Manheim Township High School College And Career Center

Over 815 four-year colleges and universities across the U.S., acting on the belief that “test scores do not equal merit,” do not use the SAT or ACT to make admissions decisions about a substantial number of their incoming freshmen classes. These institutions range widely in size and mission.

• Schools that have made standardized tests optional for admissions are widely pleased with the results. Many report their applicant pools and enrolled classes have become more diverse without any loss in academic quality. “Test score optional” policies promote both equity and excellence.
• Colleges and universities that have moved away from using standardized tests to make admissions decisions have done so for a variety of reasons, but all have concerns about the impact of overreliance on the tests. Some public universities have acted to deemphasize the SAT and ACT in the face of restrictions on affirmative action; a few are developing more flexible approaches to admissions in response to changes in the K-12 sector; many have found high school classroom performance to be a markedly superior way of forecasting academic success in college.
• Lessons learned at the wide range of “test score-optional” schools can be applied to many other institutions. These lessons include:
  - Dropping tests leads to greater diversity because the focus on test scores deters otherwise qualified minority, low-income, first-generation, female and other students from applying
  - Deemphasizing tests attracts more students who are academically capable
  - High school performance — expressed either as grades or class rank — is the best available screening device for applicants
• Institutions that still require ACT or SAT scores should review the experiences of schools that have deemphasized the tests or explicitly made them optional in the admissions process. Colleges and universities should examine their own experiences with tests and ask these questions:
  - Do the tests really have predictive validity at this institution?
  - Does that validity hold for all ethnic, age, and income groups as well as for both men and women?
  - Do the tests add anything significant to what admissions officers already know about applicants?
  - Are test score requirements deterring potential applicants who would make suitable students?

Taken from Fairtest.org – To view the list of schools that have deemphasized standardized test scores, CLICK HERE.

During difficult economic times, the cost of higher education leaves many students wondering if they can afford to go to college. For those who want to avoid being saddled with huge loans, the U.S. government offers one of the best deals around: Enroll at one of the five service academies tuition-free and receive free room and board. (And you thought the Grand Slam promotion at Denny’s was cool.) But if military service isn’t for you, here are eight other schools that offer tuition-free educations:  CLICK HERE for the rest of the story.

Stories make you memorable.  Whether you are applying for a job and you have an interview, or you are writing an essay for college admissions, the stories that you tell will make you memorable.

Why do stories matter?  Stories engage the audience.  You get to invite the listener into your world for the briefest of moments.  For that moment, you get to share with the listener the basic of all needs; you engage the listeners to become part of your community.  Stories are enjoyable, fun, passionate, and they resonate with the audience.  Seriously, who doesn’t like a good story? Stories help to establish your identity and reveal your personality.  Stories will help you build confidence.  Stories establish trust with the listener.  Stories help you to stand out and to paint a vivid picture as to what you bring to the table.  Stories demonstrate your communication skills.

Learn the art of storytelling.  Use it to your advantage.  Make yourself noticeable and memorable.

Take a sheet of paper and turn it so that the long edge is horizontal.  Fold the sheet in half, crease it, and then fold it in half again.  You should have four columns of equal width.

At the top of the first column (starting at the left), write “Names of people I admire.”  Under that heading, make a list of people you admire.  These can be real people you know or have known, historical figures, or fictional characters from books, movies, or TV.

At the top of the second column, write “What I admire about them or their lives.”  Think about each person in the first column, and write down what it is that you admire about them.

At the top of the third column, write “Do I have this trait?”  Read over the traits you’ve written for each of the people you admire.  Ask yourself, “Do I have this trait?  Do I want to have this trait?”  Write your answers in the third column.

At the top of the last column, write “How can I develop this trait?”  Answer this question for each trait or attribute you’d like to develop or strengthen.

Reflecting on the traits you value – those that you admire most in people you consider to be your role models – can help you cultivate those traits in your own life.

Factors in the Admission Decision
The factors that admission officers use to evaluate applications have remained largely consistent over the past 15 years.  Students’ academic achievements—which include grades, strength of curriculum and admission test scores—constitute the most important factors in the admission decision.

• Admission Offices Identify Grades, High School Curriculum and Test Scores as Top Factors: The top factors in the admission decision were (in order): grades in college preparatory courses, strength of curriculum, standardized admission test scores, and overall high school grade point average. Among the next most important factors were the
essay, teacher and counselor recommendations, class rank, and student’s demonstrated interest, which were all ranked similarly.
• Students’ Demonstrated Interest in Attending: For the past six years, NACAC’s (National Association of College Admisssions Counselors) Admission Trends Survey has documented colleges’ attention to applicants’ interest in attending their institutions as a factor in admission decisions. From 2003 to 2006, the percentage of colleges rating demonstrated interest as a considerably important factor increased from seven percent to 21 percent.  Since that time, the percentage has held steady at just over 20 percent.
• Student Background Information: Between 20 and 25 percent of colleges rated race/ethnicity, first-generation status and high school attended as at least moderately important as factors that influence how the main factors in admission decisions are evaluated.
• Why Colleges Revoke Admission Offers: During the Fall 2008 admission cycle, 21 percent of colleges reported that they had revoked an admission offer, compared to 35 percent in 2007.  The average number of offers that were revoked was ten. The most common reason that colleges indicated for rescinding admission offers was final grades (65 percent), followed by disciplinary issues (35 percent) and falsification of application information (29 percent).
• Verification of Applicant Information: It is rare for colleges to take extra steps to verify information that applicants provide on their applications or to search for information on applicants outside of the application. Only 15 colleges (five percent) responding to the Admission Trends Survey reported that they verify applicant essays. About eight percent of colleges reported that they review applicants’ social networking profiles.

Dear Parents and Students,

Join us for a FREE seminar!

GETTINg REAL with life after high school

Sponsored by the Manheim Township Educational Foundation

Receive IMPORTANT information on:

• Shocking college funding facts
• College?  Technical school?  Licensing?  Careers?  Options for every student!
• Qualifying for financial aid at all income levels

… And MORE!

Wednesday, March 3^rd 2010 in Convocation Hall

6:30pm – Registration

7:00pm – Keynote Speaker

8:00pm – Q & A

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED!

Click Here to Register Now and Reserve Your Spot!

Featuring Dr. Bonnie Snyder, Harvard graduate and Certified College Planning Specialist. Visit her website at www.collegestrategy.net to learn more about her work.

Decisions

I found this picture today and I thought to myself, “How true.”  I think that it speaks to the gut feelings that we all have about the decisions that we have to make.  As you are comparing colleges or career paths and it seems that all things considered come out pretty even, maybe you should just flip a coin ; )

In my best Linda Richmond (aka Mike Myers from SNL) impersonation, “Discuss”.

I want to know your thoughts.  When you think of college guidance what are your perceptions?  What are your expectations of college guidance or for the future of your children?  Do you have any questions that you have been waiting to ask?  I would like this post to be an open discussion.  Please feel free to post a comment so we can have an open dialogue.

Habit Two – Begin with the end in mind.

Imagine that, at the end of you life, you were able to listen in to what was being said at your funeral. What would you like to hear people say about you, as a mother or Father, a life partner, a colleague etc? Whatever it is you would like to hear, you are now in a position to start living the kind of life that will make it happen.

“Today, I will see the future.”

“What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.” – Aristotle