Welcome to the second edition of the Carnival of College Admission. The Carnival is a biweekly round-up of interesting blog posts related to the transition from high school to college.
I’ve had many folks contact me asking what a blog carnival is, and why they should consider submitting posts to each edition. My friend, Peter Baron over at AdmissionsQuest, called me up last week to ask me to describe what we’re doing. He recorded our video conversation, and I’d like to kick off our Second Edition by sharing it with you.
College Admission Carnival / A conversation with the Carnival’s founder, Mark Montgomery from Peter Baron on Vimeo.
So, now, on with the October 8, 2008 edition of Carnival of College Admission. Enjoy the ride!
Admission
Andrew Burns, the Director of Admission at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, presents insight on how to get the most of attending a college fair. He provides great advice to the high school senior about how to get good information, and at the same time make a good impression on admissions officers.
Adam Epstein, an admissions counselor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), presents a post entitled, “So What’s In A High School Visit?” in which he explains why admissions folks visit high schools, and what students can expect from an encounter with people like him. Check out Adam’s blog at Adamissions.
Brad J. Ward, an admissions officer at Butler University and a technology guru in the higher education field, shares a hilarious post from his blog Squared Peg about the importance of responding to emails from admissions officers. Why? Because they like it!
Todd Johnson presents Legacy admissions. The best way to gain admissions to selective colleges? posted at College Admissions Counseling Blog. Todd is another prolific blogger, and he provides all sorts of useful information to families of college-bound students.
Yours truly, Mark Montgomery, is happy to direct you toward his post that gives an insider’s view on admission to schools of art and design. I was able to make a video of a portfolio review of a young woman hoping to be admitted to the Art Institute of Boston. If you want to check out my blog, well, you’re already here.
Sean Costello at VideoJug posted his organization’s video channel related to school admission in the UK.
Test Prep
Mark Truman presents Someone Finally Stops Inviting the SAT and ACT to the College Party posted at Omniac Attack!. In this amusing post, Mark highlights the report from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) that encourages colleges and universities to reconsider their use of the SAT and ACT tests as important criteria in the admissions decision. Perhaps more and more colleges will be going test optional here soon.
Todd Johnson shares another post in which he explains how many colleges “superscore” the ACT and SAT tests. Students who worry excessively about the fact that a college may see both low and high scores on the same test can rest assured that colleges have every incentive to give you the benefit of the doubt. Find Todd’s blog at College Admissions Partners.
College Life
Shae presents, “Hey Roommate–Stop Stealing My Food!” Shae has a lot of fun stuff to share about how important food can be in college life. And I remember those days when I had to label the food in the communal fridge to keep the crew team from swiping my comestibles. Check out Shae’s blog at The Collegiate Gourmet.
Ali Hale, who blogs as Alpha Student, presents a post entitled “Feeling Shy?” in which she provides tips for getting to know people on campus. As Ali says, “If you’re feeling shy and a bit nervous of approaching new people at college – don’t worry, you’re not alone.”
Linda P. Taylor has submitted Part 2 of her series on the limits of political speech on campuses. She examines the new regulation at the University of Illinois that bans faculty from wearing political buttons or participating in political rallies on campus. Linda blogs at AskLindaPTaylor.com, and of course, you can also find Part 1 of her series there!
Barbara Nixon is an educator and technology fan. She offers 10 Tips for Success on Assignments. Check out Barbara’s blog, Making Connections.
My friend Andrew Burns is really getting into the spirit of the Carnival. He submitted another interesting post describing Fort Lewis College’s community book program, which this year featured Greg Mortenson and his book Three Cups of Tea. More an more colleges are adopting these community book programs, especially for first year students, to help ease the transition to college. Check out the rest of Andy’s blog posts.
Many of us in the college admissions field recognize that more students with autism and Aspberger’s are applying to college–and getting accepted. Michelle McFarland-McDaniels presents resources and information on Preparing Students with Autism for a Successful College Experience. Michelle blogs at Autism Assistance.
Financial Aid
Julie Stewart over at Virtual College Fairs, presents a post that explains how to determine your EFC, or Expected Family Contribution. This all-important number is an indicator of a family’s financial need. Check out Julie’s blog, too.
Everyone has seen their portfolios shrink in recent weeks. Students and their families are among the most nervous about the credit crunch. John presents Student Loan Crunch Getting Tighter posted at Free College.
Wenchypoo, in a post entitled “The College Conundrum,” explores the “return on investment” that we make in pursuing a college degree. As she points out, financially some degrees just don’t make economic sense. Wenchypoo also submitted a similar post on the same subject, entitled, “The NEW Lessons in Higher Education.” You might want to take a look at her other blog posts: Wenchypoo is a prolific blogger!
The Editors of Financial-Aid-Resource-Center.com present Grants for College, which explains that federal grant programs are designed to assist students with the greatest financial need. Read this post for a summary of available grants.
Scholarships
Jeremy Zongker presents Free College Education Exists. This post highlights the few colleges that actually offer a complete college education at no cost. Have a look at the entire blog at Destroy Debt.
Michelle McFarland-McDaniels presents another post this week, providing resources on information on sscholarships for college students who have autism. If autism is a particular interest, make sure to check out Michelle’s blog at Autism Assistance Resources and Information Blog.
Other Cool Stuff
Malia Russell presents Christina is Graduating This Month (May 2008) posted at Homemaking 911. Malia gives the story of her daughter, who has achieved a lot…through both dedication and heart.
Karin Chenoweth presents We Need Better Teaching posted at Britannica Blog.
Raymond presents Where Is The Safest Place To Save Or Invest Your Money? posted at Money Blue Book Finance Blog.
This wraps up the second edition of the Carnival of College Admission. Please participate on our next edition, which will open on October 22nd right here at Great College Advice. Submit your blog article to the next edition using our handy submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
See you in two weeks!
Mark Montgomery
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