College Class of 2013 Students Beware... Is a Company Behind Your Facebook Group?
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Brad Ward, the Electronic Communication Coordinator at Butler University noticed something strange about Butler's Class of 2013 group on Facebook... the administrator for the group had not actually been accepted to Butler. Alerted to something fishy by a colleague at Winthrop, Brad began digging deeper and noticed that a few names were behind hundreds of Class of 2013 groups on Facebook.
Company Uses Student Interns to Set Up Facebook Groups
Now the Common Application may make it easy to apply to a dozen schools, but three students appeared as the administrators for more than 40 Class of 2013 groups each. Ward eventually traced the Facebook users back to College Prowler, which had recruited students as unpaid interns to spearhead its "social marketing strategy."
Colleges Concerned About Use of Facebook Groups for Marketing
Ward and many of his colleagues at universities across the country expressed concern that these groups could have been used to "spam" students and push affiliate links onto unsuspecting students.
The Role of Colleges on Facebook
This started a healthy debate about what roles colleges should be playing on Facebook. Should they be actively engaging students, starting "official" Facebook groups for incoming classes, or leveraging other Facebook opportunities? Or should they take a more hands-off role allowing students to drive interactions related to college admissions? This latest incident is likely to push many colleges and universities to be more pro-active. Ward already intends to set up the OFFICIAL Butler Class of 2013 group, not because he wants to moderate the discussion, but because he wants to make sure students have a safe place to discuss Butler without having to worry about being marketed to by for-profit companies.
Labels: admissions, college, Facebook, marketing
A College Interview... on a Webcam
Monday, December 8, 2008
Wake Forest University is experimenting with an interview technique that may become much more common... talking with students via webcam. This is a great idea. It offers an opportunity for students to interview with admission counselor when they may not be able to afford a visit to campus or they may not live in an area with alumni interviewers. It seems to be a win-win for students and colleges.
Will Other Colleges Be Trying Webcam Interviews?
This is the first year for Wake Forest's webcam interviews, but I would not be surprised if this practice were put into use by other colleges over the next few years. While face-to-face interactions are likely the preferred method for conducting interviews, the webcam option would seem to be an attractive alternative when a face-to-face interview is not possible.
Could This Help Colleges Stand Out?
Additionally, I think colleges embracing technology in a constructive manner such as this will win some bonus points with students. It demonstrates that they are willing to think creatively to interact with prospective students and to adapt to students' needs. If you can't make it to campus for an interview, we'll figure out a way to bring the interviewer to you virtually. I think it gives students the feeling that a school really is interested in getting to know them and will go to great lengths to do so.
Labels: admissions, college, interview
Top Colleges See Rise in Early Decision / Early Action Applicants
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Is it the economy? Is it an increase in the number of students going to college this year? The answer is probably both. A number of top colleges are reporting a significant increase in early applicants this year.
Students and Parents May Want Certainty in this Economy
Many colleges anticipated a drop in early admissions (which often times is binding), assuming students and their families would be more budget-conscious and therefore want to do some "comparison-shopping" among schools' financial aid packages. Apparently, the economy may have had the opposite effect. Students and their parents may be looking for certainty in what has been a crazy few months with the economy.
Competition for Admission to Top Colleges May be Peaking
Additionally, competition for entrance into top colleges is likely at its peak right now. The number of students graduating from high school is up from 5 and 10 years ago, and early admissions is often perceived as a way of improving one's chances of getting in.
Early Admission Increases at Some Top Colleges
Here is a sampling of top colleges and their increase in early admissions applicants:
A handful of top colleges, including
Harvard,
Princeton,
and the University of Virginia,
have eliminated early decision altogether in the past few years.
Labels: admissions, college, early action, early decision
Baylor Trying to Game U.S. News Rankings by Paying Freshmen to Retake SATs?
Monday, October 20, 2008
The New York Times recently published a story about Baylor University paying incoming freshmen $300 to retake the SAT and awarding them a $1,000 merit scholarship if they raised their SAT score 50 points. Just to clarify, Baylor paid students who were already admitted to the school $300 to retake the SAT.
Why Was Baylor Paying Admitted Students to Retake the SAT?
While the university claimed that much of the motivation for letting incoming freshmen retake the SAT was to award additional merit aid (that is, the $1,000 merit scholarship if they raised their score 50 points), the tactics seem a little fishy. The initiative appears to be a veiled attempt to improve the school's standing in popular college ranking guides.
First, the offer was only open to incoming freshmen. No upperclassmen were offered the opportunity to do the same. Why is that significant? Well, because the test scores of upperclassmen have already been reported to organizations like U.S. News and World Report and Princeton Review in past years and won't have any affect on the school's current rankings.
