Category Archives: Admissions

College Athletics – How to Search for Programs

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Here’s another Did You Really Say

That? post…

There was a post on the NACAC list today asking how to find

college synchronized swimming programs, and at first I thought, “How lazy is that? Asking everyone on the list to supply them with a list they should be able to find on their own.” But then I realized that quite a few counselors have no idea how to find this kind of information, so here is my response.

There are at least a couple of ways to find colleges offering specific sports.

Ø For NCAA schools of all levels.

1.      If you want to find out about a specific college, go to NCAA School Search page, and type in the name of a school you’re interested in.

2.      If you want to find out which colleges play at which level, go to ncaa.com.

3.      In the grey bar near the top of the page, click on either Men’s Sports or Women’s Sports, then select the sport you’re interested in.

4.      You will be taken automatically to the Division I page for that sport; you can click on the links for Div II or Div III at the top of the page to see those divisions.

5.      Next, you have to click on the link for Schedule, then the tab for Available Teams below the blue banner.

  • Original Editorial Comment: The NCAA is going to change their web site soon, and I suspect it will become more difficult to find this information then. It seems that most sites become more difficult to navigate when they’re “updated.”
  • New EditorialComment: I told you so! I finally was able to find this search info more than a year after the NCAA site was change.

Ø  For NAIA schools, go to naia.cstv.com. I haven’t found a really easy way to find a college list on this site, but…

1.       There is a list of sports on the left side of the page; you can click on that to get some general info about each sport.

2.       Once you’re on a sport’s page, you can find out which schools play that sport by clicking in on the Participating Schools link on the right side of the page under Notes.

3.      To see a list of all NAIA schools, click on the Members link on the right side of the home page. You’ll get an alphabetical list of members. It can be sorted by state and conference as well.

4.      If you click on the name of a conference, you will be taken to the conference site where you can look at which schools are in the conference.

Ø Do a search for the specific sport, e.g., collegiate synchronized swimming. Here’s what I got for that –bit.ly/CollegeSynchro.

Here’s a link for all of the college synchro programs recognized by USA Synchro  – www.usasynchro.org/Collegiate/synchroed.htm.

There it is…Now everyone can look up sports on their own! Have fun with it!

 

 

“TOP” Schools and GAP Year

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I have recently begun posting a blog on the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) MemberToMember site. The blog is called “Did You Really Say That?” and is explained below.

This blog as a response to some of the things I have read on the NACAC elist over the years that have really set me off. I have used the list, and, more recently, the MemberToMember community, to get help finding information I can’t find any other way, to get feedback about things that are happening in my school or district, or to vent about some unbelievable occurrence.

Before I ask for help, I check the archives and generally spend too much time searching my reference materials, the internet and other electronic sources. I believe that as a college counselor, it is my job to find the resources needed by my students and their families, and to share that information with my colleagues, so you don’t have to “reinvent the wheel.”

Because of that, when I see elist users ask questions to which they could easily find answers if they were willing to do a bit of searching and expend a bit of creative thinking time, I get fired up, not to answer their questions, but to yell at them for not doing their jobs.

In the past I’ve written responses that let the original poster know exactly what I think. Sometimes they made it onto the list, other times they got filtered out, but more often than not I’ve decided not to reply, hoping that some more diplomatic response would be sent by someone more gentle and diplomatic than me.

Now that NACAC has provided us with our own little blogosphere, I’ve decide to respond to these posts here, to express my outrage and frustration in a way that is less likely to hurt someone’s feelings, but will allow me to vent. So, what you’ll find here are my thoughts and opinions. I’ll be wrong sometimes, but I think I’ll be on the right side of the issues most of the time.

Another thing that lights a fire under my rear end is a question or statement that indicates that the writer doesn’t understand the concept of “fit” in college selection, implying that only certain colleges are worthy of our students, that a college experience without a recognizable brand name is no education at all. The emphasis is more on positioning and gaming the system. My first post is a response to that type of inquiry.

So, here we go…

—–Original Message—–

From: A College Advisor

Sent: April 2010

Subject: [NACAC_E-LIST] Level courses to take during GAP Year? Reapply?

Hi colleagues,

I have a student who, if he is not accepted off a wait list this spring, will be applying to colleges again in the fall and taking a very engaging gap year.  He is a 4.2 w GPA, 2120 SAT student who applied to TOP schools.

This student had all A’s until Senior year when several B’s in two APs crept in…and probably kept him off these very competitive admissions lists.  He was also given feedback that his APs were “light” (US History, German, Env. Science, Economics, AB Calc, English).  He will also be preparing more and re-taking the SAT to get his scores up.

