DePaul: ACT, SAT Score Submission Now Optional For Applicants
(Courtesy of The Huffington Post) - After five years of deliberation, DePaul University has decided to make submission of ACT or SAT scores optional, starting with the 2012 admission cycle, making it likely the largest private non-profit school to do so. The decision reflects the school's mission to serve their diverse student body, including many first-generation college students, Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vice president of enrollment management,told the Chicago Sun-Times. DePaul's incoming 2010 applicant pool had 16,000 submissions for 2,500 spots. The average ACT composite was 25.4, and the average SAT math and verbal score was 1165, the Sun-Times reports. Of the incoming class, 52 percent fall ...
California’s College System in Decline, Study Finds
(By Carla Rivera, courtesy of The Los Angeles Times) - California's higher education system is in decline, with fewer students able to afford college, falling college participation rates and dwindling state support, according to a study released this week. The report suggests that the state, once celebrated nationally for its three-tiered system of public colleges, has lost status as a leader in such areas as affordability, preparation of high school graduates, college-going rates and investment in higher education. The analysis was by the Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy at Cal State Sacramento. "This report demonstrates the consequences of resting on reputations and ...
3-year College Degree Programs Not Catching On
By Daniel de Vise, courtesy of The Washington Post Lake Forest College in Illinois responded to the recession by rolling out a three-year bachelor’s degree, offering students a chance to finish school sooner and join the workforce. There were no takers. Reformers have hailed the three-year degree as the potential salvation of higher education: a rewrite of the academic calendar that lowers the price of college by compressing it into 36 months. Several institutions have launched three-year degrees in a flurry of activity triggered by the economic downturn that began in 2008. Political leaders in at least two states, Ohio and Rhode Island, ...
Still Time to Apply to Many Universities!
Colleges and universities with rolling, late, or extended deadlines OK, so it’s almost graduation and for whatever reason you haven’t applied to college. Maybe you didn’t think you wanted to go at all, but now as many of your friends are in the process of reviewing their offers of admission you now have a change of heart. Perhaps you were not admitted into your all-time favorite school and you didn’t have a back-up plan. Or maybe you just haven’t made up your mind yet. Well here’s good news for you! Hundreds of colleges and universities have a process called “rolling admissions”. Basically ...
CCSD College Readiness Educational Workshop
I want to thank the great folks at the Clark County School District for allowing me to speak at last night's College Readiness Educational Workshop (CREW) at Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas, especially Jill Hersha and Kim Boyle. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with so many parents and students after my presentation. As promised, I'm posting the PDF of last night's presentation. Just click the red "X".
(Courtesy of The Huffington Post) -
After five years of deliberation, DePaul University has decided to make submission of ACT or SAT scores optional, starting with the 2012 admission cycle, making it likely the largest private non-profit school to do so.
The decision reflects the school’s mission to serve their diverse student body, including many first-generation college students, Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vice president of enrollment management,told the Chicago Sun-Times.
DePaul’s incoming 2010 applicant pool had 16,000 submissions for 2,500 spots. The average ACT composite was 25.4, and the average SAT math and verbal score was 1165, the Sun-Times reports. Of the incoming class, 52 percent fall into one of those categories — first generation students, students from low-income households, students in underrepresented ethnic groups and Chicago residents. About four percent of the 2010 freshmen class fell into all four categories.
The new application policy could provide a compensatory advantage for students in these underrepresented groups. National and state data show a consistent correlation between high incomes and high standardized test scores, but have had little correlation with student performance at DePaul over the last ten years, Carla Cortes, the university’s enrollment management special project leader, told the Sun-Times.
Students can still submit their test scores with their applications if they choose. Otherwise they have the option of answering four essay questions about goal-setting, community involvement and personal challenges, NBC Chicago reports.
The supplemental questions have been a part of the application for three years, and are “designed to help us uncover the characteristics of the spirt, heart, mind and soul,” Boeckenstedt said, according to the Sun-Times.
