Where Students Can Meet College Admission Officers

<p>I'll group information from a previous thread here. Thanks to the students and parents who shared links about college fairs and regional information sessions. </p>

<p>Many years ago I began attending National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) National College Fair </p>

<p><a href="http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/CollegeFairs/NCF/default.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/CollegeFairs/NCF/default.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>events, as research for my personal Web site. </p>

<p>In 2003 at the Minnesota National College Fair, my son and I were invited at the Harvard booth there to attend a Harvard-specific regional information meeting at Southwest High School later that fall. That was my first experience with college regional information sessions, which I have found to be very informative and a good supplement to college fairs. I'll mention both kinds of events in this thread. </p>

<p>The NACAC National College Fair</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/CollegeFairs/NCF/default.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/CollegeFairs/NCF/default.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>and NACAC Performing & Visual Arts College Fairs </p>

<p><a href="http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/CollegeFairs/PVA/default.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/CollegeFairs/PVA/default.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>are large events, often held in convention centers, with usually hundreds of colleges sending representatives. Not all colleges attend the same NACAC college fairs, so the colleges that appear at the nearest NACAC event to your town may be different from those appearing in another town. I find NACAC college fairs seriously overstimulating :) but very interesting and informative. Most include a certain number of seminar sessions on specialized topics as well as the opportunity to meet dozens of college representatives in their convention exhibitor booths.</p>

<p>There are some regional associations of college admission counselors that organize regional college fairs too, and other national organizations that organize college fairs. Below are links to some examples of those events. </p>

<p>National Scholarship Service (NSS)</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nssfns.com/category_s/37.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nssfns.com/category_s/37.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>New England Association for College Admission Counseling </p>

<p><a href="http://www1.wnec.edu/admissions/index.cfm?selection=doc.1423%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www1.wnec.edu/admissions/index.cfm?selection=doc.1423&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Fall 2007 Minnesota Education Fair (various locations) </p>

<p><a href="http://www.mn-acac.org/?s=fairs_mef&print=true%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mn-acac.org/?s=fairs_mef&print=true&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Wisconsin Education Fairs </p>

<p><a href="http://www.wefs.org/locations%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.wefs.org/locations&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Sometimes particular secondary schools or school districts or consortiums of schools or other organizations organize local college fairs. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.fcps.edu/ss/FCPSCollegeFairNight/index.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.fcps.edu/ss/FCPSCollegeFairNight/index.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p><a href="http://www.srs.gov/general/outreach/edoutrch/coll_night.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.srs.gov/general/outreach/edoutrch/coll_night.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p><a href="http://www.collegefairsdenver.org/Dates.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegefairsdenver.org/Dates.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>You can bring all of your favorite questions to college fair events and get answers to those questions straight from college representatives. I hope you'll share the answers you get with other students and parents here in this thread, by posting visit reports. Have a great time meeting college admission officers during September, October, and November 2007, and best wishes for a great admission season.</p>

<p>By attending NACAC college fairs, I learned about about regional college information sessions, and I've been compiling bookmarks about those since then, which I'll share here. I hope you find the session about the college of interest to you informative and valuable. Some prospective students travel here to Minnesota from Iowa or South Dakota to attend regional information sessions--that's still less expensive than traveling to the college, in some cases. </p>

<p>Some regional events happen in the summer, and a few websites are not yet complete with a full schedule of fall 2007 meetings. If you know of other Web links like this, feel free to share them in replies to this thread. I'll first list consortium programs and then list programs of individual colleges. Some colleges that participate in consortium programs have plenty of individual programs too. </p>

<p>Colleges That Change Lives Consortium (about thirty liberal arts colleges from Agnes Scott College to Whitman College) </p>

<p><a href="http://www.ctcl.com/events/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ctcl.com/events/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Exploring College Options consortium (Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn, and Stanford) </p>

<p><a href="http://exploringcollegeoptions.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://exploringcollegeoptions.org/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Exploring Educational Excellence Consortium (Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, and Rice) </p>

<p><a href="http://www.exploringeducationalexcellence.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.exploringeducationalexcellence.org/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Eight of the Best Colleges consortium (Claremont McKenna College, Colorado College, Connecticut College, Grinnell College, Haverford College, Kenyon College, Macalester College, Sarah Lawrence College) </p>

<p><a href="http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/admission/ontheroad/8ofbest.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/admission/ontheroad/8ofbest.asp&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Many colleges post lists of regional information sessions. In some cases those are stand-alone events, and in other cases they are participation by that college in local or regional college fairs or high school visits, not all of which may be open to the public. Some of these websites are still being updated. </p>

<p>Arizona State University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.asu.edu/admissions/ASUNearYou/schedule.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.asu.edu/admissions/ASUNearYou/schedule.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Bentley College</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bentley.edu/undergraduate/college_fair.cfm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bentley.edu/undergraduate/college_fair.cfm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Boston College</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bc.edu/admission/undergrad/visits/visit-you.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bc.edu/admission/undergrad/visits/visit-you.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>(The Boston College Web page is not laid out correctly for browser
independence.)</p>

<p>Boston University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bu.edu/admissions/explore/receptions/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bu.edu/admissions/explore/receptions/index.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Brown University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Admission/gettoknowus/brownnearyou.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Admission/gettoknowus/brownnearyou.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>California Institute of Technology (Caltech)</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/events%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/events&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon University</p>

<p><a href="http://my.cmu.edu/site/admission/page.visit%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://my.cmu.edu/site/admission/page.visit&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Case Western Reserve University</p>

<p><a href="http://admission.case.edu/future.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admission.case.edu/future.asp&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Claremont Colleges</p>

<p><a href="http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/admission/ontheroad/cc-receptions.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/admission/ontheroad/cc-receptions.asp&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Clark University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.clarku.edu/admissions/cotr/bydate.cfm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.clarku.edu/admissions/cotr/bydate.cfm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Colby College</p>

<p><a href="http://www.colby.edu/admissions_cs/visit/off-campus_interviews.cfm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.colby.edu/admissions_cs/visit/off-campus_interviews.cfm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Columbia University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/events/intro.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/events/intro.php&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Cornell College</p>

<p><a href="http://www.cornellcollege.edu/admissions/visiting/offcampus.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cornellcollege.edu/admissions/visiting/offcampus.shtml&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Cornell University</p>

<p><a href="http://admissions.cornell.edu/seasonal/events/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.cornell.edu/seasonal/events/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Davidson College</p>

<p><a href="http://www2.davidson.edu/admission//admis_trav/admtrav.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www2.davidson.edu/admission//admis_trav/admtrav.asp&lt;/a> </p>

<p>DePauw University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.depauw.edu/admission/visit/events/college-fairs-detail.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.depauw.edu/admission/visit/events/college-fairs-detail.asp&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Duke University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/inyourarea_discover-US.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/inyourarea_discover-US.asp&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Emory University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/travel.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/travel.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Georgetown University</p>

<p><a href="http://www12.georgetown.edu/undergrad/admissions/inyourarea.cfm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www12.georgetown.edu/undergrad/admissions/inyourarea.cfm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Harvard University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/utilities/travel_schedule/index.cgi%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/utilities/travel_schedule/index.cgi&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Indiana University: Bloomington</p>

<p><a href="https://www.indiana.edu/%7Eiuadmit/events/index.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;https://www.indiana.edu/~iuadmit/events/index.php&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Johns Hopkins University</p>

<p><a href="http://apply.jhu.edu/visit/explorehopkins.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://apply.jhu.edu/visit/explorehopkins.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Lehigh University</p>

<p><a href="http://www3.lehigh.edu/admissions/infoprogramdetails.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www3.lehigh.edu/admissions/infoprogramdetails.asp&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Linfield College</p>

<p><a href="http://www.linfield.edu/admission/admission-staff/fairs.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.linfield.edu/admission/admission-staff/fairs.php&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/mityou/fall_recruitment_travel_schedule/index.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/mityou/fall_recruitment_travel_schedule/index.shtml&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Middlebury College</p>

<p><a href="http://community.middlebury.edu/%7Ephinney/SchoolVisits/frames_index.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://community.middlebury.edu/~phinney/SchoolVisits/frames_index.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>(The Middlebury page has a misnamed security certificate, but you can
ignore that and click through.)</p>

<p>New York University</p>

<p><a href="http://events.embark.com/event/nyu/off_campus/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://events.embark.com/event/nyu/off_campus/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Northeastern University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.neu.edu/admissions/visitcampus/inyourarea.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.neu.edu/admissions/visitcampus/inyourarea.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Northwestern University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/cgi-bin/counsel/session01.cgi%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/cgi-bin/counsel/session01.cgi&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Oberlin College</p>

<p><a href="http://www.oberlin.edu/admissions/college/visits/ontheroad.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.oberlin.edu/admissions/college/visits/ontheroad.shtml&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)</p>

<p><a href="http://admissions.psu.edu/pennstate/visitsyou/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.psu.edu/pennstate/visitsyou/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Reed College</p>

<p><a href="http://web.reed.edu/apply/reed_on_the_road/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://web.reed.edu/apply/reed_on_the_road/index.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>(Following the Reed links to particular state events or using the
clickable map may resize your Web browser window or do other nasty things.)</p>

<p>Rice University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.futureowls.rice.edu/futureowls/Rice_in_Your_Town.asp?SnID=1744571989%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.futureowls.rice.edu/futureowls/Rice_in_Your_Town.asp?SnID=1744571989&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Savannah College of Art and Design</p>

