Here are Ten Important College Admissions Trends, for students applying to colleges:

The most recent results from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling’s annual survey of what is transpiring in the world of college admissions follow.

1. College Enrollment Is Up
As of 2009, 20.4 million students were enrolled in college, representing 70 percent of all students who completed high school that year.

2. College Applications Are Up
Almost 73 percent of the colleges responding to the survey reported an increase in the number of applications received.

3. College Acceptance Rates Are Down
Overall national acceptance rates declined from 71 percent in 2001 to 65.5 percent in 2010. The most competitive national universities and colleges have acceptance rates in the low double and single digits.

4. Applications Per Student Are Up
More than 77 percent of freshman submitted three or more applications and 25 percent submitted seven or more applications.

5. Admissions Yield Is Down
Colleges are enrolling increasingly smaller percentages of their accepted student pool, declining in fall 2010 to 41 percent from 49 percent ten years earlier.

6. Admission From Wait Lists Is Down
Colleges accepted an average of 28% of all students who chose to remain on wait lists, down from 34 percent in fall of 2009.

7. On-Line Applications Are Up
On average, colleges received 85 percent of their applications online, up from 58 percent in 2006.

8. Admissions Selectivity Is Up
The national share of colleges accepting fewer than 50 percent of applicants rose to almost 20 percent in 2010.

9. Social Networking Is Up
The proportion of colleges linking admissions web-sites to social networking sites increased from 73 percent to 91 percent.

10. Emphasis on “Demonstrated Interest” is Up
The percentage of colleges attaching considerable or moderate importance to demonstrated interest increased from 48 percent in 2009 to 54 percent in 2010. Demonstrated interest is exhibited in different ways including a willingness to participate in interviews with college representatives.
***

David Dickson is a counselor with Top Test Prep; Top Test Prep’s private tutoring programs allow students to improve test scores on subjects like the SSAT, ISEE (Private School) to colleges (SAT, ACT) to graduate schools (LSAT, MCAT, GRE). Call 1-800-501-7737 to learn more.

Tags: Admissions Advice, admissions consulting, Admissions Counselor, Admissions Data, Admissions Experts // View Comments

Here’s a better way to write your college admissions essays, so that you avoid the most common mistakes in applying.

Ten Mistakes to Avoid in Your College Essays

It is college essay time and you want this part of your college application package to complement your academic and non-academic achievements, and not distract from them. Ten common mistakes to avoid in writing your college admission essay follow.

1. Writing It At The Last Minute
You have plenty of time to write a carefully considered essay. Deferring your work to the last minute will compound many of the errors which accompany poorly executed essays.

2. Not Addressing the Essay Prompt
Admissions committees formulate questions to elicit information that is important to their decision. A failure to clearly answer a question will be regarded negatively by them.

3. Failure to Have a Central Idea
An essay which does not have a clear thesis will appear to be incoherent to admissions members.

4. Ignoring the Word Limits
If you violate essay word limits, your ability to follow basic instructions may be questioned.

5. Use words wisely
A self-conscious use of flowery vocabulary words when more straightforward language would be fine will undermine the clarity of your essay and the prospect that it will be received favorably. Yes, we encourage the use of SAT words even, but you have to use them wisely and appropriately in order to make your essay flow for the admissions officers.

6. Dredging Up an Overused Topic
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel in your essay, but try to write a distinctive essay which reflects your distinctiveness as a person.

7. Incorporating Embarrassing or Politically Offensive Material into Your Essay
Certain topics including locker room humor or politically divisive subjects may turn off your readers.

8. Including Unnecessary Material
Get to the point in your essay and don’t include extraneous material which isn’t pertinent to the topic.

9. Not Writing in Paragraphs
Essays presented as undifferentiated blobs or curt single sentences in paragraphs will not help your cause.

10. Grammatical and Structural Errors
Have an experienced editor or reader proofread your essay to ensure that it isn’t error-prone. You can even contact us at Top Test Prep get college application help.

Conclusion

College application essays are vehicles for explaining your academic and non-academic strengths in a personalized fashion, which explains why you would be a good fit for a specific college. Avoiding common mistakes in formulating them could play a significant role in a favorable admissions outcome.

David Dickson is a counselor with Top Test Prep. Get in touch with Top Test Prep today, by visiting TopTestPrep.com or calling (800) 501-Prep.

