 11:34 a.m. ET, Thurs., Sept. 11, 2008

NEW YORK - Written references could become old hat for hiring managers with one in five saying they use social networking sites to research job candidates — and a third of them dismissing the candidate after what they discover.

A survey by online job site CareerBuilder.com of 3,169 hiring managers found 22 percent of them screened potential staff via social networking profiles, up from 11 percent in 2006.

An additional nine percent said they don't currently use social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace to screen potential employees but they do plan to start.

The survey found that 34 percent of the managers who do screen candidates on the Internet found content that made them drop the candidate from any short list.

The top area for concern among the hiring managers with 41 percent citing this as a downfall were candidates posting information about drinking or using drugs.

The second area with 40 percent of concern were candidates posting provocative or inappropriate photographs or information.

Other areas of concern to arise from social network sites were poor communication skills, lying about qualifications, candidates using discriminatory remarks related to race, gender or religion, and an unprofessional screen name.

But the survey found hiring managers scouring social network pages was not all bad with 24 percent of these managers saying they found content to help them solidify their decision to hire that candidate.

Top factors that influenced their hiring decision included candidate's backgrounds supporting their qualifications for the job, proving they had good communications skills, and having a site that conveyed a professional image with a wide range of interests.

"Hiring managers are using the Internet to get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit within the company," said CareerBuilder.com spokeswoman Rosemary Haefner in a statement.

"As a result, more job seekers are taking action to make their social networking profiles employer-friendly. Sixteen percent of workers who have social networking pages said they modified the content on their profile to convey a more professional image to potential employers."

Copyright 2008 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26658850/

Tip of the Day - College/Career Prep

It's application time!

Seniors should be preparing for their Senior Counselor meeting (schedules will be posted on Monday). We will discuss: college/career plans, testing (ACT, SAT), applications, scholarships, etc. Be prepared for many questions - we want to make sure we're helping you as much as possible.

Sign up for a time ASAP! Schedules will be posted in the Senior Lounge.

Senior Meetings

The Guidance Department in conjunction with Mrs. Meinen, our LEAF Advisor, visited senior English classes yesterday to begin the college application process. We will continue to meet with students who do not have an English class at Perry this semester (Auburn, PSEO, or 2nd semester English).

In addition to this classroom meeting, we will be scheduling appointments with every senior to go over their plans for the year. And if you do not have a plan, we'll help you develop one! Look for sign up sheets in the senior lounge and listen out for the morning announcements for more information.

Tip of the Day - College/Career Prep

Do you need some help figuring out a career or college path? See your counselor to learn more about the Ohio Career Information System (OCIS). OCIS is FREE and is open to all students. You can search for careers, college majors, colleges, scholarships, and more!

Log on to: ocis.ode.state.oh.us

User name: PerryL
Password: ohiocis03

After you log in, set up your own account so that you can save and build on your information. Need help? See your counselor or Mrs. Meinen from LEAF.

College Information Night

College Information Night
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
7:00 PM
PHS Cafeteria

Presented by Becky Hoyt and Lori Reigert, Guidance Counselors

Please join us to learn more about:

• The college search
• Financial aid basics
• Scholarships
• College applications
• The college matriculation process

The presentation is open to parents and students in all grades.
Seniors and juniors are especially encouraged to attend.

Please contact the guidance office at (440) 259-9306 with any questions.

College admission decisions

Do not fret if you still have not heard from a college regarding your application. Here's what you should do:

1. Confirm the date that everything was mailed by your guidance counselor.
2. Call the school to confirm that your file is complete. If it is not, ask to see if they have completed opening mail. Many schools are still opening mail from late December. See this Washington Post article for details.
3. a. If your file is complete, ask for an estimated date for a decision. Do not pressure them, do not discuss other answers you have received. Then the waiting continues...
3. b. If your file in incomplete and they have opened all of their mail, contact your counselor to resend the missing pieces.

Remember - all colleges have different policies regarding notifying students of admission. Some do so on a rolling basis, some have a set mail date (e.g. April 1). Do your research on your individual schools so you are aware.

Scholarships

Are you looking for alternate ways to fund your college education? Make sure you check the list of scholarships available through the Guidance Office. A printed copy is available; you can also check online.

Do not limit your search to the scholarships we receive. Check out Fastweb or Broke Scholar or one of the many other scholarship search programs on the Internet.

Do NOT pay for a scholarship. If you think it's too good to be true, it probably is. If you are concerned that the scholarship may be a scam, come see me and I will help you investigate. For more information on how to spot a scam, go here.

College Deposits

It's beginning to look a lot like... college decision letter time. When you receive an acceptance letter, many times the schools will request that you mail in a deposit to confirm your attendance. This can be a confusing situation, especially as you receive numerous letters, and I will attempt to clarify some of the points.

1. Do NOT deposit at multiple schools. Perry HS is a member of the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC). We agree to follow their ethics codes (Statement of Principles of Good Practice), which states a student will not deposit at multiple schools. From a different perspective, this can get very expensive.

2. You do NOT have to deposit before May 1. If a college requests your deposit by a different deadline, TELL ME. They are in violation of the ethics codes if they do not grant an extension until May 1. You may have to request an extension in writing, which I suggest you do so that you have a copy for your records.

3. You must deposit by May 1. If you do not, the school may give your spot to someone else.

4. If you deposit before May 1 and change your mind, you may request in writing prior to May 1 for a refund of your deposit.

Still confused. I bet. It can be a very confusing process. Come see me or call me, and I will help you with your individual questions.

College Application Reminder

Seniors - if you have an application that needs to be mailed prior to January 4, you must turn it in NO LATER than Wednesday, December 12.

College Mail

Are you still waiting for information regarding your college applications? I have had many students come down to say that they have not heard anything from their colleges.

You are not alone! The volume of mail received by colleges during November and December is astounding.

For example, this is from Holy Cross:

This is a picture of the mornings mail being opened and sorted. Look at the pile! And look at the recycling bin.

Or from Dartmouth - and this is just Early Decision!

This is the box that an admission counselor at Johns Hopkins plans to take home to read:

Please do not worry if you have not heard anything. If you would like to contact the office of admission at your college, first see your counselor to find out the exact mail date of your application.

College Applications

The last day to turn in college applications to guarantee they will be mailed prior to winter break is December 12. We will NOT be processing applications over break. If your application due date is between December 21 and January 4, you MUST turn your application in by December 12. If you have any questions, please see your counselor ASAP.