Second, it was not as though they had pre-defined standards for merit aid and were encouraging students who fell just short of those standards to retake the SAT so they could qualify. That might seem compassionate, in some way, letting a kid who scored an 1220 on the SAT and fell just short of a 1250 cut-off for a scholarship give it another try. You could qualify for the merit aid whether you had a 1000 SAT score or a 1300 SAT score.
Finally, if it was mostly about giving out additional merit aid, aren't there better ways to give out scholarships rather than making a freshman retake the SAT? One quick idea could be to tie the merit scholarship to community service.
The Results of Paying Students and the Criticism that Followed
The program cost the school a reported $862,000, and the average SAT score of incoming freshmen climbed just 10 points from 1200 to 1210. When the news broke in the university's student newspaper, The Lariat, the school received criticism from all quarters of the university. The newspaper released a highly critical op-ed piece, the faculty senate condemned the practice, and many students on campus derided it as unfair and out of line with Baylor's institutional values. Criticism also came from the admission professionals around the country.
Baylor Stops the Program
In response to the mounting criticism, Baylor has stopped the program. It's unclear whether it was initially intended to be a one-year program or an ongoing offer to incoming freshmen.
The whole affair has stoked the fires for critics of published rankings and for critics of standardized tests.
Labels: admissions, college, SAT, U.S. News
Are the SATs Days Numbered?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
A panel of admission experts, assembled by the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC) and led by William Fitzsimmons, dean of admission and financial aid at Harvard, recently put out a report that raises questions about the use of SAT and ACT in college admissions decisions. The panel asked colleges to look critically at the correlation between SAT and ACT scores and performance in actual college classes and decide whether the use of these standardized admissions tests is appropriate.
So What Does This Mean?
Many colleges have already started a shift toward test optional policies, meaning students can submit SAT or ACT scores if they like, but are not required to do so. According to FairTest.org, the number of colleges and universities that have some form of test optional policy now approaches 800. This trend seems likely to continue. However, it's unlikely that college-bound students will be able to completely ignore the SAT and ACT any time soon.
If you're a high school or middle school student, you may not want to get too excited. The report does not advocate eliminating testing altogether. It proposes the consideration of alternative tests that are more curriculum-based, meaning they would test what you actually learn in high school. Some examples of curriculum-based tests are AP Exams and SAT Subject Tests. According to the report, these tests tend to be better predictors of success in college classrooms than the ACT and SAT.
The Test Prep Industry
The panel also pointed to the entire industry that has sprung up around test preparation for the ACT and SAT as an unfair advantage for some and an unnecessary distraction from actual learning. Not everyone can afford an SAT Prep Class from Kaplan or Princeton Review. Additionally, the panel believed that curriculum-based tests would send "a message to students that studying their course material in high school, not taking extracurricular test prep courses that tend to focus on test-taking skills, is the way to do well on admission tests and succeed in a rigorous college curriculum."
My guess is that the test prep industry would adapt their methods to the new curriculum-based tests. They may not be as easily "gamed", but there will likely be places where test prep will allow for improvement of scores. For example, the MCAT is largely based on specific subject matter and plenty of organizations offer test prep for it, including Kaplan and Princeton Review.
Labels: ACT, admissions, college, SAT, Test Prep
Online Degrees: Are They Worth the Money?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
For many, getting a degree at a traditional 4-year college or 2-year community college is not an option. You may have kids to take care of so 9am classes aren't realistic. You may be holding down a job and need the flexibility of an online degree program. How do you decide if an online degree program is worth the money?
Here are a few steps that may help you determine if getting an online degree is a good way to spend your hard-earned dollars (or a good reason to take on some student loan debt).
1. Will the online degree give you access to new career opportunities?
Do you need a specific skill set to advance in your current job? Do you need training to transition to a new career path? Before you decide you want a degree for a degree's sake, you need to understand what doors an online degree will open.
A good way to do this is contact companies that are in your desired field and talk with someone involved in hiring. Ask them how they view candidates who have received a degree from an online program and which programs and schools they consider the strongest. Find out whether getting more formal training through an online degree program will improve your chances of breaking into the field or advancing in your job.
You may also want to talk with graduates who have received online degrees from the schools you are considering. Learn whether the program was a valuable experience for them and if it helped improve their marketability to potential employers.
2. Is the online degree program a reputable one?
If you've done some of the work answering question #1, you have probably already started the process of evaluating a specific online degree program.
