|
Vol. 19 No. 10
May 2005
Dual Enrollments Dramatically Increase
STUDENTS are increasingly taking
advantage of programs to earn college credits before they graduate
from high school, according to two new reports by the U.S. Department
of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.
In fact, half of all colleges and universities in the nation
enrolled high school students in courses for college credit,
commonly called "dual enrollment," during the 2002-03
academic year, according to NCES's "Dual Enrollment of High
School Students at Postsecondary Institutions: 2002-03."
This translates into about 813,000 or about 5 percent of high
school students.
Of the 57 percent of postsecondary institutions that had high
school students who took college courses during the 2002-03 academic
year, 85 percent had high school students taking them in dual
enrollment programs, and 55 percent had students who simply enrolled
in college courses and were treated as regular college students.
Where were they? About 98 percent of public two-year
institutions had high school students taking college courses
during the 2002-03 academic year, compared to 77 percent of public
four-year institutions, 40 percent of private four-year institutions
and 17 percent of private two-year institutions.
Not all programs were to accelerate students through school.
Among the estimated 2,050 institutions with dual enrollment programs,
about 110, or 5 percent, had dual enrollment programs specifically
geared toward high school students at risk of education failure.
This represents about 2 percent of all institutions.
Who picks up the tab? Some 20 percent of institutions
with dual enrollment programs indicated that students and parents
generally paid full tuition for college courses taken in these
programs. Another 20 percent said that students and parents generally
paid partial tuition, 23 percent said that students and parents
generally paid for books and/or fees only and 19 percent said
that students and parents generally paid nothing for courses.
DUAL CREDIT ALSO BECOMING
COMMON
At the same time, 71 percent of public high schools
offered programs in which students earned credit at both the
high school and college level for the same course, known as "dual
credit," according to the second report from the U.S. Dept
of Ed called "Dual Credit and Exam-Based Courses in U.S.
Public High Schools: 2002-03."
In addition, 67 percent of public high schools offered Advanced
Placement (AP) courses, while 2 percent offered International
Baccalaureate (IB) courses. During the 2002-03 school year, an
estimated 1.2 million students were enrolled in AP courses for
dual credit, and 165,000 students were enrolled in IB courses.
Larger public high schools were more likely than smaller ones
to offer dual credit and/or AP courses. Specifically, 63 percent
of small schools, 75 percent of medium-sized schools and 82 percent
of large schools offered courses for dual credit. Similarly,
40 percent of small schools, 82 percent of medium-sized schools
and 97 percent of large schools offered AP courses.
Of the public high schools that offered courses for dual credit,
61 percent indicated that the courses were taught on a high school
campus, 65 percent on the campus of a postsecondary institution
and 25 percent through distance education technologies.
The overwhelming majority of courses were academic in nature.
Of the schools that offered courses for dual credit on a high
school campus or on the campus of a postsecondary institution,
92 percent indicated that the courses had an academic focus,
and 51 percent reported that the courses had a career and technical/vocational
focus.
Distance learning is providing a venue for some courses. For
those schools offering dual credit courses through distance education,
smaller public high schools were more likely than larger high
schools to offer them through this means (35 percent of small
schools, 21 percent of medium schools and 17 percent of large
schools). High schools in rural areas and towns were both more
likely than either schools in cities or schools in urban fringe
areas to offer courses for dual credit through distance education
(33 and 29 percent vs. 11 and 18 percent, respectively).
President Bush has proposed $125 million to increase access
to dual enrollment for at-risk students. The president's plan
would give grants to help states create dual enrollment programs,
scholarships and other activities so that high school students
may earn college credits.
For a copy of the dual enrollment report, see http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005008
and for the dual credit report see http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005009.
[back
to top]
THE COUNSELOR'S
CORNER
Now, A Word From Parents
Editor's Note: Each year, CB hears from guidance
counselors and admissions officers about the college admissions
process. This year, CB ends the school year with a word (or two)
from five moms who share what they learned on the way to college
with their sons or daughters. Here is what they said.
APRIL 30TH, 11:00 PM
Phew! That's when our daughter's decision about college
was finally made. Like everything we've done with our first child,
we'd made up the college admissions process as we went along.
