How Competitive is College Admissions? Enough to Tempt Parents to Behave Badly

The Chicago Tribune ran a story on Monday about the lengths to which some parents will go to get their darlings into college.  The whole process of selecting and applying to college is certainly stresseful.  And there is no doubt that the competition is fierce.


It’s also true that in some school communities, the competition is even more fierce.  At toney private schools in the East, for example, there may be 30 members of the 100 students in the graduating class who are all applying to Harvard or Tufts or both.  Clearly, no college will want to admit every student from that school who applies, even if every last one of them has perfect grades and a perfect test scores.  Colleges are social engineers, and to accept so many from one place would throw the community out of balance.


So, as this article describes, some parents are not holding back in their attempts to sandbag others’ kids in order to promote their own. Here are some examples of sandbagging from the article:


  • Anonymous notes to the admissions office recommending that they look at a rival’s Facebook page.
  • Phone calls suggesting that a student is lying about particular accomplishments or extracurricular involvements.
  • Newspaper clippings attesting to a student’s involvement in a crime or other bad behavior.


While this article does shed some light on how desperate a small number of parents (and their students) are to get into the most competitive colleges, the article does suggest that to focus on this sort of aberrant behavior only fans the fires of the fall admissions frenzy.


The article suggests that most admissions officers ignore these instances of parental interference, unless the letter is signed or unless it presents some sort of hard evidence–like the newspaper clipping.  The fact is that the practice of sandbagging other students is both rare and ineffective.  And if you read this article carefully, amid the sensationalist hype are some strong indications that the article’s headline bends reality in order to attract readers.


Here are some passages from the article that cool the hype.


College admissions officials said they do not track how many of these letters, calls or e-mails they receive and said they are unsure whether they’re getting more of them.


So is sandbagging becoming more common?  No data.  Admissions officials are “unsure” if the practice is increasing as competition increases.  Fact is, this practice has been going on for a long time.


“We see everything. Nothing shocks us anymore.”


So says the dean of admissions of Northwestern University.  Thus the article’s implication that sandbagging is a new phenomenon is misleading. Desperate and silly parents have been around for a long time.


…anonymous allegations typically get thrown in the trash. If the letters include specific allegations or a newspaper article detailing criminal activity, officials might follow up with a call to the applicants or their high schools.


Thus, sandbagging does not work.  Admissions officers are not stupid.  And they are also prudent.  So if they receive random messages written in crayon in unmarked envelopes, admissions people have a good laugh at the sandbagger’s expense and move on with their job.  Or they are careful to investigate specific allegations (which often turn up in teacher recommendations, anyway…either as the discreet but clear note at the bottom saying, “Call Me!”, or as a very weak letter of support).


The article also drops a little hint toward the end of the article that helps identify one of the sources of the problem, in general.  High schools generally do not put disciplinary information onto a transcript, nor do they report disciplinary actions to colleges in other ways.  This information is somehow deemed “private,” while the academic information is readily shared with college admissions officers.


In my mind, this is a huge problem.  It is also one of the reasons so many private consultants deal with families who arrive on our doorsteps with stories like this: “My daughter is really a great kid.  Of course, there was that one time she was busted for cocaine possession in Daytona Beach, and that time she was suspended for a week for selling marijuana–it was only a tiny amount.  We know you can help us tell her story in a way that will help cover for those minor infractions so she can get into the school of her dreams.”


I tell clients right up front that I will not be an accessory to a lie.  I will help the student explain the mistake, and if appropriate, help the contrite and apologetic young person explain past transgressions in terms of lessons learned and prospects for a better future.


While sandbagging is sleazy, I find it more sleazy–and much more common–that parents are totally comfortable with lying on behalf of their own child than they are willing to tear down someone else.  This finding is no consolation, to be sure.  But at least I keep my own conscience clear and my reputation intact.


Mark Montgomery

College Counselor






Technorati Tags: Chicago Tribune, admission, competitive, selective, college, university, Ivy League, application Del.icio.us Tags: Chicago Tribune, admission, competitive, selective, college, university, Ivy League, application



Scholarships May (or May Not) Decline as Colorado Colleges and Universities Feel Financial Pain

The Denver Post reports today that endowments at Colorado colleges and universities have shrunk significantly, which may mean fewer scholarship dollars for students.


Endowments pay for important aspects of college, from prestigious professor positions to millions in private scholarships and science labs.


However, there are two things worried parents should recognize before hitting the panic button.  First, most scholarships are not based on real money.  They are actually merely discounts off the price of tuition.  This is especially true at private colleges.


Second, most in-state students headed for our public universities would not be eligible for much in the way of merit scholarships, anyway.  The amount of money available from those endowed, private scholarships is small, in comparison to the tuition discounts offered. And most state universities have already discounted tuition as much as they can.  The tuition price may go up somewhat in response the market free-fall, or if inflation begins to rise, or if tax revenues fall–meaning less state support of our universities.


