Admissions

From College News - Has writing section, added in 2005, been a beneficial addition to the SAT or just another reason why the SAT's are unfair?

It’s the three letters that every high school junior or senior dreads to hear: SAT.  There is no way to get around these tests. If you do not have to take the SAT (the results of which were released by the College Board today) then you will undoubtedly have to take the ACT. If you have any hope of going to college you better sharpen your pencils because there is no way out of it. 

Having recently graduated college, I pity my younger cousins who still have to go through this grueling process: the tutors, the classes, the practice tests, it’s a never-ending process monitored by those people we like to call “parents.”

The SAT has changed somewhat from when I took it.  Lucky for me, or whatever way you want to look at it, I just missed the newly added writing section that was implemented in March 2005.

This section of the SAT includes a prompt that students will need to write a response to within a time frame of 25 minutes. The essay demonstrates that they can formulate a view on a particular issue.

This essay will count for 30 percent of a student’s writing score. Students are also given 35 minutes to complete a set of multiple-choice questions that focus on ones ability to identify sentences errors, and improve sentences and paragraphs. They are given 60 minutes for the writing section.

According to College Board, the short essay students are required to write, measures their ability to organize and express ideas clearly, develop and support the main idea, and use appropriate word choice and sentence structure.

The scores are then calculated by high school and college teachers who will give the essay a score from 1 to 6. Six is the highest score a student can receive.

The new SAT claims to help colleges makes better admissions and placement decisions. However, how necessary and fair is the writing section? According to College Board, in 2009, the most diverse group of seniors had taken the SAT on record. The number of minority students taking the SAT totaled to 612,666.

For most of these students, English is not their first language; in fact 25.2 percent of test takers are not native English speakers. Hispanic students are the largest and fastest growing minority to take the SAT.  Since the writing section focuses on grammar, how is it fair to judge and potentially deny someone admittance to a college if English is not their first language?

The admissions board may take into account affirmative action, in which case taking the SAT would be pointless because a student would not be judged on their ability like the test claims, but on their ethnicity. 

The other sections of the exam, math, science, and reading comprehension keep students on a more even playing level field. Although, students with a higher income tend to score better on these tests, it is not to say that someone who is a minority cannot score higher. Math and science are subjects that remain universal, and it is a better representation of a student’s intellect.

To play devils advocate: With all of the texting and Facebook chatting going on, students are losing their ability to write. The other day a friend, who is a teacher’s aid at a high school, told me that when she was grading papers, she could not believe the amount of people who used “u” in their paper instead of “you.”

She was even more shocked to see that students did not write complete sentences. Students lose their ability to write because when they do write, it’s on a more casual basis; formal writing is not as stressed as it used to be. If students were required to learn how to write properly in high school, and for the SATs, then it may just help them out when they get to college and in the real world.

Debates on standardized testing have been around a long time. The tests may never be 100 percent fair, or truly illustrate a student’s ability. But no matter the argument, high school seniors around the world will still have to take them. For the first time since I graduated in this economy, I am glad to be a college graduate because I will never have to fill out those little bubbles again.

By Juliette Geller

From College News - Annual tuition and fees are raised over five percent, or to an average of around $7,000.

The recession means bad news for kids who are already struggling to pay college tuition. But there’s news that those students may have an even worse time paying that tuition. According to the Los Angeles Times, not only are students facing bigger bills because of the reduced state spending on higher education, but campus endowments are lessening greatly.

If you’re enrolled (or wish to enroll) in a four-year public college, the most severe budget problems cause annual tuition and fees to raise themselves over five percent to around $7,020 this fall, the Times reported.

If you’re in the more private realm, your school saw the value of their investments drop. Private college tuition didn’t climb as much though, mostly because a lot were afraid that if they raised their prices any more, families just simply wouldn’t be able to afford to go to their schools. The article reported tuition rose to around $26,000.

Many college officials though told students not to be scared about enrolling. Basically, there are always grants and scholarships. In fact, the Times said that two-thirds of all college students receive grant aid. This aid can reduce tuition bills by more than half, the College Board study said. Pretty crazy savings I’d say.

