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Vol. 17 No. 3
November 2002
Jazzing Up Programs
for Juniors
The National Association
for College Admission Counseling's 58th national conference in
Salt Lake City focused on a variety of topics this year ranging
from college admissions and financial aid to early decision,
affirmative action, admission testing and faith-based education
to name a few. Here, CB reports on the increasing emphasis on
working with high school juniors to get them college bound.
ACCORDING to admissions officers at
NACAC, each year more and more juniors and their parents are
part of the college admissions process. While some high schools
have long had juniors involved in college planning, the programs
are becoming more formal. Meanwhile, other high schools are adding
programs for juniors and their parents for the first time.
Heather Beveridge, New York University, noted that every year
she is asked to speak to more and more juniors in high schools
and that fully one half of those students now attending college
fairs are high school juniors or younger.
Traditionally, financial aid info has been dispensed during
the senior year. But guidance counselors are noting that an increasing
number of parents are asking for this information much earlier
in the high school experience.
How can high schools involve the parents of juniors in the
admissions process? Here are a few of the suggestions from guidance
counselors attending the annual NACAC conference this fall.
Preparing College Reps. At Lynnfield High School, a
public school in Massachusetts where 80 percent of students go
on to college, the guidance counselors sponsor a panel of representatives
tailored to the junior students and parents with a variety of
reps-- from a selective college, public university and community
college in the area or those visiting the high school.
Before the presentations, Lynnfield gives the college representatives
an outline of what they want them to discuss.
This typically means information about the college admissions
process in general or the very vocabulary tied to college admissions.
The point is to give parents information, but not to overwhelm
them, according to Kathryn Moody, guidance counselor at Lynnfield.
Or the panels may talk about testing and career options available
so that students and their parents can begin thinking about a
possible major and what careers they want to pursue.
What is the best time for such a program? Lynnfield finds
evenings work best. But some other high schools sponsor Breakfast
with Guidance for parents when they are fresh and awake or Lunchtime
Roundtable Discussions on a specific topics-writing essays or
interviewing techniques.
In-Class Presentations. Lynnfield also schedules a
one-period classroom presentation for all juniors during English
classes. Other high schools use study hall. Lynnfield is also
moving up its presentations from March to February so students
have more time to visit schools. Lynnfield makes Power Point
presentations to reinforce to students the use of the technology.
It gives the same program in the evening for parents. And then
it schedules individual appointments with students.
Informational Folders. Lynnfield creates one folder
for each parent with materials included that the counselors and
office secretary have collected from year to year-information
from vendors, sample applications, suggested web sites, books
and magazines as well as recommendations from previous senior
parents to current junior parents on such topics as "What
to do if your daughter won't talk to you" or "How to
survive five college tours."
Financial Aid Info for Juniors. Lynnfield is also moving
its meetings on financial aid from fall of senior year to spring
of the junior year. It uses local bank officials or a local college
financial aid officer as sources of information. Also, lending
institutions such as Sallie Mae have offices all over the country
and will present programs to junior parents on financial aid
basics.
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Family Weekend. Northfield Mount Herman School in Massachusetts,
the largest independent boarding school in the country, sponsors
a family weekend for junior parents devoted to college preparation
info.
It invites parents to the school during the spring term of
junior year, and schedules individual appointments all day Friday
and on a Saturday morning. It asks parents what they want for
their child.
But the relationship with the parents begins with the freshmen
(with mailings that state basically, "Don't worry.").
During the sophomore year, the school begins sending info about
testing options. And it sends notes to parents via e-mail. The
counselors' philosophy is that for the first couple of years
of high school, the mission is to get students through the angst
and to help parents to "ease off," said Ruth DeLisle,
guidance counselor.
Northfield Mount Herman also sponsors a junior program with
college representatives. It provides the reps with questions
of what parents are most worried about, based "on the 65
phone calls we had in the last week," DeLisle said.
A Counseling Class. Moreover, Northfield Mount Herman
started a mandatory college counseling class with juniors during
the winter term one-and-a-half hours a week. Counselors created
a workbook of information and timely articles. The class examines
college handbooks and view books and the counselors ask, "What
are they trying to tell you?"
Counselors then send the materials home to parents asking
them to look at what their students have brought home. "We
don't want parents doing the college search and then have parents
end up on one end of the spectrum and students on the other,"
said DeLisle.
