Dirty Secrets of College Rankings

http://www.onlinecolleges.org/10-dirty-secrets-behind-the-big-college-rankings/Online Colleges just sent me this article, I found it interesting!

Oh those terrible rankings!

Oh those terrible college rankings!  The US News and World Report came out with their yearly diatribe on the “best colleges”. As Mark H Sklarow, the executive director of the Independent Educational Consultants Association says in his blog: “Worst of all, students add colleges to their ‘wish lists’ not understanding that much of the criteria that put a school on the list has no consequence to their particular needs, interests, or desires.” Well said. (more…)

Seniors: Finalize that List!

If you are a rising high school senior of the Class 2011, July and August is the time to finalize your college list! Most students will begin classes during August or early September, and having a finalized list of colleges that you plan to apply to will help the application process flow smoothly. Your senior year is NOT the time to be researching schools! Your junior year and summer is best utilized for college research. (more…)

Want to go to college? What classes should you be taking?

What should you take during your high school career in order to be ready for (and acceptable to) college? Most colleges and universities have a minimum number of <strong>required</strong> courses that each student should take. The State of Texas minimum graduation requirements do not always match the minimum requirements of many colleges and universitities. Make sure your four year plan includes a <strong>minimum </strong>of the following: <!–more–>

4 years of English (some schools do not accept ESL or Special Education as substitutes for four years of English). 3-4 years of Math. Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry are absolutely required. Pre-Algebra rarely counts. 4 years History/Social Studies (US History, World History, World Geography, one semester of Economics, one semester of Government.) 3-4 years of a Lab Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics. Some colleges do not accept IPC, Physical Science, oceanography as lab sciences.) 3-4 years Foreign Language (3 years of the same language) 1 year of Fine Art includes choir, theater, band, art, speech, debate, drama, etc 1 ½ years of PE or an off campus sport, or a waiver Colleges and universities differ on their requirements, so be sure to check the schools you are interested in before you blow off a year of science, math or foreign language!

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL TYPES OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES! Workshops, seminars, camps, travel programs, Honors courses, AP classes….do as much as you can to challenge yourself! Colleges will go for the student who has opted for challenge. Don’t spend your summers laying around the pool. Get a job, travel, do community service, take courses, do something interesting! Colleges want interesting and vibrant students, not couch potatoes!

Ahhh….Summer!

One of my IECA colleagues, Jill Tipograph is the CEO and Founder of Everything Summer. She has some great advice for parents and teens, so check it out here. I would like to add that it is not too late to make summer plans for your teen! Activities or academics or adventures are a real positive in most teen lives and enhance maturity, leadership, and social skills. So here is a list of possible things to get involved in this summer. (more…)

Searching for colleges…

Many criteria factor into a college search….location, size, majors, Greek life, clubs, the list goes on and on.  One thing most people put far too  much emphasis on is rankings.  Every year we see the new US News and World Report rankings, and  Forbes has started to rank schools with their own methodology, which differs quite a bit from US News.  Even though Forbes is using student input, the students they are taking the data from are a very “self-selected” bunch, certainly not a cross section or a general college population.. (more…)

Princeton Review “curbs” their score increase claims

Princeton Review has used score increase claims on their advertising for years. Kaplan (a competitor) registered complaints asserting that “Princeton Review had no basis to talk about score gains because the start point for measuring gains was generally determined by diagnostic tests, while the end point was a live test. Critics have said that they believe test-prep companies’ initial tests yield low results, encouraging people to sign up for courses and to credit the companies for large gains later”. This information comes from an article in USA Today. (more…)

Let YOUR voice be heard!

Don’t let the religious right decide on PUBLIC curriculum. Check out my blog on the Dallas Morning News Moms Blog.

College Prep: The Real Deal

What is the most important skill needed for college? Independence. High school students are often over-protected, over-scheduled, and lack the ability to schedule themselves and make critical decisions. They are told when to sleep, when to go to class, when to study. What happens when all structure is removed? Sometimes….chaos. So what is the answer? Prepare high school students with summer programs on college campuses. (more…)

Time for the SAT and ACT, juniors!

Standardized testing is always a major subject with each and every student and family I work with. Nothing is more nerve-wracking than those PSAT and SAT test dates and results. I have had students who have taken the SAT six or seven times (a mistake, in my opinion). College Board now allows the student to choose which set(s) of scores to send. This reduces the stress considerably, but there are still colleges that require ALL scores. (more…)