2005 Headlines:
August 2005
“Camp College: The New ‘In’ Way to Get In”
In her Aug. 11 article from the Chicago Tribune, Jodi S. Cohen reveals how a growing number of high school students is seeking extra support with the college search—from how to write the winning essay to how to pick the right school—with summer classes.
“While demand for such programs is still small, with about 1,000 students participating in four different programs this summer, it is expected to grow as college becomes increasingly competitive and expensive,” explains Cohen. “Experts say college advising—from local private consultants to intensive summer programs—could follow the path of SAT and ACT test preparation, which began as courses for the elite and are now commonplace.
“Parents hope the sessions will give their children an advantage in the race to get into elite schools, an increasing challenge as the number of college students continues to grow.
“About 3 million students graduated from high school last year, a number that is expected to peak at 3. 3 million in 2009, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling. The number of college students also has steadily increased during the last 30 years, with about 50 percent more students enrolling now than in 1974.
"What's more, with the escalating price of college, parents and students want to ensure they invest in the right college.”
July 2005
“Small Knox College Drops ACT, SAT Requirement”
This St. Louis Post Dispatch (MO) article by Kavita Kumar from July 2 follows recent developments in the importance of standardized tests, as some colleges decide to make them optional.
“Some schools began dropping the tests a couple of decades ago, while several more are reportedly considering similar actions. Fairtest, an anti-testing group, lists more than 700 colleges on its Web site that don’t require the exams, though the list includes many non-selective schools.
“While many people in the college admissions world admit that the tests are not perfect, the SAT and ACT are far from close to extinction. The tests continue to be important measures for the vast majority of universities.
“In the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s annual survey, admission officers in 2004 said test scores along with grades were the top factors in admitting students. And the survey indicates that more counselors are giving more significance to the scores these days than they did a decade ago.”
“Fast Finish, Fresh Start”
Ylan Q. Mui follows the trend of high school students skipping their senior year to attend college in the June 8 issue of the Washington Post.
“High school guidance counselors caution that making the jump from high school to college is about more than academics. Senior year is also about playing on varsity sports teams and beefing up résumés with internships and extracurricular activities. And most of all, they say, senior year gives students time to grow up and say goodbye to childhood.
“‘There are always questions about whether a student is developmentally ready to leave high school and go on to a college campus,’ said Judy Hingle, director of professional development for the National Association of College Admission Counseling. ‘That’s always a big transition, even for the most mature student.’
“Hingle said that there are no statistics that track the number of students nationwide who graduate early each year. High schools typically don’t push the idea, and their complicated schedules sometimes make it difficult for even the brightest students to finish their coursework early.”
June 2005
“To Size Up Colleges, Students Now Shop Online”
This article from the June 10 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education by Dan Carnevale explores how college-bound students are using the Internet as their main information source about colleges.
“The same high-school students who think nothing of going to J. Crew’s Web site to order the right pair of jeans—sifting through the plethora of styles that seem to change by the week—are turning out to be equally sophisticated online consumers of college information,” Carnevale explains.
“‘Admissions officials know their Web sites are the first point of contact for many prospective students,’ says Judy Hingle, director for professional development at the National Association for College Admission Counseling. The association has created a list of Internet services that help high-school students search for and apply to colleges.
“‘It has changed from the Internet being a supplement to the Internet being the first source,” Ms. Hingle says. ‘For a great majority of students, this is going to be their first impression. This is going to be their handshake.’”
“Valedictorians Fading Away in Move to End ‘Star’ System”
“National perspective school districts across the country are questioning whether to keep or discard the time-honored title of valedictorian: In the Lake Elsinore Unified School District in southern California, under board policy adopted in the 1990s, any student who achieves a grade-point average of at least 4.0 is considered a valedictorian. Last year the title went to 42 seniors at two high schools,” begins Robin Flanigan’s article from June 5 in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (NY).
“A survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling this year found that at least 39 percent of U.S. public and private high schools are dumping the distinctions. ‘Research talks about class ranking being a form of zero-sum competition that might not be the healthiest thing for students,’ said David Hawkins, director of public policy for the association in Alexandria, Va.
“Harmful competition? No past statistics exist to prove a trend, but national education organizations say anecdotal evidence suggests there is one. Proponents of eliminating valedictorians contend that academic competition gets in the way of a good education. The shining stars avoid tougher classes and the average students simply feel left out. Critics of the move argue that no one grumbles about athletes being named most valuable player and that educators should focus more on honoring tradition than pandering to students with low self-esteem.”