The counselors provide timelines and checklists and they try
to dispel college myths. They find "this makes the admissions
process easier in the senior fall and to do college visits in
the summer," DeLisle said.
Providing Sample Transcripts. At Monson High School,
a small public high school in Massachusetts, Robert Bardwell,
director of guidance, sponsors a panel discussion and gives the
college reps to his school five sample transcripts (with names
removed) and asks the representatives if these students would
get into their college.
Students see that one student took all the right courses,
but another didn't. Or a state university may require two years
of foreign language. Parents and students hear that the students
who did not have the second year of a language probably won't
be admitted to that state school.
Junior Packets. Then, either that evening or the next
day, everyone gets a copy of his or her own transcript to check
for accuracy. Maybe there is a mistake on it that no one caught
and "we don't want it to be discovered senior year,"
said Bardwell. Students also see where they are and what changes
in their plans they need to make. The transcript does not include
their class rank, but lists their current GPA.
Bardwell also keeps a record card of everything he mails out
for students including applications which he notes he can do
because Monson is a small school. "But I'd rather have everything
go in one envelope," he noted, and he puts the postage costs
in his budget.
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College Field Trips. Monson also makes sure that its
Juniors visit local colleges, including a local community college.
The colleges provide the program, and the trip provides exposure,
particularly if students don't have parental support or the parents
can't take their children on campus tours. The colleges may also
pay for the bus or lunch, take students on the tour and talk
about the college experience. It is valuable to get the juniors
on a campus and it is amazing how many have not been to even
their local community college, explained Bardwell.
If the visits are staggered over the school year, it means
that colleges may be able to provide greater attention to students.
NYU, for example, had 7,000 students and parents visit in August
this year. "At other times of the year we can be more flexible,"
said NYU's Heather Beveridge.
Local College Fairs. While there are packaged college
tours, Monson makes the local college fair a field trip for juniors.
That provides more students access. If students are not ranked
in the upper part of their class, they may not have received
the attention for colleges that others did. So the fair gives
all students an opportunity to see a range of colleges.
But before they go, students must create a list of schools
they want to visit. Students also must fill out a worksheet answering,
"What kind of school do I want?" "Do I want a
state school or one far away?" "What major do I want?"
Students are required to list three schools they visited at the
fair, and they note if the college matches their own checklist.
Monson also goes over what are right questions to ask colleges
representatives and students role-play this. Counselors also
talk about how to give a proper handshake or make eye contact.
"These are things that students don't necessarily know.
And they are scared," said Bardwell.
Planning Guide. Monson creates a binder that includes
a planning guide for each student with his or her name on it
and information about colleges and writing a resume. It is specific
to Monson and includes the school's College Board code number,
for example, and the names of teachers and the counselor. Parents
receive their binder at parent night and it is updated the next
year.
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What to do Before
January
of the 11th Grade?
"How many times have you met with a senior in
the 12th grade and realized they'd made the wrong decisions about
their program to get into college," asked Andrea Brownstein,
Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School in Missouri.
"It may be they decided not to take math their senior year.
Yet, they want to get into MIT."
So MICDS decided even 11th grade was too late for some students
to make logical decisions and devised an advisory program beginning
in the 9th grade that includes the following:
The counselors have weekly class meetings and monthly classes
where students receive 20 minutes of instruction from a counselor.
Ninth-grade students also meet individually with the counselors
to go over their expectations. The counselors ask, "Who
do you want to become? What goals do you have? What activities
do you pursue?" They have students chart their time including
what they do with their leisure time. They ask, "What decisions
have you made in the past six months? What one thing should I
know about you?"
MAKING SUMMERS COUNT
The counselors ask students what they want to do with
their summers and they talk about how what they do demonstrates
what they are interested in. The counselors put information about
summer programs on their web site. They suggest students think
of the four summers of high school as the equivalent of an extra
academic year. They ask, "What are the developmental opportunities?"
There is no perfect answer. But the counselors give examples
of imaginary students, such as the student who works in a pizza
parlor, but ends up as an assistant manager after four summers;
a Billie Jean King who takes tennis all four summers; or the
student who studies a foreign language and travels.
The counselors note that when students choose a summer activity,
they set on a path. They suggest that students attend a summer
programs fair now sponsored in some cities.
In February of ninth grade, the counselors have students make
a list and keep a file of what they have done so far. Counselors
begin seeing students individually, asking, "Who are you?"