<p><a href="http://www.scad.edu/admission/yourarea/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.scad.edu/admission/yourarea/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>(The SCAD page is not very well designed from a Web usability point of
view.)</p>

<p>Stanford University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/extras/1_2a5_regional.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/applying/extras/1_2a5_regional.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>University of Chicago</p>

<p><a href="http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/level2.asp?id=90%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/level2.asp?id=90&lt;/a> </p>

<p>University of Miami</p>

<p><a href="http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,2613-1;29761-2;9406-3,00.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,2613-1;29761-2;9406-3,00.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p><a href="http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,2613-1;29761-2;48186-3,00.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,2613-1;29761-2;48186-3,00.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>University of Minnesota Rochester</p>

<p><a href="http://www.r.umn.edu/07_student_services-On%20the%20road.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.r.umn.edu/07_student_services-On%20the%20road.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>University of Minnesota Twin Cities</p>

<p><a href="http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/events/offcampus.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/events/offcampus.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.unc.edu/visiting/inyourtown.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.unc.edu/visiting/inyourtown.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>University of Notre Dame</p>

<p><a href="https://admissions.nd.edu/ontheroad/%5B/url%5D"&gt;https://admissions.nd.edu/ontheroad/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>University of Pennsylvania (Penn)</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissionsug.upenn.edu/yourtown/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissionsug.upenn.edu/yourtown/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>University of Rochester</p>

<p><a href="http://enrollment.rochester.edu/admissions/events/offcampus/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://enrollment.rochester.edu/admissions/events/offcampus/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>University of Virginia</p>

<p><a href="http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/uvavisit.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/uvavisit.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Vanderbilt University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Admissions/roadshow.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Admissions/roadshow.php&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Vassar College</p>

<p><a href="http://admissions.vassar.edu/road_schedule.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.vassar.edu/road_schedule.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Washington University in St. Louis</p>

<p><a href="http://aisweb.wustl.edu/admissions/home.nsf/pages/groupmtg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://aisweb.wustl.edu/admissions/home.nsf/pages/groupmtg&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Wesleyan University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/planning/fairs_alumni.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/planning/fairs_alumni.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Wheaton College</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wheaton.edu/admissions/UndGrad/contact/collegefairs.php4%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.wheaton.edu/admissions/UndGrad/contact/collegefairs.php4&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Whitman College</p>

<p><a href="http://www.whitman.edu/content/admission/whitman-on-the-road/travel/?state=all&range=current%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.whitman.edu/content/admission/whitman-on-the-road/travel/?state=all&range=current&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Yale University</p>

<p><a href="http://admissions.yale.edu/events/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.yale.edu/events/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>P.S. If you are planning to attend any of these meetings this fall, I'd be grateful if you post a visit report to this thread. The colleges below this line are listed with links that don't lead to current information as of when I post this. They may be updated soon. </p>

<p>Amherst College</p>

<p><a href="http://www.amherst.edu/admission/important_info/connecting.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.amherst.edu/admission/important_info/connecting.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Harvey Mudd College</p>

<p><a href="http://www.hmc.edu/admin/admission/travel_fall.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.hmc.edu/admin/admission/travel_fall.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Princeton University</p>

<p><a href="http://www.princeton.edu/pr/admissions/u/ep/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.princeton.edu/pr/admissions/u/ep/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>University of Wisconsin--Madison</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/inyourtown.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/inyourtown.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It can make a big difference if an admissions officer actually takes an interest in the student. In the admissions procedure at many schools, having an advocate on the admissions committee can get the student into the Yes, or Maybe pile as opposed to the No pile. When schools take students off the wait list, it is often those who were favorites of some of the admissions officers. However, I think that it's hard to get on an admissions officer's radar. It doesn't happen that often. Still, it's worth attending these meetings, because it could happen.</p>

<p>Thank you for this very helpful post.</p>

<p>The United States federal government gathers information about colleges through its Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) project,</p>

<p><a href="http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>and private publishers such as Peterson's and U.S. News have for years been sending surveys to colleges. Now the College Board and the private publishers have a consortium effort called the Common Data Set Initiative,</p>

<p><a href="http://www.commondataset.org/default.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.commondataset.org/default.asp&lt;/a> </p>

<p>designed to reduce duplication in college surveys and ensure comparability of facts and figures reported by colleges.</p>

<p>Some of the federally gathered information is distributed through the Department of Education's College Opportunities Online Locator </p>

<p><a href="http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>and other aspects of the federal data are reported by the Education Trust College Results Online site. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.collegeresults.org/default.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeresults.org/default.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Students choosing colleges sometimes look at reported score ranges for the students at various colleges to decide what colleges to apply to. The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), </p>

<p><a href="http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>IPEDS, and the Common Data Set Initiative have collaborated to set common standards for colleges gathering data about admission characteristics of their applicants and reporting data about their enrolled classes each year.</p>

<p>Another participant on College Confidential has compiled a great list of colleges that post their Common Data Set filings online </p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=76444%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=76444&lt;/a> </p>

<p>(go to the last page for the latest updates) </p>

<p>and that provides a good starting point for research on many colleges. </p>

<p>I see from time to time that reports about college score ranges don't always follow NACAC-IPEDS-CDS principles and practices. By the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Statement of Principles of Good Practice, </p>

<p><a href="http://www.nacacnet.org/NR/rdonlyres/9A4F9961-8991-455D-89B4-AE3B9AF2EFE8/0/SPGP.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nacacnet.org/NR/rdonlyres/9A4F9961-8991-455D-89B4-AE3B9AF2EFE8/0/SPGP.pdf&lt;/a> </p>

<p>and by the actual practice of the Common Data Set, colleges report only interquartile ranges for each section of the SAT (and in rare cases SAT composite scores), and interquartile ranges for ACT composite scores (and in rare cases ACT section scores too). The NACAC principle reads like this: </p>

<p>


</li>
</ol>

<p>The Common Data Set instructions read:</p>

<p>


</p>

<p>However the very interesting Education Trust college profiles </p>

<p><a href="http://www.collegeresults.org/default.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeresults.org/default.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>suffer from a methodological error: "The median composite ACT score is estimated by averaging the 25th percentile and 75th percentile composite ACT scores. The median combined SAT score is estimated by adding the average of the 25th and 75th percentile verbal score to the average of the 25th and 75th percentile math score, and dividing by two."</p>

<p><a href="http://www.collegeresults.org/aboutthedata.aspx%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeresults.org/aboutthedata.aspx&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Such a calculated "median" composite score should NOT be assumed to be exactly the same as the actual median of all scores of students in that college's entering class. What the actual median is has to be determined from the data themselves, and colleges are not to report the actual medians, by NACAC principles. I have also seen attempts online to estimate 75th percentile levels for SAT composite scores, simply by summing the scores for the 75th percentile on each SAT section. I hope it is so apparent that it goes without saying why that figure may not be the same as the actual 75th percentile level of composite scores in that group of students: if various students score higher on one section than another, matching the math scores of the 75th percentile math scorers with the critical reading scores of the 75th percentile critical reading scorers may overstate the composite scores of the top quartile of students.</p>

<p>It's sufficient, of course, to look at the interquartile ranges to see if students with certain levels of scores have a great or meager chance of getting admitted. And once a student wraps his or her mind around how to read interquartile ranges reported for each test section, it is really much more helpful for the student's planning to know those ranges than only to know a (possibly incorrect) median composite score for a college to which the student may apply.</p>

<p>And of course this College Confidential site has a wide variety of college-specific forums for discussing information about particular colleges that are of interest to you. These days pretty nearly any college has a website, and it is always a good idea to browse college websites to look for official information from the college. My one tip about that is that many college admission offices still think like people from the printed brochure era, so often the Web posting of a college's viewbook has more up-to-date and detailed information than the FAQ section of the college's admission office website. </p>

<p>A lot of college information sessions begin this week. Let's share reports of what we learn from college information sessions this year.</p>

<p>do you specifically have info about international travel to China?</p>

<p>I recall that some of the links above about individual college travel plans include places in east Asia--Hong Kong and Singapore for sure--but I don't recall off-hand for which colleges China is a destination.</p>

<p>Villanova University has posted its list of information sessions and high school visits, which includes international visits. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.villanova.edu/enroll/admission/visit/vu_visits_you/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.villanova.edu/enroll/admission/visit/vu_visits_you/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>American University has begun posting its schedule of information sessions, and it looks like updates will include overseas sessions. </p>

<p><a href="http://admissions.american.edu/public/contentPage/contentPage.asp?navID=4&parId=923&docID=781%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.american.edu/public/contentPage/contentPage.asp?navID=4&parId=923&docID=781&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Dartmouth has updated its list; R.S.V.P. is requested. </p>

<p><a href="http://inyourcity.dartmouth.edu/infosessions%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://inyourcity.dartmouth.edu/infosessions&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Amherst has now posted its schedule. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.amherst.edu/admission/important_info/connecting.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.amherst.edu/admission/important_info/connecting.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Some other colleges still promise to post their schedules Real Soon Now. Many visit programs are underway now or begin this weekend. I hope you have a pleasant and informative visit; I'd be glad to hear from you what you find out at the information sessions you attend.</p>