Many other campuses have also moved toward making ACT and SAT scores optional in recent years, including Smith College, Wake Forest University and American University. Notably, after Wake Forest dropped the requirement, their student body’s diversity improved as the percentage of undergraduate minority students increased from 18 to 23 percent. At least 775 schools nationwide, as of late last year, were test-optional.
(By Carla Rivera, courtesy of The Los Angeles Times) -
California’s higher education system is in decline, with fewer students able to afford college, falling college participation rates and dwindling state support, according to a study released this week.
The report suggests that the state, once celebrated nationally for its three-tiered system of public colleges, has lost status as a leader in such areas as affordability, preparation of high school graduates, college-going rates and investment in higher education. The analysis was by the Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy at Cal State Sacramento.
“This report demonstrates the consequences of resting on reputations and policies of yesteryear,” the study concludes. “California is nowhere near the leader on the measures of higher education performance that the nation’s governors and educational leaders have been tracking for over a decade. We are average, at best, and trending downward.”
Among the findings:
• California ranks last among states in funding per college student from state appropriations and tuition and fees.
• Tuition and fee increases exceed the national average rate of increase.
• The college-going rate of high school graduates rose from 53 percent to 58 percent between 2003 and 2007 but dropped back to 53 percent in 2009.
• California ranks 41st in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded for every 100 high school graduates six years after graduation.
Called “Consequences of Neglect,” the study released Wednesday concludes that the state has failed to develop policies or a vision that will allow it to compete nationally and internationally in producing an educated population.
Most alarming, it finds a trend of each working-age generation becoming less educated than the preceding, with potentially devastating consequences.
“We need to recognize that there are public benefits to higher education,” said co-author Colleen Moore, a research specialist at the Institute. “If we don’t, the effects will be fewer high-tech companies wanting to come to California, lower incomes and lower tax revenues. Those things dramatically affect society as a whole.”
By Daniel de Vise, courtesy of The Washington Post
Lake Forest College in Illinois responded to the recession by rolling out a three-year bachelor’s degree, offering students a chance to finish school sooner and join the workforce.
There were no takers.
Reformers have hailed the three-year degree as the potential salvation of higher education: a rewrite of the academic calendar that lowers the price of college by compressing it into 36 months. Several institutions have launched three-year degrees in a flurry of activity triggered by the economic downturn that began in 2008. Political leaders in at least two states, Ohio and Rhode Island, have instructed public colleges to offer accelerated degrees.
But students have not responded, and most three-year degree programs have flopped — a reminder, college leaders say, that students still regard college as an experience to be savored. Why rush the best four years of your life?
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a campus of 17,500 students, enrolled five students last year in its inaugural three-year degree program. The Fast Forward program at Manchester College in Indiana enrolled 20. The Degree in 3 program at nearby Ball State University served 29.
There are exceptions. A new three-year Global Scholars degree at American University in Washington has been somewhat more popular, with 58 students expected to enroll this fall. A three-year program at Hartwick College in Upstate New York served 47 students last year and expects about twice as many this fall. But even those programs serve a tiny percentage of overall students.
Katie Miller enrolled in the three-year degree program at Manchester, a liberal arts college southeast of Chicago. But once she arrived on campus in fall 2009, the rich palette of collegiate life beckoned. She studied in Spain, London and Paris and signed up for obscure courses outside her education major. She soon realized she would need more than three years to experience it all. She opted out of accelerated study.
“I decided that you only have a certain amount of time to enjoy the college experience,” said Miller, 20, from Winchester, Ind. “And I wasn’t in as much of a hurry as I thought.”
Pluses, though few takers
Some scholars see the three-year degree as the next logical step in the evolution of American higher education. More students arrive at college with a stack of credits from Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams, allowing them to graduate sooner, even if the college has no accelerated program. College leaders are looking to reverse the upward trend in sticker price, which at top private institutions tops $50,000 a year for tuition and living expenses.