At the same time, our daughter had been having such a wonderful
senior year of high school she was too busy with play rehearsals
to spend much time on the college search.
At first, she was convinced she wanted a big university. That
was true until she visited some friends at a small Midwestern
college where she felt right at home. Sitting in on the small
classes, she realized that this was how she preferred to learn,
in discussions with smaller groups of students and getting to
know the professor well. So, she added the liberal arts college
to her list along with a university in London because she also
thought she might want to study abroad.
The biggest challenge was getting the personal essays and
applications written, as well as studying for the SAT and ACT
tests, while participating in her senior year activities. All
along she had seemed ambivalent about going to college. Then
when she came home from an exchange program to France, a week
before she had to make her final decision about which college
to select, she announced she didn't want to go to college at
all, but take a year off to travel more in Europe.
This was a difficult week for all of us. Her father and I
had to decide how to help her make this decision while still
letting her know that we thought she should consider taking one
of her college offers. At the last minute, she decided to go
to the small liberal arts college and save her traveling for
the summer. The day we took the letters to the post office, accepting
that college's offer and declining the others, we all felt a
weight had been lifted from our shoulders.
The long year of essays, tests and sorting out what kind of
school would be best for her was over and we were relieved. But
in the process, we learned something about how to make decisions
as a family with a young adult who was trying to make her first
major life decision, needing our support while making an independent
judgment herself.
Susan Reed, Chicago, Illinois.
BREATHE NORMALLY
I learned that one must always relax and continue
to breathe normally. We were lucky because our daughter went
to a school with an adequate number of excellent college counselors.
They began preparing the students and the parents in their junior
year. They also sent home a schedule of when things would happen,
including the dates of all tests, when applications would be
due and when the parents would be meeting with the counselors.
They limited the number of face-to-face meetings, which I think
was a great idea. Not only was it unnecessary to obsess, but
the counselors would have been driven totally crazy had they
been at the beck and call of the parents.
The counselors were very good about responding to e-mails.
The best part is that the school worked very well with the students-it
is, after all, their lives we're talking about. And they kept
emphasizing to the parents that this is about the students learning
to prepare for college, making informed decisions and exploring
different geographic regions, doing their own research, seeking
out current students and alumni of schools in which they were
interested.
Certain guide books were helpful, but visiting the campus
was the best possible way to get information. Our daughter's
school was excellent in helping students prepare a list of schools
to think about in all categories-big, small, sure thing, reach,
medium reach, girls-boys, near, far, foreign and so on.
The school kept saying, "Don't worry. It will all work
out" and they were right. For our daughter, early decision
was a great thing. Naturally, that was because she got in. But
it took all the pressure off the family. To me, this was the
most important decision-whether to apply early decision and where.
There are good arguments on both sides of the question. Susan R. Larabee, New York, New York
SERVICE CAN STEER THE PROCESS
My daughter's community service work turned out to be much more
important in her life-and in her college application-than we
ever would have thought. While she found a great deal of satisfaction
from her work at several different service projects-Santa's Helpers,
tutoring students in the poorest neighborhoods, helping out a
soup kitchen in a homeless shelter, the project she found herself
going back to with the most eagerness was her work at an animal
shelter.
She began by walking dogs and "socializing" with
cats. She soon found herself attending dog training, and finally
became so concerned that she organized a benefit with the help
of a local club. (They raised almost $6,000.) She learned a great
deal about communication with animals and the challenging reality
of animal control and the work needed in the areas of law and
public education to protect both people and animals from the
problem of pet overpopulation. She had one of her writings printed
in the shelter newsletter, and she introduced several of her
friends to trainers and workers at the shelter and got them started.
Her service work became the focus of several of her college
essays. One described innovative training methods for sheltered
animals. Another related her surprise at the political squabbles
in the town government when the benefit check was presented.
She truly did learn how good it feels to be of service, and how
it can spread to other parts of your life. Susan Saiter, New York, New York.
FIVE LESSONS LEARNED
When I look back on the college application process
with our son in amazement, I wonder, "How did we do it?"
1. With a terrific college counselor who really knew our son.
2. By leaving our options open. (Never rule out a college because
of money, numbers, cosmetic factors and so on.)
3. College visits-We knew the minute we stepped on a campus if
this was a viable "choice" that could be added to our
list.