<p>Thanks to parent sewbusy who spotted Princeton's updated page for this year. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.princeton.edu/admission/visitprinceton/on_the_road/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.princeton.edu/admission/visitprinceton/on_the_road/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Thank you tokenadult!
You are being so helpful!</p>

<p>Hi, everyone, </p>

<p>My wife and oldest son are back from the MIT information session at Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis, presented by admission officer McGregor Crowley and several members of MIT's team of Education Counselors (ECs) (a.k.a. alumni interviewers). I am referring to their notes and to a conversation with a local friend who also attended the session for this description of what was said there. </p>

<p>Last year the information session was in a suburban location within walking distance of my home; this year it was in the heart of inner city Minneapolis, within walking distance of where I lived when I was last a student. My wife estimates there were about 180 people in attendance in the auditorium. McGregor Crowley introduced himself to the group and said he had a particular interest in applicants from low income brackets or who are the first in their families to go to college. The "take home message" is the vibrancy of MIT. </p>

<p>MIT is interdisciplinary, connecting the unconnected. The problem sets are collaborative and promote working as a team. MIT's mission is to solve problems involving energy, the environment, cancer, poverty, and education, among other issues. </p>

<p>MIT has five different schools offering a wide variety of majors. There are schools of engineering; science; management; humanities, arts, and social sciences (HASS); and architecture. MIT has classes at a variety of levels so that all students can take classes at their own level of ability. </p>

<p>The MIT motto is "mens et manus" (mind and hand). Hands-on research experiences are available at MIT through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), which can be paid, volunteer, or for course credit. A majority of MIT students participate in UROPs. </p>

<p>MIT has many student organizations. [Those are enumerated by category in the handouts from the session.] </p>

<p>In your application, make it fun to read for the admission officers by talking about your passion. Students sometimes design their own research projects, so take student interests seriously. Include information in your application about your activities and how you achieve balance in your life. Set up an interview: it's a chance to talk about your life, about you, and about your goals. You will need letters of recommendation from a math or science teacher and from a humanities teacher. You will also need a guidance counselor letter. </p>

<p>You will need test scores from the SAT I with writing or the ACT with writing, and two SAT Subject Test scores from one of the two mathematics tests and one science test. SAT scores of 600 or higher are sufficient--"We have never made a decision based on test scores [alone]." </p>

<p>MIT offers a nonbinding early action admission option. </p>

<p>MIT is looking for young people who </p>

<p>1) have a sense of mission who want to do something, </p>

<p>2) have perseverance to take an idea and work on it, </p>

<p>3) have a collaborative spirit for helping others, </p>

<p>4) have initiative and curiosity, </p>

<p>5) are risk-taking, resulting in taking hard classes, (Many MIT students are solid B students who take the hardest classes they could.) </p>

<p>6) are hands-on doers, </p>

<p>7) have character, who have an obligation in life such as baby-sitting, </p>

<p>8) have balance. </p>

<p>After the main talk the local educational counselors (ECs) who attended the meeting introduced themselves. Most typically interview students from the same group of high schools each year, becoming familiar with those schools. They advised making your application memorable, using anecdotes rather than adjectives. Tell your story. One of the ECs, in one-on-one conversation with my wife while serving juice after the meeting, said that it's a good idea for a student to ask adults who know the student, "What do you notice about me?" Many times students are too casual about activities they do that make the adults who know them go "wow," so it is important for the student to get a sense of what activities make each student unique. </p>

<p>In the United States as a whole, about one applicant out of every six or seven will be admitted. The base acceptance rate is higher for Minnesota applicants. The ECs said there is no significant difference in acceptance rate between early action application and regular action application. </p>

<p>Someone asked about transfer admission, and the reply was that odds for transfer admission are very poor indeed. One transfer applicant who was successful recently was an International Mathematical Olympiad gold medalist who didn't find a good fit in his first college.</p>

<p>My oldest son and I attended the Caltech information session this evening in Bloomington, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis. We arrived at the hotel meeting room just before the stated start time and saw the admission officer Owen Wolf (whose picture we had seen online before the meeting) greeting guests at the door and asking if they had a registration ticket. We did not, but my son's name was on a postcard in the officer's hand because he had preregistered for the event. My son checked the information on the card for accuracy and then we found seats in the room. At first there was very unpleasant recent rock music playing in the room. </p>

<p>There were 110 chairs set out at the start of the meeting, almost all of those eventually filled, with some attendees standing at the back. We saw some of my son's [url=<a href="http://www.arml.com/%5DARML%5B/url"&gt;http://www.arml.com/]ARML[/url&lt;/a&gt;] teammates and one of those said, "It's an ARML reunion." This was a much bigger meeting than the Saturday afternoon Caltech information session we attended three years ago. </p>

<p>Owen Wolf thanked us on behalf of Caltech for coming to the meeting on an evening with heavy rain. He asked students to raise hands; almost half the attendees were prospective Caltech students. </p>

<p>Mr. Wolf started a slide show. He said Caltech offers various features, laid out in his main slide titles. </p>

<p>BIG SCIENCE </p>

<p>The college was founded in 1891 but took a new direction in 1903 when a Harvard-trained astronomer, Hale, came out to do research in California. Hale believed that "science investigation is the spring that feeds the stream" of engineering and technology, so he changed the college from being a practical tech school (with a course on typewriting!) to being a theoretical, research-oriented university of science. Noyes and Millikan also played big roles in the development of Caltech. </p>

<p>Caltech has many Nobel laureates on the faculty. Yet faculty are evaluated by how well they teach undergraduates. The 3:1 ratio of students to professors ensures opportunities to get to know professors well. </p>

<p>BIG RESEARCH </p>

<p>Research facilities affiliated with Caltech include the Jet Propulsion Laboratory nearby in California, and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. "You can blame us for Pluto no longer being called a planet," said Mr. Wolf. There is research on the biochemistry of the human brain's response to stress and Caltech operates the Mars Rover. </p>

<p>BIG OPPORTUNITIES </p>

<p>Caltech likes professors and students to be colleagues. You'll be expected to work collaboratively on problem sets. </p>

<p>There are only 900 undergraduates at Caltech, and only 2,000 students total. Mr. Wolf said it's a misconception that small size limits opportunities. Caltech has many facilities and resources, and its small size ensures that students have access to them. Most courses have twenty or fewer students per class. </p>

<p>CAMPUS CULTURE </p>

<p>Caltech has an honor code. Mr. Wolf asked the high school students if any of them go to a school with an honor code, and I think my son was the only one who raised his hand. The entire Caltech honor code fits on one slide: "No member of the Caltech community shall take unfair advantage of any other member of the Caltech community." One consequence of the honor code is that all students have keys to all the labs so that they have 24/7 access to research equipment. You can get up at 3:00am with a new idea about chemistry and immediately grab a beaker and try it out in the lab. All Caltech exams are unproctored, and you are told what materials are fair game for the exams and trusted to follow those conditions. </p>

<p>Caltech has core requirements for all majors of
6 units of math
5 units of physics
2 units of chemistry
1 unit of biology
a freshman "menu" course
2 intro labs
1 unit of scientific writing
12 units of social science or humanities
3 physical education units, e.g., Ultimate Frisbee, ping pong, etc. </p>

<p>Caltech is organized into six academic divisions: biology; chemistry and chemical engineering; engineering and applied science; geology and planetary science; humanities and social science; and physics, mathematics, and astronomy. About 20 percent of students double major. One Caltech professor commented once, "If you don't teach scientists history, bad things will happen," so there is a strong emphasis on the humanities and social science courses, also so that Caltech students can communicate their ideas to nontechnical people. </p>

<p>Caltech offers a medical scholars program with UC San Diego. Apply to Caltech EA, and if admitted submit an application to the UCSD medical scholars program. Then you can be assured of medical school admission without taking an MCAT. Caltech also has a more conventional pre-med track that could lead to any medical school, and has opportunities for hospital internships. </p>

<p>Caltech has study abroad programs FOR SCIENTISTS that allow them to keep on pace to get their technical degrees and still experience foreign living. </p>

<p>A great program for undergraduate researchers is the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, allowing summer research with pay of $6,000 over the summer. </p>

<p>Caltech students live in one of eight houses, which are neither exactly like dorms nor exactly like frat houses, but a lot like Hogwarts in the Harry Potter novels. </p>

<p>A big Caltech tradition is Ditch Day. [Ditch Day is the first thing I ever heard about Caltech, reading about it in a magazine article when I was in elementary school.] On Ditch Day, seniors leave the campus to hang out in Pasadena, and underclassmen try to break into their rooms to perform pranks. The seniors set up elaborate defense mechanisms for their rooms. The pranks and defenses get more elaborate each year, and now often have house themes. </p>

<p>Caltech ranks higher on the all-time list of college pranks than that other technical university in Cambridge, MA. The Caltech students have rewritten the hillside Hollywood sign to read "Caltech." They have hacked the scoreboard at the Rose Bowl to read "Caltech 38, MIT 9," winning praise from the scoreboard operator for figuring out how to write "Caltech" with lower-case letters. They also hacked a half-time card-flipping show at the Rose Bowl, stealing the glory of the U of WA Huskies to have the cards flip to show the Caltech mascot, the beaver, and the word "Caltech." </p>

<p>Overall, the campus culture is defined by "a shared passion for mathematics, science, and engineering." Caltech students have intellectual respect for one another, inquisitive creative mindpower, and a quirky sense of fun. </p>

