The Essay Expert was published today (July 1, 2010) on igrad.com on why you need to do your research before choosing a school for graduate school, law school, or medical school. Read the full article HERE.
Archive for the ‘College Admissions’ Category
Preview of Common Application Form for College Applications – Available Now!
The Common Application Form does not become officially available until August 1. But you can get a preview and start working on your essays now! To see the preview, Click Here
Is it Worth It to Compete for an Ivy League Education?
It’s undeniable that a degree from an Ivy League college holds a lot of prestige. In fact, I have personally experienced the benefit of an Ivy League degree in my career, as I’ve set out first as a lawyer and then as a resume writer and college essay advisor. “B.A. Yale ’91″ is enough to convince some people to hire me. Many employers prefer to hire people with one of those “magic” schools on their resumes.
I have a secret to share: I sometimes wish I had gone to Oberlin where the students might be a bit more hippie and down to earth, i.e., more like me. But I will never regret having a Yale degree on my resume. It helped me get into another prestigious school (NYU Law ’98) and has gained the respect of several employers and clients.
A recent article by Eve Tahmincioglu on msnbc.com, “An Ivy League degree no surefire path to success,” explores whether an Ivy League degree really makes a difference when it comes to how well a candidate will do in a job. The article concludes that hard work, not the college name on your diploma, leads to career success. Nevertheless, people with Ivy League degrees have significantly higher incomes than their non-Ivy counterparts:
“The typical Ivy League bachelor’s graduate earns about 27 percent more early in their career, and about 47 percent more by the time he or she is about 40, than the typical bachelor’s graduate from all U.S. schools,” according to compensation website PayScale.com.
I wonder: Do employers like to hire someone from the “right” school simply because of the prestige, or do they beleive they can rely on the pre-screening that the Ivies (and other top schools) do on every admittee? It seems to me that there’s a really good chance that someone who made it into an Ivy League school is among the best and the brightest. That’s not to say that a huge number of the best and the brightest — and the most hard working — did not go to Ivy League universities, either because they did not get in or because they chose less pricey options.
It’s understandable that many students prefer to attend Ivies, regardless of whether this education is essential to career success. Ivy League colleges come with a guaranteed caliber to the student body and community, to the professors, and to the education. And of course, the degree opens up many doors with ease.
The competition to get in to Ivy League and other top schools, as reported by Ms. Tahmincioglu in her MSNBC article, is fiercer than ever: “According to the Harvard Crimson, the school accepted a record-low 6.9 percent of applicants this year even though the number of applications actually went up 5 percent — topping 30,000 for the first time in the school’s history.”
The long and the short of it is that if you want to have an easier path to some of the most prestigious jobs in the country, a Yale, Harvard or Princeton degree will go far. You still need to do well once you’re there, and you still need to work hard once you’re in the work force. But the big names on the resume don’t hurt a bit. And in my book, that’s enough to make it worthwhile to shoot for the best.
U.S. News Rankings — Proposed Changes — What Do You Think?
The U.S. News and World Report is considering some changes in the way they calculate their rankings. Have an opinion? Your contributions are welcome. What May Change in Upcoming College Rankings and Your Thoughts – and Our Responses – on College Ranking Changes
Parental Alert: 2010′s Five Most Dangerous Teen Jobs – from Workers’ Comp Insider
Are you encouraging your teen to work during the summer to gain experience, learn financial responsibility, and/or have something to write about in a college essay? Make sure whatever your kids are doing that they stay safe. 2010′s Five Worst Teen Jobs from Worker’s Comp Insider.
Even for Summer Jobs, Teens Should Craft a Resume – from the Washington Post
It’s never too early to start putting together a resume! As a teenager, you are competing for jobs just like adults. Plus as a teen, your resume can help when you start requesting letters of recommendation for college. Your recommenders will love to have a resume as part of the materials you hand to them! Find out more tips on how to craft a successful teenage resume: Even for Summer Jobs, Teens Should Craft a Resume - The Washington Post
High School Seniors: Start NOW on your Letters of Recommendation (LORs)!
What was your favorite class in high school? What class did you do best in? Who was your favorite teacher? How well do you know your guidance counselor? Who knows you the best (both adults and fellow students)? Who will write you the best recommendation?
These are questions to answer now! Once you have your answers, make a list of the people who would be your best recommenders.
