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University of Southern California Adds Early Action Admissions Deadline

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The University of Southern California, a selective private university in Los Angeles, has announced that it is introducing a November 1 Early Action admissions deadline for the 2022-2023 admission cycle.

This is a big change for a university that had long held the line on notifying candidates of their admissions decisions no earlier than spring of each year. Now, those students applying Early Action this fall will learn of their admissions decision by mid to late January 2023.

The new November 1 deadline is non-binding (Early Decision, which USC does not offer, is binding) and non-restrictive, which means that students can apply to other colleges Early Action at the same time. Students can even apply to one other college Early Decision at the same time, but of course would need to commit to their Early Decision college if admitted.

Yet, Early Action is not available for students applying to majors in the School of Architecture, School of Cinematic Arts, Kaufman School of Dance, School of Dramatic Arts, Roski School of Art and Design, Iovine and Young Academy, and Thornton School of Music should. Students applying to these schools should apply by December 1 using USC’s Regular Decision plan.

USC has become increasingly selective since going test optional. During the 2021-2022 admissions cycle, USC, which is the largest private university in California, only accepted roughly twelve percent of first-year applicants.

UC Berkeley Announces Fall 2022 Admissions Updates

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As we head into a new admissions cycle, University of California, Berkeley is announcing some changes in how it will consider applicants.

UC Berkeley is joining the rest of the UC campuses in allowing students to select an alternative major on the UC application. The university encourages students to take advantage of this option, especially if they have a second-choice major they’re interested in. UC Berkeley’s advice remains that students should select the major they are most interested in as their primary major because the university will only guarantee a review of the primary major, while alternative majors will only be used if space is available, for example, as the university considers available space during the wait list process.

In addition, first-year applicants admitted to one of the twelve high-demand majors in the College of Letters and Science will be guaranteed a space in the major. While this will not be a direct admission to the major, the process to declare will be simplified and space will be held for them contingent on certain requirements. Students interested in a high-demand major are encouraged to apply for it on the application, which gives them the best chance of declaring that major. Students who do not select a high-demand major can apply to declare after enrolling at Berkeley, but it will be through a comprehensive review process directly with the major department.

Meanwhile, any student interested in completing a double major will be limited to one high-demand major in the College of Letters and Science. Students who are interested in more than one major are encouraged to add the high-demand major as their primary major on their UC application. More information related to these changes will be posted on this page in the coming weeks.

This news comes as students are encouraged to start their UC application for fall 2022 this month (August), including entering personal information, self-reporting their courses and grades, and drafting their Personal Insight Questions (PIQs).

Like other UC campuses, starting this cycle, the application submission period for UC Berkeley begins on October 1, and the deadline is November 30. This gives students a larger window to submit their applications, as in previous years the application submission window only lasted for the entire month of November. Once the application is submitted students cannot make changes to the application, so they should plan accordingly, and of course, the UC system does not offer Early Action or Early Decision.

Finally, UC Berkeley also has shared news for prospective transfer students. Starting fall of 2023, participating UC Berkeley academic departments will pilot a direct admit to major program in Berkeley’s College of Letters and Science for transfer admits. There will be twenty-seven departments participating in the program including four high-demand majors: Art Practice, Computer Science, Data Science, and Social Welfare.

On the UC application, when selecting the major, the portal will inform students that they are applying directly to the chosen major. If an applicant is admitted to a major participating in this program they will not have to go through the process of applying to or officially declaring their major during their first semester on campus. Transfer admission and major declaration procedures will not change for majors who are not participating in this pilot program. More information will be posted on this page in the coming weeks as details are finalized.

All of these updates come on the heels of an unprecedented year that included a record number of freshmen applicants to UC Berkeley (over 128,000 applicants) and a court ruling that threatened to cap its enrollment numbers. Even so, the selective Bay Area university offered over 19,700 freshmen and transfer students admission.

The Ultimate Virtual College Admissions Library – 2023 Edition

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The world of college admissions is constantly changing; therefore, it’s important to keep the best college admissions recourses close at hand if you are to navigate the admissions process with aplomb. Luckily, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. We’ve assembled a virtual library of sorts filled with the resources we highly recommend for novices and old hands alike if the goal is to aggressively approach all things undergraduate admissions during the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. Research away!

