Acceptance time tough on high school seniors

Thursday, April 12, 2012

BY GERALD M. BRADSHAW

gerald_bradshaw@post.harvard.edu

Bradshaw College Consulting

(219) 663-3041

Acceptance time tough on high school seniors

It is again the time of year when high school seniors eagerly await letters notifying them of acceptance or rejection from the colleges of their choice.

It is seldom more nerve-wracking than when the college of choice is among the eight schools in the Ivy League. A record number of students applied to Ivy schools this year, and the odds of getting in are staggeringly low. Here is my 2012 admission-rate report.

Harvard: The acceptance rate was the lowest in the Ivy League, despite a slight decline in applications.

Harvard admitted 2,032 of the 34,302 students who applied — an acceptance rate of 5.9 percent. That is an all-time low, and down from last year’s rate of 6.2 percent.

William Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid, told the Harvard Crimson: “We have always been conservative about the number of acceptances sent out at this time of year, in order to avoid the possibility of overcrowding. Harvard’s high graduation rate — typically 97 to 98 percent — leaves little margin for error.”

Fitzsimmons said more than 14,000 applicants had scores of 700 or higher (out of 800) on the SAT critical reading test; 17,000 had scores of 700 or higher on the SAT math test, and 15,000 scored 700 or higher on the SAT writing test. He added that 3,800 applicants were ranked first in their respective high school classes.

Yale: It admitted only 1,975 of the record-high 28,974 students who applied this year, a 6.8 percent rate that was down from 7.4 percent last year.

CNNMoney reported that Jeffrey Brenzel, Yale’s dean of undergraduate admissions, said: “We had another extraordinary applicant pool, and another challenging selection process. We could not make offers to a large number of immensely talented young men and women.”

Cornell: It admitted only 16.2 percent of the record 37,812 applicants this year — its lowest rate ever.

Dartmouth: It had a record-low 9.4 percent acceptance rate.

Princeton: It accepted only 2,095 students of the 26,664 who applied, bringing its acceptance rate to a historic low of 7.9 percent.

University of Pennsylvania: It accepted 12.3 percent, also a record low.

Brown: Its admittance rate rose to 9.6 percent, compared to 8.6 percent last year.

Columbia: It admitted 2,363 students, or 7.4 percent of the 31,851 applicants — up from last year’s rate of 6.9 percent

Brown and Columbia were the only Ivy schools to accept a higher percentage of applicants this year.

Students admitted to Ivy League schools normally have until May 1 to accept their offers.

My next column will deal with how to get off of the waiting list.

Ivy schools more affordable

Thursday, March 29, 2012

BY GERALD M. BRADSHAW

gerald_bradshaw@post.harvard.edu

Bradshaw College Consulting

(219) 663-3041


Dear Mr. Bradshaw:--

I plan to apply to Harvard and several other Ivy League schools this fall. Is it true that they offer generous financial-aid packages? If I have to borrow thousands of dollars to attend, I will opt for a state school where I am sure to be admitted. —

Ivy schools more affordable

Dear Student: —

After the Ivy League got stung with bad publicity because many of their graduates ended up with more than $150,000 in debt, Harvard took the lead and revamped its financial-aid packages to replace student loans with grants.

Other colleges quickly followed suit.

Today, 70 percent of Harvard undergraduates receive some financial aid. This is typical at most of Ivy League schools.

Students from families with annual incomes below $65,000 are not required to contribute to their educations. And families with incomes up to $150,000 pay no more than 10 percent of their income.

At Harvard, the average financial-aid recipient’s family pays only $11,500 annually.

This new policy has resulted in greater economic diversity in the Ivy League. No longer the exclusive bastion of upper-class privilege, the financial-aid program has made the Ivy League more affordable to attend than many state colleges and universities.

As might be expected, the number of students applying to the Ivy League has increased because of the new policies. However, at Harvard, the number of applications this year started to level off. A total of 34,285 applications were received, down from last year’s record of 34,950.

Two years ago, 30,489 applied and, 10 years ago, there were 18,932 applications. One change worth noting is the modest (5 percent) increase in international applicants this year, compared to a 20 percent increase last year.

According to Harvard’s admissions office, outreach to international students by American colleges and universities normally has produced large annual gains, as relatively few international students had considered coming to the United States for college.