May 2005
“Choosing a College: Let the Student Make the Final Call”
This May 23 article from the Nashville Business Journal quotes Judy Hingle, NACAC’s director of professional development, regarding the concept of ‘best colleges’.
“Instead of worrying about what college is best, Hingle advises families to concentrate on what the student wants from a college experience, and go from there.
“‘It’s a rumor that students and parents can find a school that’s going to be the perfect place when there are a number of schools that will suit the needs of a student,’ she says.
“‘A combination of many things makes the fit. If you choose a campus where you feel comfortable . . . and ready and encouraged to try new things academically . . . then you will probably do well,’ says Hingle, who recommends the ultimate decision should rest with the student, as opposed to letting family make the final call.”
“College Counseling Becoming a Booming Business”
Gil Klein’s July 5 article in Potomac News explains that now that baby boomers have college-age children, they are hiring private college counselors.
“Helping drive the business [of private counselors] is an explosion of information about colleges from magazines, guides and the Internet. At the same time, high school counselors, who can be responsible for more than 500 students each, are so overwhelmed with other responsibilities that they have trouble keeping up with the new information, much less working one-on-one with students.
“‘We’re almost into information overload,’ said Judy Hingle of the National Association of College Admissions Counseling. ‘There’s an expectation that someone knows all of this information. Parents and students are looking for someone to help them interpret the process.’”
April 2005
“Seeking Counsel”
In an April 17 New York Times article, Carin Rubenstein explores the importance of high school counseling, quoting NACAC Director of Public Policy David Hawkins.
“Parents sometimes hold guidance counselors responsible when students are rejected.
“‘I’ve heard of lawsuits,’ said David Hawkins of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. ‘They say he told the child to apply to schools he couldn’t get into.’” For the complete article, visit www.nytimes.com.
“Early Applications Slowed in 2004”
In an April 8 Chronicle of Higher Education article, Eric Hoover discusses the results of the 2004–05 NACAC State of College Admission report.
“The ‘State of College Admission’ report, released last week by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, analyzed the results of the group’s annual surveys of admission officers and high-school counselors.
“The association, known as NACAC, also found that for the first time since 2000, more colleges (45 percent) reported decreases in binding early-decision applications than reported increases (37 percent).
“Among colleges that use wait lists, 52 percent—more than in any year since 1999—reported an increase in the number of students placed on those lists.”
“Colleges Drop the Other Shoe; Seniors Try It On”
In an April 17 New York Times article, Carin Rubenstein explains why April is “the cruelest month” for high school seniors applying to college.
“‘There have definitely been record increases in both the number of students applying to college and the number of applications submitted,’ said David Hawkins, director of public policy at the National Association for College Admission Counseling in Alexandria, Va., who confirmed that college rejections are at an all-time high.
“Last year, he said, slightly more than three million students graduated from high school, and about two million applied to college, more than at any time since the mid-1970’s.” For the complete article, visit www.nytimes.com.
March 2005
“Making a Self to Brag About”
In her March 20 Washington Times article, Gabriella Boston references the NACAC Admission Trends Survey and quotes NACAC Director of Professional Development Judy Hingle regarding the role of extracurricular activities in admission.
“When the National Association for College Admission Counseling, an Alexandria-based nonprofit organization, asked colleges nationwide in 2003 about the importance of extracurricular activities, about 80 percent of the colleges answered that they placed limited to considerable importance on extracurricular activities.
“About 20 percent said they place no importance on extracurricular activities.
“‘Extracurricular activities are important because they are a way for the student to develop some identity beyond the statistics that are reported to the college [in the form of grades and test scores],’ says Judy Hingle, spokeswoman for NACAC.
“The NACAC sent its trend survey to 1,540 colleges and universities. The 2003 study is based on the 595 responses that were received.”
Boston additionally lists NACAC as a place to go for “more info” at the conclusion of her article.
“Essay is a Small Part of Admissions”
In her March 9 Boston Globe article, Jenna Russell discusses the impact of the new SAT writing test on college admission. She quotes NACAC Vice President for Professional Development Sherri Geller:
“Admission directors said the SAT writing samples…may prove useful in a small number of cases in which students submit highly polished essays, but their transcripts show mediocre grades in English.
“‘For most applications, that would be unnecessary, but where the record is erratic, it’s another piece of information, a raw sample, to help us make a good decision,’ said Sherri Geller, senior associate director of admissions at Brandeis University.”
