Welcome to the first edition of the Carnival of College Admission!
This is a round-up of the lastest blog postings from experts in admission, financial aid, boarding schools, scholarships, and college readiness.
The plan is to make this a source of solid information, and a place where those interested in these fields can share views and expertise.
As is always the case with a new Blog Carnival, the number of submissions was relatively small. But I like to think that quality trumps quantity.
In an attempt to demonstrate where the Carnival of College Admission is headed, I’ve divided the posts into general headings. First-time readers, then, can get an idea of where their posts might best fit. And you can see that most anything related to admission will be relevant.
So here goes. Enjoy the ride!
Colleges that Fit
This section of the Carnival is for postings related to college search and selection. How do you know if a college is right for you? Check out the posts here for some guidance and advice.
Dave Van de Walle of U Sphere submited this piece exploring the Best Schools in Chicago. You can check out the U Sphere blog for lots more great information on comparing different colleges.
College Degrees is a site dedicated to navigating the world of online degree programs. Their submisssion, State-Licensed Vs. Accredited Online Degree Programs , which is posted at TheCollegeDegrees.Com Blog, , “Finding an appealing online degree program isn’t difficult. More colleges and universities are offering distance learning degrees in an ever-increasing variety of fields. Sometimes, though, knowing which programs offer the degree that will most benefit you can be difficult.”
Admission
This section of the Carnival is dedicated to issues and ideas related to the admissions process itself–filling out applications, writing essays, visiting colleges, preparing for interviews, and communicating with admissions officers. If you have some tips or ideas on how to produce a winning application, why not submit it to the Carnival?
Adam Epstein is an admissions officer at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and he writes a blog illuminating the virtues of WPI and how best to prepare for admissions. He presents a post on how to prepare for evening information sessions that students may be invited to attend. Hope you get an invitation from Adam–he’s a fun guy!
Madeleine Begun Kane is a humorist, and she submitted a limerick for us to enjoy: Collegiate Conversation posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog. We could all use a good chuckle during the application season!
O. Daille Nation-Ashley is a parent and prolific blogger, who presents Senior Year and College Applications posted at CEOmum. She provides some guidance on how to use Naviance, the college planning software system that many high schools are now using to streamline and manage the college admissions process.
Boarding Schools
This section of the Carnival provides information into another “world” of admissions–that related to the search and selection of the appropriate boarding school. You may know that there are hundreds and hundreds of boarding schools in the US, but how do you choose the one that is right for you? Posts in this section will provide some guidance.
Peter Baron of AdmissionsQuest (a boarding school resource) provides us an update on the Idyllwild Arts Academy, where its Dean has started a new blog. Peter is an avid technology fan, and his site provides great information about boarding school options for students and their families.
College Life
This section of the Carnival is about life at colleges. Sometimes you’ll hear from professors, sometimes from students, and sometimes from people who just have some great observations.
Linda P. Taylor writes a blog that explores all sorts of college issues, from financial aid to campus politics to admission. In her submission, she explores the unpredictable nature of college housing. For some students, it seems, campus overcrowding can lead to some pretty cushy digs!
Sometimes professors have some great insights to share on how teaching and learning really takes place in our higher education system. For this edition, Cranky Professor recounts a staff meeting in which teaching was discussed…and he wasn’t altogether thrilled with how the meeting developed. He really didn’t like “power teaching,” which is described in this YouTube video. You can see more of Cranky Professor’s posts on his blog.
Shae is concerned with your eating habits at college. In this week’s submission, she presents a post on the essential kitchen tools that every college student should have in his or her possession to ensure the ability to whip up a good home-cooked meal . Check out Shae’s other blog postings at The Collegiate Gourmet.
Financial Aid
This section of the Carnival is for posts related to the quest for financial aid and scholarship. College is expensive, and many bloggers provide great information on how to reduce the college costs. If you have something to share on this topic, why not submit it to the next edition of the Carnival?
The Editors of Financial-Aid-Resource-Center.com present College Scholarship Search, which includes a list of helpful resources to get you started on the college scholarship search. You can see all of the Financial Aid Resource Center’s postings at the Financial Aid Blog.
Standardized Tests
This section of the Carnival includes interesting posts related to all the different tests students must prepare for an take as they embark on their college journey. Whether it’s about the SAT, the ACT, the IB, the AP, the TOEFL, the SAT II, or the XYZ (okay, I made that last one up!), you should consider sharing your thoughts and expertise with others by submitting a post to the next Carnival of College Admission.
This week, we’re happy that Sagar Satapathy presents a list of 100 helpful sites containing helpful information about the SAT. Sager blogs Smart Teaching.
Other Cool Stuff
This section of the Carnival includes posts that don’t neatly fall under the other headings, but that are still interesting and relevant to students and families during the transition from high school to college–and for professionals in the field who work with students. I’ll try to give some headlines to help you navigate the posts.
JOB HUNTING FOR STUDENTS: Dr. Delaney Kirk presents two interesting posts this week from her site, Ask-Dr-Kirk. The first is aimed as students, and gives Advice For Students: Ten Steps to Getting the Job You Want, and the second gives advice for parents: What To Tell Your Students When They Are Asked Potentially Illegal Questions While Interviewing For A Job? . Both are worth a read.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: Raymond at the Money Blue Book, a blog for personal financial management, keeps a list of the best credit cards for students to have–not so that they can go into debt–but so they can learn how to manage their money responsibly.
Conclusion and Future Plans
Thanks for visiting the Carnival! We’ll be back again in two weeks with another edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of college admission using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Also keep in mind “Blog Carnival Etiquette.” Generally those who post are asked to leave comments on the Carnival Page itself, and to write a quick post on your own blog announcing the Carnival and leaving a permalink to this edition. This helps us all expand our readership and promote our own blogs to others.
As we continue to build the Carnival, I will be looking for others to host editions of the Carnival of College Admission. It’s easy and fun, and a great way to expand your own readership. If you’re interested in hosting, please let me know.
Thanks to everyone to submitted, and especially to our readers. See you next time for thrills and spills at the Carnival of College Admission.
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