<p>Mr. Wolf then took questions from the audience. As usual, parents asked most of the questions. My son commented after this session that the questions were much more elementary and on issues that parents should have looked up for themselves than at the MIT session on Saturday here. </p>

<p>Q [student]: How is the SAT II used in the admission process? </p>

<p>A: The math level 2 and one science SAT II are required because they are specific to those subjects. They help Caltech assess better than the more general SAT I test. </p>

<p>Q [parent]: How safe is the campus? </p>

<p>A: The campus has nineteen security officers and they come instantly if phoned by Caltech's emergency number or if a student lifts up one of the many blue security phones on campus. There is an escort service for crossing campus late at night. Houses have locks activated by infrared cards. </p>

<p>Q [student]: The ratio? </p>

<p>A: 65:35 male:female. Caltech wants that to change, but doesn't give preferences to applicants on that basis and doesn't change its standards. Caltech is doing outreach to gain more applications from women and from underrepresented minorities. Students should think about what kind of atmosphere makes them comfortable. </p>

<p>Q [parent]: Transfer credit for PSEO dual-enrollment college-as-high-school study? </p>

<p>A: Caltech expects students to take rigorous courses, but doesn't give credit for AP, IB, or college courses taken as a high school student. Caltech gives placement tests to admitted students and those are the basis for placement in appropriately advanced courses. You need to demonstrate that you can handle the work. You may think that you are duplicating courses, but Caltech courses are different. Just because you've taken a course in physics before doesn't mean you won't learn something from a Caltech physics course. </p>

<p>As for classes, there are no classes from noon to 1:00pm so everyone can eat lunch. There are no classes from 4:00pm to 6:00pm so sports teams can practice. All courses are taken P/F for the first two trimesters. </p>

<p>Q: Criteria for medical scholars program? </p>

<p>A: Apply to Caltech EA. If admitted, then apply to UCSD for medical scholars program, indicating interest in medicine. </p>

<p>Q [parent]: Can undergraduates at Caltech take graduate classes? </p>

<p>A: It's possible if space in the class is available. Graduate students have registration priority. If you have the aptitude, it's possible. </p>

<p>Q: Graduation rate? </p>

<p>A: Low 90s percent. Some leave Caltech because Caltech isn't what they thought it was. Comparison shop while you are a high school student so you know what college fits you. </p>

<p>Q [parent]: Can you get two years of transfer credit for participating in Minnesota's PSEO (dual enrollment in college for high school) program? </p>

<p>A: No credit for PSEO. No dual credit. [I commented to my son that this is the FAQ par excellence in Minnesota; parents always ask this question at elite college information sessions in this state.] </p>

<p>Q: The number who apply? The number who are admitted? How do you pick students? </p>

<p>A: Applications are read three times, at least. Once by an admission officer (who looks for basic minimal qualifications), once by a professor (who looks for adequate preparation for the student's undergraduate studies), once by a student admission committee member (one of sixteen undergraduates each year who assess applications for fit to Caltech's residential life). The important question to answer is "How have the last four years in high school made me a better scientist or mathematician or engineer?" Mention specific details. The other important question is, "What would your roommate say about you?" Do you stay in your room all day? Do you join projects with other students? </p>

<p>If students aren't specific, the Caltech admission committee has no way to know how they'll function. Applicants have to understand that Caltech is a community. </p>

<p>Q: Average financial aid? </p>

<p>A: Fantastic. Merit scholarships, need-based grants, loans, and work study. More than thirty Axline scholarships are offered each year. </p>

<p>First, Caltech gives all the grants it can. Work study jobs can pay up to $25 per hour. Graduates have an average debt of only $5000 after four years at Caltech. Submit the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, and Caltech will figure out the rest. </p>

<p>Q: Do outside scholarships reduce the financial aid package. </p>

<p>A: It depends on the outside scholarship. </p>

<p>Q [student]: Can you get credit for college work before Caltech? Do you have to repeat classes? [My reaction was, didn't you hear the earlier question?] </p>

<p>A: Absolutely not [you will not have to repeat classes]. Caltech classes are more challenging. We'll place you by the placement tests. </p>

<p>Q: Foreign languages at Caltech? </p>

<p>A: These days only Spanish and French. You can double major with one major being a language major. </p>

<p>Some of the questions were so routine I recorded only the answers; you can guess the questions. </p>

<p>A: We accept the ACT; take what you are comfortable with. </p>

<p>A: No interviews. </p>

<p>Be sure to get a letter of recommendation from a teacher who likes you. Some students try to get letters from teachers of classes in which they were struggling. Faculty members read the letters, and comments like, "This student was surly and argumentative" or "This student didn't turn in all his homework" raise red flags. Letters can be sent ahead of the other required application forms. </p>

<p>A: We don't prefer online or paper. Just make sure to get the application in on time. Don't wait until the day of the deadline. </p>

<p>A: Early action is nonbinding. You can comparison shop. If Caltech is your fallback school, you are doing really well. [That line got smiles from some of the ARML team students.] An early action application shows interest in Caltech--you are getting your application together early in your senior year. There is no significant difference in acceptance rate for EA. Deferment is NOT the same as a denial. Usually being deferred means that the admission committee needs more information to make a decision. Respond to a deferral by sending a letter updating the admission committee on new facts about you that have come up since you filed your EA application. </p>

<p>A: The October SAT is the last date timely for EA. </p>

<p>A: Send in your SAT scores through an official College Board score report. </p>

<p>Q: Weighting of SAT II scores? </p>

<p>A: All are weighed equally. Caltech looks at your specific strengths. No one area of your application makes or breaks you. Caltech is one of the most holistic admission offices known to Owen Wolf [who has worked at other admission offices before working at Caltech]. </p>

<p>Then the general meeting was dismissed. Just a few families stayed to ask more specific questions. Most of those questions related to expense and financial aid. </p>

<p>Does this sound like an interesting college to you? Are you planning to go to a later Caltech information session?</p>

<p>Here are some links to some colleges' pages on off-campus visits. Check with each college about whether you can arrange a meeting. </p>

<p>Barnard College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.barnard.edu/admiss/fall_events/off-campus.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.barnard.edu/admiss/fall_events/off-campus.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Bates College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.bates.edu/off-campus-options.xml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bates.edu/off-campus-options.xml&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Colgate University </p>

<p><a href="http://www.colgate.edu/DesktopDefault1.aspx?tabid=1023%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.colgate.edu/DesktopDefault1.aspx?tabid=1023&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Haverford College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.haverford.edu/admission/inyourneighborhood.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.haverford.edu/admission/inyourneighborhood.php&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Kenyon College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.kenyon.edu/x1834.xml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.kenyon.edu/x1834.xml&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Macalester College </p>

<p><a href="http://www2.macalester.edu/admissions/areavisits.cfm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www2.macalester.edu/admissions/areavisits.cfm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Smith College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.smith.edu/admission/visit/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.smith.edu/admission/visit/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Plenty of colleges for everyone. Here are some more links. </p>

<p>University of Redlands </p>

<p><a href="http://www.redlands.edu/area.xml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.redlands.edu/area.xml&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Truman State University </p>

<p><a href="http://admissions.truman.edu/contact/schedule.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.truman.edu/contact/schedule.asp&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Rider University </p>

<p><a href="http://www.rider.edu/160_383.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.rider.edu/160_383.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Norwich University </p>

<p><a href="http://www.norwich.edu/admissions/nuontheroad.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.norwich.edu/admissions/nuontheroad.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Butler University </p>

<p><a href="http://go.butler.edu/experiencebutler/?pg=1659%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://go.butler.edu/experiencebutler/?pg=1659&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Lander University </p>

<p><a href="http://www.lander.edu/admissions/LU_on_the_Road_.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.lander.edu/admissions/LU_on_the_Road_.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Connecticut College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/4181.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.conncoll.edu/admission/4181.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Mount Ida College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.mountida.edu/sp.cfm?pageid=949%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mountida.edu/sp.cfm?pageid=949&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Newbury College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.newbury.edu/admissions_aid/on_the_road.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.newbury.edu/admissions_aid/on_the_road.shtml&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Lesley College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.lesley.edu/lc/travel.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.lesley.edu/lc/travel.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Lake Forest College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.lakeforest.edu/admissions/ontheroad.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.lakeforest.edu/admissions/ontheroad.asp&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Meredith College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.meredith.edu/admissions/on-the-road.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.meredith.edu/admissions/on-the-road.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Wilkes Honors College (Florida Atlantic University) </p>

<p><a href="http://www.fau.edu/divdept/honcol/admissions_events.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.fau.edu/divdept/honcol/admissions_events.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>McDaniel College </p>

<p><a href="http://www.mcdaniel.edu/262.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mcdaniel.edu/262.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Culinary Institute of America </p>

<p><a href="http://www.ciachef.edu/admissions/visit/schedule.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ciachef.edu/admissions/visit/schedule.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>CC participant marite posted a link in the Parents Forum </p>

<p><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2007/09/27/at_elite_colleges_new_aid_for_the_middle/?page=2%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2007/09/27/at_elite_colleges_new_aid_for_the_middle/?page=2&lt;/a> </p>

<p>which, as parent jackief pointed out, is a press report on a college information session. If you go to attend college information sessions, you can learn information that seems like news to professional reporters.</p>