Most colleges hew to the agrarian calendar and an arbitrary four-year pace for the bachelor’s degree, a schedule adopted by Harvard College in 1652 in accordance with British custom. (England long ago switched to a three-year degree.)
Compressing the bachelor’s degree into three years could be healthy for American colleges, advocates say, encouraging them to use buildings that would otherwise be empty during winter and summer breaks and to expand online study.
Three-year degrees have come and gone over the years, but the idea has never taken hold because “not enough schools are doing it,” said Stephen Trachtenberg, president emeritus of George Washington University.
Bates College in Maine and Judson College in Alabama have offered three-year degrees since the 1960s. Bates has graduated 36 accelerated students in the past 12 years. Judson has had about 100 three-year graduates since 1998. Neither school has seen participation rise of late.
“A lot of students are interested in it,” said Dave McFadden, executive vice president of Manchester College. “A smaller number of students sign up for it, and an even smaller number finish it.”
Lake Forest, in the Chicago suburbs, promoted its program as a money-saver for students and parents. “We just really didn’t have any takers,” said Janet McCracken, dean of the faculty.
The three-year degree may not gain traction until it becomes standard in a large state university system, said Robert Zemsky, a higher education scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. Initiatives in Ohio and Rhode Island have not borne fruit.
Or, the accelerated BA may be subsumed within a more ambitious goal: accelerated graduate study. Several universities in the Washington region have introduced accelerated master’s and doctoral degrees. Some schools combine those degrees with undergraduate study to deliver, say, a bachelor and master’s degree in four or five years, rather than the customary six.
Compressed schedules
Completing a bachelor’s degree in three years typically means amassing 120 credit hours in three-quarters of the time. Accelerated programs often require students to take brief but intense winter terms or to complete coursework in summer online. Some accept only students who completed college credits in high school.
There’s little wiggle room for students to change majors or load up on electives. Accelerated programs leave less time for athletics, clubs and social life. They also leave little time for employment, and that could be a problem for some of the students who would benefit most from a discounted education.
“If you try to do it in three years, your options are limited,” said Candace Evilsizor, 17, a rising freshman from Phoenix who plans to enroll in the three-year program at American University.
Evilsizor likes the idea of accelerated study. But, as a Global Scholar, she also wants to see the globe. In a three-year program, she might not have time.
“They say you can study abroad for a summer. But I want to study abroad for a full year. So I’m not sure how that will work out,” she said.
The payoff from a three-year degree comes in year four, when, instead of paying for college, a student is free to draw income.
Mercedes Plummer, 21, graduated this spring from Manchester College with a three-year degree in physical education. She cobbled together credits from summer classes and internships, took a heavy course load and transferred six credits from high school.
“I kind of sacrificed free time to hang out with friends,” she said. But she saved about $25,000 in college expenses, and now she’s free to hunt for a job as a school gym teacher.
At the flagship University of Massachusetts Amherst, 35 to 40 students a year finish degrees in three years. Provost James Staros expects that number to rise to more than 100 under a new three-year degree option.
“It’s still a very small number,” he said.
Colleges and universities with rolling, late, or extended deadlines
OK, so it’s almost graduation and for whatever reason you haven’t applied to college. Maybe you didn’t think you wanted to go at all, but now as many of your friends are in the process of reviewing their offers of admission you now have a change of heart. Perhaps you were not admitted into your all-time favorite school and you didn’t have a back-up plan. Or maybe you just haven’t made up your mind yet. Well here’s good news for you! Hundreds of colleges and universities have a process called “rolling admissions”. Basically what that means is that these schools do not have a fall or spring deadline for admission and that many of these schools will continue to accept and admit students well into the summer, often as late as August 15 or later.