Today, an American college education is considered an option by more international students than in the past.

Along with the new generous financial-aid offerings, expect the admissions competition to show an increasing number of international students who have stellar academic credentials.

Although you can afford to attend if admitted, the competition will be tougher because international applicants are not considered separately for admission.

Schools now pick the best applicant, regardless of nationality.

AP classes not for everyone

Saturday, March 17, 2012

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

Dear Mr. Bradshaw:--

I enjoyed speaking with you recently. Your comments echoed those of my biology teacher, who said I should consider a career in medical research, rather than as a surgeon.

I hope to be accepted at Stanford University because of its diverse student body and the research, internship and job opportunities that abound in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco. Stanford boasts brilliant professors, a world-renowned academic structure and study-abroad opportunities.

Although I want to study medicine in graduate school, I also am interested in pursuing another Ph.D. I have applied for biology, chemistry, biochemistry and biomedical engineering majors at the universities to which I have applied. I’m doing an International Baccalaureate in high school and take four higher-level subjects, so I am working hard to get top grades so I can get advanced standing and avoid at least a year of undergrad studies. I hope this will lead to a double major in three years or triple major in four.

My question is, based upon what you know about me and your knowledge of economic trends, which double major or major combinations would you suggest? —A student

AP classes not for everyone

AP classes for some, just too much to handle .

Dear Student:


Your question really has two distinct questions that must be answered — pursuing multiple majors and, the sleeper question, whether to take advantage of advanced standing and skip most of your freshman year.

Based on my experience, any of the majors on your list should bode well for the future, whether you go to grad or medical school. All are tough programs and will impress admissions committees if you do extremely well in them.

I have a tutor for the SAT who is taking triple majors in physics, chemistry and math. Another one of my tutors is taking a double in philosophy and economics.

You might cluster majors close together, which has the added advantage of cross fertilization; the skills learned in one major often can be used in the other.

The other question I want to address is the sleeper: whether to take advantage of Advanced Placement classes. Most college freshmen do not have a good strategy in mind for evaluating the advantages or disadvantages of taking AP classes. Certainly, by taking advanced classes, it is possible to skip a year of college.

But this might not be the best decision for all students. Loading up on AP classes — in practice, becoming a sophomore in your freshman year — often leads to lower grades and a lower grade-point average that is impossible from which to recover.

I advise students that the freshman year is all about earning top grades. Not to be cynical about it (you do learn while you earn), but in the final analysis, you will need top grades in order to apply to medical or grad school.

The grades you earn in the first year, as a freshman or sophomore, are critical in establishing your overall GPA. If you have a bad semester or even dip to a B in a single class, it will have a negative effect on your GPA and, statistically, it is impossible to average it out in the second and third year.

Remember, if you take AP classes, you eventually will compete with second-year students, many of whom will have taken the introductory class that you skipped. And, in most cases, they will be better prepared for the second year.

In other words if you opt for AP, you forgo the chance to earn a relatively easier A.

Course guide could be problematic

Dear Mr. Bradshaw:--

I am a junior in high school and want to participate in an extracurricular activity that will benefit students as well as help me develop my leadership skills.

I came up with the idea of publishing a course evaluation guide created by students. I would like to see an evaluation at the end of each semester so that the information is available for students and teachers when it comes time to select classes.

Many students have had bad experiences picking classes and I feel their voice needs to be heard. Any suggestions?

Course guide could be problematic

Dear Student:

While an evaluation guide developed by students might prove valuable in selecting a class I find it hard to suggest a way that you could gather the information necessary to publish it. It would take cooperation from your school administration and teachers and the process would invite evaluators to critique classes and ultimately the teachers who teach them.

Because teacher evaluations have been the subject of debate for many years I am not sure that you want to get in the middle of what is a really sticky situation. I am familiar with the public school system and teacher contracts.

Administrators believe that teacher evaluations are in their purview and teachers believe that their contracts and tenure are sacrosanct. There is already a ton of controversy without students becoming involved in the evaluation process. Even if you decided to take your project off-campus it could be controversial.

This is not to say there is not a need for a student led course evaluation. The problem will be in coming up with an instrument that is useful to the student, fair to the teachers and meets the guidelines of the administration.

