<p>Some highly selective colleges are doing away with the Early Decision option.
Part of their rationale in doing this is that students with fewer resources (the poor, first generation college-goers, etc.) are not on an even playing field when it comes to being prepared to apply under the Early Decision plan.</p>
<p>The admissions offices at highly selective colleges take pride in the fact that they do not evaluate applicants in a vacuum. Instead, they use a process in which they evaluate student achievement and potential based on the CONTEXT of the applicant's background and opportunity. In other words, the applicant from a very poor inner-city school would be looked at in a different context than the applicant from a weathy suburban school district.</p>
<p>To level the playing field a little further, what would you think about the most selective colleges adding the following question to their application:</p>
<p>"In as much detail as possible, please tell us about your use of any of the following services FOR WHICH YOU OR YOUR PARENTS PAID A FEE: SAT or ACT preparation services, consultants to help you write or "fine tune" your essay, counselors to help you "package yourself" for admission, and any books or online services related to college admission. Please estimate, as accurately as possible, the amount of time and money spent on each of the aforementioned services. DO NOT INCLUDE ANY SERVICES FOR WHICH YOU DID NOT PAY A FEE."</p>
<p>Should such a question be added to the application of highly selective colleges? If yes, why; If no, why not?</p>
<p>I've provided plenty of advice on how to improve their application essays to students on CC. I have not charged a fee. Would my assistance need to be reported? How does one account for parental assistance? Mine started the minute my kids were born.:)</p>
<p>What is the point of asking about paid services?
I flatter myself that I am more experienced than a lot of people who charge fees for their services. So the kids who get my assistance are getting more of an advantage than those who pay tons for less competent assistance. Is that fair? I don't have a litmus test for providing help, so I have no idea whether the free assistance I've provided has gone to poorer or more affluent students.
My kids have been at a huge advantage compared to kids from poor, limited English immigrant families from day one. They've come back from hospital to a home overflowing with books to two Ph.D. parents. They have not had to pay for SAT prep or anything else: their lives was a long preparation for college in the form of a solid education at school AND at home.</p>
<p>No. It is a pointless question. Unless you want to answer my question in post #7 differently from the way I interpret it, namely a way of figuring out who has more affluent parents? But can't that information be gained in a more direct way by asking about parental income? But if effective assistance is what you are trying to capture, what is the point of asking whether it was paid for or not?</p>
<p>In a perfect world, I guess the ad coms should know as much as possible. But they can infer test prep from certain high schools and parental assistance/enrichment from highly educated/wealthy parents. Sometimes they'll infer wrongly, but I'll bet they're good at guessing. I couldn't count the hours I've happily spent helping my son with this whole process. Hopefully, CC is a sort of equalizer where anyone can come for free help.</p>
<p>I have to agree with marite, it is a pretty silly question. But before you point your finger and demand "yes or no". Maybe you should answer your own question and give us all a cogent argument for your positon. I think if you try to write it down, you will realize your suggestion probably doesn't even accomplish what you hope it does (making a huge leap to assume that what your hoping to accomplish is a good thing).</p>
<p>Also, there are schools that start prepping kids for SATs as part of their in-class and homework assignments, as early as middle school. And schools that have classes in writing the college essay. Should that be indicated on the ap too? The parents typically are paying, either in higher school/property taxes or tuition.</p>
<p>Sure, why not. No one question is perfect but it will provide some good data over time for the schools. Do people who took paid classes score better on average than those who don't. Should this be considered in evaluating the scores. Maybe pool all those who had classes and let them compete within that group and those without paid classes would compete in another pool.</p>
<p>Dear OP, I'm also not sure where you're going with this, either, although perhaps we share an interest concerning equity of access to higher education opportunities. On those issues, I'm sure you're enjoying reading some of the current threads that explore that theme in many manifestations, for example, "Who Supports Low/Middle Income Kids in App Process?" </p>
<p>Parents who subcontract to "professionals" to super-package their kids are way off my radar screen and checkbook. Like Marite, I rely upon a combination of long-term solid upbringing that includes educational values to prepare my kids. When the actual app process rolled around, there was CC to help with technicalities and emotional support. </p>
<p>To your question, as currently worded, how would you close up all the loopholes to ensure honest answers, for example:
"pay a fee" -- barter of professional services is not literally paying a fee
"you or your parents" -- families could launder the fee money through a grandparent and still answer "no" to your question.</p>
<p>All students must sign honor pledges when they sign their applications that the work is their own.</p>
<p>I get the point of the question (to see who has had the "advantage" of paid prep), but I think that in reality the question is not that telling. "Paid test prep" can cost anything from a couple hundred to $1000+. People who are by no means rich or advantaged could scrape together the money for a one-shot test prep course at my school--this wouldn't constitute the same advantage as a $1000+ prep course. </p>
<p>I also think that test prep courses are only dubiously helpful anyway. Plus, the question goes too far, in my opinion. Technically, I have spent about $150-$200 on various college books/college guides/rankings magazines. I don't really think that this constitutes an unfair advantage on my part (you could have gotten all the same info from the library--I just prefer to own the books (for my own pleasure) whenever I can). What would the point in me writing another paragraph explaining this? It would just be a needless waste of time.</p>
<p>I seriously doubt many people are bothering to barter services. Yes a few parents can provide great help but most would just as soon not be bothererd and how many of us remember enough math to help much anyway.</p>
<p>I don't think this question should be added to college applications. If you add questions like this, why not add things like 1. Did your parents pay for private instrument lessons for you. 2. Do you own a pet? 3. How often do you go on vacation? 4. Where do you buy your clothes most often...department store or consignment store? 5. Do you buy books or borrow them from the library? 6. Did your parents pay for you to go to summer camp, or a summer program of any sort? All of these things could be construed as giving students an "advantage" in the college application process.</p>
<p>I think when my son applied to Duke (in 2002), the application asked what type of help the applicant had with writing his/her essays. That is a little different than the OP's idea, though. </p>
<p>As far as test prep, neither of my kids took a prep course or had SAT prep in school. In their once per week pullout gifted program from grades 2-5, analogies were part of the curriculum (I believe it was called WordMasters), so this may have been some "prep" although we did not know it at the time. They both used the review books which are available at any bookstore. I believe that, for most students, the prep courses just provide a structure which makes the student prepare, and a disciplined student can prepare just as well by studying on his or her own. My son scored astronomically high on all of his SAT 1 and 2 tests with self-study, and I believe my daughter's SAT scores, on her second try, after self-study, were a good reflection of her academic abilities (98 percentile verbal, 85 percentile math). </p>
<p>As far as asking about a paid college counselor, I personally can't relate to people using them, but I myself probably became as much of an expert on college admissions as many counselors. Would you also ask a student if his or her parents and/or school guidance counselor gave useful advice, or if they learned everything on their own?</p>
<p>Overall, I don't think adding the question suggested by the OP would provide useful information, aside from the lack of reliability of the answers received, which is a whole other issue.</p>
<p>As far as test prep is concerned, you're way off base thinking the advantage is money. The best prep is just using the College Board "Real Tests" books. The books are relatively cheap and I bet there are lots of them around, essentially untouched, available just for the asking. If your kid reads the review material and takes a couple of practice tests they should be able to do their best on the tests. I doubt that taking a high end expensive prep course after that will raise his or her scores noticably. Apart from that, reading is very helpful and most schools have libraries and the public libaries are still functioning.</p>