<p>Hi, everyone, </p>

<p>This evening I attended the Yale information session in St. Paul. I was at another meeting until the last possible minute, so I arrived a little late, to see a standing-room-only crowd in a public library meeting room. There were at least forty, maybe more than fifty, students and parents there. I stood way in the back to listen to the presentation. </p>

<p>Yale admission officer Nicholas Strohl, a Yale alumnus, was talking about Yale's curriculum when I got into the room. He said that Yale is between the two extremes of a curriculum with no requirements whatever, in which students can take whatever courses they like, and a curriculum with common required courses for all students. He said that at Yale students select courses according to their interests from a few broad areas required of all students. He was a history major and didn't want to take a lot of math and science courses. He did have to take some (nonmathematical) science courses to fulfill Yale degree requirements, and said that Yale has many accessible math and science courses for students who don't plan to major in those subjects. He took an elective course in astrophysics that was quite interesting. He also took a lot of elective courses in economics, a subject he likes. </p>

<p>Yale's requirement for graduation is to take 36 courses over eight semesters. Of those, 12 courses must be in the student's major subject. About 15 percent of Yale students double-major. Even more could, except many Yale students take such a wide assortment of elective courses they never accumulate the courses for a second major. Some as-if doubled single major subjects are already set up at Yale, for example economics and math, or physics and philosophy. If an interdisciplinary major that you would like isn't already set up, you can request an individualized interdisciplinary program. Mr. Strohl knows a student who is studying what she calls "nanoscience," a combination of courses from several different departments. Yale has no preprofessional majors as such, so there isn't a major called "prelaw" or one called "premed" nor is there a business major. But Yale studies can lead to professional school, so Mr. Strohl knows a theater studies major who went to medical school, and students with other majors who went to law school, and there is preprofessional advising at Yale. Mr. Strohl says Yale's liberal arts education makes you an "engineer plus" or a "doctor plus" and more attractive to employers. </p>

<p>Study abroad is promoted vigorously; Yale President Levin would like to see 100 percent of Yale students have some sort of international experience before they graduate, whether that is traditional study abroad, intensive language study, or personal travel abroad. Yale has campuses in London and in Beijing where Yale students may take regular Yale courses. The most common form of studying abroad for Yale students is studying somewhere overseas during a summer. These programs can be student-designed and Yale-supported. For example, one student wanted to practice Buddhist monastic life in Taiwan, and he was able to fly to Taiwan and spend a summer in a monastery there with Yale funding. Another student wanted to do historical research on the development of pub culture in Ireland (!) and he spent a whole summer traveling to pubs in northern Ireland and the Irish Republic and then returned to Yale to write his senior thesis on his chosen topic. Funding for that travel--and presumably for a lot of beer--came from Yale's history department. </p>

<p>Mr. Strohl then took questions on academic life at Yale. </p>

<p>Student: How can one take a class not in the Yale catalog?
A: Find a professor, maybe do a directed study in that area. The residential colleges [about which there is more below] can sponsor a teacher, for example on the subject of TV comedy writing. It's possible to take many classes at Yale that don't appear in the catalog.
Student: Can one triple major?
A: It's theoretically possible. There are sometimes overlaps among required courses for majors, making double majors take less than 24 courses. Many students take a variety of elective courses.
There are no official minors, but you can list on your resume what courses you took. Mr. Strohl was a history major and applied for a job as a history teacher. He was hired in part because of his many elective courses in economics, and ended up teaching more AP economics courses than history courses at that school.
Student: Are there internships abroad?
A: Yale has a study and travel office that helps students find overseas opportunities. Yale alumni have formed Bulldog clubs all over the world that love to help alumni network to hire students for paid internships over the summer.
Student: How many courses do students take each semester?
A: One must take 36 courses over eight semesters, so basically 9 courses per year. Taking 4 a semester is easy; 5 is doable; some students take 6.
But Yale students are very active in extracurricular activities. The saying at Yale is "Don't let your classes get in the way of your education."
Parent: Can a student defer admission?
A: Generally, one can routinely defer enrollment for a year. Ask if you need to defer for longer, explaining the reason.
Parent: Can a student get a leave of absence?
A: Sure. You can take a leave for a semester or for a year. The directors of a Yale choral group typically take a whole year off to plan the group's foreign travel schedule. You take your courses in eight semesters, so you can't take really light loads of just one or two classes per semester. Of all Yale students, 94 percent graduate in four years, and 96 percent in six years.
Student: Can high school students who have studied college courses transfer their credits to Yale? Does Yale except PSEO [dual-enrollment] credits? [This is the single most frequently asked question at Minnesota college meetings. It gets asked EVERY time.]
A: Yale doesn't accept credits from other colleges. AP test scores or IB test scores can be used to gain "acceleration credits" that allow a student to graduate early. Most students who could graduate early choose not to. You're not going to run out of challenges. Yale is stingy with outside credit, but you can always take a more challenging class. You are free to take harder courses.
Student: What AP scores get [acceleration] credit?
A: 4s or 5s.
Q:
A: Most majors require a senior thesis.
Student: How popular is engineering?
A: Yale is thought of as an arts and humanities college, so not as many would-be engineers apply, but when they are admitted, they find they have a good ratio of students to professors, and get lots of one-on-one attention from the engineering progressors. Freshmen can work in research labs.
Yale is building the Malone Center, a major new science building. It has just bought the $100 million former Bayer company facility near the Yale campus, saving considerable time in expanding research space for Yale students. </p>

<p>The Mr. Strohl began speaking about residential life at Yale. Yale alumni look back most fondly on their experiences outside of class. Yale's residential colleges define the Yale experience. </p>

<p>It used to be really hard to explain what Yale's residential colleges are like, but now everyone knows about Harry Potter, so we can say that Yale is like Hogwarts, and the residential colleges are like the various houses at Hogwarts. Yale's 5,300 undergraduates have a home within a home, as there are twelve residential colleges each with about 400 or 500 students. A student's Yale diploma is actually handed to the student during a ceremony at the student's own college. </p>

<p>The residential colleges are a way to make things more personal. Each college is a cross-section of the student body. If, for example, Yale enrolled twelve students from Alaska one year, probably each one would be assigned to a different college. Athletes, art majors, and all other kinds of students are mixed among all the colleges. College friends are different from you; you live with them, you dine with them, and some become your best friends. If you ask twelve different Yale students which residential college is the best, you'll get twelve different answers, but Berkeley College is the best. :)
Parent: What about Skull and Bones?
A: The senior societies are something distinct from the residential colleges to which all Yale students belong. They are not a big part of college life.
Student: What's the different between a residential college and an ordinary dorm?
A: The residential colleges are living spaces, but they also have dining facilities, and recreational facilities, some of which are unique to each college. Each college has a master, who has a budget for activities. You might take a ski trip with other students from your college at the college's expense, or go to the theater in New York City.
Yale students must live on campus for two years. About 87 percent live on campus all four years.
Your residential college master is not the same as your major advisor, but the master checks up on your academic progress and signs your registration forms.
Student: Can students from one college use the facilities of another?
A: You can use them all. "We just approved intercollege dating." [laughter from audience] Many colleges have special events called master's teas, in which some celebrity may visit a small group of students for tea and crumpets, and in those cases sign-up priority is for students in the particular college hosting the event, but it is possible to meet many famous people in master's teas at other colleges. Meryl Streep is a fellow of Berkeley College.
Student: What percent of students are international students?
A: About 10 percent.
Student: What's the process for starting student clubs?
A: Yale will give you money. Some examples of clubs are </p>

<p>The Antigravity Society (a club that juggles with flaming torches, or anvils, or other unlikely objects). </p>

<p>The Free-Style Dueling Society (which uses plastic swords to set up sword fights on campus). </p>

<p>The David and Lauren Society, which sponsors parties which you can attend if a) you are named "David" or "Lauren"; b) you know someone named David or Lauren; or c) you would like to meet someone named David or Lauren. </p>

<p>Student: Is it easy to start a club?
A: Two students and an idea gets $500.
Student: Are there fraternities?
A: There are three fraternities and three sororities. They are not a big part of campus life. All fraternity and sorority parties are open to nonmembers. Greek life is largely outside of Yale policies. Yale neither discourages nor encourages Greek societies. The residential colleges fulfill many of the same social functions.
Student: How is the food?
A: Berkeley College was visited by the Wall Street Journal food editor, who wanted to learn about the college's new menu featuring all organic products and emphasizing locally grown food. People are surprised how good the food is.
Student: How are students selected for each college?
A: [joking] They use the magic hat [from the Harry Potter books]. The process is designed to keep students from grouping together with similar students. You can petition to join the same college your parent or grandparent belonged to, and you can petition NOT to be in the same college as your sibling, but that's it. </p>