QUESTION 1:  Would taking one or two courses during the summer – so as to finish by fall applications and be able to report grades, be a valuable thing to do to “upgrade” his academic profile for fall college applications?

If so, would taking more “heavy” APs such as in BC Calculus or Physics be the correct course, or should he really move on and take COLLEGE level courses in math-science?

If COLLEGE level courses, where is the most respected place or way to take them if you are not actually enrolled in a 4-year institution?  Online?  Community College?  Other?

QUESTION 2:  If a student has been rejected by a TOP university, will they really open their eyes again to fully reconsider an applicant in this scenario?  I’m trying to counsel the student about how much effort he should put into trying to get into these schools as opposed to moving on and applying to a fresh set.

Many, many thanks for your generous time and wisdom on these questions.

A College Admissions Advisor

Somewhere in CA

Dear College Advisor:

I’m concerned about several aspects of this request for assistance.

What do you mean when you write that he “applied to TOP schools”?

o    There are thousands of colleges in the United States, dozens in Canada, and a great many around the world that accept American undergraduate students. I would be willing to bet not a single one of them would tell you they are not a “TOP” school.

o    Do you mean that the young man applied to none but the most highly selective colleges in the U.S.? Did he only apply to colleges that appear at the top of the rankings list that is regularly disparaged on this list?

o    Perhaps this student needs to be encouraged to widen his search to some lesser known colleges where students won’t get the sweatshirt with a world renowned logo, but will get educational opportunities not available to undergraduates at many universities.

o    Colleges That Change Lives comes to mind as a place to begin a new search, or perhaps Colleges of Distinction may offer more choices. It is likely that the college counselor at his school has some ideas, and I’m sure there are other independent college admissions advisors in your area who would have ideas as well.

Your subject line mentioned a gap year.

o    As a counselor at an urban public high school, I don’t get too many students who do gap years, so I’m not an expert on gapping. My students generally go to college,…or they don’t. I can’t remember the last time one of my students had a gap year, but I do have lots of kids each year who go to community college.

o    Taking a gap year and taking courses at a community college is not the same thing. To my mind, a gap year should be a meaningful learning experience that provides a young person with the opportunity to grow as a person, to mature in a meaningful, perhaps life altering way. Community college is most often a good choice for students who aren’t academically prepared for baccalaureate institutions, students who want to stay closer to home and pay less for their first few years of college, or for students who want specific occupational training so they can enter the job market.

o    The gap year experience shouldn’t be about repositioning a candidate in the queue for a spot in the elite. It should be about growth.

I could go on and on about this, but that’s all the time I have for today.

2009 Tacoma College & Career Fair

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Below is the current list of colleges that have committed to being a part of this year’s Tacoma College & Career Fair. I’ve heard from another 20 or so that they are planning to attend. The fair will be at the University of Puget Sound Tennis Pavilion. Here’s a link to a map and directions to the fair:
View University of Puget Sound – Fitness Center Tennis PavilionAddress:‎ in a larger map