Tags: admissions consulting, Admissions Counselor, admissions essays, Admissions Experts // View Comments

In the competitive world of college recruiting, colleges are increasingly supplementing the traditional printed recruitment mailer with emerging technologies. Five illustrations of this development follow and some discussion of new ways colleges are using social media as a way to recruit students to their campuses:

1. Quick Response Codes
Colleges are experimenting with posting Quick Response (QR) codes in recruitment mailers. A QR code is a barcode that sends users to a web address with the snap of a smart phone’s camera. Hamilton College in New York created an admissions poster with a giant QR code which leads visitors to a custom welcome page from the school. The poster resulted in 1,200 visits to the Hamilton web-site.

2. Video-Chats
During the academic year, Ohio Wesleyan hosts four or five video chats for students and their parents on topics ranging from admissions counselors discussing the application process to current students sharing their study abroad experiences. According to administrators, 220 of the 260 students who participated in a video chat last year applied to the university and 92 enrolled.

3. Facebook contests
To reach prospective students, Misericordia University in Pennsylvania offered university bookstore gift certificates as prizes to incoming freshmen who replaced their Facebook profile pictures with the university logo. About one-sixth of incoming Misericordia freshmen participated during the two week summer contest.

4. Tweeting Behind the Scenes
To add depth to the printed materials, Texas Tech used Twitter to cover a story included in the annual recruiting mailer on a student lab named by Popular Science as one of the country’s “Most Awesome College Labs.”

5. College Admissions/YouTube Video Series
The New School in New York City has created “Are You New School” recruiting videos featuring students discussing topics from the dating scene to life in the city.

While dynamic new technologies are being integrated into college recruitment, the admissions acceptance process still relies predominately on the traditional staples of GPA and standardized test scores. Top Test Prep is a private tutoring and admissions expert company that helps students get into top private schools, colleges and graduate schools.

David Dickson is an admissions counselor with Top Test Prep; call TTP today at 1-800-501-7737 to learn more, or visit private tutoring and admissions experts.

Tags: Admissions Office, College Applications, College Counseling // View Comments

As applications continue to climb for the most competitive colleges and acceptances sink to the single and low double digits, it is crucial that students and their families be conscious of trends which will impact upon their prospects. Four college admissions trends follow.

1. Challenging High School Courses Are a Must But in Moderation
While colleges look favorably at Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate courses, your stress should be on performance not quantity. Better to take two AP courses in a semester for which you have a passion and can earn high grades than four AP’s for which you will be over-extended with a commensurate decline in your performance.

2. Students Are Expected to Think Globally in Course Selection and In Their Experiences
In an era of growing international economic, political, and cultural ties, competitive colleges are looking for a cosmopolitan student body. Intense language study extending over a period of years, and if possible, an international exchange experience will enhance your credentials with prospective colleges.

3. Basic Quantitative Skills Are a Necessity
You need not be a math whiz, but you can’t escape the need to establish a foundation of solid quantitative courses. This applies to potential non-science majors as well as science majors. Quantitative skills as statistics and economics are in great demand in the work place as a whole and it all begins with those high school math courses.

4. Depth in Extra-Curricular Activities is Important
It is a good idea to sample a number of extra-curricular offerings as you begin high school. However, colleges will treat students positively who have displayed a commitment to a high school or community activity or two over a sustained period of time. The nature of that activity is less important than persistence and consequently achievement.

Conclusion
You can enhance your prospects of getting into colleges of your choice, but prudent planning is a pre-condition. Top Test Prep offers tutoring and test preparations with admissions experts who help you gain admission to your top schools.

David Dickson is an admissions counselor & expert with Top Test Prep. To learn more about Top Test Prep’s admissions counseling and private tutoring experts, call 1(800) 501-Prep.

Tags: admissions consultants, Admissions Counselor, Admissions Experts // View Comments

Conventional wisdom from friends and family on the college admissions process is often wrong. Four common college admissions myths and the truth follow.

College Admission Myth One: It Doesn’t Matter Where You Go to College

A common refrain from peers and sometimes parents is that education is basically the same everywhere and you will get out of it what you put into it.
Reality: Colleges vary enormously in resources available for students and faculty, the quality of teaching, and placement rates in good jobs and graduate programs. Examine peer reviews of colleges and institutional resources as reported in US News and World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” issue. Moreover, ask prospective colleges about post-graduation placement rates.

Myth Two: Class Size Does Not Affect the Quality of the Learning Experience

Reality: Smaller classes taught by full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty increase the probability that you will receive direct attention and feedback from your professor. Figures on class size and the percentage of full-time faculty can be found in US News and World Report’s annual issue.