<p>Then Mr. Strohl turned the subject to admission and financial aid. </p>

<p>Yale has a nonbinding early action round in its admission process. You can apply by November 1, get a response by December 15, but don't have to reply to Yale to accept an offer of admission until the following May 15. You can compare offers of financial aid from different colleges. Note that other colleges have a BINDING early decision round. Yale's early action round is a single-choice early action (SCEA) program. Yale requires that you don't apply early to any other early action or early decision college. But you can apply to as many colleges as you like during the regular decision round, and you may apply to "rolling admission" colleges (typically state universities) and to scholarship programs according to their deadlines.
People notice that the base admission rate is higher for the early action round than for the regular admission round. Yale says this is because there are stronger applicants in the early round (students who have already compiled a strong academic record by the end of junior year of high school) and because all recruiting of athletes is done in the early round. Yale doesn't bump you into the college if you apply early and are on the edge; maybe some other colleges do.
Student: Do you require SAT II tests?
A: Yale requires either
a) the current SAT I and two SAT II tests,
or
b) the ACT with writing.
What students submit depends on what state they live in. Yale has no preference for either test.
Parent: The number of applicants?
A: 20,000 applications.
1,900 acceptances, for an overall acceptance rate of about 9 percent.
All applications are reviewed holistically and contextually. There are two readers for every application. All final decisions are made by committees. Yale does not presort applications. Yale does not make up its own common GPA scale. Yale looks at each school according to its context.
First Yale looks at academic factors, because it is an academic institution. The transcript is the most important element of the application. The admission officers look at the high school program and to what degree you challenge yourself. A rigorous, challenging high school program is given more weight in the admission process than test scores.
Yale gets more qualified applicants than it can take. Yale estimates that 15,000 of the applicants are academically qualified to be admitted, so decisions go beyond academics. There is no secret combination of extracurricular activities to gain admission. Do what's satisfying to you.
Residential college deans sit on admission committees, because they are looking for applicants who will be members of a residential community. </p>

<p>Mr. Strohl said, "Here's some free advice, which is rare for college admission. If Yale appeals to you, apply, but have a sensible list of colleges to apply to, so you can surely get into three to five of them, even if you can't get into another three to five of them. Close your eyes and daydream about what it would be like to be a student at each college. If you can't imagine being happy there, don't apply to that college. If, God forbid, you are only admitted to one college, make sure it's one you'd be glad to go to. Leave yourself with good choices."
Parent: Does Yale require interviews?
A: We attempt to offer interviews to all applicants. Once you submit your contact information, our alumni network finds someone to interview you. The alumnus receives no information about you except what high school you go to and your contact information. The interview is a fresh look at the applicant to get at what kind of person the applicant is. And students can use the interviews to learn about Yale. Don't worry if an interview isn't scheduled for you.
Student: Do you require letters of recommendation?
A: Two recommendations are required, from academic teachers. If someone else knows you well, you may submit a supplemental recommendation in addition to the two academic recommendations.
Student: Supplemental materials?
A: Yale only has a system for evaluating art and music materials, which are routed to professors in related departments. Yale has no system for evaluating science papers or the like.
Student: What does Yale think about home educated students?
A: We have applications from homeschoolers every year, and we accept some every year. I don't have numbers about that. You might have to explain your homeschooling program in a way that corresponds to a high school counselor's school profile. We're interested in knowing about your learning program.
Parent: You mentioned the vigorous promotion of going abroad. If a high school student is living abroad as he applies, is that good?
A: We are interested in what students have done. If you can't go abroad, that's not bad.
Parent: How are regular courses compared to honors courses? If my daughter is taking honors [name of subject], but only gets a B, is that a disadvantage compared to taking regular [name of subject]?
A: Challenge yourself to a reasonable extent. [Both my son and I, talking about this parent question afterwards, reflected that the parent who asked the question probably hasn't considered how many young people her daughter's age pursue the same extracurricular activities she does, unrelated to that subject, but study that subject at the AP level.]
Parent: So a B+ grade doesn't automatically exclude a student from Yale?
A: We're not looking for perfection. We don't take a lot of students with perfect transcripts and do take a lot of students with imperfect transcripts.
Q:
A: Get your application in as early as possible, as that allows checking online whether or not it is complete.
Parent: Is getting a Yale undergraduate degree an advantage for getting into Yale graduate school? [The parent probably really meant "professional school."]
A: There is no feeder system, but it could be an advantage. Yale has 94 percent medical school placement, compared to a nationwide figure of 37 percent.
Parent: Does a student have to audition to be a theater major?
A: Just a few majors have special admission requirements, for example architecture--which is a rare undergraduate major. You are eligible for almost all majors just by being admitted to Yale.
Student: Can nondrama majors participate in plays?
A: Yes, there are many opportunities to perform.
Student: Can a student deferred after the early round send in more application materials?
A: [after explanation of "admit," "defer," and "deny."] Yes, we want you to send in more materials. Being deferred means we are interested in you and want to know more.
Parent: Does Yale have five-year M.A. programs?
A: Yes, it has some five-year M.A. programs. </p>

<p>Then Mr. Strohl turned the topic to financial aid (which I was surprised took so long to come up). </p>

<p>Yale provides NEED-BASED financial aid, and there is NO upper limit on the number of students who may receive it; in fact, we are searching for more students who need aid to admit. </p>

<p>Yale has a list price for tuition, room, board, and incidental expenses. We calculate what your family can pay. We fill the gap--with no loans, only grants. There is a family contribution for some families, and a student contribution for all students. Students can fulfill their $4,400 student contribution through part-time work (and Yale's minimum wage is $11.20 per hour, the highest in the country for student jobs) or through outside scholarship awards, or through taking out student loans. The typical Yale graduate has only $15,000 in debt, a manageable amount, for an education with a list price of almost $200,000. For families with joint incomes under $45,000, there is NO expected family contribution, and the family contribution is sharply reduced for incomes under $60,000. </p>

<p>Are any of you expecting to attend Yale meetings in your town? </p>

<p><a href="http://admissions.yale.edu/events/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.yale.edu/events/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I attended the Stanford information session in my town this evening. It was in the same downtown Minneapolis hotel where I first saw a Stanford information session three years ago. Traffic was good tonight, so I arrived quite early and saw admission officer Julia Rose Ando as she was setting up the table outside the meeting room with brochures and bookmarks. She remembered my son (a student in the pioneer class of Stanford's EPGY Online High School, as she remarked) and me from our attendance at the Exploring College Options program in May at another Twin Cities hotel. As I greeted her a passerby mentioned the Stanford-USC football game played last Sunday, on which I congratulated her. As other people came up to the table in the next half hour she seemed to remember many of them or their names from high school meetings or receiving emails, so she seems to have a good memory for people interested in Stanford. </p>

<p>The music in the main meeting room was MUCH better than the music I heard three weeks ago at a different hotel before the Caltech meeting. It was well performed Romantic era solo piano pieces, most of them familiar to me because my wife is a piano teacher. The meeting began with Ms. Ando turning off the beautiful music, which was a good attention-getter in that large room. Then she surprised me by saying that the music was not professional recording artists, but current Stanford students. There must be some very good musicians among the newly enrolled students at Stanford. </p>

<p>This year's meeting was more lightly attended than the meeting I saw three years ago. Ms. Ando gave a very articulate opening talk, beginning with giving Stanford's history. Stanford was founded in 1891 and subsequent President Herbert Hoover was in the pioneer class. The university is named after the son of Leland Stanford, the railroad tycoon, who died young. Mr. and Mrs. Stanford wanted the university to be a memorial to their son, so the university's official name is Leland Stanford Junior University, but usually it's just called Stanford. [In other places, I have heard various jokes made that Stanford is a "JUNIOR" university, just an overgrown junior college, but of course that is said by alumni of other colleges.] The most common informal name for Stanford is "The Farm," because the campus is formed of what was originally the Stanford family farm, consisting of 8100 acres of land. </p>

<p>From the beginning Stanford has been co-educational, open to people from all backgrounds. It was originally tuition-free. It has students from every state and all over the world. </p>

<p>Stanford's quarter system means students can choose 50 percent more different classes over the course of a college career than students at a semester-system college. It's like getting fifteen weeks (my notes say "eighteen weeks" were Ms. Ando's words) of subject study in ten weeks. </p>

<p>Students declare their majors at the end of sophomore year. Stanford has many unique majors; students are well advised to attend lots of different classes to discover interests. Listing your major choice as "undecided" is a good thing in the eyes of the admission office--there are many possible majors at Stanford. </p>

<p>Stanford has overseas campuses, usually offering home-stay programs, so those can have language prerequisites. </p>

<p>There are 6,500 undergraduates on campus, making Stanford medium-sized among research universities. 1,650 new students are admitted each year. There are fewer than 20 students in a typical class. The student:faculty ratio is 7:1; the student:bicycle ratio is 7:6, because bicycles are a great way to get around on the large campus. Introductory seminar courses are capped at 16 students. They are offered in many interesting subjects. </p>

<p>There are interdisciplinary courses. The physics of photography course is taught by a Nobel laureate, and students take photos, develop them, and learn about the science and history of photography. There are also interdisciplinary majors. The most popular major on campus is human biology, known at Stanford as Hum Bio, a course combining biology, anthropology, sociology, and chemistry, and a very popular major for students who want to study medicine. There is even a themed dorm for Hum Bio. Another Stanford interdisciplinary major is symbolic systems, an appropriate major for Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley grew up near Stanford because Stanford alumni founded many high-tech companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Yahoo, Google, and YouTube. </p>

<p>Stanford is a collaborative place. Stanford looks for students who are excited and passionate about learning. Stanford wants undergraduates to do research, and budgets $4 million per year so that undergraduates can do research in any discipline. </p>