2009 Tacoma College & Career Fair
October 19  5 PM-8 PM University of Puget Sound Tennis Pavilion.
This is a list of colleges & universities that will be at the fair. More will be added as they are confirmed. Check back in a few days to who else is coming. See you at the fair!
College City State/Prov. Web Page
Acadia University Calgary AB www.acadiau.ca
Bard College at Simon’s Rock Great Barrington MA www.simons-rock.edu
Bates College Lewiston ME www.bates.edu
California Baptist University Riverside CA www.calbaptist.edu
California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks CA www.clunet.edu
Colgate University Hamilton NY www.colgate.edu
Colorado State University-Pueblo Pueblo CO www.colostate-pueblo.edu
Concordia University Portland OR www.cuportland.edu
Corban College Salem OR www.corban.edu
Cornell College Mount Vernon IA www.cornellcollege.edu
DeVry University Federal Way WA www.devry.edu
Dominican University of California San Rafael CA www.dominican.edu
Drew University Madison NJ www.drew.edu
Eastern Washington University Cheney WA www.ewu.edu
Eckerd College St Petersburg FL www.eckerd.edu
George Fox University Newberg OR www.georefox.edu
Gettysburg College Gettysburg PA www.gettysburg.edu
Gonzaga University Spokane WA www.gonzaga.edu
Grinnell College Grinnell IA www.grinnell.edu
Grove City College Grove City PA www.gcc.edu
Gustavus Adolphus College St Petersburg MN www.gustavus.edu
Hamline University St. Paul MN www.hamline.edu
Haverford College Haverford PA www.haverford.edu
Hendrix College Conway AR www.hendrix.edu
Holy Names University Oakland CA www.hnu.edu
Idaho State University Pocatello ID www.isu.edu
Lafayette College Easton PA www.lafayette.edu
Lawrence University Appleton WI www.lawrence.edu
Lewis & Clark College Portland OR www.lclark.edu
Marquette University Oak Creek WI www.marquette.edu
Marymount College Rancho Palos Verdes CA www.marymountpv.edu
Marymount Manhattan College New York NY www.mmm.edu
Mayville State University Mayville ND www.mayvillestate.edu
Menlo College Atherton CA www.menlo.edu
Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee WI www.msoe.edu
Montana State University Bozeman MT www.montana.edu
Morehouse College Atlanta GA www.morehouse.edu
Mount Holyoke College South Hadley MA www.mtholyoke.edu
Naropa University Boulder CO www.naropa.edu
New Mexico State University Albuquerque NM www.nmsu.edu
New Mexico Tech Socorro NM www.nmt.edu
Northwest Christian University Eugene OR www.northwestchristian.edu
Northwest College of Art Poulsbo WA www.nca.edu
Northwest University Kirkland WA www.northwestu.edu
Norwich University Northfield VT www.norwich.edu
Notre Dame de Namur University Belmont CA www.ndnu.edu
Oregon State University Corvallis OR www.oregonstate.edu
Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma WA www.plu.edu
Purdue University West Lafayette IN www.purdue.edu
Quest University Canada Garibaldi Highlands BC www.questu.ca
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design Denver CO www.rmcad.edu
Saint Martin’s University Lacey WA www.stmartin.edu
Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN Nortre Dame IN www.saintmarys.edu
Scripps College Claremont CA www.scrippscollege.edu
Seattle University Seattle WA www.seattleu.edu
Shimer College Chicago IL www.shimer.edu
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Rapid City SD www.sdsmt.edu
Southern Oregon University Ashland OR www.sou.edu
St. Olaf College Northfield MN www.stolaf.edu
Swarthmore College Swarthmore PA www.swarthmore.edu
Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar VA www.sbc.edu
Tacoma Community College Tacoma WA www.tacomacc.edu
Texas Christian University Fort Worth TX www.tcu.edu
The Evergreen State College Olumpia WA www.evergreen.edu
The Master’s College Santa Clarita CA www.masters.edu
The University of Arizona Vallejo CA www.arizona.edu
The University of Montana Missoula MT www.umontana.edu
The University of Montana Western Dillion MT www.umwestern.edu
Trinity Christian College Palos Heights IL www.trnty.edu
Trinity Lutheran College Everett WA www.tlc.edu
Unity College Unity ME www.unity.edu
University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage AK www.uaa.alaska.edu
University of Connecticut Storrs CT www.uconn.edu
University of Evansville Evansville IN www.evansville.edu
University of Kentucky Lexington KY www.uky.edu
University of New England Biddeford ME www.une.edu
University of Oregon Eugene OR www.uoregon.edu
University of Portland Portland OR www.up.edu
University of Puget Sound Tacoma WA www.pugetsound.edu
University of San Francisco San Francisco CA www.usfca.edu
University of Victoria Victoria BC www.unic.ca
University of Washington Tacoma Tacoma WA www.tacoma.washington.edu
Vanderbilt University Nashville TN www.vanderbilt.edu
Wells College Aurora NY www.wells.edu
Western Washington University Bellingham WA www.wwu.edu
Wheaton College Norton MA www.wheatoncollege.edu
Whitman College Walla Walla WA www.whitman.edu
Whitworth University Spokane WA www.whitworth.edu
Willamette University Salem OR www.willamette.edu

Graduation and College Admissions for International Students

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I made a presentation about High School Graduation and College Admissions for International Students yesterday to a group of students from China, South Korea, Spain, Italy, and Germany. Some of the students are interested in attending college in the United States, but are worried that they won’t be admitted if they don’t graduate. I showed them the basics of college admissions and some information from the University of Washington’s admission site. Here’s a link to the powerpoint: international_graduation_and_college_entrance_requirements
 I’m not sure they were reassured, because it seemed from the questions that most of them expect to be admitted to Ivy-Type colleges. When I work with students on college admission, my focus is always on fit for the student. If an Ivy-Type college is a good fit for these students, then great, but more often than not, they lack the information needed to make a good decision, and choose to apply to the most selective colleges in the world because of the caché provided by the name.