"Where are you in your family?" "Do you like to
read?" Students put into print these parts of the picture
of who they are.
The counselors also help students analyze their learning styles
and strengths. Beginning as freshmen, students keep an "I'm
Amazing" sheet of paper that lists their activities, how
much time they spent on them and what they got out of their experiences.
These activities might be volunteer work or after-school activities.
The sheets are ongoing data collection and continuously updated.
Then, by senior year, students have substance for their resume.
And the counseling in grades 10-12 flows from this work in grade
9.
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THE COUNSELOR'S CORNER
People are talking about . . .
GUIDANCE COUNSELORS, admissions
officers, independent counselors and the media continued their
debates about early decisions and the SAT and ACT tests at the
NACAC annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, this fall. But
participants also spoke about these issues:
- The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premiere
College by New York Times reporter Jacques Steinberg
who spent eight months in the admissions office at Wesleyan University
in Middletown, Connecticut, as the class of 2004 was admitted.
Some of the trade secrets included in the book: median SAT score
of those admitted-combined 1370, and 7,000 high schoolers sought
admissions at Wesleyan for this class of 700. (Viking/Penguin
Putnam Inc., 2002); ISBN 0-670-03135-6; $25.95.
- A mother-daughter college guide talks about the anxieties
of the off-to-college experience and helps families through the
emotional transition from high school to college. Doors Open
From Both Sides: The Off-to-College Guide From Two Points of
View: Parents and Students by Margo E. Bane Woodacre, MSW,
and Steffany Bane (American Literary Press, Inc.) See www.frombothsides.com
or call 888-388-5833; ISBN 1-56167-680-2; $14.95.
- The Salt Lake Tribune focused on the vendors at the
NACAC conference this fall. "College admissions is a thriving
commercial industry," said reporter Kirsten Stewart. Nearly
100 vendors represented a range of businesses-from testing prep
companies to web design firms. According to the SLT, one
of the most unusual was "Admissions Genie," a computer
software program available to colleges that fields commonly-asked
questions on college web sites-and provides answers, as well
as student chat rooms.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education October 11 focused
on the growing debate about whether students should be admitted
to a college based on their demonstrated interest in an institution
such as visiting the campus or a booth at a college fair. Counselors,
such as A.J. Aucamp, guidance counselor at Saint Andrew's School
in Boca Raton, Florida, said no. "If a student couldn't
visit your school, that shouldn't be a negative." But admissions
officers such as Jean D. Jordan at Emory told the Chronicle,
"We carefully note demonstrated interest during the admission
process." The NACAC Admissions Practices Committee is studying
whether it should take a formal stand on the practice.
- Catalyst for Cleveland Schools takes a fascinating
look at how one large city prepares its high school students
for college. The independent publication devoted its August/September
issue to this topic for an inside look into urban high schools
college preparation, the impact of advanced courses, the college
graduation rates at four Ohio universities and included a look
at the admissions process from the urban high school student's
perspective. The issue is also available on the web at www.catalyst-cleveland.org.
- International education is even more important post-September
11. The U.S. State Department confirmed its commitment to
international education in a talk at NACAC about the U.S. State
Department-affiliated Educational Advising Network that now unifies
centers around the globe. Officials noted the importance that
foreign students still play in the American university system
and that in 2000-01, the last year for statistics to date, a
half-million foreign students contributed $12 billion to the
U.S. economy.
- Pell Grant Deficit. The college year opened this fall
with Pell Grants running short of funding. That is why $1 billion
in emergency supplemental appropriations were added to the pot
in August to ensure that 4.4 million students would be provided
with their awards. Students are currently covered for the 2002-3
school year. But what will happen next? Some folks are worried
the maximum amount will be reduced for 2003. But insiders tell
CB that is not likely to happen. Why? Politicians do not want
to be associated with a decrease in Pell Grants. (CB will keep
you posted.)
- New Rigorous Course Work. A new program to
encourage students to take more rigorous courses in preparation
for postsecondary education was announced by the federal government.
Called the State Scholars program, it urges four years of English,
three years of math (Algebra I and II and geometry), three years
of lab science (biology, chemistry and physics) and three-and-a-half
years of social studies and two years of a foreign language.
Upon completion, students will be recognized and eligible for
admissions and scholarships to a state college or university
or technical training school. For more info, see www.centerforstatescholars.org
or call 512-480-3164.