<p>We were the first Minnesota audience to see the new Stanford admissions video. The slickly produced video showed students from all over, including a girl from northern Minnesota, and lots of first-generation immigrants (shown with both their birth hometown and hometown at time of application). The video scenes showed Stanford's famous and bizarre marching band, lots of athletics, various performers and musical groups, and undergraduates working in labs. A professor said Stanford is "not as locked into tradition" as some east coast colleges, and another said the students "don't hoard knowledge; they share it." </p>

<p>A panel of three young alumni introduced themselves after the video. Carter Dunn, who has both B.S. and M.S. ('04) degrees from Stanford, said he was in the engineering program in Japan. He noted that Stanford also has an overseas engineering program in Berlin, and the students who go to those programs come back with much improved proficiency in Japanese or German, because they live with local families. Stanford even finds those students internships while they are overseas. </p>

<p>An alumna, whose name may not be spelled correctly in my notes, is now a graduate student at the U of Minnesota. She is originally from Madison, WI, so she knows the upper Midwest. She is a graduate of the small systems program. She rowed crew and played ultimate Frisbee while at Stanford, and studied in Santiago, Chile for a quarter. </p>

<p>A third Stanford graduate was an alumna who grew up in Minneapolis and Golden Valley, MN. She has a B.A. ('03) and M.A. ('04) degree from Stanford. She sang in an acapella group that performed jazz and hip-hop music, and was a senator in Stanford's student government. She played rugby for a week, but discontinued that after injuries. She spent a summer in Greece while she was a student. </p>

<p>After the panel introductions, there was Q and A. </p>

<p>Parent: Please tell us about the quarter system.
Alumna: I loved the quarter system because of the greater diversity of classes. It's intense. It's maybe not like fifteen weeks in ten, but you start the class and right away begin preparing for tests. </p>

<p>Parent: What about core requirements in classes?
A: There are some required classes in English, and a required introduction to the humanities (IHUM) course, which is not always a course a student wants to take. There is writing class for a year. There is also a year of required math and science, and one alumna noted that she took a very introductory computer science department course that was largely building webpages to fulfill part of that requirement. Ms. Ando noted that one can test out of some core requirements with AP tests. </p>

<p>Student: How is the housing?
A: It's spectacular, and it's guaranteed for four years. The alumnus said he had been in every which kind of housing, including staying in a frat house without being a member of the frat, and living in a co-op housing community, which he described as a very good experience. One alumna said that she got what she thought would be a bad choice one year when her housing assignment priority was low, namely the Asian-American theme house, an older dorm with double rooms, but she ended up liking the cultural experiences there. </p>

<p>We then left the meeting because of a schedule conflict. I like the Stanford meetings a lot. I'd love to hear what you hear at any meeting you attend.</p>

<p>My son, wife, and I all attended this evening's Carnegie-Mellon information meeting in suburban Minneapolis. My son and I have been to one of these meetings before. We arrived late because of schedule conflicts. </p>

<p>As we arrived, the admission representative Robert Tallerico had just finished playing a video showing lots of students and their activities at CMU. He mentioned that Pittsburgh has 86,000 students attending ten different colleges and universities and is thus the second-largest college town in the United States after Boston. He said the CMU campus is about five miles from downtown Pittsburgh in an upscale neighborhood. (I have been to Pittsburgh but I don't think I have ever seen the CMU campus.) The campus is near a park like New York City's Central Park--the park had the same designer. </p>

<p>He said there are hundreds (really? so say my notes) of applicants to CMU each year from Minnesota. [Dozens from Minnesota, and hundreds from the Midwest? I wonder if I recorded this wrong, or misheard it.] The campus is very international and diverse. He said the most common question an admission officer from CMU will hear is "Why do you admit so many internationals?" He said the answer is that you meet more different people that way as a CMU student, and that adds to the experience. </p>

<p>Carnegie-Mellon has an overseas campus in Doha, Qatar. It also has overseas programs in Greece, in Indonesia, and in Australia, and is the only non-Australian university allowed to issue Australian graduate degrees. </p>

<p>All classes are taught by members of the CMU faculty except for the introductory computing class (a class on how to operate computers on the CMU network) and the first-year writing class, which is taught by Ph.D. students. There is a 10:1 student:teacher ratio. The average class size is from 25 to 35 students. About 75 percent of classes have fewer than 20 students. </p>

<p>There are many campus activities and clubs. About 15 to 18 percent of students participate in Greek fraternities or sororities. </p>

<p>You can study abroad pretty much anywhere in the world through CMU, even in Antarctica, where some CMU physics majors have done undergraduate research. The study abroad office helps students travel to Europe, Australia, South America, and Asia. </p>

<p>Carnegie-Mellon has Division III NCAA sports. About 80 percent of students participate in intramural sports. The most popular sport is Ultimate. The CMU teams are the Tartan, "the most feared piece of cloth in the NCAA." A new mascot for the Tartan teams is the Scots Terrier. </p>

<p>Housing is guaranteed for four years. About 75 percent of students live on campus all four years. Some students who go off-campus find that they can't come back to on-campus housing once they have left, but the guarantee works if you stay on campus. CMU is a "happy, vibrant campus community." There is food-court-style dining; not everyone dines in the same building. Dining plans are required of on-campus students. </p>

<p>Two students at Carnegie-Mellon are majoring in bagpipe performance, the only such students in the country. The bagpipe majors have been interviewed by national news media about their unusual major, which reflects CMU's Scottish heritage through founder Andrew Carnegie, who immigrated to the United States from Scotland. </p>

<p>Spring Carnival is a big event on campus, and draws back more alumni than the autumn homecoming. There are no classes for a week during Spring Carnival. There is a buggy race that started with Soapbox Derby-like cars some decades ago, but now features very small, aerodynamic, and rather fast (30 to 40 miles per hour) vehicles pushed by a student and steered by a small student inside. Short students are recruited each year to be buggy drivers. </p>

<p>The Fence is a CMU institution. The original fence was painted once by a frat to announce a party, and gradually it became a campus tradition for student groups to paint the fence to announce group activities. Each group that desires to paint the fence must paint it between midnight and 6:00am, and no other group may paint it if the first group to paint it guards the fence in person. So there are often tents holding students who stay overnight near the fence. The true, original fence won a Guinness Book of World Records recognition as the most painted object in the world and eventually collapsed under the weight of so many layers of paint. The replacement fence is still a proud campus tradition. </p>

<p>CMU has Career Center to make sure graduates have somewhere to go after they graduate. Carnegie-Mellon does better at placement than any university in the country. All students have career advisors, including the fine arts students. There are between 1,200 and 1,300 new graduates of CMU each year, but there are 10,000 on-campus recruiting interviews each year. Many universities publish placement statistics for graduates six months after graduation, but CMU publishes such statistics for graduates as of graduation day, when 90 percent of graduates have a job or other plan lined up. </p>

<p>Pittsburgh has twice been named the most livable city in America. Western Pennsylvania is an area with a lot of sportsmen, and school pupils there get the first day of hunting season off from school. </p>

<p>Mr. Tallerico showed a video (which my son and I saw the last time we attended a CMU meeting) about how CMU is viewed by employers. Theater producers were overrepresented in the video, but Bill Gates also appeared talking about computer science at CMU, which he holds in high regard. </p>

<p>Then Mr. Tallerico talked about applying to CMU. He said CMU uses the Common Application with its own supplement, and that all forms may be submitted online. Two letters of recommendation are required, and one should come from a counselor. Don't submit more than three letters of recommendation; that shows you haven't thought about who knows you best. </p>

<p>The question students always ask admission officers is "What are you looking for?" CMU is looking for </p>

<p>1) Secondary school performance. </p>

<p>The transcript and choice of courses is important. When a teacher writes a letter of recommendation, the teacher often has more to say in your favor if the course was not a course that you easily aced, but rather a course where you started out slowly in and had to really work in to get an A. </p>

<p>2) Non-academic information. </p>

<p>Let CMU know about your activities, including part-time jobs. Anything that takes up your time is good to tell CMU about. CMU is looking for "well-rounded students," who succeed both inside and outside the classroom. Your essays are important because you have control of them. You can still do something about your essay after your grades and activities are mostly history. Tell CMU something that is not in the rest of your application when you write your essay. If CMU's admission committee likes the person who submitted the app, after being won over by the essay, they are more likely to like the application. </p>

<p>3) Standardized testing. </p>

<p>You should submit an SAT I or an ACT score, and CMU has NO preference for one test over the other. Take either or both test as many times as you want. CMU takes the highest scores, so if you aren't satisfied with your first test results, be sure to take the tests again. Some colleges at CMU require various combinations of SAT II Subject Tests. There is a portfolio review for fine art students, and a very decisive audition for performing art students. </p>

<p>CMU has both merit scholarships and need-based financial aid. There is no separate application for merit scholarships, and the usual federal FAFSA form for need-based aid. </p>

<p>The average need-based package for CMU's annual cost of attendance of $49,000 is $22,943 (down a little bit in the most recently reported year from previous years) of which $18,094 is grants. About 10 percent of the class will have merit scholarships, so don't expect one of those. </p>

<p>The meeting ended with a video showing alumni, including astronauts (more than one), inventors, and many performers and artists. </p>

<p>After the meeting, my son talked to an alumna who studied computer science and is now a lawyer. She told him about a classmate of hers that invented something while still an undergrad, making enough money to buy his mother a house. I said, "That's the right story for us." :) </p>