Myth Three: Attending an In-State Public Institution is Much Cheaper than Attending a Private Institution

Reality: This is at best a partial and highly qualified truth. Elite highly rated private colleges generally provide more financial assistance than public institutions. Moreover, they will put you in better higher paying jobs and stronger graduate programs than most of their public counterparts.

Myth Four: Large Hub Public Universities Will Provide a Better Education in the Sciences Than Quality Small Liberal Arts Schools

Many people presume that the hub public institutions with their research faculty and science facilities will do a better job of teaching science to undergraduates than small liberal arts schools.

Reality: Public hub universities generally tailor their science programs to graduate students and the research faculty themselves. This has become somewhat less pronounced at select schools which have developed undergraduate science honors programs. Nonetheless, faculty at the most competitive small liberal arts schools must conduct research for tenure, but are also rewarded for their attentiveness to teaching. Moreover, these schools often do a superb job of placing their science graduates in highly ranked graduate and professional schools.

Conclusion
As you embark on the college admissions process, it is crucial that you separate legend from reality. Top Test Prep will facilitate this and provide you with tutoring and admissions experts who help you gain admission to your top schools.

David Dickson is an admissions counselor for Top Test Prep. For information on Top Test Prep’s private SAT and ACT Tutoring, call us at (800) 501-Prep.

Tags: Admissions Advice, admissions consulting, Admissions Counselor // View Comments

College freshman retention can arguably be treated as an indicator of how happy freshman are. It is a factor that should be assigned importance when considering colleges. According to the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, an education think tank, the colleges with the best freshmen retention rates are as follows.

Top Colleges for Freshmen Retention

1. Yale University (CT)
2. Swarthmore College (PA)
3. Princeton University (NJ)
4. Stanford University (CA)
5. Williams College (MA)
6. California Institute of Technology
7. University of Chicago (IL)
8. Harvard University (MA)
9. Columbia University (NY)
10. Dartmouth College (NH)
11. University of Pennsylvania
12. Notre Dame University (IN)
13. US Naval Academy (MD)
14. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
15. University of Virginia
16. Hillsdale College (MI)
17. Washington University, St Louis (MO)
18. Rice University (TX)
19. Middlebury College (VT)
20. Brown University (RI)
21. Duke University (NC)
22. Haverford University (PA)
23. Carleton College (MN)
24. Pomona College (CA)
25. Davidson College (NC)

Conclusion
While the economic profile of a student body plays a role in freshman retention, colleges with high rates also tend to have strong advising and student support services. A retention method successfully employed at some colleges is to break the freshman class into student learning sub-communities with activities and close peer support.

David Dickson is a counselor with Top Test Prep which offers tutoring and test preparation with admissions experts who help you gain admission to your top schools. Find out more about Top Test Prep’s private tutoring programs by calling 1-800-501-7737.

Tags: College Rankings, Colleges // View Comments

The Top Test Prep team has compiled a list of ACT exam test dates. Hope they help you get prepared for the ACT!

Here they are…ACT test dates, Registration Closes, Late Registration Closes
22-Oct-11, 16-Sep-11, 30-Sep-11
10-Dec-11, 4-Nov-11, 18-Nov-11
11-Feb-12, 13-Jan-12, 20-Jan-12
14-Apr-12, 9-Mar-12, 23-Mar-12
9-June-12, 4-May-12, 8-May-12

*****

The ACT exam is coming up. Get prepared with the best…ACT private tutoring, give us a call at 1-800-501-7737.

Tags: ACT exam, ACT Prep // View Comments

Here is a helpful list of SAT test dates if you are taking the SAT Exam in 2011 or 2012:

SAT Exam Test Dates, Registration Closes, Late Registration Closes
Nov. 5, 2011, 7-Oct-11, 21-Oct-11
December 3, 2011, 8-Nov-11, 20-Nov-11
January 28, 2012, 30-Dec-11, 13-Jan-12
March 10, 2012, 10-Feb-12, 24-Feb-12
May 5, 2012, 6-Apr-12, 20-Apr-12
June 2, 2012, 8-May-12, 22-May-12

*****

Need help with SAT Tutoring and Prep? Give us a call at (800) 501-7737, or complete our contact form.