Students would tend to give high ratings to classes that are enjoyable and not particularity difficult. Classes that require a lot of homework and testing would get lower scores.

As a result, far from acting as a resource for teachers, the evaluation process you are proposing is more a guide for students, helping them to select the courses that are fun and manageable at the same time.

If you intend to go forward with your project you might think about working with a select group of teachers to develop an evaluation system. Perhaps you can help them develop a survey, which can be adapted specifically to the parameters of a particular class with questions chosen by the teacher.

If a teacher agrees to allow an evaluation of his or her class at least their input will have a role in the development of the survey.

To be successful, the evaluation should avoid adopting an overly professional and impersonal tone. The more informal the tone the greater the number of students respondents. Instead of asking whether a class has turned a student into a better citizen, the questionnaire should ask questions that speak directly to student feelings about the atmosphere in the classroom and the level of difficulty.

The best way to make the evaluation tool effective would be to make it mandatory for all students and teachers. By making it mandatory you will eliminate the bias that is inherent in any voluntary response system.

Students with particularly strong opinions about a class, as opposed to those students who are more or less satisfied with their experience, are inevitably more likely to respond and therefore skew the evaluations.

In the end, putting all of this together and getting students, teachers and administrators to sign-up for your idea will take a lot of creativity and perseverance. Be prepared for criticism and there could be backlash. But if you do succeed it could be a useful guide for all concerned, both in the process and the outcome.

Course guide could be problematic

College Admissions Consulting Articles - One major can complement another

BY GERALD M. BRADSHAW

gerald_bradshaw@post.harvard.edu

Bradshaw College Consulting

(219) 663-3041


Dear Mr. Bradshaw:--


I read your last column about the stress students are under when they apply to college. I have another other issue: the stress of choosing a major.

I have a general idea that I want to study business or history, but no firm convictions either way. I may even decide on law school, but I want to wait until I am in college before I choose a career.

How important is it to decide on a major early on? My parents are worried that I might make the mistake of choosing a major that is unmarketable.

— Undecided

Dear Undecided:

— What is a marketable degree? The answer is in the eye of the beholder.

To choose history does not mean you are locked out of a business career. To choose business does not mean you must be a business person.

Either major will open doors to a whole range of career options. Law and medicine are attainable with either degree, as are other careers such as financial planner, teacher or the military.

Consider Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court as an example. He was a history major at Harvard College and went on to Harvard Law School. Roberts was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review, so, clearly, the writing skills he learned as a history major helped prepare him for law school.

Roberts graduated from La Lumiere School near LaPorte, a small Catholic boarding college-preparatory high school.

Conor S. Tochilin, the newly selected editor of the Harvard Law Review and a second-year law student, has a similar background. He graduated from Westminster School, a small Christian high school in Atlanta.

Tochilin started as a math and philosophy major, switched to history after reading Adam Smith and Karl Marx, and finally decided to major in economics and philosophy.

These two examples show that students can end up at the same place, but take different approaches to choosing a major. Roberts remained focused on history as an undergraduate; Tochilin needed to experiment with several fields before making a decision.

My professional suggestion is to deviate slightly from Roberts and pick a major that requires some math.

If that approach is not for you, I suggest taking at least a core of applied math classes, including statistics.

Math will sharpen your critical-thinking skills while giving you an edge on the competition if you decide to go to graduate or professional school.

Students excel on the GRE, LSAT and GMAT if they have a strong background in math.


College Admissions Consulting Articles - One major can complement another

College Common Application Changes Coming

Thursday, February 2, 2012


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


Dear Mr. Bradshaw: --

My older sister just completed her college applications, and had a really stressful time. She applied using the Common Application for most colleges and was in tears over the deadlines and the number of college essays she had to write.

She would have given up if it wasn’t for our parents helping out and keeping track of everything. It was the most stressful time of her life. My question is, what will I have to look forward to when I apply in 2013?

College Common Application Changes Coming

Dear Student: --

Many students say the college application process is the most stressful time in their lives. If you apply to 10 colleges, several dozen essays must be written — almost all having word limits and even some with character and space limits.

Pay close attention to the prompts, and approach each essay with extreme care. Each section of the application receives a score, and your success or failure could hinge on making just one mistake fewer than the other candidates.