This College Board study said that 65 percent of us students who got their bachelor’s degrees in 2007-2008 graduated with student loan debt and the average amount was about $20,000.

As bad as that seems, there are some students who have it worse that others. California is the worst state for fee raises with fee increases by more than the national averages, the Times said. The University of California 10 campus group raised undergrad fees by 9.3 percent and is planning another increase that would put fees above $10,000 by next year.  So good luck to future students on paying those bills!

Until the economy gets back on its feet, it doesn’t look like any end is in sight for those affected by college tuition. The important thing is to not panic, because if you really want to attend college and are worried about the money, things will always work out. It wouldn’t hurt to maybe look into part-time job work. Also, start looking for college scholarships early. Trust me, the earlier the better on this stuff. With patience and plenty of organization, everything will fall into place eventually. Just be patient.

By Kate Oczypok

From College News - Plan calls for "super lotteries and a percentage of state casinos' gross" to fund free tuition.

Michigan State Representative Fred Durhal has proposed a plan that would pay college tuition for high school graduates, according to his Web site and The Detroit News. That’s right, free college tuition. Just don’t jump for joy yet, the plan does have a few requirements. (What, you thought it would be easy?)

Called the Michigan College Tuition Act, the proposal will use no taxpayer dollars. Instead, the act will be funded by four different methods. The state would create three annual “super” lotteries, a check-off box on the state’s income tax form and corporate and foundation donations or endowments.

Finally, all active Michigan casinos would contribute on percent of their total gross to the fund.

A Democrat, Durhal’s proposal goes on to call for a state “lockbox” that would restrict these funds from being used for Michigan’s general fund or budget. That measure would require an amendment from the state Legislature and a vote by residents.

Students aiming to qualify for the plan must graduate high school with at least a 2.5 GPA. Then they must be accepted to any of Michigan’s public or private vocational or technical schools, community colleges or universities.

Taken from the Michigan House Democrats Web site, the requirements don’t stop there.

Hopeful students must have lived in Michigan for at least five straight years prior to their graduation from high school. They also must take part in one full year of community service, which includes returning to their former high school to mentor an underachieving current senior student and assist that student in bringing their grades up to at least a 2.5 GPA.

Durhal pleaded his case for the plan, according to the Detroit News: “Although there are a number of fine institutions of higher education in our state, post-secondary education is often priced out of reach for the average student and is inaccessible for disadvantaged students. We need to make sure that anyone who wants to continue learning beyond high school can do so.”

Durhal continues: “Each year, our state spends more money to incarcerate nearly 50,000 prisoners than it spends on educating our residents. If Michigan is to become a destination for advanced technologies, emerging alternative energy industries, medical research and development and other high-tech fields, we must produce a highly educated workforce. My plan will help do that.”

Still ironing out the details, Durhal has formed a workgroup to help finish the proposal. He has yet to formally present it for approval. He is currently hopeful for bipartisan support of this new plan.

By Joe Anello

From College News - Newcomer to the college comparison Web site community was created by trusted names, but needs to cool it with the acronyms.

As a college freshman, I didn’t know my college town had a downtown area (until I got lost there) or an ecological preserve (see previous parenthetical). When I looked at schools, I thought those scholarly review sites were irrelevant, and anyway it was a thrill having to learn everything on my own.

While I still think some comparison techniques are absurd, others (like CollegeBoard or the new CollegePortraits) are a great way to compare products before making a multi-thousand dollar commitment.

Let’s travel back to your SAT prep days with an equation: CollegePortraits is to CollegeBoard as Twitter is to Facebook. CollegePortraits is an up-and-comer that is smaller by design. Where CB is in charge of Advanced Placement courses, SATs, and college rankings in a million areas, CP is a collection of a few hundred college profiles.

A profile with CP includes the basic contact and location information along with several prominent links to pages of the school’s official Web site. Its main function is as a database of the information that students care about most when considering a college.

Student/Family Information profiles categories like student characteristics, costs of attendance, areas of study, student housing and campus safety. Student Experiences/Perceptions features experiences at the school and student satisfaction, among others.

The Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) is the partnership of the over 300 institutions that take part in CollegePortraits. It’s purpose is to “demonstrate accountability and stewardship to the public” according to the College Portraits Web site, and it does so by seeking out surveys that detail perks of a school and student satisfaction.

One of the four surveys the VSA uses is the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). It legitimizes anecdotal accounts of a college by surveying freshman and seniors every Spring, and compiling statistics in key areas. For example, a CP profile can show the percent of seniors who would attend the same school if they started over again.

Besides student surveys, the VSA also provides an utterly useless standardized test “as a gauge of general education outcomes.”

The Measure of Academic Proficiency and Progress (MAPP) is intended to compare institutions’ teaching effectiveness. It tests critical thinking, reading, writing and mathematics, and was presumably created by a descendant of the first teacher to hang a “Reading, wRiting, and ‘Rithmetic” sign in a one-room schoolhouse.

College standardized testing is pointless because there are so few academic threads that run through all the majors at even a single liberal arts school. Perhaps a more relevant indicator of the success of a school’s graduates is…the success of a school’s graduates.

That kind of information is best gauged by speaking with an admissions counselor, or a new program in the testing stages at some schools called the “campus tour.”

By Jesse Eisemann

From College News - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allows more parents and students to qualify.

There’s a new article out that says tax credits are improving for college students. According to Wallet Pop, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more parents and students are going to be able to qualify for the tax credit called the American Opportunity Credit for 2009 and 2010.

According to Wallet Pop, tax Credits increase as well from $1,800 to $2,500 on the new plan.

The article explains, with help from Turbo Tax vice president Bob Meighan, that “the American Opportunity Credit is an extension and expansion of the Hope Credit” and taxpayers could need certain tax software (hmm, wonder which one) to figure out what deductions are better.

Anyone paying $4,000 or more for a single year of college can qualify for the maximum American Opportunity annual benefit of $2,500 per student, the article reported.

Also, good news for everyone about to pack up their lives again for another round of moving into the dorms or a new apartment: the new tax credit names book and other required materials to the list of qualifying expenses.

Your higher education institution should have sent out (or will be sending out) a 1098T form listing college expense fees but things like books or materials may not be on there, so students should keep the receipts, the article said.

If you’re confused, here are the facts in a nutshell, according to Wallet Pop:

- The full credit is for individuals with modified adjusted gross incomes of $80,000 or less.
- It’s $160,000 or less if married couples are filing a joint tax return, the IRS said.
- Partial credit is given to single filers if they’re making $80,000-$90,000.
- Married couples can get partial credit if they’re making $160,000-$180,000.

If you come from a family with a small amount of income, the break is partially refundable even with low tax liability, the article reported. This lets your parents and you claim some credit.

Also, don’t forget to look up and understand the difference between credits and deductions. There are differences and a good place to read more about them is here.

By Kate Oczypok

From College News - Colleges have students work a certain amount of hours in exchange for free room and board or tuition.

When reading for student news, I came across a story from the Detroit Free Press, which reported on the increasing phenomenon known as--wait for it--free colleges. Seriously, sound the alarm to your parents. What great places to begin your careers for free!

The Free Press reports on Deep Springs College, a free college with a most interesting history. Founded in 1917, the college is entirely student-run--they help choose faculty, the courses, and they even help with admissions decisions.

According to the Free Press, total enrollment for undergrads is at a miniscule 26 students and they’re all guys. So if you’re sick of hanging around with your lady friends, Deep Springs is apparently the place to be.

The reason the student body is so small is that Deep Springs is two-year college that accepts only seven percent of its applicants, according to the Free Press.

As with most “free” things, though, there’s a catch: All Deep Springs students are required to visit a 50,000-acre working ranch near the school for 20 hours a week to work. Their reward? Free tuition and room and board, according to the Free Press.

Unusual as it may be, the approach seems to be working. One interesting statistic that the Free Press reports is that seventy percent of Deep Springs students get a PhD or law degree eventually, and most transfer to Ivy League colleges and universities after they do their two years time.

But Deep Springs, located in California, isn’t the only free college with this business model. Another state in the union, Kentucky, has two free colleges itself: Alice Lloyd and Berea.