So while the pools of money that may fund private scholarships have shrunk, the discounts will remain more or less in effect, unless budgets become permanently squeezed.  I would worry much more about potential tuition increases at public universities over the next four years than about whether the scholarship funds have shrunk.


My advice to parents is not to suddenly abandon all hope of getting a good scholarship at a private college or university.  We may have to adjust the strategy of where to apply in light of financial realities. But private colleges will still have every incentive to discount their tuition for very attractive students.  And with deep discounts, the cost of attending a private college can be competitive with the cost of a public university.


Here’s the tally of how much the endowments of Colorado colleges and universities have shrunk in recent weeks.


University of Colorado:           12%, or $63 million
Colorado State University:       8%, or $19 million
University of Denver:              7.5%, or $22 million
Colorado College:                  no comment–but probably somewhere in the ballpark


While these figures are significant, the losses are not nearly as huge as the ones I’m staring at in my own 401K and 403B plans. Colleges and universities are relatively conservative with their investments.  While we all sometimes compare universities to businesses, the fact is that universities are not in the business of making profits–they have every incentive to save for the stormy days that we are now experiencing.


The storm still rages, but I expect our institutions of higher education in this state will weather it better than most.


Mark Montgomery

Educational Consultant




Technorati Tags: University of Colorado, Colorado State University, University of Denver, Colorado College, tuition, scholarships, admission, educational consultant, financial aid Del.icio.us Tags: University of Colorado, Colorado State University, University of Denver, Colorado College, tuition, scholarships, admission, educational consultant, financial aid


Paying for College in a Credit Crunch

Lisa Belkin, a writer and blogger for the New York Times, has a couple of posts on her blog yesterday about the general angst and real effects on families’ decisions about college. For those who have graduating seniors who have seen their savings dry up, it has been a sobering–even depressing–few weeks.


I recommend Amy’s posts.  The first part is here, and the second part is here.


Mark Montgomery

College Counselor

Carnival of Education–Presidential Debate Edition

The newest edition of the Carnival of Education is up and running over at EduWonkette, one of the great EdWeek blogs.  The theme is appropriate, on this, the day of the last presidential debate of 2008.’


In addition to a post from yours truly, there is plethora of pleasing posts.  Among my favorites this week are:


Stories from School argues that school (or college) is not for everyone.  I have to agree.  While I think we should never stop learning in high school, I don’t like our cultural prejudice that dictates that if you don’t go to college, you’re a big, fat loser.  After all, only 25% of Americans have a BA.  Does that make 75% of Americans “worthless” or necessarily “uneducated?”


Stuart Buck makes the same argument (and you thought this was a debate!), based on a recent column by Charles Murray at the Cato Institute.  If you haven’t read Murray’s column, you should.  Post-secondary education is great, but again, it’s not for everyone.


Right on the Left Coast (one of my faves–he makes me think) sheds light on the idiocy of faculty/staff meetings.  Why do these sorts of meetings happen over and over?  Why is it that in schools, all leadership has to be “collective?”   (Perhaps we need The Decider to Decide?)


As always, the Carnival of Education is an excellent run around the Edusphere.  I’m looking forward to the next edition.


Mark Montgomery

Carnival of Education


In Defense of Large University Endowments

The Los Angeles Times ran an opinion piece today written by Anthony W. Marx, the president of Amherst College, in which he eloquently defended independent decision-making by independent colleges.  In the past year or so, Congress has had its knickers in a twist about the rising value of college endowments at some private colleges–even as tuition rates have continued to rise.


Now with the economic downturn, I expect the outrage about balooning college endowments will subside–because they’re not balooning very much right now.  Up until the past few weeks, the “American Way” has been characterized by debt burdens, excessive leverage, and wanton spending.  Our collective profligacy has caught up with us, and the immediate future doesn’t appear very rosy.


If we remember Aesop’s fable of the grasshopper and the ants, we can think of Congress and the rest of the outraged public (or, the grasshoppers) complaining that private colleges (the ants) were unnecessarily stuffing their mattresses with investments.  Well, winter has now come, and the ants are sighing with relief that they made some good decisions.


Congressional grasshoppers, left out in the cold, how have to turn their attention to the messes they neglected, rather than continuing to complain about the apparent wisdom of the ants.  Most private colleges have weathered economic storms for decades, if not centuries in some cases.  While some colleges have gone under (and a few of the more spenthrift colleges may lose their shirts in this downturn), we don’t hear about Harvard or Yale or Vanderbilt going belly up like AIG, Lehman Brothers, or Washington Mutual.