You might be thinking that if any particular college or university is still accepting admission applications this late, then they must not be very good schools. Well, that’s where you’re wrong! For a variety of reasons many schools use rolling admissions and this policy has nothing to do with the academic quality or reputation of the institution. For example, some schools are trying to increase the size or diversity of their student body, so they continue their recruitment efforts. Others may be committed to a mission of access for the residents of their state. Whatever their reasons, what it means for you is that there is still time for you to find an outstanding college or university! Here’s a few examples of some great schools that you can still apply to for this fall:
The University of Nevada, Reno www.unr.edu A wonderful traditional campus located at the base of the breath-taking Sierra Nevada mountains, The University of Nevada, Reno has over 150 excellent academic programs and majors in a variety of areas including engineering, sciences, journalism, and business. The University has an excellent Honors program and competes as a Division I team in the Western Athletic Conference. This research institution also boasts a fine medical school and one of the lowest tuitions in the country. The University has completed and opened several new facilities over the last few years including a new student union, Knowledge Center (advanced technology library), and math and science center. None of Nevada’s programs are impacted and students can graduate in 4 years or less!
The University of the Pacific web.pacific.edu/ is one of the west’s most distinctive, student-centered national universities. Pacific engages its students with a personalized, private education with real-world learning experiences. It offers undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs in nine colleges. Pacific is a private university with about 6,700 students on three campuses in Stockton, San Francisco, and Sacramento. Pacific has a unique “Four Year Graduation Guarantee” in which students receive their degree in four years or any additional tuition is free. Pacific ranks as a “Great School at a Great Price” by U.S. News and “best buys” by Fiske Guide to Colleges.
The University of Alabama http://www.ua.edu/ is a student-centered research university and an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians. Founded in 1831 as Alabama’s first public college, The University of Alabama is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and service. They provide a creative, nurturing campus environment where their students can become the best individuals possible, can learn from the best and brightest faculty, and can make a positive difference in the community, the state and the world.
Clark-Atlanta University www.cau.edu Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is one of the nation’s foremost universities with an African-American heritage. Located right in the center of downtown Atlanta, Georgia, this four-year private institution was created when Atlanta University, which solely offered graduate programs, merged with Clark College, an undergraduate college that specialized in the liberal arts. CAU, which is affiliated with the Methodist church, has approximately 3,500 undergraduate students attending school under the traditional semester calendar.
Sam Houston State University http://www.shsu.edu/ Named for Sam Houston, Texas’ greatest hero, SHSU continually strives to honor its historical roots through academic excellence that includes exceptional teaching from faculty members who care as much about their students’ success as they do about furthering the knowledge of their fields. SHSU is a selective institution that offers 79 bachelor’s degree programs, 54 master’s programs and five doctoral programs, including nationally recognized programs in Business, Fine Arts, Education, Mathematics and Criminal Justice. SHSU is classified as a “Doctoral Research University” by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.
University of Arizona www.arizona.edu As a public research university serving the diverse citizens of Arizona and beyond, the mission of the University of Arizona is to provide a comprehensive, high-quality education that engages our students in discovery through research and broad-based scholarship. We aim to empower our graduates to be leaders in solving complex societal problems. Whether in teaching, research, outreach or student engagement, access and quality are the defining attributes of the University of Arizona’s mission.
Valparaiso University www.valpo.edu Valparaiso University is a community of learning that adheres to the “Lutheran tradition of scholarship, freedom, and faith.” Established in 1859, this private university prepares students for leadership and service in the church and society. Valpo, which consistently earns national recognition, offers over 70 fields of study and has 5 colleges, a graduate division, and a law school. Its rigorous academic programs integrate liberal arts with professional preparation, thus combining theory with practice. With 4,000 students who come from nearly every state in the union and more than 40 countries, the university provides the diversity of larger institutions in a smaller, more personable setting.
To view a full list of schools with extended admission deadlines or rolling admissions go to the Peterson’s website at: http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/LateDeadlineSchools.asp . Much of the above content came from this site.
I want to thank the great folks at the Clark County School District for allowing me to speak at last night’s College Readiness Educational Workshop (CREW) at Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas, especially Jill Hersha and Kim Boyle. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with so many parents and students after my presentation. As promised, I’m posting the PDF of last night’s presentation. Just click the red “X”.