4. Start early. It was amazing to see changes in our son's maturity
between his junior and senior years. He viewed things differently
as he matured and gained insight in this whole process.
5. Trust the student. Our son had done his homework to complete
this process. I should trust him. And we could not be happier
with his choice!
Vivian Tarwate, Daphne, Alabama.
TAKE TOURS, TRUST YOUR
CHILD
First, get to know the student who gives you a tour
of a campus on an intimate level. Ask personal questions such
as, "Got a boyfriend?" "What did you do last weekend?"
It gives you a real picture of college life. If you pass by students
who are going to class and no one speaks to you or smiles at
you or even to the student leading you around, it makes you wonder
when they are friendly. If you have time, see all the campuses
you can possibly visit. You may end up right back close to home,
but you'll be wiser for seeing what's out there.
If you don't see new construction or evidence of improvements,
are the colleges moving forward or are they doing as they have
always done? Read the entire college newspaper. (Also, I got
a parking ticket on a campus within a large city. If there is
not room for me, is there room for my daughter?)
Secondly, be available to listen, listen, listen. Sometimes
that is LATE at night. If you can afford to, let the student
choose where to spend the next few years. My daughter's choice
surprised me (but not her father). And a good college counselor
is your best ally. He or she wants the best for your child just
as you do-it's win, win. When the final college decision is made,
do not second-guess; only look forward to all that the "one
college" has to offer. (My husband's advice to me.)
Finally, a school that had received a rejection letter wrote
back to say they were sorry that she would not attend, but she
would still be welcome in the future. That meant it was not only
still an option for my daughter, but made me feel good about
that school even to the point of recommending it to someone else.
Elizabeth Griffith, Spanish
Fort, Alabama.
In September CB, will look
at what parents and counselors in other parts of the country
have to say. Drop us a line at s.sautter@sbcglobal.net.
[back
to top]
Space Still Available on College Campuses
Students who still want to submit an application for Fall 2005
admission can search NACAC's 2005 Space Availability Survey to
find colleges still accepting applications. See www.nacac.com.
ADMISSIONS WATCH
Case Yields Its Largest Enrollment-Ever. Case Western
Reserve U. has yielded one of its largest incoming first-year
classes for Fall 2005. First-year enrollments are up a whopping
70 percent, with 1,152 students indicating they plan to begin
their university education at Case. The new class will have more
out-of-state students, more women and more students seeking degree
programs in the arts and humanities. The mean SAT score of 1347
is an increase over the 2004 average score of 1324.
Case attributes its increase in part to its new investment
in interdisciplinary learning and a new program called SAGES
(Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship). All
incoming students participate in the seminar-based program regardless
of their major. Classes are taught by faculty from arts and sciences,
dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, social
sciences and nursing.
In addition, the new students will be able to live in a new
$126.4 million, environmentally-friendly North Residential Village
complex. The first phase called Village@115 is scheduled to open
this fall. The complex offers a variety of housing options from
individual living quarters to nine-person apartment units, many
with kitchens and living rooms. The complex will include a Starbucks,
fitness center, small library, indoor bicycle storage, laundry
rooms, wireless Internet connections and a convenience store.
The housing is nearby athletic fields and a 1,200-car garage.
For more info, see www.case.edu.
Gordon
C. Deposits Up. When CB put out its call early in the spring
for admissions number, Gordon C. responded. North of Boston,
it was founded in 1889 as a missionary training school. It is
now a four-year liberal arts college, primarily known for its
English and music programs and graduate music education. After
a recent dip in applications, freshmen apps as of April 15 were
1,079. Gordon accepted 889 students and had 161 deposits. Last
year, it had 965 applications, and accepted 779 students with
141 deposits at the same time. "Last year was a dip, but
we are right back up to where we have been in the past,"
said Cherish Brunet, associate director of admissions. SAT scores
of applicants-1205 for the entering class last fall. Gordon has
rolling admissions with a priority deadline of March 1.
Lebanon
Valley C. Notes Visa Problems. William Brown, dean of admission
and financial aid, Lebanon Valley C. in Annville, Pennsylvania,
is not sure how much of their numbers offer a trend-or "just
a really good year"-but he reports that their numbers "are
very strong."