Most colleges use the Common Application, which streamlines the process by allowing the 456 member colleges to share basic information about you. Name and address, test scores, extracurricular activities and primary essays have only to be entered once and the Common Application is sent to all the colleges on your list.

Most colleges also require that you fill out a supplemental application to the CA in an effort to individualize the admissions process for their school.

The whole process is demanding and, for many students, confusing. The stress factor goes up because you must complete all of this during the first semester of your senior year. The good news is, in 2013, there will be a big change in the CA. Known by its preliminary name as Common App 4.0, the new application should take some of the stress out of applying.

Applicants long have struggled with the quirks of the current form. The new CA will be easier to complete. For example, the application now displays all the questions in a particular section on a student’s computer screen — as many as several dozen at a time. Only a fraction of these questions may be relevant to the student. The new 4.0 will change the display so only one question at a time (or, at most, a handful) will be visible, and the particular answers to each will determine what subsequent questions will be asked.

Tablets such as iPads may not be supported, at least initially. But, as with the current version, students will be able to check the status of their applications on a cell phone or iPad.

The proposed changes should help make your experience a bit easier than your sister’s.

College Common Application Changes Coming

Interview can make or break college admission

Wednesday, January 18, 2012


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



Dear Mr. Bradshaw:

Skype Interviews -- Big Hit
866-687-8129

I have applied to several colleges; now, I am preparing for my interviews. Some schools are willing to conduct interviews over Skype; others say I still have the option to be interviewed on campus or by an alumnus.

A Skype interview is the most convenient, but I am concerned it might not be as effective as a live interview, and I am not sure how I would do on camera. If I go with Skype, should I prepare differently than for a live interview?

Dear Student:

Interview can make or break college admission

— The college interview typically is the last step in the application process. Most top colleges use the interview to help fill in the blanks, to “humanize the process” and to glean information not reflected in other parts of the application.

The undergraduate interview is not designed to trip you up or make you defensive. Interviewers are instructed to advocate for the student and not to act as antagonists.

It is important to do your best and develop a strategy on how to approach the interview. It will be given a numerical rating and scored just like other parts of your application, and it often is used as a tie-breaker. In a tight race, the interview can make or break a candidate’s chances for admission.

The keys to success are similar for Skype and live interviews, but with Skype, there is the additional need to look presentable and speak clearly on camera. There is a bit of Hollywood here; you want to engage the interviewer.

Let’s start with the setting. Most likely, the Skype interview will be conducted in your bedroom or another room in the house where you use your computer. Everyone in your home must take the interview seriously and stay out of sight — including pets.

Good lighting is essential. Turn on all the lights in the room and make sure that you don’t appear as a dark silhouette in front of the camera. Bring in extra lighting if necessary. You need a light on your face as well as behind you.

Check your speakers and ask the interviewer if he or she can hear you clearly. Lower the volume of your speakers to avoid audio feedback. Headphones and earplugs are permitted.

Be sure the room you are Skyping from is free of clutter — no posters of the Grateful Dead (my favorite) on the wall. This is business.

The more it looks like a den or office the better, so stay away from the kitchen with notes stuck on the refrigerator. Remove anything that will be on camera that will keep the interviewer from focusing on you.

The key to preparing is to understand that the interview will be about shared experiences and values. In an age of increasing diversity, this can be a sensitive issue. Keep in mind you want to become part of the interviewers’ experience — you need them more than they need you.

These rules are based on several years of interviewing on Skype and doing live interviews for Harvard.

Dress: Business attire; do not break this rule. For young men and women alike, the time-honored colors are black, gray or navy blue.

Men: The No. 1 rule for hair is clean. The “dirty hair” look may be fashionable, but not for an interview. Get a regular haircut and avoid the spiked peak. Facial hair is discouraged, but if you insist, keep it short and neat. This may seem obvious, but leave your chains and earrings at home.

Women: Hair must be off your face and out of your eyes. Above all, do not fidget with your hair and do not show up looking as if you just stepped out of a shower. The goal of makeup is to look natural and professional. Avoid bright colors and too much eye makeup. Choose accessories that complement your outfit. Simple jewelry will do nicely.

One final check: You do not want to be remembered for how you dressed, but for what you said.

College Admissions Consulting Articles - Interview can make or break college admission