After identifying your best recommenders, ask them if they are willing to write you a letter of recommendation. Ask in particular if they will write you a strong one. If they can’t, see if there’s someone on your list who can.
Teachers will appreciate having as long as possible to work on your LORs. Get a leg up by approaching them now!
If you remember particular instances where you demonstrated your intelligence, creativity, responsibility, or other great qualities, don’t be shy about reminding your recommenders about those instances. You can even give them a list of things you think they might want to cover in their letters. The best letters tell stories, and you probably remember those stories better than anyone else!
Examples of things you might want to share with the people writing your letters of recommendation:
- Copies of your best papers in their class
- Copies of your creative writing
- Notes about particular contributions you made in class
- A list of your activities and accomplishments
- Your transcript
- Your student resume (yes you should have one!)
Any help you can give your recommenders, whether it’s giving them plenty of time or helping them with material to put in the letter, will generally be appreciated and will make for a stellar LOR!
The benefit to you, besides great LORs, is that when December rolls around, you won’t be biting your nails worrying whether your letters will be in by deadline.
That’s worth a bit of thought and action now, isn’t it?
Wait Listed? Getting Creative Might Be the Answer
On April 15, 2010 the New York Times printed an Op-Ed entitled “The Wait List is the Hardest Part.” The editorial was written by Saffa Khan, a senior in high school who was waitlisted at four colleges.
The content of the article was of course valuable, and 17-year-old Saffa gets points for making a Tom Petty reference. But I’m not concerned with her content. The thing that caught my attention is simply that a high school senior got published in the New York Times! Saffa took huge initiative, worked hard to write a piece that would be of value, and put it out there to the world.
If you were a college admissions committee, do you think you might take notice?
This student stands out amongst all the others who just sit there, waiting, hoping, wondering. She even stands out amongst the students who send additional essays, or letters about why X school is their first choice, or new letters of recommendation. All those things might help you to get off the waitlist, but getting published in the New York Times takes the cake.
Do you have something you can achieve that is truly out of the ordinary? Can you get published in a national newspaper? Win a poetry, science or chess contest or competition? Self-publish a book? Solve a problem that hasn’t been solved?
If you’re serious about getting off the waitlist, my advice is to follow Saffa’s example – and stop waiting.
Is Your Son or Daughter an Upcoming High School Senior? Start Your College Visits Now!
Summer’s coming and your high school junior might be thinking more about trips to the beach than about college plans, but this is the perfect time to start planning college visits! The earlier the better. If you haven’t already, sit down with your son or daughter and think about what colleges he or she might want to attend. Then plan a trip.
Top 4 reasons to visit colleges this summer:
- The college visit is the best way for you and your son or daughter to get a feeling for what a school is really like, beyond the two dimensionality of a web page or brochure. Meet students, see dorm rooms and dining halls, and maybe even sit in on a class (though classes are not as numerous in the summer as they would be in the spring or fall). Your child will get a sense of whether he or she wants to spend four years in this place.
- At schools that offer on-campus interviews, this is your child’s chance to meet an admissions representative before even submitting an application. It is a chance to make an impression early on so the committee has a face – or at the very least an interview report — to attach to the application. Alumni interviews don’t happen until after the application is submitted, so the on-campus interview is an opportunity not to be missed.
- Visiting shows the school that your child is serious about that school. Who takes their summer vacation to go and visit colleges? Not too many people. Show up at colleges when you could be out on Cape Cod, and you make an impression. Want to make the biggest splash? Visit in June or July. Most families wait until August, when your son or daughter will be just one face in a sea of hundreds.
- Summer visits give you time to revisit. If you and your child like what you see and want to know more, or if you’re not sure and need a second look, making the first visit in June gives you plenty of time for a second round. If you visit for the first time in February, your family will have to make decisions based on one visit alone.
So… before hitting the beach, sit down for a college conversation, pull out a map, and start planning!
Do you Want to Go to College This Fall? There’s Still Room!
The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) just reported that colleges and universities still have space available for qualified freshman and/or transfer students. Even better news it that nearly all have financial aid to offer. The survey asked four-year colleges and universities about the availability of space, institutional financial aid and housing as of May 1, 2010. Twenty-three percent of the respondents are public colleges and 77% are private. Ninety-three percent have housing space.
If you have not yet completed the college admission process, and want to apply, see NACAC’s annual Space Availability Survey: Openings for Qualified Students.