Tags: College Counseling, College Readiness, SAT Prep // View Comments

Here is a helpful list of SSAT test dates if you’re taking the SSAT Exam:

SSAT Test Date, Registration Closes, Late Registration Closes
15-Oct-11, 23-Sep-11, 30-Sep-11
12-Nov-11, 21-Oct-11, 28-Oct-11
10-Dec-11, 18-Nov-11, 25-Nov-11
7-Jan-12, 16-Dec-11, 23-Dec-11
4-Feb-12, 13-Jan-12, 20-Jan-12
3-Mar-12, 10-Feb-12, 17-Feb-12
9-Jun-12, 18-May-12, 25-May-12

*****

Need help with SSAT Prep and Tutoring, give us a call at (800) 501-Prep or visit TopTestPrep.com.

Tags: SSAT exam, SSAT Prep // View Comments

This article discusses the best liberal arts colleges and topics like costs, admissions, and other topics like tuition.

The Challenge:
This is seemingly the best of times for the most competitive small liberal arts colleges such as Williams, Middlebury, Bowdoin, and Smith as applications soar and acceptance rates descend to the low double digits. Endowments have also bounced back since the onset of the recession. Presidents and financial officers at these institutions, however, are sounding the alarm on the longer-term repercussions of escalating costs. Tuition at four-year colleges and universities rose 28 percent over the past decade. At Williams, Middlebury, Bowdoin and Smith total costs including tuition, room, board, and student fees are significantly more than $50,000 a year.

Moreover, with high levels of financial aid and per-student spending, the elite colleges face the prospect of dramatically increased costs placing financial strain on even the best managed institutions. For instance, Smith College spent $61,655 per student in 2009, $47,113 of which went to education-related expenses. By comparison, the nearby University of Massachusetts, Amherst, a public research university, spent $31,762 per student in 2009, $18,048 of which went to education-related expenses. As the sticker price of competitive small liberal arts colleges continues to grow, admitted students may increasingly be scared away and qualified students discouraged from even applying. Short of becoming an exclusive preserve of the wealthy at home and abroad, how can America’s elite liberal arts schools address this dilemma? Achieving financial solvency, maintaining diverse student bodies, and not abandoning their mission of a broad interdisciplinary liberal arts education is a tall order.

Solutions
In the short-term, tuition adjustments are an option at some schools. The president of Middlebury College announced last year that the college would cap tuition increases at 1 percent more than the rate of inflation. The vice-chancellor at the University of the South recently announced that the university would cut tuition by 10 percent and focus on need based aid as opposed to merit aid. In the longer-term new revenue sources must be found, however. In 2010, Middlebury college acquired the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Smith College, according to an internal report, is considering the establishment of a task force to explore post-baccalaureate educational offerings and other programs that enhance the college’s “reputation and revenue structure.” Colleges are expanding partnerships and consortiums with other institutions to expand course offerings to enhance their appeal to prospective students, without a commensurate increase in overall costs. The most wrenching change, however, would be an alteration of the liberal arts curricular model to incorporate more explicitly professional and vocational programs for students focused on the bottom line once they leave school. Non-elite liberal arts colleges have already begun to move in this direction.

Conclusion
America’s most prestigious small liberal arts schools will be with us for the foreseeable future. The manner in which they adjust to an increasingly cost conscious and vocationally oriented public, however, will determine what a liberal arts education will mean for future generations.

David Dickson wrote this article as an admissions counselor and expert for Top Test Prep.

Top Test Prep offers admissions experts and private tutoring programs to help students get into the best private schools, colleges and grad schools. Call 1-800-501-7737 to learn more.

Tags: Admissions Data, College Counseling, Colleges // View Comments

College interviews are often an integral part of the application process at colleges with competitive admissions processes. College admissions interviews don’t have to be tough! Here’s some help for that all important admissions interview.

Four ideas for a successful admissions interview follow.

1. Be an Interesting Interviewee by Getting Out of the Typical Teen-Age Comfort Zone
Check current events for a week or two prior to your interview, read a great book, and see a worthwhile film. You will be speaking to an adult who will be evaluating your maturity and perspective on life.

2. Research the College You Will Be Interviewing With
Look into prospective majors, college internship and exchange programs, and what makes the college you are interested in unique.

3. Have Specific Questions prepared for the Interviewer
Be prepared with three to five questions on the college which can’t be addressed by looking at the college web-site. Academics, student activities, and post graduation opportunities are legitimate areas of inquiry.

4. Be Prepared to Discuss Your Academic and Non-Academic Achievements
Reciting information from your transcript is not enough. Be prepared to discuss why you had a passion for certain courses and why a non-academic activity or experience was meaningful in your life.

Conclusion
Strong colleges are interested in thoughtful students who have a perspective on life and can explain how their institution will facilitate your goals. Careful preparation for you interview is a necessity if you are to excel!