SAT Score Choice Resources

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Here are some links to information the College Board recently sent out to high school counselors.

Some Important Tips for Juniors

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An email that the Western Washington University Admissions Office sent to high school counselors recently included a link to a great document called, “Tips for Distinguishing Yourself in the College Application Process.” It includes the same important points high school counselors have been telling students for years, but this time it comes from the college side. Here is a LINK to the document, a copy of which I’ve put on my school page.

The GPA Game

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A couple of times each year there are questions about “The GPA Game” posted to the NACAC list. The game can be used in classes or at parent meetings to demonstrate how GPA, course selections and other factors may influence admission to selective colleges. Unfortunately, I do not know who first came up with this; please let me know if you have that info. This is one version of the game that was posted recently.
Here is a LINK to a .doc form of the game.

The GPA Game: Understanding Selective College Admissions Activity

Student Profiles: Put GPA in large lettering on front side of paper, and student profile on the back.

4.0 GPA You took a strong academic program.
You forgot to change the name of the college when word-processing the essay that was sent to several different schools.

3.7 GPA You attended an enriching summer program between junior and senior years.
You decided not to take AP classes (even though your school offered them) because you wanted to protect your grade point average.

3.5 GPA The topic of your essay was sports as a metaphor for life.
You’re an eagle scout.
You’re an all-region in basketball.

3.3 GPA Your intended major is Greek Language.
You participated in NO extracurricular activities.
You attended an enriching summer program between your senior and junior years.

3.0 GPA You applied early decision to your first-choice college.
Your intended major is psychology.
You plagiarized an American history paper and got caught.

2.8 GPA Your intended major is biology.
You wrote an essay that everyone passed around the office because it was so good.
You’re the first in your family to attend college.
You’re a varsity athlete.
You made a “D” junior year but wrote to the college to explain the extenuating circumstances.
You’ve taken a strong academic program.

2.5 GPA You direct the gospel choir at your church.
You are quiet and don’t know your teachers well enough to ask for a recommendation.
You’ve participated in community service.
You’ve taken a strong academic program.
You’re from a single-parent household and must work to help with expenses.

2.3 GPA You’re a legacy at the college to which you’re applying.
You did not write the optional essay for your college application.
You’ve participated in some community service.
Your last name is Bush and the college library is named after your grandfather.

Activity Directions:

Ask for volunteers to be each student, and ask them to line up in order of GPA (from highest to lowest). They should hold up the card with the GPA side facing the audience. Then, read the following instructions:

  1. If you have taken an exceptionally strong academic program, move up two spaces.
  2. If you direct the gospel choir at your church, move up one space.
  3. If you clearly stated that this college is your first choice by making an early decision application and commitment, move up two spaces.
  4. If your intended major is psychology or biology, move down one space.
  5. If your intended major is Greek, move up one space.
  6. If you do not know any of your teachers well enough to feel comfortable asking for a recommendation, move down two spaces.
  7. If, when you word-processed your college essay, you forgot to change the name of the college you were applying to, move down three spaces.
  8. If you are a legacy, move up two spaces.
  9. If you did not write the optional college essay, move down one space.
  10. If the topic of your college essay was sports as a metaphor for life e, move down one space.
  11. If you wrote the “essay of the year, the one everyone passed around the office,” move up two spaces.
  12. If you plagiarized an American history paper and got caught, sit down. You’re out of the competition entirely.
  13. If you will be the first in your family to attend college, move up two spaces.
  14. If you attended an enriching summer program between your junior and senior years, move up two spaces.
  15. If have participated in no extracurricular activities, move down three spaces.
  16. If you have participated in a significant community service project, move up one space.
  17. If you are an eagle scout, move up two spaces.
  18. If you are a varsity athlete, move up one space. If you’re all-region in a sport, move up another space.
  19. If you got a “d” in an academic course at the end of your junior year, move down three spaces.
  20. If you wrote a letter to the college admission officer and explained the extenuating circumstances surrounding a grade of “d”, move up one space.
  21. If you decided to protect your GPA by not taking AP classes offered at your school, move down two spaces.
  22. If you come from a single-parent household and must work part-time to help with expenses, move up two spaces.
  23. If your last name is bush, and the name of the college library is bush, and it’s not a coincidence, move all the way to the front of the line and stay there.

Thanks to Nicole Colleran, from Fairfield Warde High School for posting this on the NACAC list!