Applications for 2005 from domestic students are basically
flat, compared to last year-2,065 this year, 2,082 last. Offers
of admission also are relatively flat-1,593 this year, 1,586
last. However, "our yield on these offers is outstanding
(so far)-364 this year, compared to 288 last," said Brown.
"Trends within these numbers show a slight increase in males-with
a corresponding decrease in females.
"The only significant downward trend we have seen is
in international students," he added, "with fewer inquiries
and applications from students outside the U.S. Our numbers were
pretty large in these categories last year. We-and they-had so
much trouble getting visas, that we were able to enroll very
few."
Villa
Julie C. Opens New Housing Complex. Maryland's third-largest
independent coeducational college, "once again had an outstanding
year for applications," said Brian Shea, public relations
manager. "In fact, we have seen a 26 percent increase in
undergraduate applications over the past five years and a 91
percent increase in transfer applications. Villa Julie has approximately
2,500 full-time undergraduates, more than double the student
population 10 years ago.
"The College has seen several trends in admissions. With
the addition of our first-ever college-owned housing complex
last fall, student interest in the latest housing amenities has
become a hot topic," said Shea. "Student garden apartments
have been very popular, and we are currently building suites
on adjacent land to accommodate more residents."
Villa Julie determines financial aid dollars using a scholarship
matrix and housing incentives and is providing an academic support
program, including a new Residence Excellence tutoring program
run by the Office of Residence Life.
These strategies helped Villa Julie realize "our best
fall-to-spring retention rate in recent history," according
to Mark Hergan, vice president for enrollment management. "We
believe in combining a career-focused liberal arts education,
low cost, high academic quality and a vibrant campus life to
attract the best students in the region."
And
for Harvard Watchers. Harvard announced that 78.5 percent
of students admitted to its class of 2009 decided to enroll and
says that is the highest among elite U.S. colleges and universities.
That's up from last year's 77.6 percent. It means that few students
will be taken off its wait list.
This year Harvard attracted 22,796 applicants. About 28 percent
plan to major in the humanities, 25 percent the social sciences,
23 percent biological sciences, 8 percent mathematics, 7 percent
physical sciences, 6 percent engineering, 1 percent computer
sciences and 1 percent were undecided.
Community
Colleges Booming, But. Over 45 percent of all undergraduates
are currently enrolled in U.S. community colleges. But state
and federal funding reductions are affecting key programs. For
example, 86,000 prospective students have been turned away from
over-crowded nursing programs, according to the National League
of Nurses, at a time when there is a national nursing shortage.
[back
to top]
NEWS YOU CAN USE
529s Still Strong. According to the May issue of
Kiplinger's Personal Finance Adviser, most 529 state college
savings plans withstood rigorous examination by regulators last
year and "continue to be a superb way to save for college."
Some, however, "continue to charge egregiously high fees
and offer weak investment choices." Among the worst offenders,
according to Kiplinger, are "Maine's NextGen plan,
Arizona's Waddell & Reed InvestEd, Pennsylvania's TAP 529,
Nebraska's AIM and Ohio's Putnam CollegeAdvantage." It advised
investors who were unsatisfied with their state plan, to try
its favorites: "College Savings Iowa, Michigan Education
Savings Program, Minnesota College Savings Plan and Virginia's
College America."
Princeton
Review's "Best Value" Colleges. According
to The Princeton Review, the nation's Number 1 "Best Value"
college is Bates College (Lewiston, Maine). The list appears
in its new 2006 edition, America's Best Value Colleges
which commends 81 schools in 35 states for their outstanding
academics, generous financial aid packages and relatively low
costs.
Other schools on the "Top 10 Best Value Colleges"
list are: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (Socorro,
New Mexico); Brigham Young U. (Provo, Utah); Hendrix C. (Conway,
Arkansas); U. of California at Los Angeles; New College of Florida
(Sarasota); City U. of New YorkBrooklyn C.; City U. of New
YorkQueens C.; William Jewell C. (Liberty, Missouri); Hanover
C. (Hanover, Indiana). Available from Random House/Princeton
Review, $15.95.