Another good way to determine if an online degree program is legitimate and reputable is to research their accreditation status. The U.S. Department of Education provides a way for you to search for accredited postsecondary institutions. This is probably a good starting place. For specific programs, there may be other sources. For example, the AACSB and ACBSP provide accreditation for business programs.
3. Do they participate in federal financial aid programs?
Paying for your online degree program is likely going to be a concern. As we always say, you should do your best to find scholarships and grants first since they are essentially "free money" for college. After that, federal financial aid programs are typically your best, most affordable options. You should check whether you'll be able to get Stafford loans to pay for an online degree program. These are essentially schools that participate in the federal government's Title IV program.
We hope these tips help you determine whether an online degree program is worth the investment of time, effort, and money. Start your search for online degree programs now!
Labels: admissions, college, online degree
College Admissions Officers May Be Checking Your Facebook Profile, But You Don't Need to Panic
Friday, October 3, 2008
You may want to be more careful what you post on your Facebook or MySpace profile, it could come back to haunt you. According to a Kaplan survey of 320 admissions officers, 1 in 10 had visited the profile of an applicant on a social networking process as part of their evaluation process for admissions.
The trend is not only present at the undergraduate level. Admissions officers at some business, law, and medical schools have also taken a look at social networking profiles in their decision-making process.
What Can You Do
While some may say, don't use these sites or don't post anything that you wouldn't want on your admissions application, that's probably an unrealistic demand. These sites can be great tools for connecting with friends, meeting new people, posting photos, or just having fun. Some of you probably check Facebook more often than you check e-mail.
However, there are a few steps that you may want to consider so that your profile does not come back to bite you.
Set Your Profile to Private
Most of the social networking sites, including Facebook and MySpace, have a way for you to adjust your privacy settings. It's probably a good idea to give full access to your profile only to friends. This will help you avoid having to decide every time you upload a picture, add an application, or post on a wall whether it's something you'd want an admissions officer to see.
Don't Mix Business and Pleasure
For those of you who may be artists, directors, or musicians, Facebook and MySpace can often be great places to showcase your work and share it with friends, family, and others. However, you're probably using the site for social reasons as well and everything may not be intended for the eyes of admission officers. If you want to send links to your portfolio to admissions officers, you should think about posting your work elsewhere as well. You may want to create a Flickr or YouTube account solely for your work and share links to these accounts as part of your college application.
Use a Little Judgment
We know that your Facebook profile may not be intended for viewing by admissions officers, or even your parents for that matter, but a little judgment may help you avoid some heartache down the road. If you're under 21, you probably should think twice about setting the photo of you with a beer in each hand and drool on your face as your profile picture. Illegal activity is probably not something you want to be highlighting for all to see. In fact, even if you're over 21, this photo may not be your best choice as a profile picture.
Labels: admissions, college, Facebook, MySpace, social networking
Making the Most of Your Summers
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
It may still be winter, but it's probably not too early to start thinking about what you want to do this summer. If you wait too long, you may find yourself sitting on the couch all summer or working at a job you don't really like. A little research and some planning ahead could help you make your summer a really valuable experience... and a big plus on your college application.
First off, it's important to take some time to consider what you want to get out of the summer. Do you want to make some money so you can put a little aside for college? Do you want to look for an exciting internship, getting a taste of the working world and exploring your career options? Do you want to take summer classes at a college campus, feeling out what university life is like?
For many of you, a summer academic program may be on your radar screen. No, we're not talking about summer school, where kids retake classes they may have failed the previous year. We're talking about hands-on academic experiences where you're likely to learn inside and outside the classroom. These summer programs can be a great option and offer some major benefits.
A Taste of College
Summer academic programs can be a great way to see what college life is like before you set foot on campus as a freshman. Many take place on major college campuses, have you living in actual college dorms, and taking classes from real college professors. It's almost like you get to take a test drive of college. You'll likely be tackling challenging academic topics and gaining a much better sense of the additional demands placed on college students. It's also a great way to really delve into an academic area like biology, photography, or business that you are passionate about.
A Real Plus on Your College Application
High school transcripts, admissions essays, SAT scores... they are all used by college admissions committees to determine if you will be a student who will excel at their college. But what better way is there to show you can do well in a college academic setting than by doing well in a college academic setting? Taking on the challenge of a college summer program may help you overcome an SAT score that is on the low end of the scale for a college or a little stumble on your high school transcript.
Actual College Credit
Not only could a summer program help you get into college, it may give you a head start once you get there. Many summer programs offer academic credit at the host college. You will need to check with whatever college you end up attending to see if you are able to transfer this credit.