- Loan Default Rate Down. Finally, the national student
loan default rate remains at its historic lows--5.9 percent for
FY 2000, according to U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige who
noted there was a slight increase this year compared to last
year because of the changes in the economy. The default rate
was as high as 22.4 percent in FY 1990. As of September 30, 5.8
million federal student loan recipients had borrowed $37.8 million
for FY 2002.
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BOOKSHELF
- The Best 345. Everyone
is talking about the new annual college guide from The Princeton
Review, which provides information on academics, the student
body, campus food and, yes, party atmosphere. By Robert Franek
with Tom Meltzer, et al (Random House/Princeton Review Books),
ISBN 0-375-76255-8; $20.
- The Fiske Guide to Colleges,
2003 is now available. It includes the 43 "best buys
schools." By Edward B. Fiske (Sourcebooks, Inc.) ISBN 1-57071-957-82;
$22.95.
- Two new books are out about specific
colleges: Tulane: The Emergence of a Modern University 1945-1980,
Clarence L. Mohr and Joseph E. Gordon (Louisiana State University
Press, 2002); $39.95; and Fordham: A History and Memoir
by Raymond A. Schroth, S.J. (Loyola Press, 2002) $16.95;
- 100 Classic Books About Higher
Education includes a compendium and essays edited by Cameron
Fincher, George Keller, E. Grady Bouge, and John R. Thelin (Phi
Delta Kappa International, 2001); 800-7661156; $29 plus shipping
and handling;
P.S. Elementary and Secondary School
Survey. Schools, colleges and universities can now access
information about 88,882 public schools in 14,716 public school
districts via the Elementary and Secondary School Survey data.
It is now available on the Internet and includes new data collected
for the year 2000. See http://205.207.175.84/ocr2000r/. State
and national projections are available at http://205.207.175.80/ocrpublic/
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SCHOLARSHIP SCOOPS
Dollars for Students Touched by Cancer. The Susan
G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has new four-year undergraduate
scholarships for students who have lost a parent to breast cancer.
The award goes to students who would otherwise find attending
college a significant financial burden and are attending a state-supported
college or university in the applicant's state of residence and
in the service area of a Komen Affiliate.
The award criteria is based on scholastic achievement, community
service and participation and leadership potential. But Hurry!
Deadline: November 8. To download the scholarship application
see http://www.komen.org/grants/college_scholarship_award_application.asp.
New ProStart Scholarships.
The National Restaurant Association has begun sponsoring matching
scholarships for students interested in pursuing a restaurant
and food service education. Over $500,000 in scholarships will
be provided over the next five years to ProStart students. The
New England Culinary Institute based in Montpelier, Vermont,
for example, will award a $4,000 scholarship with the matching
scholarships. The ProStart curriculum is a two-year program.
For more information see www.edfound.org or www.neculinary.com
.
New Scholarship for Afghan Women.
Six women from Afghanistan started college in the United States
this fall on a full scholarship after Roy J. Nirschel, president
of Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, wrote the presidents
of the nation's four-year colleges urging them to offer a full
scholarship to a deserving female from Afghanistan. Roger Williams
provided two scholarships, and was joined by the University of
Montana, Notre Dame College in Ohio, the University of Hartford
in Connecticut and the University of Southern Oregon.
Engineering Scholarships.
Loyola College of Maryland has just announced it has been awarded
$300,000 from the National Science Foundation to fund scholarships
for students of the Class of 2007 who intend to major in Computer
Science, Engineering or the Mathematical Sciences.
The aim is to increase the number of majors in these fields
and increase diversity among students. Each of 24 students selected
will be awarded more than $3,000 a year for four years. Applicants
will be evaluated on their high school transcripts, SAT results
and demonstrated financial need. For more info see www.loyola.edu
Journalism Scholarships.
For info on scholarships and awards for students interested in
journalism see a nifty web site sponsored by the American Society
of Newspaper Editors. Click on "guidance" to find awards
broken down by states. For example, the Asian American Journalists
of New York City sponsor a $3,000 scholarship for students interested
in, not necessarily majoring in, journalism. Or the Michigan
Press Association offers a scholarship for students from that
state. See www. highschooljournalism.org
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
Top First Years. Thirteen colleges and universities
have been selected as "Institutions of Excellence in the
First College Year" by the Policy Center on the First Year
of College.