Undoubtedly well-endowed colleges and universities will feel the economic pain of the current crisis, and while many (like Amherst) will try to continue to offer large financial aid packages to those who need them.  It will be interesting to see, however,  if all of them will be able to make good on every pledge they made a few months ago when their endowments wer at record highs.  If university endowments have shrunk by 40% in the past year (as has the average porfolio), we may see some colleges backtracking.


Ants will be ants.


Mark Montgomery

College Admissions Consultant




Technorati Tags: college, university, endowment, financial aid, scholarships, Amherst, Yale, Harvard, Aesop

Dormitory Burns in Abilene (A Simulation)

Abilene Christian University decided to educate students about the dangers of fire in a dormitory.  So they constructed a model dorm room in the center of campus, tossed a match in the trash can, and within 2 minutes, the entire room was ablaze.


Take a look at the news story describing this simulated conflagration at the Abilene Reporter News.  It includes a video.


Mark Montgomery

College Counselor

Carnival of College Admissions, 2nd Edition

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.



Boarding School
Peter Baron at AdmissionsQuest, a resource for boarding school admission in the US, shares a post from a new guest blogger on his site: a parent. Her first post a welcome to her boarding school admission journal.  Thanks again to Peter for putting together the short video introducing the Carnival!

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

Great College Advice



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Artist Portfolio Review at National Portfolio Day

My clients who aspire toward a career in fine art know that they need to prepare a portfolio of their work to present to admissions officers.  These portfolios need to show off their best work, and provide a window into their creative thought processes.


Most students interested in admission to a school of art and design participate in one of nearly 50 different National Portfolio Day events around the country.  Admissions officers from accredited art schools gather to meet with students and offer advice and constructive criticism on how to construct their portfolios.  Admissions officers also get an opportunity to meet with potential recruits and tell them about their school.  Students also have an opportunity to learn more about the programs and schools that may interest them.  (For see my post about National Portfolio Day here).


My clients ask, “what is a portfolio review like?”


So I took my camera to a recent National Portfolio Day event and asked both admissions officers and students if they would allow me to film the experience and share it with others.  Jon Nutting, an admissions counselor at the Art Institute of Boston, readily agreed.  And an aspiring artist named Sarah from Firestone, Colorado, was more than happy to share her experience with my clients–and with you.

As you can see, Mr. Nutting’s comments are both encouraging and constructive.  He offers personalized advice on how to improve her portfolio to give admissions and scholarship panels more information about her artistic talent and the way she approaches different sorts of projects and ideas.


Mark Montgomery

College Consulting



Technorati Tags: art school, fine arts, porfolio, admission, National Portfolio Day, design, Art Institute of Boston, Lesley Univeristy Del.icio.us Tags: art school, fine arts, porfolio, admission, National Portfolio Day, design, Art Institute of Boston, Lesley Univeristy

National Portfolio Day at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD)

portfolio word written in yellow color on a blackboard

I spent a beautiful fall day at recently at the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, located in Lakewood, Colorado. The occasion was National Portfolio Day. Budding young artists attend one of about 50 portfolio events around the country in order to receive some critical feedback on their portfolios before they are submitted to colleges of art and design for admission and scholarships.

Hundreds of high school students–and others–aspiring toward a career in art and design descended upon RMCAD to show their artwork to 33 different art schools. I interviewed Liz Dietz, who explained a bit about what to expect at National Portfolio Day.

 

Aspiring artists will want to take advantage of the opportunity for lots of free advice on how to present themselves and their work in the best way possible. Colleges of art and design are glad to share their experience and expertise with you–in large part. Because it gives them the chance to review your work, too, and to convince you that their school is best suited to your needs.

So don’t hesitate to participate in National Portfolio Day!

Mark Montgomery
College Counselor

A Chinese Woman Majors in Accounting at the University of Wyoming

During my recent visit to the University of Wyoming, I met a woman from Suzhou, China, chattering away in Mandarin with a friend.  I had learned that there were significant numbers of international students on the campus.  In fact, my tour guide that day was from Zimbabwe.


But I wanted to learn a bit more about how this woman made her decision to attend the University of Wyoming.  Below she explains.



I was impressed by two points she makes.  First, accounting is accounting is accounting:  it doesn’t really matter all that much where you study accounting, as long as you learn the principles of accounting and are able to use those skills.  So this woman chose her university based more on location, the price, and the general safety of the campus-factors that were most important to her and her family.


Second, this emphasis on price is especially important for international students, who may be unable to apply for financial aid.  So international students often are keenly aware of the value of their education.  The University of Wyoming offers an outstanding value in this respect, as another Wyoming student pointed out to me in an interview.


Mark Montgomery

College Consultant




Technorati Tags: Wyoming, China, Suzhou, university, college, BA, USA, accounting, consultant Del.icio.us Tags: Wyoming, China, Suzhou, university, college, BA, USA, accounting, consultant