Top
Philosophy Programs. Which schools support the best graduate
philosophy programs? According to an online rating service, the
Philosophical Gourmet Report, the top 10 are: New York U., Rutgers
U. at New Brunswick, Princeton U., U. of Michigan at Ann Arbor,
U. Pittsburgh, Columbia U., Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Stanford U., Harvard U. and U. of California at Los Angeles.
Critics claim, though, the ratings are too narrow, count professors'
reputations rather than teaching skills and are skewed toward
departments that concentrate on "analytic" versus "continental"
philosophy.
Top
Research Libraries. Which university libraries have the largest
collections? According to the Association of Research Libraries,
they are: Harvard U., Yale U., U. of Toronto, U. of California
at Berkeley, UCLA, U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Columbia
U., U. of Michigan, Cornell U., U. of Texas, U. of Wisconsin
and Indiana U.
Reducing
Dropouts. High school students who take career and technical
education balanced with academic courses are less likely to drop
out, says the Association for Career and Technical Education.
One study found that 90 percent of "at-risk" students
in a program called Jobs for America's Graduates graduated from
high school and 80 percent found work or went on to college within
a year of graduation. For more info, see www.acteonline.org.
SAT
Defects? The SAT's new writing test is not an effective way
to test writing potential, says the National Council of Teachers
of English. And the addition of the new writing component deters
English teachers from instruction of higher writing skills in
favor of "formulaic writing" similar to painting by
numbers. Find NCTE's report, "The Impact of the SAT and
ACT Timed Writing Tests," at www.ncte.org.
[back
to top]
MINORITY AFFAIRS
Minority Progress. The American Council on Education
notes that from 1991 to 2001, African-American enrollment in
college increased by nearly 52 percent to more than 4.3 million
students. But attendance gaps remain. From 2000 to 2002, 46 percent
of 18-to-24-year-old white students went to college; compared
to 40 percent of African-American and 34 percent of Hispanic
students.
Why
Weed Out? The Leadership Alliance, a coalition of 29 college
presidents working to bring more minorities into math, science,
engineering and technology, recently charged that tough introductory
college courses designed to "weed out" first-year students
are discouraging too many minority students. The presidents recommend
that undergraduate programs change their curricula to make math,
science, engineering and technology more appealing, and work
with those who need initial help so they can pursue their advanced
studies in these fields.
Several of these presidents told The Chronicle of Higher
Education that Advanced Placement courses have the unintended
result of placing many students, minority and otherwise, in advanced
college courses for which they are not really prepared and in
which they earn poor grades. This leads some promising students
to drop out of math, science, engineering and technology programs.
Where's
the Diversity? In recent years, Ivy League colleges have
led the way in making their student bodies more diverse. But
once minority students are on campus, they'll have trouble finding
a diverse teaching staff. A report from Yale graduate students,
"The (Un)Changing Face of the Ivy League" revealed
that from 1993 to 2003 the number of tenure-track black and Hispanic
faculty members rose from 5 to only 6 percent. Women professors
are also in short supply. Only 150 of the 433 new professors
hired in 2003 were women, 14 were black and just eight were Hispanics.
[back
to top]
THE FEDERAL DOLLAR
Pell Cuts. The Government Accountability Office
has confirmed an earlier estimate that the new Pell formula used
by the U.S. Department of Education will result in the cut off
of funds to 81,000 students and will increase family contribution
costs by an average $440 per Pell grantee. This results from
reducing the money forgiven for state and local taxes. The report,
"Department of Education's Update of State and Other Tax
Allowance for Student Aid Award Year 2005-2006" can be found
at http://www.gao.gov.
Who
Defaults? According to a recent report from the National
Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 20 percent of
students who drop out of college after taking loans to pay for
college, default on those loans. Borrowers who drop out and default
on their loans are also twice as likely to be unemployed than
borrowers who graduate, and they are 10 times as likely to default.
To view the report, "Borrowers Who Drop Out: A Neglected
Aspect of the College Student Loan Trend," go to http://www.highereducation.org.
Loans
Soar. According to the College Board, student loan volume
soared by 200 percent over the past decade, while grant aid rose
by 135 percent.
Last
Chance to Consolidate. July 1 will be the last date that
student borrowers of Stafford loans from banks or other commercial
lenders can consolidate their loans at the current 2.87 percent
rate. After July 1, rates could soar to 5 percent.
[back
to top]
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.).
|
