The Admissions Game:
Student Centered Solutions for College Planning

Welcome to The College Planning Newsletter, a monthly newsletter dedicated to helping college applicants find and get into the colleges that make sense for them. Each issue of The College Planning Newsletter provides an inside look at the admission process as it unfolds, giving you-the applicant-insights and tips as you prepare to encounter the maze of deadlines and requirements. It also sheds light on elements of the "hidden agenda"- little-known factors that often influence admission outcomes at many selective colleges and universities. Use this information to prepare well for the competition. Whenever a college can say "no" to any of its applicants, The College Planning Newsletter will increase your odds of hearing "yes!"

In this issue:

• A New TAG Feature: The College Planning QuizTM!
• Behind Closed Doors
• Will they Know (how hard it is to get an A at my school)?
• Have You "Hooked" Them?
• The "Squeeze"
• What Does Your Internet Identity Say About You?
• Updating Your Financial Aid Applications
• Check with the Experts
• Dealing with Uncertainty
• CollegeWeekLive.com
• The Admission Game(R) Hits the Road!
• The Admission Game (TAG) Q&A

A New TAG Feature: The College Planning Quiz!
What do you think you know about the college planning process? Do you know which year of high school is most important academically? Or why SATs are important in the admission process? Or what you should try to accomplish with your application essays? If you find any uncertainty at all in your responses, check out The College Planning QuizTM. It's a fun but tricky exercise designed to get you to think more broadly about the process so you can position yourself for success as an applicant. Take it online to receive your score with a customized analysis of your results and tips on how to improve your college admission IQ, as well as explanations for any incorrect answers--all in about 10 seconds! Click here to go to The College Planning Quiz:
http://www.theadmissiongame.com/college_planning_quiz.php


Behind Closed Doors
If you are a high school senior, you are probably experiencing mixed emotions right about now. With the arduous task of applying to colleges now happily behind you, your admission fate now rests in the hands of strangers. The angst of the preparation has given way to a gnawing anxiety as you wait for the outcomes. Try as you might to avoid thinking about it, you are left wondering. "What happens to my application when it reaches the admission office? Who reads it?  What will they think? How will they decide?" The answers aren't that simple and vary across institutions.

However the applications are reviewed--by computer, individual readers or in committee, the objectives are basically the same: determine which candidates are on the competitive "playing field" academically and, from that group, identify those who are valued most for what they can bring to the institution. It is in the context of the question, "what do we get?" that most decisions are made. The more selective the institution, the finer are the distinctions to be made.

The deliberations will go on for weeks as candidates on the competitive "bubble" (good enough to be considered, but lacking superstar status) are read and re-read. While many admission committees are "normed" to bring a degree of consistency to the evaluations, each reader brings a different perspective to the assessment. When possible, new information about grades, awards or recently determined levels of the candidate's interest are introduced into the decision-making process. Advocates for special interest groups will make their cases. Details are examined for evidence of the slightest hint that a student's effort might have slipped.

In the end, the pool of qualified and interesting candidates is still greater by some margin than is the number of available places in the class. Some institutions rightfully assert that they could admit four or five classes comprised of different students that are nearly identical. Moreover, an applicant who doesn't make it past the first round at one school might be a scholarship recipient at another. If you're sitting at home trying to handicap all this--don't! It will drive you nuts! Instead, try to relax and channel your nervous energies into productive pursuits. You'll learn of the outcomes soon enough!


Will They Know (how hard it is to get an "A" at my school)?
It is the applicant's nightmare. After three-plus years of hard work in challenging courses it's time to put your academic credentials into play as you apply for admission. Suddenly, you begin to wonder, "Will the people who review my application know just how hard it is to get an "A" at my school?" "Will they know that Analytical Literature is an advanced class at my school and the "B+" I got was one of the top grades in the class?" Or, "Do they understand that there is no grade inflation at my school--I could be working just as hard but getting better grades at a neighboring school?"

While it is difficult to generalize across all admission environments, rest assured that most places are pretty careful about assessing credentials contextually. In other words, before they can make sense of your courses and grades, admission officers will do what they can to understand the academic environment in which you have been working. They review profile information supplied by your school to learn about the curricular choices available to you, the rigor of the program you have chosen and the nature of the competition to which you have been exposed. When such information is available, they look at grade distributions for the classes you have taken as well as the performance of your predecessors on AP/IB exams and standardized tests (SAT/ACT). In short, admission officers are typically quite conscious of the differences between schools--and even the programs within schools.


