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Vol. 18 No. 8
April 2004
New Pathways to College
A MAJOR NEW REPORT from a coalition
of 34 national organizations and foundations committed to improving
college access to underserved populations calls for six principles
all schools in the country should follow. It also backs up its
recommendations with examples of best practice found in 131 programs
nationwide.
The report, "A Shared Agenda: A Leadership Challenge
to Improve College Access and Success" comes from the Pathways
to College Network, a Boston-based initiative launched in 2001,
that synthesized research and combed through 650 studies to establish
six principles of effective policies and best practices to guide
leaders in education. The organizations participating range from
ACT and the American Council on Education to the National Association
for College Admission Counseling and the National Association
of Secondary School Principals to the Western Interstate Commission
for Higher Education.
The mission of the Pathways to College Network is "to
focus research-based knowledge and resources on improving college
preparation, access and success for underserved populations,
including low-income, underrepresented minority and first-generation
students," it said. "Through this mission, the Network
expects to change perceptions, practices and policies about academic
preparation and college opportunity; eliminate policy and programmatic
barriers to college going; and make readiness for college success
a fundamental goal of public education in the United States."
The Pathways report notes that over the last 30 years, "progress
has been made in increasing the educational attainment of young
people in the United States. But large gaps in college-going
completion persist for many low-income and minority students
and students with disabilities.
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The group's supporters said they would like to achieve their
goals over the next two years. Pathways six principles are:
- Expect that all underserved students are capable of being
prepared to enroll and succeed in college;
- Provide a range of high-quality college-preparatory tools
for underserved students and their families;
- Embrace social, cultural and learning-style differences in
developing learning environments and activities for underserved
students;
- Involve leaders at all levels in establishing policies, programs
and practices that facilitate student transitions toward postsecondary
attainment;
- Maintain sufficient financial and human resources to enable
underserved students to prepare for, enroll and succeed in college;
- Assess policy, programs, practices and institutional effectiveness
regularly.
Pathways also profiled projects that exemplified the best
practices of the principles.
The Texas Scholars Program, for example, motivates all students
to complete a college prep curriculum in high school and begins
working with students and parents in the eighth grade.
The Puente Project at the University of California sends Puente-trained
teachers into schools throughout the state to focus on accelerated
English writing classes for Mexican American and Latino students.
Students meet regularly with Puente counselors who guide them
through the application process.
The Georgia P-16 Initiatives aligns the high school exit and
college entrance standards. The Cleveland Scholarship Programs
provide advisors in every public high school to help students
identify financial aid from federal, state and campus sources.
Pathways, in fact, calls for action by state and federal officials,
school superintendents, middle and high school principals, college
administrators, outreach program leaders and community groups.
For a complete copy of the report and a handy electronic access
to the examples of best practices see www.pathwaystocollege.net.
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New Parent Worries
ANXIETIES ABOUT the college
application experience are up this year, particularly among parents,
according to a new survey from The Princeton Review. Overall,
66 percent of parents gauged their stress level as "high"
or "very high," which is a "major jump" from
last year when 49 percent of parents responded that way to the
Princeton Review survey.
The Second Annual Survey queried both parents and students
and found that college costs are the major worry of both groups.
Asked, "What is your biggest concern about applying to or
attending college?" about 43 percent of parents said, "Will
get in, but won't be able to afford it." About 32 percent
of students chose this answer. Twenty-eight percent of both groups
said, "Won't get in to first-choice college." Twenty-three
percent of both said, "Will attend a college I may later
regret," and 16 percent of both said, "Taking out loans
and graduating with debt."
When asked, "What college would you most like to attend
(or see your child attend) were admission prospects or cost not
issues?" New York University ranked number one as the nation's
"Dream College," followed by Harvard, Stanford, Yale,
Duke, Columbia U., Princeton, U. of Notre Dame, Georgetown and
Cornell U.
The Princeton Review also queried respondents about the key
factor that will determine their ultimate choice of the college
they or their children will attend. Of three answer choices,
only 14 percent said it would be the school with "the best
academic reputation." Fifteen percent said "the most
affordable college," and 71 percent said the college that
will be "the best overall fit." Asked what type of
college they felt most likely to be admitted to and be able to
afford, 75 percent said, "a state or public college,"
while 25 percent said, "a private college."
For a look at the complete survey see www.princeton
review.com.