Alice Lloyd has students that are required to work at least 10 hours per week. While tuition is free, room and board costs about $4,000 per year. There are approximately 600 students in the school, according to the Free Press

Berea College dates as far back as 1855, and was established as both the first co-ed and interracial college in the South, according to the Free Press. Interestingly enough, Berea reportedly accepts applicants only from low-income families, with those students then required to work a set number of hours per week.

And what about Berea’s enrollment? It’s one of the bigger “free” colleges, with 1,500 and over 75 clubs, organizations and honor societies.

By Kate Oczypok

From College News - Public hearings give insight to where your college money is being used.

On Monday, at Purdue University, a public hearing will be held regarding the proposed tuition increases for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years. Similarly, on Thursday the 16th, Indiana University’s Board of Trustees will do the same. Continuing the trend, the University of Southern Indiana will hold their hearing on July 20th.

If you think these hearings are Indiana-specific, you’d be mistaken. Colleges and universities all over the country are conducting public hearings on their specific tuition increases. The forums are a chance for students and parents to voice their opinion on the rate increases before the school board votes on the proposals.

Purdue is recommending a 5% increase, while IU’s tuition plan calls for a 4.6% boost. Smaller schools and community colleges may face lesser hikes according to their needs.

Fortunately, not all colleges will be raising tuition. Despite an $8 million budget deficit, Miami University’s Board approved an in-state tuition freeze and the lowest out-of-state tuition raise in 34 years, at 3.5%.

This benefit to students will not come without a cost though. According to the Business Courier, Miami U’s departments must cut $5 million dollars from their budgets for the upcoming year as well as $8 to $10 million dollar cuts for 2010-11.

Also, Miami’s faculty and staff will not receive raises in salary next year. Going even further, University President David Hodge and his vice presidents will forgo ten days of salary.

Hearings in some states have already taken place, while others are still to come. IU will broadcast their proceeding live on the internet from their own website, giving possible students and parents the opportunity to hear where their hard-earned money is headed.

The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities recently conducted survey among private, nonprofit colleges and universities with interesting results. They determined the average tuition increase was the lowest in 37 years, with an average of only 4.3%.

FinAid.org, a comprehensive financial resource, explains that college tuition averages an 8% increase every year. The justification behind these hikes is simple: inflation. Whatever the increase in national inflation, tuition will augment by about 1.5 to 2 times that percentage.

During the current economic environment, universities are scaling back their tuition hikes to stay in-line with struggling incomes. Enabling prospective students to afford college will ensure their chances to help rise above these dire circumstances.

Keep an eye out at your school for these hearings so you can understand exactly where your money is headed.

By Joe Anello

From College News - Bill helps colleges and universities assist vets in adjusting to scholastic life.

On August 1st, a revised G.I. Bill will come into effect, offering free tuition and fees at public colleges and universities, a housing allowance, and up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies. The bill will also allow career service personnel to transfer the benefits to a spouse or dependent children.

The exact benefits will vary from state to state: the maximum tuition benefit is calculated according to the most expensive public university in the veteran’s state. 

Some veterans groups are complaining that discharged soldiers in low-income states will be unable to attend private colleges, which typically cost more. In California, for example, there is no state tuition, but private school tuition can exceed $38,000.

The Yellow Ribbon Program, a provision of the new bill, attempts to alleviate the disparity by funding tuition expenses at pricey institutions. Westminster College in Utah, with a $25,000 tuition, is setting aside 100 spots in the incoming class for veterans through the program.

Many institutions are looking for ways to help the veterans transition from the military to a school environment. Some are offering veterans-only classes, increasing the number of available counselors, and streamlining the application and financial aid processes.

Marc Churchwell, the coordinator of the military education program at the University of West Florida, told the Associated Press (AP) that veterans “feel like they are ostracized, or there’s a stigma attached … my goal is for those people to come to me so they don’t have to deal with it.”

Schools in at least a dozen states have formed freshman-level classes with all veterans, encouraging them to support and motivate each other. They are modeling the program after a successful one created at Cleveland State University in Ohio in 2007.