Have You "Hooked" Them?
As admission officers review your credentials, they look for any "hooks" or points of distinction--talents, perspectives, backgrounds or interests--that set you apart from the other applicants. Assuming you have presented academic credentials that put you squarely on their competitive "playing field," they begin looking to see how your presence might be felt outside the classroom. If they admit you, they want to know what--beyond a bright, achieving young person--their institution will get.

Believe it or not, an experienced reader can develop a bias--a sense of where you fit in the competition rather quickly by simply scanning your application. If that bias is favorable, they dig deeper into your application for evidence that will validate the bias. In the end, they will choose the candidates whom they value most--and that doesn't always mean the candidate with the highest GPA or testing profile. Hopefully, you have left little doubt in your application about what they will get by admitting you.

Between the Lines: Stay in Touch
Keep colleges of interest to you "in the loop" about new developments in your life even after you have submitted your application for admission. For example, let them know of a scholarship you just won, or that you landed a lead role in your school's musical, or that your team just captured a regional title. Don't assume it is too late for such information to be considered--it all counts!


The Squeeze
February is the point in the admission process when college recruiters are prone to squeezing applicants. While this is especially true of recruited athletes, many admission officers have begun to apply the "squeeze" to non-athletes as well. The "squeeze" occurs when a recruiter uses the uncertainty (and anxiety!) about your admission status to get you to commit to his/her school.

You my hear something that sounds like this: "We'd really love to have you in the program. We have a roster spot reserved and a number picked out for you. You just need to be admitted first! If you can give me a commitment by Friday (and today is Tuesday), I can help you get in. If you can't commit, I'll need to move on and offer the spot to someone else."

Depending on where this school sits on your list, this might be music to your ears. If it's your strong first choice and you're ready to commit, go for it.  If you're not ready to commit--and there can be lots of good reasons for this reluctance, financial and otherwise--then you will be left to fend for yourself in the admission process.

A tactic that has been employed by athletic recruiters at all levels of competition (scholarship and non-scholarship), the squeeze is now surfacing more and more in conversations admission officers are having with applicant's who have applied as Regular Decision candidates. It is a logical extension of the institution's desire to improve yield while appearing to be more selective. I referenced a situation much like this in my February 5 blog, Ethics and Early Decision.
http://www.theadmissiongame.com/blog/archives/47


What Does Your Internet Identity Say About You?
The National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) listserve periodically features a discussion about the prevalence of student involvement with social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) on the Internet and the potential for admission officers to check out applicants for admission on such sites. Frankly, I don't think this type of investigative work is taking place. While these are public spaces, it's my sense that most admission officers would regard such activity as an invasion of privacy. Besides, they really don't have time to do background checking.

That said, why risk posting anything on the Internet that might prove compromising to your candidacy? While no one is denying your right to participate in cyber-networks, just remember that they are public spaces. Think about what your Internet identity says about you.


Updating Your Financial Aid Applications
Here's a quick tip for families that are in the throes of submitting financial aid materials. If you find that there is additional information about your financial aid application that might not have been communicated clearly on the FAFSA or the CSS PROFILE, submit the documentation in questions directly to the financial aid officers at the colleges to which your student has applied. Then, call to make sure the information has been received and filed with the student's financial aid application. Do not send it to the processing centers for the FAFSA or the CSS Profile. The financial aid officers will know what to do with the information you submit.

Juniors: Make Good Choices
You will hear a lot of talk among your friends about how "colleges don't really look at the senior year"--and, of course, that will lead to erroneous assumptions about courses that you no longer need to take. Here's the bottom line: Selective colleges are watching to see how you use your curricular choices to stretch yourself. They want to see what you choose to do--what courses you take and how you apply yourself--when it would seem that the pressure is off.  Don't give them reason to believe that you are not passionate about your studies. The more selective the college you are considering, the more important the senior year will be as the determining credential.


Check with the Experts
Are you wrestling with difficult choices regarding your curriculum for your senior year? You know, "Can I drop Honors Biology and take Psychology instead?" or "What would happen if I replaced my AP French with AP Statistics?" Since it is hard to generalize responses across colleges, I recommend contacting the admission officer at a favorite school or two (a short email will suffice) who is responsible for recruiting in your region to ask that person for advice.  Following that person's advice won't guarantee that you will be admitted, but you will at least have the peace of mind in knowing that you're going in the right direction!


Dealing With Uncertainty
A notion that often paralyzes students early in the college planning process is one that suggests they must be certain of their career paths before choosing a college. While many young people have seemingly known since they could talk that they wanted to be teachers or doctors or lawyers, many more have yet to find such a direction-and that's okay! It's awfully difficult for young people to know what they will do for the rest of their lives when they are fifteen or sixteen or seventeen. That's why so many of them (two-thirds) change their majors in college.

