Here is a sampling of NACAC in the news:
December 2007
“Demand for New Student-Aid Programs Falls Short”
In this December 3 article from Education Week News, Scott J. Cech explores possible reasons students didn’t take advantage of two new federal grant programs aimed to help high-performing students from low-income backgrounds pay for college.
The SMART Grant and Academic Competitiveness Grant became available to students during the 2006-07 school year. They were designed to entice low-income high schools students to take rigorous classes in order to recieve money for college. However, only 360,065 students participated, far less than the 535,000 that could have been served.
To be eligible for the grants students must meet many requirements, including completing a rigorous secondary school program of study and having at least a 3.0 GPA. Many have blamed the lack of participation in the programs’ complex and overly restrictive criteria.
“Every time I mention the programs, I get a lot of rolling eyes and sighs,” said David Hawkins, the director of public policy for the National Association for College Admission Counseling. “They’re definitely a headache.” While he acknowledged that the programs’ newness might have kept more students from participating, he also thinks the program creates major administrative burdens for schools and universities. “It wouldn’t surprise me if these were underutilized programs for years to come,” Hawkins said.
“Class rank is low on many colleges' lists: UT admitting more to make up for law some say ignores other factors”
In this December 2 article in the Dallas Morning News, Holly K. Hacker reports that the University of Texas at Austin is accepting more students in order to have enough spots for promising students who don’t fall in the top 10 percent of their class.
Texas schools adhere to a decade-old law that guarantees students with high class rank admission to any public state university. However, class rank as a sole criteria has become less important to many schools, according to a study from the National Association for College Admission Counseling. In fact, it is rare to advocate giving substantial weight to a single factor in the admission process.
Supporters of the law argue that has it increased diversity in Texas state schools. But unlike other schools who use class rank to guarantee admission, Texas is the only state that allows students to pick the university, meaning only one measure – rank – determines where they attend.
Other admission officials say that a law of this type would hurt deserving students who have excelled in other areas. Some question if this has affected the qualifications of students at UT.
David Hawkins said he’s not sure the students at UT today are more or less qualified than those admitted before the top 10 rule. “But the key there, of course, is they [UT officials] don’t have a choice in the matter,” he said.
November 2007
"Blurring the Line Between a College Application and a Slick Sales Pitch”
This November 28 article by Joseph Berger in the New York Times examines marketing and branding aspects of the college application process.
With the number of applicants, ease of common applications and restructured SATs, many students are finding it hard to stand out during the admission process. According to Chioma Isiadinso, founder of a coaching firm, applying to a selective college has become what she calls ‘a marketing exercise’ to be noticed.
Bruce Poch, Pomona College’s dean of admission and NACAC member, places some of the blame on colleges who have invested so much energy into marketing themselves that students are responding the same way.
“Wrapping a student in the wrong package is plain wrong, and the worse victim might be the student who knows that his or her application is not all that genuine,” said Ken Fox, NACAC member and counselor at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis. “The irony of branding is that the branded students should not look branded. That says quite a big about the process itself.”
“Old Schools, New Approach”
In this November 20 Washington Post article Susan Kinzie discusses the outreach of elite schools targeting low-income students.
As college tuition continues to grow, fewer low-income students are able to attend these types of schools. “There’s quite a bit of evidence that shows that low-income students are a diminishing group at the most high selective college,” said David Hawkins, of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
As a result, some elite colleges have stopped early admission policies and begun offering tuition assistance, or free tuition to students with low family salaries. Hawkins said the amounts these schools are investing show how much of a priority this is. But the main leaders have been schools with large endowments and many applications. “Not many can follow in their footsteps” Hawkins said.
“Choice of Major can Affect Whether Students Gets in College”
This November 19 article from the Associated Press describes why a choice of a major may affect a student’s chances of being accepted to certain schools.
Some larger schools offering competitive majors have fewer spots available. In liberal arts colleges, however, major typically doesn’t affect admissions.
“It’s not unusual for larger schools to have different admissions requirements for different programs,” said David Hawkins, director of public policy and research at the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
“Competition Stiff for Coveted Schools”
In this Nov. 2 article in the Erie Time-News, Erica Erwin reports on the increase of college applicants and how the competition is affecting students. According to a NACAC study roughly 75 percent of four-year colleges and universities in 2006-2007 reported an increase in the number of applications from the previous year.