The University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of West Florida are offering counseling and orientation initiatives to help veterans cope with post-traumatic stress disorder and other emotional problems.

Matthew Nichols, a psychologist at UCLA who formerly worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), told the AP that those feelings “are everyday concerns. It’s much less about ‘there’s something wrong with me,’ and more about ‘how can I study a little better?’”

Congress signed the new G.I. Bill into law last year, but the VA needed time to write new regulations, train new staff, and create the infrastructure necessary to support the law.

The bill represents the largest education benefit package to armed service veterans since after World War II, when veterans could attend any school for free.

However, since Vietnam, the system has required soldiers to buy in with payments while still enlisted, and fill out monthly applications while attending college to be eligible for financial aid.

The VA estimates that the number of veterans attending college will increase by as much as 30% this fall, to almost half a million.

By Ryan Simmons

John Tokarski III maintained a 4.4 GPA in Pittsburgh's Schenley High School, played three sports and took on leadership roles. Yet it appeared his dreams might burst: the $45,000-a-year tuition for the private college he wanted to attend was too steep.

"We said, if you meet these rules, if you obtain these goals, you reach these objectives, everything will fall into place," said his father, John Tokarski Jr. "I felt like I had lied to him, like I had come up short in my promise to him, because he did it all and it looked as if we weren't going to be able to do it."

Then, in March, a news headline — "Pittsburgh Promise expands" — flashed across his father's laptop screen. The Pittsburgh Promise scholarship now included Pennsylvania's private colleges, not just public institutions. With other scholarships and grants, that $5,000 a year made the difference for the 17-year-old, who was determined to go to Washington and Jefferson College in nearby Washington, Pa.

The Promise, aimed at boosting academics and reversing the exodus from Pittsburgh and its public schools, is fashioned after similar efforts in Kalamazoo, Mich. and El Dorado, Ark. It's also hoped that the Promise students will return to Pittsburgh, as John Tokarski plans, when they graduate.

After just two years, Pittsburgh's success has not only given hope to families struggling to send their children to college, it has piqued the interest of other cities as well.

Students who spend at least four years in Pittsburgh's public or charter schools, maintain a 2.5 GPA and 90 percent attendance can qualify for up to $5,000 a year for any Pennsylvania college. In 2012, that will increase to $10,000 for students who spend all 12 years in the Pittsburgh system.

With the collapse of the steel industry 30 years ago, the population of Pittsburgh and its public schools plummeted as people fled in search of jobs. The city's population of 424,000 in 1980 plunged to just over 311,000 in 2007; the school district lost nearly one-third of its students from 1988 to 2008.

And enrollment is expected to keep dropping — from some 26,600 today to 22,000 by 2015. But that trend appears to be slowing, thanks to the Promise.

Who left? The affluent, the educated and the young, said Saleem Ghubril, executive director of the Pittsburgh Promise. Who stayed? Lower-income families, the elderly and the less-educated.

The result? As enrollment declined, the number of poor rose. Now, more than 70 percent of the city's public school population is poor, as measured by free- and reduced-school lunch participation — exceeding the 64 percent average in the nation's 100 largest school districts .

These trends convinced Superintendent Mark Roosevelt he needed a turnaround to keep Pittsburgh's schools competitive.

So he turned to Kalamazoo, a Rust Belt town of some 72,000 people that had also been hit by drastic population loss and economic decline after heavy industry's collapse. Kalamazoo's pioneering scholarship program began in 2005, annually awarding between $2 million and $3 million in anonymously funded scholarships.

Kalamazoo credits it for bringing down dropout rates, driving up home values and spurring investment. Within two years, 400 families from other Michigan communities relocated to the city and the district gained 1,000 students, the district says.

In El Dorado, home to fewer than 20,000, district enrollment rose by 5 percent and real estate values increased by 8 percent after a promise program was adopted.

In the Pittsburgh Promise's second year, the school district is seeing enrollment decline slow. After five years of dropping by about 1,400 students annually, the enrollment loss for 2009-10 is expected to be just 500.

In 2006, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Roosevelt announced the Promise, saying it needed $250 million. A year later, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center announced a $100 million commitment, payable over 10 years. The class of 2008 was the first to benefit.