So, if you are feeling that you need to have your career figured out before you can choose a college, relax. Look for a place where you can learn comfortably. Choose a place that will educate and prepare you to embrace whatever opportunity might come your way in life. Such places will also help you find career directions when the time is right. Besides, when you look around you will find that the vast majority of people in your parents' generation are now working in careers that are different from those they anticipated when they started college!


CollegeWeekLive.com
If the Internet is where you live, mark your calendar for an online college fair that will take place on March 25-26. In fact, check out the site in advance to preview the program. You'll have access to representatives from colleges and universities around the country. AND you'll get to hear people like me talk about the college admission process. I am scheduled to present live with question and answer opportunities at 5PM (ET) on March 26. I hope you will log-in with a question or two!


The Admission Game(R) Hits the Road!
2008 has started off with a bang for yours truly as I have already presented programs at fifteen programs in seven states from Texas to Colorado to Connecticut! If you would like to see where I will be presenting in the coming months, check out my schedule at:
http://www.TheAdmissionGame.com/event_schedule.php

Find out why people keep calling this program a great "eye-opener!" And why one parent exclaimed in her evaluation, "I thought I knew it before, but I still can't believe how much I have learned tonight! I am going to grab a highlighter and start reading your book!" Be sure to let me know if "The Admission Game" would benefit families in your school or organization.


Straight Talk About College AdmissionTM Recordings Available
Recordings from the November-January Straight Talk teleseminars are now available for purchase ($6.95 per session) at http://www.TheAdmissionGame.com/products.php. Featured topics include:

• How to Find the Best College Fit
• The Role of Testing and the Value of Test Prep
• To ED or not ED: The Pluses and Minuses of Early Decision
• Inside the Financial Aid Application Process

To be posted soon:

• Senior Year Course Selections That Make A Difference-and Why
• Beating the Odds: The Importance of Demonstrating Interest
• Taking Stock of What's Going On Around You

Please note that the double-session of Straight Talk that was scheduled for February 20 has been cancelled due to schedule conflicts. I do anticipate a continuation of the series in March.


The Admission Game (TAG) Q&A--Straight answers to important questions from The College Planning Newsletter readers about the admission and financial aid processes.

Dear TAG,
My son applied Early Decision to his dream college and was deferred. We're baffled as he presented excellent credentials. Friends of his with similar GPAs have been admitted to other highly selective schools. What can we do to help his chances through regular decision?
Baffled Parent

Dear Baffled,
If he is to have any chance with his ED college through regular admission, he needs to make sure that his file is as current as possible. They will be particularly interested in new information including grades. Additional letters of recommendation will be helpful only to the extent that they add new insight into his performance. In all likelihood, the admission committee will wrap-up its decision-making by the 23-25 of March. Any information they don't have by then won't be considered.

The good news is that he wasn't turned down outright. You must be realistic in your assessment of the situation, though. The odds of a deferred ED candidate gaining admission through regular decision are generally less than the odds for regular decision candidates who have not come through ED.

A good constructive exercise for your son would be to start assessing his other college options for "fit." Among other things, the best fit will be the one that values him for what he does well. Frankly, he will be able to pursue (with distinction) his academic and career goals through many excellent colleges and universities. His attachment to the dream school right now it is probably more emotional than substantive. If his application isn't accepted there, he needs to know he'll be fine.

I would urge your son to move on and begin investing in other places. Hard as this may seem, there is nothing worse than being at the receiving end of a double turndown-as would be the case if he is not accepted through regular decision. He deserves to feel good about himself. Besides, most colleges in the country would be thrilled to include him in their number. Believe me, he has quality options.
TAG


Dear TAG,
My eldest son is beginning his sophomore year at an Ivy League school and is having an exceptional experience so far. My daughter, a junior in high school, is beginning to develop a list of schools to visit this summer. She's a bright young woman, but I'm worried she's not working to the same level of rigor as her brother was at the same time. What are her chances of getting into a good school and receiving financial aid?
Gearing Up for Round Two

Dear Gearing,
That would all depend on your--and her--definition of success. If your beginning assumption is that an Ivy is the only "good school" for her, then you may be directing her down the wrong path. Whether or not she is capable of the workload, your daughter's interests and abilities will be served at a variety of institutions. Finding the best fit is critical. What worked for her brother is probably not the best solution for her.

By and large, the answer is yes--your daughter has a very good chance of getting into a good school and receiving financial aid--but it will likely be a school that suits her needs and interests AND one that values her for what she does well.
TAG

Questions for TAG Q&A in upcoming issues can be directed to: Peter@theadmissiongame.com.


The Admission Game
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Lancaster, PA
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