Admissions Data/Insights/Statistics 

Standardized Testing

  • convertyourscore.org – Our SAT-ACT conversion tool, which features important information about the SAT and ACT and the key ways in which the SAT and ACT differ, is the Internet’s most popular conversion tool and information site
  • ACTStudent.org – Sign up for the ACT, see your scores, and send your scores to colleges and universities
  • Free Practice ACT (Inclusive of Answer Sheet) – Take a timed practice test, score yourself, and learn from your mistakes
  • Best ACT Preparation Book: Real Act Prep Guide – Insider test-taking tips and strategy, five previously administered, full-length ACT tests written by the actual test maker, and insight from the makers of the ACT
  • CollegeBoard.org – Sign up for the SAT and/or SAT Subject Tests, see your scores, and send your scores to colleges and universities
  • Free Practice SAT and Answer Sheet – Take a timed practice test, score yourself, and learn from your mistakes
  • Best SAT Preparation Book: The Official SAT Study Guide (2018 Edition) – Published by the makers of the test and includes ten official SAT practice tests
  • PSAT Practice Questions
  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) – a standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers wishing to enroll in U.S. universities

Short Course

Scholarships & Financial Aid

Most Popular Undergraduate Applications

Educational Consultants

Insightful College & University Review Books and Selection Guides

Fiske Guide to Colleges 2023 – Delivers an insider’s look at the academic climates and the social and extracurricular scenes at the “best and most interesting” schools in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and Ireland.

Choosing the Right College 2014-15: The Inside Scoop on Elite Schools and Outstanding Lesser-Known Institutions – Extremely in-depth, independently researched college guide that uses on-campus sources to turn up the best – and worst – aspects of nearly 150 schools (It’s a shame that they don’t make new editions of this great book!)
The Best 388 Colleges, 2023 Edition by Princeton Review – Entertaining, though superficial guide, to nearly 400 top colleges and universities
The K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Differences, 15th Edition: 325+ Schools with Programs or Services for Students with ADHD, ASD, or Learning Differences – Advice from learning specialists on making an effective transition to college and details about services – such as tutors, note-takers, oral exams, extended test time, and more – available to learning-disabled students at each college

America’s Best Colleges for B Students: A College Guide for Students Without Straight A’s
College Match: A Blueprint for Choosing the Best School for You, 14th Edition – The leading guide for finding a good fit college
Admission Matters: What Students and Parents Need to Know About Getting into College 4th Edition – see review here
 
Love the Journey to College: Guidance from an Admissions Consultant and Her Daughter

Want to Fix Financial Aid?

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A previous post this year offered a couple of suggestions on how we can fix financial aid.  If you missed that post, a quick summary:

  • College costs too much;
  • Most people don’t know how to pay for it;
  • Financial aid forms are too lengthy;
  • The reports describing what aid a student gets are too confusing;
  • Everyone hates loans.

I was really hoping the two suggestions I made might generate some thoughtful discussion about how to make college more affordable, and lead us to a point where we were ready to take on changes to financial aid the way the profession is taking on changes in required testing.  Instead, I got crickets.

Undeterred, I’m back with another approach—and this one even sounds like fun.  I haven’t been to many conferences in the last few years, and what I’ve really missed is the conversations at the end of the day where most sentences begin with “Wouldn’t it be great if…?” Those conversations have led to all kinds of changes in the way I counsel students, and they inspire all of us to keep looking for ways to expand access and opportunity.  Without these conversations, work can be a little less inspiring, especially when students who heard Yes from the dream school come in with the financial aid report, and remember why that was a dream school.

So how about this?  What if we go to the people who run financial aid offices, and ask them how they would improve financial aid?  This happens all the time in the business world; the way to improve the delivery of a service is to ask the people delivering the service.

Since we’re talking about serious money here, this needs to be something a little more casual than just a conversation over a couple of beers, so let’s put together some guidelines:

Financial aid folks, identify what you would change about the world of financial aid, and why.  It can be one thing; it could be myriad things.  I have a bias towards access, so I’d likely be more interested in the parts of financial aid that keep kids from coming to college, staying in college, or making the most in college.

