Tag: Admissions Trends

Spring SAT/ACT scores are in and members of the class of 2015 should now turn their attention to college applications.

To guide students through the options and tasks they need to complete for college admissions, Sandweiss Test Prep offers in-depth support and admissions counseling at reasonable hourly rates.

Sandweiss Test Prep’s admissions counseling services include student guidance and support for their college selection process as well as help with college applications and essays. According to owner Steve Sandweiss, “I have been helping students with their applications for several years, [and] I can be useful in three principal areas: 1) narrowing the college list; 2) designing a “marketing” strategy for each application; and 3) drafting and polishing the common app and supplemental essays.”

In admissions counseling sessions, students will receive help narrowing their search for the right colleges and learn how to create a good list of schools (including safety schools and ‘reach’ schools). Once the school list has been assembled, students will receive assistance in drafting their essays for both the Common App (used by several hundred colleges and universities) and for the supplementary essays required by individual schools.

To further expand their support for high school seniors this year and in future years, Laurie Gordon, co-owner of Sandweiss Test Prep, is pursuing a certification in college admissions counseling from UCLA. This coursework will provide her with the skills and resources necessary to aid students in finding the “right fit” college.

Although we are in the midst of summer and students may be putting off their application process, it is a good idea to commence this process as soon as possible.

Once school starts in the fall, seniors will be busy with classes, extracurricular activities, and possibly preparing for one more round of standardized testing, so those students who can get a jump on the applications process this summer will be much happier and less stressed than their procrastinating peers.

 

Sandweiss Test Prep offers extensive college admissions counseling services to students in the greater Seattle area. Contact us to learn more about admissions counseling, or to book your student’s session!

Featured photo from here, labeled for reuse.

Graduation season has passed, and it’s time to think about college applications! Recent college admissions trends offer important information to students applying in the next few months…

The Importance of a High School Record.

According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, your child’s high school record is the number-one most important factor in college admissions. Good grades, rigorous course loads, and challenging courses have a stronger influence on admissions decisions than class rank or even standardized test scores. Essentially, colleges want to see that you’ve taken the most challenging classes that your school has to offer, and that you received strong grades in these classes.

College Applications Increase.

Students are sending out more college applications than they used to, and so colleges and universities around the U.S. are getting more and more applications every year. In 2011, 29 percent of the pool of college applicants sent seven or more applications (up from 9 percent in 1990), and the average number of applications per student has increased since then. This increase in the average number of applications per student has resulted in a negative cycle: more applications lead to lower admission rates, which leads to more applications as students try to hedge their bets, and so on.

Acceptance Rates are Dropping.

The lowest recorded admission rate (5.07%, according to research from Ivy Wise) happened this year. The average overall admission rate is probably closer to 50% or more, and several Ivy League colleges are accepting a higher rate of applications for the class of 2018 than they did for last year’s class; however the difference is not great. Many Ivy League schools received a higher number of early decision applications. Since most schools accept a significantly higher percentage of early applicants over regular submission applicants, early decision is to your student’s advantage. Also, now that colleges are receiving so many (and not accepting) applications, it’s critical that students find a way to break through the noise.

Demonstrated Interest is Key.

Most selective schools are becoming even more selective in their admissions decisions. Colleges and universities nationwide are placing stronger emphasis on students’ demonstrated interest in attending their school. They track student visits and interviews, check to see if the student has contacted faculty or alumni, and analyze their supplemental essays to gauge how well the student knows the school (and therefore, the likelihood of enrolling). College admissions officers want to see that your student has done his or her homework on the school. They will almost always look at your child’s social media profiles, too, so remind your student to be careful!

Contact us to learn about test preparation, tutoring, and admissions counseling services to help your student through the college application process.

Featured photo from here, labeled for reuse.