However, despite the increased competition, a student’s chances of getting into college have remained essentially unchanged since the 1980’s, said David Hawkins, director of public policy and research for NACAC.
Hawkins noted that because of the increase of college applicants it is important for students to demonstrate interest in attending a particular school. “Because of the exponential increase in the number of applications, colleges are having a hard time predicting who’s going to come if they’re accepted,” Hawkins said. “Whatever your reason (for wanting to attend that college), put some time into it and articulate it.”
October 2007
“U.S. Colleges Modify Application Deadlines”
This Oct. 30 news brief from SignOnSanDiego.com discusses the response of universities application deadline extensions for students affected by the California wildfires.
The president of NACAC urged colleges to be flexible with affected students. Spokesman David Hawkins said he believes most if not all of the 2500 colleges nationwide will be “open and amendable” to making accommodations for affected students.
“Youngsters Get Head Start on College”
Christina Hernandez explores the new trend of introducing college to young students in this Oct. 21 article in newsday.com. Uniondale High School (NY) held a college night that invited students as young as kindergarten to participate.
The inclusion of young children at Uniondale was an effort to introduce college to students in predominately black and Latino districts, especially because minorities are often underrepresented on college campus.
“Uniondale is among many schools nationally finding innovative ways to get young students interested in college,” said Gregory Ferguson of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
“At that age, they’re inquisitive,” he said. “They’re willing to be introduced to new things.”
September 2007
Debate on Ending SAT Gains Ground”
In this September 19 article in the New York Times, Patricia Cohen examines author Charles Murray’s proposal to abolish the SAT.
In the article “Abolish the SAT” which appeared in The American magazine, Murray suggests that college admission offices should reject the SAT and substitute other standardized tests, like subject tests, that gauge knowledge in a specific discipline.
William R. Fitzsimmons, the dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard University and chairman of a commission on testing organized by the National Association for College Admission Counseling said the commission would discuss the issue when they met at the association’s annual convention in Austin (TX).
“Efforts to Create a Standard Early-Admissions Policy Run Into Trouble”
This September 26 article in the New York Times by Tamar Lewin discusses some admission professionals desire to change NACAC’s policy forbidding colleges to make admissions offers before September 15 of a student’s senior year.
“There are two worlds out there, and that’s the big challenge,” said Ken Fox, a college counselor at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis, the chairman of the association’s Admissions Practices Committee, which proposed the September 15 policy. “We have these large public universities and community colleges that are educating the majority of students in the country, and they are not happy with what we’ve done.
At the annual meeting, the association will consider a proposal allowing colleges to admit students any time after junior year.
"Private Admissions Consultants Are Popular With the Middle Class, Not Just the Rich”
This September 28 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education by Elizabeth F. Farrell discusses the growing popularity of independent counselors.
Mark Sklarow, executive of the Independent Educational Consultants Association presented on the issue at NACAC’s annual conference.
“It’s not the superrich who are seeking us out, it’s the professional class in the suburbs whose children attend large public high schools,” Mr. Sklarow said. “Those families are concerned because the counselors at their children’s high schools don’t have the resources or time to provide them individual advice and attention.”
“Admissions Group Eases a Rule on Early-Admissions Offers”
Elizabeth F. Farrell reports on a new policy that will allow colleges to notify students of college acceptance as early as June of their junior year in high school in this September 30 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The original date of September 15 of senior year was reversed at NACAC’s annual conference as a result of criticism from some community college and state university officials. Many felt that students need encouragement to realize college is possible and an early acceptance offer helps.
The policy is scheduled to go into effect for students who would matriculate in the fall of 2009. Members also voted to have a panel research the impact the change would have on colleges. Departing President Mary Lee Hoganson said the decision was a compromise. “The final decision that was made recognizes the validity of both perspectives,” Ms. Hoganson said.
“Application: Tense Times at Bronxville High”
In this September 30 article from the New York Times, Susan Dominus follows the lives of three students throughout the college admission process.
From the first completed applications to the final decision letters, the article chronicles the struggles, stresses and pressures of the process on both the students and their families. With increased competition to get into their first choice schools, even well-qualified students are turned down.
As a result of this stiff competition many students are applying to a number of schools, making it harder for schools to determine who will attend of those admitted. “Even the top 150 colleges are having a harder time figuring out who’s going to attend the institution out of their admitted pool,” says David Hawkins, director of public policy at the National Association for College Admission Counseling.