College Application Secrets
Private vs. Public High School
Many parents ask us if, for college admissions purposes, it’s
better to attend a well known private school versus a public
school. The key to this question is, “for college admissions
purposes.” The truth is, parents should not make any decisions
based purely on college admissions odds – that’s the wrong
way to address a crucial choice that involves far more variables
than simply college admissions. One valid reason to send your son
or daughter to private school is if you want him or her to have
smaller classes, specific classes not offered at your particular
public school, a different social environment, athletic
opportunities not found at your local school, etc. The worst
reason to send a student is in the vain hope of bettering college
admissions odds. Most of the Ivies admit roughly 25% of their
populations from private schools and roughly 65-70% from public
(the rest from parochial or home-schooled), but that merely
reflects the fact that more kids from public school apply —
again, the acceptance rates are usually about equal.
Even a student who is No. 1 in a top public school will not be
accepted to top colleges if he or she has low scores on the SAT
and SAT Subject Tests. Another thing to consider is the
competition: at top private schools like Andover and Exeter, only
the top students get into the very top colleges. It’s actually
harder to be in the top 5-10% of the class at a place where
almost everyone is qualified versus a big public school with some
“dead weight.” In short, you should make this decision based on
the options, comfort level, course offerings, sports and
specialty offerings for your child rather than trying to outwit
college admissions officers who will not be impressed just by a
big name private school.
Most importantly, students will perform better — and be
happier — at a school where they feel most comfortable. If a
student truly loves Andover, and the family believes that the
expense is warranted, then Andover is the right choice. If the
local public school has great teachers, neighborhood friends, a
full line up of AP courses, and a safe environment, then it may
be worth more to a student than any of the famous prep schools.
Happy New Year — Now Think About Summer!
It’s hard to think about summer as you celebrate a bright new
year! But, we want you to shift your focus as the best summers
take planning.
As you probably know by now, the Common Application has added a
new category called WORK EXPERIENCE with five or so lines of
description. Getting a job is as important today to admissions
officers as community service was ten years ago.
Many well-heeled and well-intentioned parents are convinced that
it would benefit their children to talk to someone who could
arrange an unusual or prestigious internship for summer. Their
goal is to pull in a favor or two to acquire fancy internships
for their kids. Colleges are not stupid and can usually figure
out that someone pulled a string — otherwise, how could a normal
16-year-old with virtually no qualifications end up working in a
high-profile law firm or an investment bank? In fact, having this
kind of internship often backfires because colleges then hold it
against the student because he/she obviously couldn’t find
his/her own job or meaningful experience without adult help.
Colleges look for students who create opportunities for
themselves, not simply those who have things handed to them on a
silver platter. With that in mind, here are some ideas for
summer:
- Take classes at a local community college or school to deepen
your interest in a particular scholarly area.
- Pursue an activity or hobby on your own to take it to a
higher level.
- Get a real job — try bussing tables, pouring coffee, bagging
groceries — show that you can handle responsibility.
- Do some serious reading and keep track of what you read –
some colleges ASK what you’ve read lately.
- Investigate in detail specific departments and programs in
colleges you are interested in so you can provide real evidence
as to why you are interested in X school.
- Do not sign up for a high priced program that sends you
complimentary mailings about how you’ve been “selected.” - If you are a top level athlete, sign up for elite sports
camps where college coaches will be recruiting attendees.
Top 75 College Admissions Blogs
Anna Miller of OnlineDegree.net recently published a list of the 75 best college blogs on the internet and has included our Application Boot Camp blog on her list! [Read more]
More Early Decision Details
Most college early deadlines are coming up in a few days:
November 1, although a few are still November 15—you have to
check. Don’t worry though—as long as you postmark your
application by November 1, it will not be late. [Read more]
Legacy Status
We are often asked about the power of legacy status for an applicant. “If my mom went to College X does it increase my odds of being admitted to College X?” The answer may surprise you – not necessarily. Yes, your parent having gone to the college to which you are applying might carry weight, but check with each school. Some colleges only count legacy for their early decision applicants. Some schools such as California Institute of Technology, Texas A&M, and Cooper Union never give legacies an advantage. Pick up the phone and call the admissions office at College X and ask the question if you can’t find details in their materials. [Read more]
Do Your Research
When researching colleges, find out which majors at each school
are undersubscribed. [Read more]
Congratulations Everyone!
Michele’s students had record breaking acceptances in the early round of college admissions results for the Class of 2014.
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Ivy League Admissions Statistics
Our exclusive data on the Class of 2014 Ivy League Admissions statistics, now updated for Early Action and Early Admissions for the class entering 2010. See exactly how many students applied and how many were accepted to different schools.
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