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Spring Admissions
Watch
Stanford's New Early Action Program. In the inaugural
year of its "Single-Choice Early Action" program, Stanford
University's Office of Undergraduate Admission offered admission
to 800 students for the Class of 2008.
Robin Mamlet, dean of admission and financial aid, said that
unlike Stanford's previous Early Decision program, the students
admitted through the Single-Choice Early Action program now have
until May 1 to confirm their enrollment. "Our hope, of course,
is that Stanford remains the first choice of all our admits,"
Mamlet said. "But the pressure is off. We encourage these
students to consider carefully all their college options and
to decide by spring which campus is the best fit for them."
Last year, Stanford altered its Early Decision program by
withdrawing its binding commitment on early admits to enroll.
It sought to alleviate some of the anxiety and stress students
feel when navigating the college application process. Instead
of making a binding commitment, Stanford's Single-Choice Early
Action applicants now agree not to file any other early applications.
This season's Single-Choice Early Action offers of admission
to top students account for approximately one-third of Stanford's
total admission offers. More than 4,100 students applied through
the new program, and 800 were admitted.
Applications at U. of Wisconsin-Madison "Dead On."
According to Robert Selzer, director of admissions, applications
to the University of Wisconsin-Madison are "dead on with
the number of applications last year." He added, "We
didn't see the increases of the last three, four and five years,"
he said, "but admissions are where we were a year ago and
we will have the same size freshman class."
Wisconsin, which has rolling admissions, creates a "postponed"
list of students. These may include students who could be admitted
depending on new test scores or fall grades. The "postponed"
list was reviewed in March and half of those students were admitted.
After May 1, Wisconsin will have an "extensive wait list"
according to Selzer.
U.S. Coast Guard Inaugurates On-line Application Process.
This year for the first time, the U. S. Coast Guard moved to
an all on-line application process. Applications were down in
the first phase of the process, but then the response was up
for the next step. Technical glitches needed to be sorted out,
officials noted, but now users find it easier to submit all information
at once. The Coast Guard has offered 400 positions from 2,000
applications for a freshman class of 301 students. Four international
students were accepted. For more info see www.cga.edu.
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Harvard Nears Record and Announced New Aid. Last year,
Harvard attracted 20,987 applications, the most in school history.
This year, its numbers were not far behind, with 19,712 applying
for the class of 2008. SAT scores for this year's pool were similar
to last year's: over 56 percent scored 700 or above on the math
SAT I, while 49 percent scored 700 or higher on the verbal SAT
I. More than 10 percent scored 800 on the English SAT II, while
13.6 percent scored 800 on the math SAT II. Slightly more international
students applied this year.
Harvard recently announced that students coming from households
earning less than $40,000 a year will not need to contribute
to the education of their son or daughter. The school will also
reduce the contributions of families earning between $40,000
and $60,000. More than 70 percent of Harvard undergraduates receive
financial aid of some kind; 50 percent receive assistance averaging
$24,000 per year. The school awarded more than $110 million in
aid this year. Tuition at Harvard this year was $37,928.
Marygrove College for Students Urban Bound. Looking
for a small private college for a student with an 18 Act and
a 2.7 grade-point average in a metropolitan area? Marygrove C.
in Detroit recruits such students, according to Sally Janecek,
with 800-900 applications expected this year to fill a class
of 160 students. The class is likely to be comprised of transfer
students and traditional freshmen. Founded as a Roman Catholic
institution in 1905, Marygrove today is "ecumenical,"
said Janecek, pulling international students and students from
urban areas.
"Our students tend to come from urban schools,"
she said. "They tend to have higher GPAs, yet test lower."
Marygrove retests students when they enter. The campus is situated
on 52 acres with coed dorms. Tuition and fees in 2003-04 were
$11,800; room and board $5,800. Scholarships are available particularly
for transfer students and international students. (International
students are admitted based on grade-point averages.) For more
info see: www.marygrove.edu.
P.S. Top Schools for Hispanics. Hispanic Magazine's
list of top 25 colleges includes, in order, these 10 schools:
Stanford U.; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Harvard U.;
U. of California, Los Angeles; U. of California, Berkeley; Dartmouth
C.; Columbia U.; Rice U.; U. of Notre Dame and Tufts U. The magazine's
new Guide will also list 57 scholarships for Hispanic
students. See www.hispanicmagazine.com.
