Showing posts with label Notre Dame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Notre Dame. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Teen sets bar high - Silicon Valley Career

Dear Mr. Bradshaw — I really want to be located near the center of technological innovation when I go to college.

I am a junior in high school and have been looking at colleges that offer business and engineering programs.

My question is, which schools are the best for helping to get a job in Silicon Valley? Not everyone can get into Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley.

What makes the Bay Area so attractive to so many technology companies? — Student

Dear Student —

  • The center of the universe. 
  • Brilliantly interesting people.
  • Creativity.
  • Money.

These are frequently used phrases used to describe the area known as Silicon Valley.

Sandwiched between Berkeley and Stanford, it is alive with the scent of eucalyptus trees and with the wine country and the beautiful San Francisco Bay to the north. This is an area that attracts some of the best minds in the world.

If you have an idea that borders on changing the world, you’ll be taken seriously here. And, a lot of money will back you up, if you have what it takes.

But you are right — not all students will gain admission to Stanford and Berkeley. Although these universities are heavily represented at most technology companies, they are by no means in the majority.

Where else do they find their talent? You might be surprised to learn that it comes from all over the country and many parts of the world. The international flavor of Silicon Valley makes it a haven for students who want to be around the very best and brightest. Only diversity of the highest level can produce this kind of culture.

Let’s start at the top of the pecking order with Stanford and Berkeley. Both have strong computer programs and very powerful, influential business schools. The combination of talent and the ability to create and sell innovative ideas that abounds in these institutions quite often leads to the making of very young millionaires.

Consider that Stanford is a stone’s throw away from Facebook, Hewlett-Packard and Google. You might say these companies are an extension of Stanford’s campus.

Berkeley is a few miles north and famous not only for funneling scientific talent into Silicon Valley, but also for the Hass School of Business, one of the nation’s best.

You do not have to attend Stanford or Berkeley to find your way into a major Silicon Valley company or become part of a scrappy start-up.

Santa Clara University, located near Stanford, is also a top producer of talent. Many of its graduates are employed by these companies.

Santa Clara also might appeal to students who are leaning toward Notre Dame, because it is less difficult to get in.

If you are in the top 5 per cent of your class, Santa Clara’s admissions rate of 58 percent — versus Notre Dame’s 24 percent — makes it an attractive choice.

Of particular interest might be Santa Clara’s Leavey School of Business, which ranks highly among undergraduate business schools.

Silicon Valley is a magnet for people who think differently, who are smart and can act on their ideas. The area is saturated with talent and rewards creativity, which is the best reason to concentrate your college search there.

There are close to 3,000 colleges to choose from nationwide and admission to these colleges is complicated.

Bradshaw college consulting takes the pressure off ensuring that your college search experience is one to look forward to rather than dread.

Work with a college consultant that can assist guide you through the proper way to write your essay, conduct your interview, test, and apply for financial aid.

Get help choosing the right college or getting into the college you desire to attend. Call: Toll Free: 866-687-8129



College Consultant - Bradshaw College Consulting - Teen sets bar high Silicon Valley Career

Thursday, November 22, 2012

College rankings worth considering

Thursday, November 22, 2012



Dear Mr. Bradshaw — I am applying to 10 or more colleges, and I came across the latest college rankings published by U.S. News & World Report.


How important are these rankings in getting a job after graduation, and how should I evaluate them? — Applicant


College rankings worth considering



Dear Applicant —

College rankings can be important for several reasons.

The most obvious is, they indicate the quality of the faculty and student body. In a nutshell, the best colleges draw the best students and professors.

Competition among schools is fierce, and the rankings serve as a measure of their success.

For example, the 2012 U.S. News & World Report rankings show the following admission selectivity rates that can used by employers as a gauge in recruiting employees.

  • Indiana University is ranked 82nd with a 72 percent admissions rate.
  • Purdue is ranked 65th with a 68 percent admissions rate.
  • Notre Dame is ranked 17th with a 24 percent admission rate.
  • Harvard and Princeton are tied and rank first with a 6 percent and 8.5 percent admissions rate, respectively.

Translated into practical terms, if you are applying for a summer internship, the selectivity of your college is a huge advantage. Many companies use these rankings to decide where to recruit and know that top colleges already have done much of the work for them by vetting students through the competitive application process.

In fact, many students are offered full-time employment after completing summer internships.

Take, for example, a student who is interested a career in finance. Despite the recent calamity in the economy, Wall Street still attracts the cream of the crop of economics majors.

To get an internship at one of the top firms is not easy.

The profile of the successful candidate is heavily skewed toward students at schools that score well in the rankings.

Company officials know that he or she must be an outstanding person to be admitted to a top college. The student will have had high scores on entrance examinations and an exemplary extracurricular activity record.

The years of hard work and preparation that precede admission to a top college are considered when employers are considering new hires.

After all, these companies are putting their futures in the hands of these young people, and they will be competing for promotions and greater responsibility throughout their careers.

To be sure, magazine rankings are not perfect predictors of future employment success.