Give me some data.  Some of the best ideas are those that come from the gut, but in this case, those ideas relate to money, and that involves recordkeeping.  Show me how this affects kids.

Tell me what you ‘d do to fix this problem, and why you think this would solve the problem.  As is typically the case here, this needs to be the right mix of practical and blue sky, where we blow up enough of the current system without tossing out the parts that work.  “Let’s start over” may sound exciting, but it isn’t a plan.  I’m looking for something that’s partly a plan with wings, and partly a dream with legs.

Tell me how you know if you fixed the problem—what data points will change, what procedures will be updated, what students will worship the ground you walk on as a result of these changes?

Tell me what could go wrong—why it might not work, why it might work but just for your school, and what unintended consequences might arise.  In some cases, the answer here might be “beats me’, but even that answer can be explained in detail.  “There aren’t any” isn’t an answer—it just means you haven’t thought about it much.

What will you get if you send me this information and I like the idea?  Well, my plan would be to pick the best three ideas, and give each of them $300,000—100 grand a year for three years—to implement the plan.  You’ll need to include a budget to show what you’d do with the money—and using it for financial aid itself is OK—and you’ll need to track the money to make sure you can show what it actually went to.  But show me you’ve got a plan that’s part pipe dream, and you may get the chance to make it come true.

Now.  About the money.

I don’t exactly have a million dollars lying around, and something tells me there might not be a lot of foundations willing to give me the money if I go to them and simply say “How about if we try and fix financial aid?” I do think they might provide some funding for innovative ideas made by experienced financial aid professionals who work at the grass roots.  That’s why we need to start with your proposals—if I go to them with real plans, they’re much mor likely to sign on. So you may get nothing, other than a chance to step back, re-picture the big picture, and think about your work in a different way. But you may get more.

If that’s of interest to you, I’m at collegeisyours.com

Let’s see where this goes.

Should you respond to the Common App COVID-19 essay prompt?

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Only sixteen percent of students responded to the optional Common App COVID-19 essay during the 2021-2022 admissions cycle.

The prompt in question is as follows:

Community disruptions such as COVID-19 and natural disasters can have deep and long-lasting impacts. If you need it, this space is yours to describe those impacts. Colleges care about the effects on your health and well-being, safety, family circumstances, future plans, and education, including access to reliable technology and quiet study spaces.

I say, never let an optional blank space on the Common App go to waste like 84% of Common App submitters did this past admissions cycle.

Watch the video below to learn more about why I this 250-word maximum essay is yet another place to show maturity, growth, and your value system. Use it!

Most and Least Popular Common App Essay Prompts

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Success in the college admissions process often comes down to one word: differentiation. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to think long and hard about what Common App essay prompt you respond to in order to share the story you want to share in a manner that frames your experience in the most memorable and unique manner possible. In the video below you’ll learn which Common App essay prompts are most popular and least popular right down to the exact percentage of applicants responding to each prompt, which will help you determine the prompt you want to respond to when completing your Common Application essay.

To learn more about what I deem to be the best and worst Common App Essay prompts and why, watch my longer and more in-depth video here.

Davidson becomes more selective in 2022

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Davidson University in North Carolina has shared its 2021-2022 admissions cycle statistics, which reveal the small and selective school will remain just as small as ever while becoming slightly more selective. Davidson has the goal of enrolling 530 first-year students for the fall 2022 semester.

Of an overall 6,487 students who applied to Davidson this year, only 1,090 were accepted, 335 of which were accepted through Early Decision 1, Early Decision 2, athletic recruitment, or partnerships with access organizations such as QuestBridge and POSSE. This overall 16.8 percent acceptance rate during the 2021-2022 cycle compares to a 17.1 percent acceptance rate during the 2020-2021 cycle and a 19.5 percent acceptance rate during the 2019-2020 cycle, which was the last time Davidson required all applicants submit their SAT or ACT scores. This cycle only 48 percent of students submitted their test scores though no stats were provided on what percentage of admitted students submitted their test scores this time around. Davidson committed a test-optional policy as a three-year pilot; therefore, it will continue for one more cycle as the university tracks and analyzes data related to test-optional admissions and student performance.

