College Planning 101: College Search and Testing
Dear Parents:
April is a month of mixed blessings. It is the month that represents new beginnings as Spring takes hold. It is also the month that high school seniors receive the last of their college letters/emails with either an acceptance, rejection or wait-list outcome. Seniors must make a decision as to which school to accept and put a deposit down to attend by May 1st.
The first article in my April newsletter discusses “highly rejective” colleges and how to best view which schools to consider attending, as well as to consider some thoughts on the best way to view increasing financial aid awards. Jeff Selingo, the former editor of the Chronicles of Higher Ed coined the term “highly rejective” because it perfectly describes how the highly selective colleges tend to behave this time of year!
The second article is an informative article about standardized testing which became a hot topic during the pandemic as more than 1300 colleges went test-optional during the 2020 and 2021 admission years. Many of these schools will continue to be test-optional for admission, but as this article explains, standardized tests are used for evaluating merit aid, honors programs and additional aid.
I hope high school students are starting to plan their summer, as it is important that students be productive most of the time they are out of school. Whether it be volunteering, getting a job, shadowing some professionals in areas they think they might want to pursue, or simply challenging themselves by reading multiple books on whatever topics they are interested in. Some of the books need to be classics as our high schools are rarely offering such books during the school year. Thomas Hardy, Ernest Hemingway, Joseph Conrad and Faulkner are some authors that are rich with stories on the human condition.
Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. My goal is to offer information about the most current trends and information on college admissions.
Sincerely,
Catherine L. Marrs, CEP
Looking Beyond Highly Rejective Colleges to Get Better Deals
The Ivies, Stanford, MIT, Duke, Northwestern, USC and other highly rejective colleges outdid themselves this year by crushing the college dreams of an historic number of applicants.
What gets lost in this slavish attention to the nation’s highly rejective schools is the inside scoop on what’s happening with other colleges and universities and how some families can take advantage of this situation now.
A Test for the Test Makers
College Board and ACT move to grow and diversify as the pandemic fuels test-optional admissions trend.
The newest outpost of the College Board, the American standardized-testing organization, lies nearly 7,300 miles east of the nonprofit organization’s headquarters in New York City.