“The SAT’s major competitor, the ACT, recently added an optional writing test, and Brandeis will now require that section from applicants who take the ACT, including many in the South and the Midwest, Geller said.” For the complete article, visit boston.com.
February 2005
“Coalition of Higher Education Groups Launches Advertising and Lobbying Campaign to Keep Integrity in Federal Student Financial Assistance Programs”
NACAC Executive Director Joyce Smith is quoted in a Feb. 28 Journal Inquirer article, regarding a newly formed coalition to help students.
“The National Association for College Admission Counseling, NACAC, which represents 20,000 admissions officers and high school counselors, is coordinating visits by its members to more than 300 members of the House and Senate on Feb. 28 and March 1.
“According to Joyce Smith, NACAC’s executive director, ‘We don’t want a situation where students are high[ly] pressured into enrolling in programs where they receive little to no benefit, yet incur substantial costs. We fear that if these practices are left unchecked, students will rack up unneeded debts and taxpayers will be left covering a high default rate.’”
“Admissions Trends: Paying Top Dollar for a Top Ivy Essay”
In her Feb. 9 Daily Pennsylvanian article, Sarah Breger cites the NACAC State of College Admission report:
“According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, there is only one guidance counselor for every 491 high school students in the U.S.”
“UMass-Amherst Offers Early Admission in Big for Top Students”
A Feb. 6 Boston Globe article references data from the NACAC State of College Admission report.
“Twenty-one percent of colleges and universities offer early-action admission, and two-thirds of them say early applications are on the rise, according to 2003–2004 annual report by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Twenty percent of schools offer an early-decision option.”
January 2005
“New York Tops Advanced Placement Tests”
Susan Saulny, in her Jan. 26 New York Times article, quotes NACAC Director of Public Policy David Hawkins regarding the importance of A.P. exams.
“Still, David Hawkins, the director of public policy at the National Association for College Admission Counseling, said that nationwide, in the last 10 years, survey data suggest that grades in college preparation courses like A.P. have increased in their level of importance.”
“College Knowledge”
Sarah Menesale, in her Jan. 21 Westborough News article, discusses the trend of applying early, referencing NACAC’s State of College Admission report.
“About 270, or 20 percent, of the 3,500 college and universities in the United States offer early decision admission programs, which enables students to get a jump on college planning. And about 21 percent of colleges offer the early action admission option to students, according to the 2003 National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Admission Trends Survey.”
She later quotes Bradford MacGowan, president of New England ACAC, on the matter.
“‘Some colleges would fill a third to a half of the class through early decision and early action so kids didn’t want to miss out. There have been little shifts of behaviors of schools not to do this and now are filling less of the class or using early action programs,’ said Bradford MacGowan, president of NEACAC, the New England chapter of NACAC, and director of college and career counseling at Newton North High School.”
“FTC Warns of College-Aid Scam”
In his Jan. 16 Philadelphia Inquirer article, Brad Foss discusses the rising problem of scholarship fraud, quoting NACAC Director of Public Policy David Hawkins.
“‘No one can guarantee you aid,’ said David Hawkins, director of public policy at the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
“A classic scheme, Hawkins said, is one in which a company will call promising to conduct a search of all the available sources of scholarships and financial aid in order to match students with potential fits.”
“What School? How to Get in? Teens Find Help, for a Price”
In her Jan. 12 Atlanta Journal Constitution article, Patti Ghezzi explores the realm of educational consultants, using NACAC data.
“In Georgia, high school counselors have an average caseload of 227 students, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.”
She later quotes NACAC Director of Professional Development Judy Hingle:
“Judy Hingle of the National Association for College Admission Counseling worries that the hiring of a consultant can increase pressure a child might feel to get into a prestigious school. At the same time, a consultant can serve as a ‘dispassionate mentor’ and help busy students make sense of the overwhelming amount of information, she said.”
“Advanced Course Bonus Points Challenged”
A Jan. 11 Washington Post article about bonus grade points cites NACAC’s State of College Admission report:
“The National Association for College Admission Counseling found in a 2003 study that 69 percent of public and private schools give bonus grade points. They are popular for encouraging students to take challenging courses and making them look better to college admissions officers.”
The article also calls on former Current Trends and Future Issues Committee Chair Jonathan Reider for input:
“Many educators say they are troubled by students who take advanced course just to get extra grade points. Jon Reider, guidance counselor at University High School in San Francisco, said it ‘gets in the way of the real educational questions: What have you learned, and how can you show it?’”