You need to make sure that your college choice is a “good fit” for your career aspirations, and that you dedicate yourself to making the most of your undergraduate experience.There are close to 3,000 colleges to choose from nationwide and admission to these colleges is complicated.

Bradshaw college consulting takes the pressure off ensuring that your college search experience is one to look forward to rather than dread.

Work with a college consultant that can assist guide you through the proper way to write your essay, conduct your interview, test, and apply for financial aid.

Get help choosing the right college or getting into the college you desire to attend. Call: Toll Free: 866-687-8129

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Performance more critical than ‘name’ school



Dear Mr. Bradshaw — I have been accepted by the University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Notre Dame, California-Berkeley and Northwestern.

I have a big decision to make, and I had no idea it was going to be this difficult.

How do I choose the college that is best for me? Should I choose the most elite college based on rank? — Confused

Dear Confused

— Congratulations on being accepted by so many elite colleges.

It is important to choose a school that is right for you, but in offering my advice, I want to downplay the notion that selecting a college amounts to a defining moment in your life.

It does not.

Would you be better off at Penn than at Berkeley, or at Columbia rather than Chicago? College ranking or name recognition is not a predictor of the personal fulfillment you will gain at a school. It is the area of study you choose and your accomplishments (social and academic) at the college of your choice that matter.

Is there a measurable tool that can help you make a decision?

In my opinion there is not.

Each year, I have parents who use a spreadsheet to plot the value of attending a potential college to within a thousandth of a percentage point. Categories include a school’s place in the national rankings, the quality of the faculty, department name recognition, powerful alumni — the list is almost endless. I even have had clients rank the number of parking spaces set aside for students!

For geographical location, diversity and the number of Nobel Laureates, Chicago ranks third, while Cal-Berkeley is sixth. Does that mean Chicago is better than Berkeley? Not necessarily.

Adding to the pressure of students choosing colleges are parents who are obsessed with getting their children into specific schools.

Harvard ranks at the top of every list for the Ivy League. The aura surrounding Harvard and the perceived benefits afforded students are greatly exaggerated and, in particular, are unsubstantiated if comparing income differentials with other college graduates.

Notre Dame ranks near the top for sheer alumni loyalty in the Midwest, but is that a reason to go there?

Ultimately, no matter where you choose to go to college, a degree from an elite school will not put you ahead in life if you are lazy and unimaginative.

An outstanding performance at a lesser-known college will trump a lackluster effort from a top college, and this levels the playing field.

Keep this in mind as you weigh your options.

Your college choice will not define you; it only will make it possible for you to discover yourself and prepare for a fulfilling career.

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Thursday, September 1, 2011

Second-tier colleges ‘The New Ivies’

Thursday, September 1, 2011


BY GERALD M. BRADSHAW
gerald_bradshaw@post.harvard.edu
Bradshaw College Consulting
(219) 663-3041

Dear Mr. Bradshaw:


I am putting together a list of colleges to apply to this fall and I have heard that I should consider a few backup college choices, in the event that I do not get admitted to one of my top choices. So far I have 20 top tier colleges on my list, but I plan to pare that down to 10 or 12. My concern is that all of them rank at or near the top in the college rankings. My guidance counselor tells me that even second-tier colleges are becoming more selective and suggested that I take that into consideration when I select my backup schools. I would like to hear your thoughts.

High school senior

Second-tier colleges ‘the new Ivies’

Dear High School Senior: arvard, Yale, Dartmouth and the other Ivy League colleges are considered first-tier schools and are very difficult to gain admission to even with an outstanding academic record. Admission rates range from 6.1 percent at Harvard to 13 percent at Dartmouth.

Many students fail to realize that second-tier colleges can be as admissions-competitve as first tier schools and that each year the gap in admissions percentages is narrowing. Northwestern and Notre Dame are generally considered second-tier colleges with admission rates of 27 percent and 29 percent, respectively, but many students who apply to these schools as backups are rejected even though they have records similar to those of students admitted to the Ivy League. With the huge increase in outstanding international applicants at top colleges, second-tier colleges are now considered “the new Ivies.”

Most estimates are that 30 to 40 universities like Northwestern and Notre Dame actually benefit by admitting students turned down from schools like Harvard and Princeton because the academic records of these students have helped them climb in the overall rankings.

Many students are shocked when they are rejected or waitlisted by a second-tier college. Students who may not get admitted to Northwestern, Notre Dame, NYU, Washington University in St. Louis, Rice, Emory or Georgetown are grateful that they picked backup colleges where admission is all but assured.

One of the reasons that admission to top tier schools is getting more difficult is simply one of supply and demand. The number of students graduating from high school has been increasing, and more students are interested in applying to top universities. Many high achieving students also are applying to more colleges than in the past — hedging their bets due to the uncertainty of admissions.

The overflow of students applying to second-tier colleges also has created its own spillover. Many state colleges and universities are seeing their rankings increase because students with higher grades and test scores are enrolling.

Listen to your high school counselor and think more broadly about the college application process. You need a good backup school to depend on.

College Admissions Consulting Articles - Second-tier colleges ‘the new Ivies’