David Dickson is a counselor at Top Test Prep which offers test preparation and tutoring with admissions experts who will help you gain admission to your top schools. Or you can call (800) 501-7737 to learn more about college admissions counseling programs with experts.

Tags: Admissions Advice, Admissions Experts, College Counseling // View Comments

Skepticism about the value of a college degree has peaked recently in many media outlets as a seemingly temporary recession turns into a prolonged period of economic stagnation or worse. While economic challenges remain for even the best educated, unemployment and weekly earnings figures paint a vivid picture of the advantages of achieving college and advanced degrees. The following figures bear this out.

Degree , Unemployment Rate in 2009, Median Weekly Earnings in 2009
Doctoral, 2.5%, $1,532
Professional, 2.3%, $1,529
Master’s, 3.9%, $1,257
Bachelor’s, 5.2%, $1,025
Associate, 6.8% , $761
Some College, No Degree, 8.6%, $699
High School Grad, 9.7%, $626
Less than High School Diploma, 14.6%, $454
Average All Workers, 7.9%, $774

Conclusion about the value of school/education:

Degree attainment clearly correlates to job stability and earnings. Gaining access to the best schools is highly competitive.
David Dickson is an admissions counselor with Top Test Prep. Get in touch with Top Test Prep’s private tutoring programs today, to learn more about how you can gain admission to the best schools or call (800) 501-7737.

Tags: Colleges, Educational Financial Planning, private tutoring // View Comments

(Highlights of College Admissions Directors Survey)

A new survey of senior admissions officials at 472 nonprofit colleges and universities reveals an emphasis on finding full-paying students in a period of financial uncertainty. Selective results of the survey follow.

Survey Results from Admissions Directors:

(1) For many colleges, a top goal of admissions directors is recruiting more students who can pay more. The runner-up strategy was providing more aid for low and middle-income students.
(2) Among all sectors of higher education, there is a push to recruit additional out-of-state students (who at public institutions pay significantly more) and international students.
(3) At public doctoral institutions, the gap between admissions directors citing the recruitment of full-paying students as an admissions strategy and those who prioritized aid for low-income students was 47 percent to 40 percent. At public master’s institutions, the gap was 45 percent to 38 percent.
(4) The interest in full-pay students is so strong that 10 percent of four-year colleges report that the full-pay students they are admitting have lower grades and test scores than do other admitted applicants.

Conclusion
Maximizing your prospects for admission at America’s most competitive colleges is a multi-faceted process. Top Test Prep offers tutoring and test preparations with admissions experts who help you gain admission to your top schools.

David Dickson is an admissions counselor at Top Test Prep. For more information on Top Test Prep, give us a call at (800) 501-7737 or fill out our complete contact form today.

Tags: Admissions Counselor, Admissions Experts, College Applications // View Comments

Recommendations for a Successful College Fair Visit
As we transition into the fall, the college fair season is also upon us. How can you make the most of this opportunity? The following recommendations should be of assistance in this area.

1. Organize Before You Go
Review a list of the participating schools, usually available online or at your high school guidance office. A reasonable approach would be to target two to three schools in each of three categories: stretch schools, reasonable schools, and back-ups.

2. Prepare Questions for College Representatives Ahead of Time
Examine college web-sites to help you formulate questions on a variety of topics including your major, financial aid, internships, and graduate school and job placement rates.

3. Print Pre-Addressed Labels to Bring With You
Save time filling out interest cards by using pre-printed address labels with your name, address, e-mail address, high school, possible majors, and when you will start college.

4. Collect Business Cards from College Representatives
This will give you the opportunity for follow-up questions and a personal contact as you consider the institution.

5. Strategize With a Map of the College Tables
Pick up your map as you enter the fair so that you can use your time productively.

6. Arrive Early
If you get there early, before it gets crowded, you will have more time with the college representatives.

7. Review College Materials Carefully
Highlight what you like about schools, and write down questions to e-mail to college representatives.

8. Place Schools You Are Still Considering in a File
Add additional information to your files as it becomes available.

Conclusion
The college fair is only one stage in your college search, but an important one. Take advantage of this opportunity. Top Test Prep offers tutoring and test preparations with admissions experts who will help you gain admission to your top schools.

David Dickson is an admissions counselor with Top Test Prep. Call Top Test Prep at (800) 501-Prep or contact our team today.

Tags: Admissions Experts, College Counseling, Colleges // View Comments