"Remarkable. Amazing. Unprecedented," said Ghubril, calling UPMC's donation one of the largest ever made to a public school district in the United States.

While the Promise is not a "silver bullet," it could help reverse the trends, said John Ellis, spokesman for the Pittsburgh Foundation, the caretaker of the Promise.

And the data tell the story:

—A boy from a low-income family, who had a 1.4 GPA and had settled for community college, buckled down and earned the 2.0 GPA required for the Promise. Now, he has completed his freshman year at a state university — getting straight As both semesters.

—A family moved from a suburb about 50 miles from Pittsburgh so their 2-year-old daughter can attend the public schools, beginning in kindergarten, making her eligible for the full scholarship.

—In each of the five years preceding the Promise, more than 500 students left the district by February. This year, only 86 left.

—Ninety-four percent of the Promise students who attended college in the fall re-enrolled in the spring.

—One college says 74 percent of the Promise students who completed the spring semester have already enrolled for fall classes — about 10 to 15 percentage points higher than average.

—After taking the Promise scholarship into consideration, an external firm that projects Pittsburgh's enrollment now expects a slower decline by 2015 — 24,000 students instead of the 22,000 originally forecast.

"We're told that what is making the city right now attractive ... are the reform efforts of our public school system ... and then the promise of a scholarship for their children," Ghubril said.

Other cities, including Denver and Detroit, have partial programs or are considering them. Ghubril flew to Racine, Wis. to discuss the program and has spent hours on the phone with officials in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Kansas City.

In March, the Pittsburgh Promise announced its expansion, increasing the number of eligible schools from about 100 to some 240.

This move, heralded in that news story on his dad's computer, meant John Tokarski III could use the Promise to attend Washington and Jefferson, the college he believed offered him the perfect medley: a prestigious chemistry program, a football team, a campus near Pittsburgh and people he liked.

The teenager said he first became familiar with W&J as a high school sophomore at a leadership seminar on campus.

"I was looking at a school I could play football at, too," he said, proudly displaying in his room the high school football trophy he was awarded for having the highest GPA on the team.

He hopes to return to Pittsburgh after he gets his chemistry degree. He will return to a city whose focus after the collapse of the steel industry, has largely been based in the sciences, health and technology fields.

His dad encourages him to return.

"Families who care, who value education, or raise children who value education and value the worth of this scholarship ... they need to come back and give back for what they got the opportunity to have."

By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI,Associated Press Writer

From College News - Getting into college, employment may be rough with the cast's every moment on tape.

So there’s this new show on this summer, “NYC Prep.  I’ve never seen it, but it’s been dubbed the reality version of one of my favorite shows, “Gossip Girl”. I found an interesting story in the New York Daily News about how the cast of “NYC Prep” may have difficulty getting into college and even beginning their careers years down the line.

A college admission counseling company founder said in the article that appearing on the hit Bravo show will definitely hurt them college-admissions wise.

Basically, if you’re portraying yourself as someone who spends most of their free time partying well into the night instead of making a difference in your school, then yes, you’ll have trouble getting into college. A lot of schools pick kids who are not just intelligent with good grades, but are also interested in causes as well, according to the Daily News

The “NYC Prep” cast could be thinking that they can get into college using connections or money, and that’s not exactly a good way to be thinking. They need to make an impact on their own, according to the Daily News. 

My two best college friends and I tried to make an impact. One of us joined the community service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, and the other became active in the College Republicans.  I chose to work at the school newspaper and worked to try to create an online paper my senior year of college.  In short, we all made our mark somehow on American Universities.

The Daily News piece gives interesting advice that may hold true to all college students.

What you do now may seem funny or spontaneous, but when you’re ready for a career in a few short years or semesters, it’s going to be hard to distance yourself from your very public Facebook profile---or perhaps a reality show like “NYC Prep.”

It’s important to remember that the cast of the show will have everything on camera, and for those who aren’t so famous, just remember what you videotape or post online. It can always come back to haunt you because once it’s out there, it’s public knowledge.

For more information on NYC Prep, visit their Web site here.

By Kate Oczypok