The institutions selected for their comprehensive best practices:
Appalachian State U, Ball State U, Community College of Denver,
Drury U, Edkerd, Elon U, Indiana University-Purdue University
Indianapolis, Kalamazoo, LaGuardia Community College CUNY, Lehman
College CUNY, Texas A&M U in Corpus Christi, US Military
Academy and U of South Carolina. To find out how these colleges
fashion a good first year program see www.brevard.edu/fyc/instofexcellence/data
Negative Consequences of Merit
Scholarships? State merit scholarships are being awarded
disproportionately to students who have the highest college participation
rates, charges a new study from the Civil Rights Project at Harvard.
Who wins merit awards? Mostly students from middle- and upper-income
families, as well as white students. Researchers found that the
four programs examined by the researchers do little to provide
financial assistance to the students who need it most.
Over the past decade there has been a shift away from public
funding for the neediest and toward more funding for affluent
students, the study argues. Among the nation's 12 state merit
aid programs, $863 million in scholarships was handed out during
the 2000-01 academic year, about triple the $308 million states
provided in need-based aid. For more info: www.law.harvard.edu/civilrights/publications/meritaid/synopsis.html
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ONLINE
U.
In the Palm of Their Hands.
You knew it was coming. But in South Dakota? Yes, the University
of South Dakota has started requiring freshmen to use Palm hand-held
computers in class, according to recent report in The Chronicle
of Higher Education. Students use it to retrieve and store
their class schedule, exam dates, maps, phone numbers, practice
quizzes or... to play solitaire.
American U. Goes Wireless.
The 10,000 students at American U. in Washington D.C. are now
linked by an entirely wireless network of cell phones and laptop
computers stationed across the 84-acre campus, the first comprehensive
system of its kind. Student cell phones, which have replaced
dorm phones, feature voice mail, access to class schedules, course
availability, grades, transcripts, and receive campus alerts.
Internet Avoidance. A new
report says that the most Internet-savvy high school students
complain that their teachers aren't using the Internet in class
or creatively for homework.
"Internet-savvy students are far ahead of their teachers
and principals in taking advantage of online educational resources,"
concluded Lee Rinie, director of the Pew Internet & American
Life Project.
The quality of Internet access is also a top complaint of
students, who say connection at their school is too slow. Students
also object to too much censorship. The report urges reluctant
teachers to overcome their fears about the Internet simply by
using it more in class. See: www.csmonitor.com
Music Literally in the Air.
The Indiana School Music at IUPUI (Indiana/Purdue/Indianapolis)
now offers the world's only music degree completely online! The
school's Master of Music in Music Technology, now in its second
year, aims to familiarize students with a range of emerging technologies
in music.
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COLLEGE BOUND's Publisher/Editor: R. Craig
Sautter, DePaul University; Chief Operating Officer: Sally
Reed; Contributor: Marc Davis; Circulation: Irma
Gonzalez-Hider; Illustration: Louis Coronel; Board
of Advisors: Rosita Fernandez-Rojo, Choate-Rosemary Hall;
Claire D. Friedlander, Bedford (N.Y.) Central School District;
Howard Greene, author, The Greenes' Guides to Educational
Planning Series; Frank C. Leana, Ph.D., educational
counselor; Virginia Vogel, Educational Guidance Services;
M. Fredric Volkmann, Washington University in St. Louis,
Mary Ann Willis, Bayside Academy (Daphne, Ala.).
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In This Issue
Feature Article
Jazzing Up Programs
for Juniors
-What
to do Before January
of the 11th Grade?
THE COUNSELOR'S
CORNER
-People
are talking about . . .
BOOKSHELF
-The
Best 345
-The Fiske
Guide to Colleges,
2003
-Two books
about specific colleges
-100 Classic
Books About
Higher Education
-P.S. Elementary
and Secondary School Survey
SCHOLARSHIP SCOOPS
-Dollars
for Students Touched by Cancer
-New ProStart
Scholarships
-New Scholarship
for Afghan Women
-Engineering
Scholarships
-Journalism
Scholarships
NEWS YOU CAN USE
-Top
First Years
-Negative
Consequences
of Merit Scholarships?
ONLINE U.
-In
the Palm of Their Hands
-American
U. Goes Wireless
-Internet
Avoidance
-Music Literally
in the Air
Coming Up! -
CB's 2003 Admissions
Survey Results
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