Cost Can Be an Issue
Cost can vary pretty significantly from program to program. A summer college program can often cost thousands of dollars. But don't be discouraged if you can't afford that price tag. Many programs offer need-based scholarships. You might also take a look at Governor's Schools that many states have. These are typically free or very affordable summer residential programs for high-achieving students. Upward Bound programs might also be great options for lower-income students.
Summer Program Resources
We've provided links to a few sites that may be helpful in your search for some great summer programs:
We've also included links to summer programs at some of the top colleges:
Labels: admissions, college, summer
2008 U.S News College Rankings: The Great Debate Rages On
Friday, November 9, 2007
A few months back, the 2008 U.S. News College Rankings were released. Princeton topped this year's list, edging out Harvard and Yale. As usual, the release of the U.S. News rankings sparked considerable debate about whether they help or hurt students' efforts to find colleges that are a good fit.
Some argue that high school seniors get caught up worrying about where a college is ranked rather than focusing on their own preferences and finding a college that matches these preferences.
Proponents counter that the U.S. News college rankings can be used as one of many tools to help high school seniors and their parents assess the quality of colleges.
How You Can Effectively Use College Rankings
We do not recommend basing your college decision solely on the U.S. News College Rankings or any other ranking system (unless you've devised your own personal ranking system). However, these rankings can often have significant value for you in your research. If you take some time to look beyond the actual ranking of a college and look into the underlying data, you can uncover some very useful information.
First, these rankings can often serve as a quick barometer for how competitive a college will be to get into. The top colleges on the list will generally be the most selective colleges in the U.S. Colleges further down are generally a little easier to get into. That can be a huge help as you start narrowing down the list of colleges you want to apply to. You should be thinking about whether a college is a reach, a good fit, or a safety school. You ideally want to have a school or two in each of these categories when you are applying to colleges.
Second, the U.S. News College Rankings, as well as other rankings, often provide quick snippets of data in a single location on a number of colleges. The U.S. News College Rankings can be a useful place to go to find SAT Scores for the 25th and 75th percentiles of the incoming freshman class. The Washington Monthly does their own college ranking, scoring colleges on what they are "doing for the country". These rankings provide interesting data for students who might be interested in ROTC or public service. You can find out which colleges have the most graduates go on to serve in the Peace Corps or which university work-study programs have the most money going to community-service efforts.
Finally, a major bi-product of rankings efforts is that they encourage colleges to share information. The Common Data Set, an effort to standardize data reporting and data sharing by colleges, was largely a result of the proliferation of college rankings. All college-bound students have benefited from this data being more readily available.
Create Your Own College Ranking System
We've created a tool that allows you to come up with your own college ranking system. Our College Scorecard lets you to decide what criteria are important to you and then allows you to rank up to 4 colleges using these criteria. You'll end up with your own personal college rankings... which are the best college rankings of all!
U.S. News College Rankings - Top 50 Colleges with Links to their College Profiles
1. Princeton University (Private)
2. Harvard University (Private)
3. Yale University (Private)
4. Stanford University (Private)
5. California Institute of Technology (Private)
5. University of Pennsylvania (Private)
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Private)
8. Duke University (Private)
9. Columbia University (Private)
9. University of Chicago (Private)
11. Dartmouth College (Private)
12. Cornell University (Private)
12. Washington University in St. Louis (Private)
14. Brown University (Private)
14. Johns Hopkins University (Private)
14. Northwestern University (Private)
17. Emory University (Private)
17. Rice University (Private)
19. University of Notre Dame (Private)
19. Vanderbilt University (Private)
21. University of California-Berkeley (Public)
22. Carnegie Mellon University (Private)
23. Georgetown University (Private)
23. University of Virginia (Public)
25. University of California-Los Angeles (Public)
25. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Public)
27. University of Southern California (Private)
28. Tufts University (Private)
28. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Public)
30. Wake Forest University (Private)
31. Brandeis University (Private)
31. Lehigh University (Private)
33. College of William and Mary (Public)
34. New York University (Private)
35. Boston College (Private)
35. Georgia Institute of Technology (Public)
35. University of Rochester (Private)
38. University of California-San Diego (Public)
38. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Public)
38. University of Wisconsin-Madison (Public)
41. Case Western Reserve University (Private)
42. University of California-Davis (Public)
42. University of Washington (Public)
44. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Private)
44. University of California-Irvine (Public)
44. University of California-Santa Barbara (Public)
44. University of Texas-Austin (Public)
48. Pennsylvania State University-University Park (Public)
49. University of Florida (Public)
50. Syracuse University (Private)
50. Tulane University (Private)
Labels: admissions, college, college search, rankings, selective, U.S. News