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TEACHER ED TRENDS
Recruiting Teachers. A new web site, www.
recruitingteachers.org/channels/clearinghouse/ provides a
handy way to find out which school systems across the country
are hiring teachers. It also lists information on certification.
Early Experience. Valparaiso
University in Indiana has launched a partnership with one local
high school to allow students to explore a teaching career while
earning college credit. The "Teaching Cadets" program
matches high school students with veteran teachers in the district.
Students spend a few weeks in classroom training, then four days
a week in elementary and middle school classrooms observing and
helping out. Explained Valpo's Dean of Arts and Sciences Dr.
John Ruff, "We need teachers here in Northwest Indiana,
the state needs teachers and this is one way we can do something
about it."
For-Profit Teacher Training.
A U.S. Department of Education report indicates that 22,500 people
are enrolled in the M.A. and Ph.D. programs for teachers at the
nation's four largest for-profit schools: Apollo Group, Capella
Education, Education Management Corporation and Sylvan Learning
Systems.
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THE COUNSELOR'S CORNER
 The Changing Rules
of the Game
AS I TRY TO EXPLAIN terms such
as "Early Decision" and "Early Action" or
"Common Application" to families I counsel, I am reminded
of the Peter Allen song, "Everything Old Is New Again."
The terms have been around for some time, but counselors need
new definitions for familiar trade argot.
At one time, not so long ago, counselors could agree among
themselves, at least, what these terms meant. Now there is more
ambiguity than ever as we try to explain these application terms
to parents and students. My feelings about this were confirmed
when at the conclusion of a recent session, a junior turned to
me and said, "Nothing seems safe anymore."
In the early 1970's, novice college counselors were actually
trained to help families think of potential colleges in blocks:
"reach" colleges were those for which a candidate's
overall credentials were below the published medians of admitted
students; "probable" colleges where the candidate's
credentials were right on the mark; and "safe" colleges,
for which the student was unquestionably qualified, short of
a drastic and unexpected turn of events, like a final grade of
"F" in pre-calculus.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE
What happens today when one tries to cluster colleges
in such categories? The terms simply can no longer contain the
complexities of the current selective admission process. Because
colleges have received record numbers of applications over the
past five years, what was considered a "safe" college
is now "probable" at best. Families are stunned, for
example, to learn that Boston University or New York University
are now very "hot" colleges, receiving upward of 30,000
applications each year.
Or take "Early Decision" and "Early Action."
The terms used to be options for only the most highly-qualified
applicants. For some time now, these alternatives have been seen
by students near, but not necessarily at the top, of their classes
as strategies to increase their chances of being admitted. It
is not unusual for 50 percent or more of a high school class
in a private high school to opt for Early Decision.
Some counselors have petitioned colleges to downplay their
emphasis on Early Decision to avoid the frenzy that results when
so many in a class feel that they MUST choose an Early Decision
plan. The earlier confusion about whether or not a college is
a "reach," "probable" or "safe"
becomes further occluded by this phenomenon of Early Application
viewed as a strategy.
The mad dash to apply Early has intensified and made an already-difficult
and pressured process more compact. Families hit the road earlier
to define choices, students scramble to complete standardized
testing earlier, and summer, rather than being a time to kick
back and renew outlooks and energy, becomes the time when personal
essays need to be addressed, so that by early October a student
aiming for a November 1st Early Decision deadline is ready.
Counselors experience increased pressure to introduce the
college application process earlier, meeting with juniors before
they have completed their intense work with current seniors.
What began as a choice for a few exceptionally-qualified applicants
has mushroomed into a compulsion. More than one student comes
into a counseling session saying, "I know I want to apply
Early, I just don't know where." The behavior is analogous
to saying "I must get married, so I need to fall in love."
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The process is further confused because colleges have now
redefined the term "Early Action." It still means that
if a student is admitted, he or she does not have to inform the
college of the decision until May. However, many colleges now
forbid a student who applies Early Action from applying to any
other college Early Action or Early Decision. The proper term
is now "Single Choice Early Action." A few colleges
that do not forbid an application to another college on an Early
basis, do advise prospective families in their information sessions
that they "frown on it" or "discourage it,"
again obfuscating the rules.