Other statistics shared include that of admitted students, 12 percent will be the first in their family to attend college; 29 percent are domestic students of color; and 10 percent are international students/non-US citizens.

Regular Decision notifications were released on March 26, 2022, and students have until May 1 to deposit.

Davidson University Admissions Stats c/o 2024 c/o 2025 c/o 2026
Total First-Year Applicants 5,615 6,422 6,487
Total Admitted (not including wait list) 1,096 1,101 1,090
Admitted through ED1/ED2/Athletics/Partnerships 289 326 335
Defers from prior year 5 13 9
Percent reviewed with Test Scores 100% 50% 48%
First Generation Students (admitted) 99 123 132
International Students/Non-US Citizens (admitted) 88 83 105
Domestic Students of Color (admitted) 305 344 319

Pitt Offers the Perfect Rx for Future Pharmacists

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Students working collaboratively to solve a drug formulary problem at this unique summer program for high school students in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

While summer pre-college programs and camps focusing on business, engineering, and the arts get a lot of attention from high school students and their parents and a lot of promotion from the colleges offering them, not everyone wants to go into business, engineering, or the arts. There are a lot of career options out there, and one that often gets overlooked in terms of pre-professional preparation is that of a pharmacist.

RxPLORE is a summer professional development pre-college program designed by current University of Pittsburgh PITTPharmacy PharmD students for high school students to explore pharmacy as a possible career option. The program has been modified to include both in-person and online options to make it accessible to more students than ever before. Pitt is frequently referred to as the top pharmacy school in Pennsylvania.

RxPLORE introduces students to the fascinating world of pharmacy and highlights the ways that Doctors of Pharmacy are uniquely qualified as vital members of the patient care team. If compounding medications and drug development excite you, then you really should consider this unique summer experience created especially for rising high school juniors and seniors. No previous pharmacy experience is necessary; however, the application requires students to submit an official transcript, one letter of recommendation, and a short questionnaire. Best of all the cost is quite reasonable. The cost of attendance for the in-person program is $450.00 and only $100.00 for the virtual camp. To learn more and apply visit https://www.rxplore.pharmacy.pitt.edu/.

Students learn about the pharmacists’ role as a counselor.

A Pre-College Program for Budding Environmentalists

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Sewanee Campus EnvironmentLots of students talk a good game when it comes to caring for the environment, but not nearly as many put their words into action. This summer, there’s a pre-college program that will help students do just that.

Students passionate about the environment can pursue environmental studies while exploring the Domain of the University of the South. In plain English, explore the campus of Sewanee, which has 13,000 acres of forests, lakes, caves, and vistas in Tennessee. The Sewanee Environmental Institute offers the Pre-College Field Studies Experience (“SEI” for short) in one of two sessions: June 24 to July 3, 2022 or July 8 to July 17, 2022.

SEI is designed for students who are passionate about the outdoors, interested in advancing their knowledge and skills in the study of the environment, and rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors with a history of academic excellence

Learn complete details about the program or send any questions directly to [email protected]. Students ready to apply should do so here.
Sewanee Campus

University of Georgia Class of 2026 Stats

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Yesterday afternoon, March 18, 2022, the University of Georgia released its final round of admissions decisions for first-year applicants to its Class of 2026. University of Georgia did require first-year applicants to submit test scores this admissions cycle, which makes the university’s average SAT and ACT ranges particularly impressive. Interestingly, University of South Carolina to the north remains test optional heading into the 2023 admissions cycle, while University of Florida and Florida State to the south remain test-required like UGA.

Overall forty-two percent of applicants were accepted (no in-sate vs. out-of-state acceptance rate breakdown was shared, though the university did take the time to report that fifteen students accepted had the first name of Georgia; last year roughly 15% of UGA’s first-year class came from outside of Georgia), nearly eight percent waitlisted, and forty percent denied. Roughly ten percent of applications were left incomplete or cancelled.

UGA’s New Admitted Student Profile (mid 50% range):

GPA: 4.00-4.30

SAT: 1330-1480

ACT: 31-34

AP/IB/Dual Enrollment course total mid-range/avg: 7-12, avg 10