<p>We went home tired but glad to get more information about CMU. I'd love to hear what you've been hearing at college information sessions.</p>

<p>This I visited the Minnesota National College Fair very briefly. I have attended it three times before. What I noticed, arriving at the hour the fair opened on opening day, is that a student interested in nationally known liberal arts colleges outside of the student's home region could get a significant amount of individual time with admission officers from such LACs at a college fair. A lot of booths were mobbed with students, but I easily had time to have unhurried one-on-one conversations with admission officers from Knox College and Reed College, and I passed by other LAC booths where no one was stopping to talk to the admission representative. So if you are shopping for out-of-region LACs, a National College Fair event is not a bad place to do that.</p>

<p>Okay, there are still some NACAC National College Fairs </p>

<p><a href="http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/CollegeFairs/NCF/FallNCF/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Events/CollegeFairs/NCF/FallNCF/&lt;/a> </p>

<p>coming up today through next week, so I'll write a little here about one kind of event you can participate at during a NACAC college fair: a workshop on a specialized topic. Earlier this month in Minnesota I attended the NACAC National College Fair there, and specifically attending a workshop called "Playing the Selective College Admissions Game." </p>

<p>The presenter of the workshop was an admission officer from Illinois Wesleyan University. I don't have his name in my notes and seem to have misplaced his business card. He said he has given a workshop with this title five or six times now. He cringes at the word "game" in the title (which actually comes from the title of a book published in the 1990s). </p>

<p>He opened the workshop with a quiz, promising to give quiz answers at the end of the workshop (and those will be in my notes below): </p>

<p>1) Are there more public colleges or private colleges in the United States? </p>

<p>2) In what state is Williams College? </p>

<p>3) Is the College of William and Mary public or private? </p>

<p>4) Which college has the largest NCAA athletic program (interscholastic teams in the most different sports) in the United States? </p>

<p>The Illinois Wesleyan University admission officer said that the earlier your student starts making college visits, the better. That gets the student used to thinking about characteristics of different colleges. Visits can be built into family vacations. </p>

<p>The term "highly selective" as a description of colleges is part of the media frenzy surrounding college admission today. Acceptance rate is just one factor that makes a college "selective"; there are other factors. Selectivity illustrates that there is both supply (colleges looking for students) and demand (students looking colleges). Arbitrarily, a college can be defined as "highly selective" if it accepts less than half its applicants. [According to the College Board's posting of Common Data Set data, Illinois Wesleyan doesn't quite make that cut, at least not recently, </p>

<p><a href="http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=1557&profileId=1%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=1557&profileId=1&lt;/a> </p>

<p>although plainly the admission officer thought that his college is in this category. Illinois Wesleyan does have a test score profile for admitted students </p>

<p><a href="http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=1557&profileId=6%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=1557&profileId=6&lt;/a> </p>

<p>of the kind you'd expect at a selective college.] Of the 4,140 colleges in the United States (public, private, four-year, or two-year), there are only about 150, or about 4 percent, that admit half or less of their applicants. In the United States, 95 percent of colleges admit the majority of students who apply. </p>

<p>Highly selective colleges are also called "reach" colleges, even for good students. When you're applying to college, you also want to have back-ups [what are called "safeties" often on CC.] </p>

<p>There is not a magic formula for admission. "The best advice I can give is study hard." Most students in the applicant pool are qualified to attend the college they are applying to. There is only a 9 percent admit rate at some Ivy League colleges and only about a 10 percent admit rate at the United States Coast Guard Academy. [College Board says the Coast Guard Academy admits 24 percent of applicants, but that is still highly selective by the definition of the workshop.] </p>

<p>Junior-year and senior-year coursework is the most recent indicator of an applicant's readiness for college. It's important to get good grades throughout high school, especially in the later years. Once colleges look at the applicant's academic profile, then they look at other factors. </p>

<p>What can you do to separate your application from thousands of others? Activities, work, or community service. We don't value one activity more than another. We want to find students who can stay involved while they do their academic work. We look for students who can give back to their communities. More activities are not necessarily better. Leadership helps. </p>

<p>Parent Question: I have a problem with leadership as a criterion. My daughter is reserved; she's good at a lot of things, but leadership positions at her school are a popularity contest. </p>

<p>A: I would never tell a student to gear high school years to getting into college. Enjoy your high school years; find your own way to get involved and make an impact. </p>

<p>Highlight your experiences. Those may be living in a different place, or having an unusual family background. </p>

<p>A strong sense of intellectual curiosity is paramount. Your grades will show on your transcript, but we'll also look for a love of learning not for grades' sake. Having thirty-five books on a summer recreational reading list was one impressive application. The faculty are looking for students like that. </p>

<p>High School Counselor Question: Some kids are in many activities but superficially, but some are precociously socially mature. Do colleges want to know that? </p>

<p>A: For sure. Highlight that in your counselor letter. </p>

<p>Parent Q: My child is in a specialized magnet school [she named it] for the final two years of high school, but the high school's counselor just left; what do we do? </p>

<p>A: The freshman-sophomore-year counselor might be a helpful person to write to some colleges, or else a current teacher. </p>

<p>Some factors are beyond your control. Don't sweat the small stuff, e.g., geographical diversity, gender, ethnic diversity. </p>

<p>The question is always, what else does the student bring to the table besides a G.P.A.? Some colleges enroll hundreds of valedictorians. Most colleges review applications for months; there are difficult decisions to be made. I'd rather think that colleges are looking for reasons to ADMIT students. </p>

<p>Parent Q: Do colleges look at rankings of high schools? </p>

<p>A: It varies. Most high schools include a high school profile as part of the counselor letter for each applicant. It's difficult to know what a high school G.P.A. means. Colleges look at the student's transcript. A student from Eden Prairie High School [the largest high school in Minnesota, in a prosperous suburb] with more than 1,000 students in a graduating class has different options from a student from a high school with twelve students per graduating class. </p>

<p>Parent Q: Are public high school students at a disadvantage? I was taken aback to learn from Concordia College [Moorhead, MN] what number of private school students are there. </p>

<p>A: I think that's unfortunate. It's not completely equal. And yet we visit more public high schools, and we admit more public school students. </p>

<p>Parent Q: Are parents who can contribute money to the college favored? </p>

<p>A: There is a business aspect to admission decisions too. </p>

<p>Parent Q: What advice do you have for students? </p>

<p>A: Counselors have a heavy load of students; start the college application process early. </p>

<p>On the subject of "demonstrated interest," many colleges want to see interest. </p>

<p>Parent comment: I have a friend who is a Cornell alumnus, but his child didn't get in because the child didn't demonstrate interest. </p>

<p>A: The best way to demonstrate interest is to visit the campus. Meet an admission officer and fill out an information card. Attend regional information sessions. If an interview is encouraged, do an interview. Keep up contact with the admission office. Illinois Wesleyan has travel vouchers to make visits possible for students. Some colleges assist parent travel. </p>

<p>Early Decision versus Early Action </p>

<p>Early decision is a binding, signed contract. It is for students who want one college. I'm not a big fan of it. </p>

<p>Early action is not binding. The national reply date for students with more than one offer of admission is May 1st. An early decision contract is the highest form of demonstrated interest. </p>

<p>Parent Q: Why would Northwestern University deny some students who apply as early decision applicants? </p>

<p>A: They may feel they have better applicants in the regular decision round who will accept an offer of admission. </p>

<p>Parent Q: What about application essays? My child is stressed out. Will a student be rejected if grades and scores are[n't] bad? </p>

<p>A: For most students, the essay doesn't make a difference. </p>

<p>Parent Q: Then what does make a difference? </p>

<p>A: If the student doesn't make an effort on the essay. Proofread it and revise it. Talk about what is important to YOU. </p>

<p>Parent Q: What about the ACT and SAT? </p>

<p>A: This is controversial. The tests are going to be a huge part of the admission decision. I'm not a big fan; I think there is too much emphasis on tests, but the reality check is that there are thousands of applicants. </p>

<p>You have to be strong in all areas. But it's okay to have reach colleges. Aim high. </p>

<p>Counselor Q: Does applying early decision waive the opportunity to receive financial aid? </p>

<p>A: No. Most ED colleges have good need-based aid. You can get out of the ED contract if the financial aid offer is inadequate to meet your demonstrated need. </p>

<p>Student Q: How important is the essay on the ACT with writing? </p>

<p>A: Check each college for what it does with test essays. My college looks at its own essays rather than the test essays. </p>

<p>Parent Q: Couldn't a student use a test essay subject as a college essay topic? </p>

<p>A: It's possible. </p>

<p>Quiz answers: </p>

<p>1) There are about three times as many privately operated colleges as public colleges. [I have found this a figure hard to independently confirm; I think the majority of ENROLLMENT is at public colleges.] </p>

<p>2) Williams College is in Massachusetts. It is perhaps the top, or one of the top, private liberal arts colleges in the country, but many people in the Midwest have no idea where it is. [I know about Williams from a few CC participants, notably mini, and from one local alumnus whose son is on the same soccer team as my son.] </p>

<p>3) William and Mary is a public college. </p>

<p>4) The largest NCAA athletic program in the United States is at Harvard, which has more interscholastic sports teams than any other college. </p>

<p>The quiz answers illustrate that there is a gap between perception and reality. Selectivity shouldn't be the sole basis for choosing a college.</p>