A related issue that I saw for the first time last year and
increasing this year was for seniors who had applied regular
decision to receive a letter saying that they ought to consider
converting that into an Early Decision and that the regular Early
Decision deadline would be extended for them to do so. Although
well-intentioned, perhaps, this offer is very difficult for an
adolescent to understand. They interpret it to mean that if they
do not apply Early, they jeopardize their chances of ever getting
in. Already fearful of not getting a choice they like, they are
now doubly frightened.
COMMON APPLICATION PLUS
Another term that has become a bit of a misnomer is
"Common Application." Students used to apply to any
number of about 200 colleges that subscribed to a single form.
There was always some doubt about whether or not using the Common
hurt a student's chances, but studies revealed that if such a
disadvantage existed at all, it was somewhere at about one percent.
In recent years, it has become common practice for schools
using the Common to also require supplemental essays that target
more specific topics such as why the student wants to attend
that particular college. So, the Common Application isn't really
so common, after all.
A BETTER WAY?
With the rules of the admission game changing so fast,
students may feel that there is no way for them to win. As a
counselor, one strives to counteract that cynicism or disillusionment
while struggling to understand it oneself! Maybe a certain amount
of cynicism is unavoidable. We resort with such platitudes as,
"Well, life isn't always fair," or "It isn't a
perfect process."
But in my private moments of reflection about the profession,
I ask myself "Can't we do better than this?" "Can't
we devise a process that doesn't layer the judgment any adolescent
already feels by society with so much confusion?" In any
process, change is inevitable, at times necessary or desirable.
We ought to be able, however, to provide our young people with
clarity and hope as they venture into the application process.
College admission counselors and high school counselors need
to continue to work together to shape a more humane process where
words have clear meaning and where we do not feel pressured to
over-strategize about admission to create a "win" rather
than to counsel effectively about what is really best for each
student.n
Frank C. Leana, Ph.D. is a
private counselor in New York City and in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
and a College Bound Advisor.
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
Not Ready. Colleges are not ready for the surge
in Hispanic students, according a new report, "Knocking
at the College Door," from the Western Interstate Commission
for Higher Education. By 2008, Hispanic students will account
for 21 percent of all high school graduates, up from 17 percent
in 2002. By 2013, white students will be a minority of high school
graduates in the western states. Hispanic students will present
special needs that colleges have not yet begun to address, the
study charges.
A "Gap Year."
Dynamy, the organization dedicated to providing "An American
Gap Year," celebrates its 35th anniversary this month in
Worcester, Massachusetts. Dynamy provides internships (with hundreds
to choose from) and one-on-one advising for youngsters ages 17
to 22 years old who want to "step out" of their traditional
education for a time. For more info, contact Dynamy, 27 Sever
St., Worcester, MA 01609 or see www.dynamy.org.
Urban Living. Downtown Chicago
is about to become home to one of the largest concentration of
college students in the United States. Three schools, DePaul
University, Columbia College and Roosevelt University have joined
to create a new 1,680 student dorm called the University Center
of Chicago, which will open in Fall 2004. The center is located
in Chicago's Loop within two blocks of the downtown campuses
of all three universities and across the street from Chicago's
mammoth Harold Washington Library and a new international youth
hostel. In addition to private student rooms, the University
Center of Chicago will feature a rooftop garden, food court,
game rooms, workout center, music practice rooms and other lifestyle
options, such as study floors.
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The College Opportunity Crisis.
Recent state higher education cuts resulting in higher tuition
and increasing levels of debt among more students shut out an
estimated 250,000 students from pursuing or continuing their
college educations, according to The National Center for Public
Policy and Higher Education, based in San Jose, California.
To urge governors and state legislatures to address the problem,
the group has issued a series of short-term recommendations,
which it calls "Emergency Measures." These include
calls:
- Not to cut higher education disproportionately to overall
state funding cuts, as was the case for many states in 2003;
- Not to make cuts in state appropriations to those colleges
and universities that serve primarily students from low-to-middle-income
families;
- To temporarily freeze tuition at community colleges and four-year
colleges that serve the above groups;
- To increase, or at least maintain, funding for need-based
state financial aid programs, even if it means reallocating resources
from colleges and universities;
- To increase tuition moderately at public research universities
to the extent that the state can make a commensurate increase
in need-based financial aid.
For more information on these and additional recommendations,
go to www.higher education.org.
IL Boosts Grants. The Illinois
Monetary Award Program (IMAP) has been expanded by Illinois Governor
Rod Blagojevich to include an additional 1,000 students. The
program currently serves 142,000 students and is designed to
make up the gap between tuition and a student's ability to pay
that amount. Students from families earning between $30,000 to
$40,000 who attend an Illinois public or private college will
be eligible. The maximum grants will be in the amount of $4,620.
New Phi Beta Kappa Chapter.
Saint Michael's College (www.smcvt.edu)
of Vermont has been named the 270th U.S. college or university
to be admitted as a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. "With the establishment
of this chapter," said John Churchill, secretary of the
Phi Beta Kappa society, "we acknowledge Saint Michael's
accomplishment in the field of liberal arts education."
Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest academic society, was founded
in 1776, and is dedicated to excellence in the liberal arts.
Fewer than 10 percent of U.S. colleges have been inducted into
the society.
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CURRICULUM CAPSULES
U. of Chicago Adds Minors. For the first time in
its history, students at the U. of Chicago will have the opportunity
to add a minor degree. Students at the U. of C. will be able
to earn minor degrees in five language concentrations: Classics,
Near Eastern Language and Civilizations, Romance Language and
Literatures, Slavic Languages and Germanic Language. Students
will be required to complete six courses in a department, half
the course requirements for most majors.
It's Greek to Them. More
U.S. students study ancient Greek than languages essential to
understanding current foreign crisis, including Arabic, Korean,
Farsi and Pashto combined, a Congressional report on the September
11, 2001, attacks discovered. Some members of Congress have introduced
a bill to increase student financial incentives to study the
more contemporary languages.
New Spanish Major. Ramapo
College in New Jersey now offers a major in Spanish Language
Studies. The new program began last fall and provides an interdisciplinary
curriculum of strong language study with an option of six concentrations
including: literature, teacher education, Latin American studies,
media and communications, social work and Spanish for business.
Lucky Choice? California's
largest growth industry is the gambling at Indian casinos, with
employment growing at a rate of 18 percent a year. So Grossmont
College in El Cajon and San Diego State U. are planning certificate
courses in gambling-ology. Courses include: security and surveillance,
table games, slot analysis, revenue techniques, deterring and
detecting casino cheats. Other schools around the nation with
gambling programs include Tulane U., Michigan State U. and the
U. of Massachusetts.
Engineering Magic. The U.
of Nevada at Las Vegas has looked to "the Strip" and
seen the future for some of its engineering students. Magical
acts require high-tech skills these days and to train the experts
to make them happen UNLV departments of engineering and theater
have launched a new "entertainment engineering" major.
UNLV thinks there's a big job market for graduates of the program,
not just in Las Vegas, but on Broadway and in sports, regional
theater and the convention trade.
Applied Social Sciences.
Case Western Reserve U. in Ohio has begun admitting undergraduates
to its Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences for the first
time in two decades. However, only Case juniors and seniors will
be eligible to study in the graduate school. Study focus will
be on issues such as adoption. Students will intern in the Cuyahoga
County Department of Children and Family Services
and will be paired with a social worker.
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COLLEGE BOUND's Publisher/Editor: R. Craig
Sautter, DePaul University; Chief Operating Officer: Sally
Reed; Contributors: Marc Davis; Chris Tisch;
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 Articles
New Pathways to College
New Parent Worries
Spring
Admissions Watch
TEACHER ED TRENDS
-Recruiting
Teachers
-Early Experience
-For-Profit
Teacher Training
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
The
Changing Rules of the Game
NEWS YOU CAN USE
-Not
Ready
-A "Gap
Year"
-Urban Living
-The College
Opprortunity Crisis
-IL Boosts
Grants
-New Phi
Beta Kappa Chapter
CURRICULUM CAPSULES
-U.
of Chicago Adds Minors
-It's Greek
to Them
-New Spanish
Major
-Lucky Choice?
-Engineering
Magic
-Applied
Social Sciences
COMING UP...
To place your advanced
order for copies of the 18th annual edition of Who Got In?
2004 COLLEGE BOUND's National Survey of College Admissions Trends,
available later this spring, send a check or purchase order to
COLLEGE BOUND, PO Box 6536, Evanston, IL 60204; call 773-262-5810
or see www.collegeboundnews.com.
(CB now has Paypal available on its web site for credit card
orders and renewals.)
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