Nearly every week a student or two will ask me if they should disclose learning disabilities to a college admission counselor. Generally speaking, students don’t want to give a college any reason to generate any preconceived notions about them.

Even though colleges have come a long way in terms of understanding and accommodating learning differences, most people don’t understand the varied range of learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, processing disorders or ADHD. As a result, some students simply don’t want to risk the possibility that an uninformed individual will review their applications.

Other students, however, see good reason for to disclose learning differences. They want to actively pursue accommodations at the college level, and they may view disclosing their learning difference as an opportunity to provide an explanation of something unusual on their transcripts.

Your student may want to disclose learning differences, however, if he meets the following criteria:

• He enrolled in some special education classes in high school. Official transcripts will list all resource, support or special education classes.
• He did not take all of the high school classes that a college requires for admission, such as a foreign language, and the college is willing to waive those requirements for LD students.
• Your student’s grades were consistently lower as a result of his learning disability.
• His learning disability was identified later in his high school career, and his grades noticeably improved after it was identified.
• Your student’s learning disability contributed to the classes and activities he pursued in high school. An explanation of the classes will help an admissions officer better understand him as a student.

Ready to disclose learning differences on your college application? Check back tomorrow. I’ll share some advice about how to disclose your learning difference.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

The post Disclose Learning Differences on College Application…or Not? first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

To start, recently we have written about how to narrow down your college list, organize application requirements and deadlines. And complete your personal statement. Another task you can think about before you have to hit the books this fall are any additional materials you may have to prepare for your applications.  

Here are some suggestions:

1. Resume:  

Most schools do not want you to submit a formal resume. Because they can see all of your involvement listed in extracurricular section of their application. It is still a good idea to have a resume prepared. Also, you may need a resume for scholarship applications. But it is also a good idea to have a resume ready to go. Which you can give to the people who are writing your letters of recommendation.

I also provide detailed information on how to ask for a letter of recommendation. It is explained in my post, “Six Tips for Getting Great Letters of Recommendation.” One of my tips, “Provide Your Teacher With Adequate Information” provides insights on additional materials you can prepare this summer in order to obtain high quality letters of recommendation.

2. Music Resume or Art Portfolio:  

In addition, if you are applying to a specialized art or music program, you may be required to submit additional materials that will showcase your talents. So, putting together video or audio recordings of your performances or a portfolio of sample drawings is a great way to start getting your additional art materials organized.

3. Test Optional Materials:  

If you are planning on applying to test optional schools, you may be required to submit additional materials in order to supplement your standardized testing scores. Gathering grades tests, papers or projects will help you prepare for the possible requirements of a test optional policy.

If you want to learn more about summertime planning, have a look at this video.

To conclude, now you have read all of our summer tasks for seniors for preparation for the college application process. If you attempt to complete a portion of these suggestions, you will be well on your way for a stress-free fall!

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

The post Summer Task for Seniors: Prepare Additional Materials first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

TRANSCRIPT:

As I’ve been driving around Upstate New York visiting colleges, I’ve had some time to reflect on some of the information sessions that I’ve visited. And sometimes these information sessions are really helpful, and sometimes they’re just a complete waste of time. And I could tell you that I just was at a school a couple of days ago. I won’t reveal which on it is. But I was extremely disappointed in the information session. The admissions officer, very personable young guy, probably in his 30s, experienced admissions professional. But he very laid back, very disorganized. He spoke so quickly that there was no way to really understand what he was talking about.

There were certain topics that he covered so thoroughly and so completely. But based on my knowledge, it was a little bit misleading. Because he was focusing on research, and how research is such a big deal at this university. I know that only half, if that, of the students actually participate in research. But he went on and on and on about that. Had very little time for student questions. It was just a very disappointing dog and pony show.

The opposite of that is the college that has the incredible presentation. The wonderful admissions video that is very slick. Very well-produced, and gives you this, “Gee whiz, oh my gosh, wouldn’t I love to go here” happy feeling using soaring music and all kinds of cinematic tricks to make you fall in love with the place. But then you don’t get a lot of information about what’s really going on at this school. It’s just a wonderful marketing video.

The Sales Pitch

The problem is that the admissions office is really the sales and marketing division of the college. And it should be, in my estimation, the responsibility of that admissions office to help us to understand what the difference is between this particular college and any other college of a similar size, of a similar makeup, within a similar market niche. And really, that’s what it is, it’s all about market niches.

The school that I think did the best job, and I’m just going to name this one because I thought it was fantastic, was Bates College. And I’ve done a bunch of videos about that, because it was so clear after that one-hour information session what distinguished Bates from its peers. And if you want to watch those videos, you can click on them.

College Visits

But the frustration that I feel as a counselor sometimes is I recognize that my families are going to these colleges. And they’re spending, in some cases thousands of dollars, to travel across the country or across the world for an information session that is no better, and in fact in some cases much worse, than the information that is presented on the website. A welcoming video that could be on the website.

So I know that visits are important. I encourage my families to do them, but these visits can also be fraught with disappointment. And I was very disappointed in this one particular college that just did a really lousy job of differentiating itself from its peers. And also did a lousy job of presenting a very professional, very confident, very well-oiled machine in terms of explaining exactly who it is, what that college is.

So you need to do visits. But you also need to think very long and hard about the fact that these schools, some are great at their marketing, some are lousy, some are very slick and highly-produced, and some are very low-tech. Focus on the information. What is the information you need to make a decision about the college you want to spend your money. And you want to spend four years of your undergraduate experience at? The visit is one piece of it, and make sure that you put the visit in its proper place as you’re doing your own research and investigation.
 
Mark Montgomery
Expert Educational Consultant

The post Beware the Information Session, Says Expert Educational Consultant first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Watch the video or read the summary below to learn more!

Today I had the opportunity to visit the campus of the University of Southern California.  Now I always enjoy doing on campus visits even if I feel that I am fairly familiar with the school because I always learn something new.  One of the things that I appreciated learning about USC today was their emphasis on research.  Both on the campus tour and in the admissions presentation, there was a lot of talk about the opportunities for students to do research. 

Everything from looking at temperatures in Antartica  to studying nano particles and how they affect solar panels.  It is clear that students at USC are given hands-on opportunities in order to apply what they are learning in their major.  Basically research was described as anything that would ehance the students skills in the current major that the student is in.  So if they are theatre major, they can produce their own production or a music major may write their own song or again some of the more traditional types of research projects that I previously mentioned.  There are also opportunities for students to obtain money to conduct these research projects and there are grants available to students. 

I did ask how competitive it is to obtain a grant and it was stated that they are competitive, but again USC does provide a way to facilitate any student who is interested in doing research.  They do provide a “Craiglist” like program on-line where students can post what they are interested in researching and faculty can go in a review it and contact students if they are interested.  Likewise faculty can post information on research they are doing and opportunities for students to become involved.  I thought that was a pretty cool way to make students aware of the research opportunities available on campus.
 

The post Research Opportunities at USC first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Follow these four steps to a more blissful college application process.
 

Step 1: Finish your essay

You really can’t complete any applications without your personal statement. Take some time to get that wrapped up. This will also help you as you strategize what to write about for your supplemental essays, since you do not want to repeat the information you already wrote in your main essay.

Step 2: Complete your extracurricular essay

Like your main essay, you cannot complete an application for any school on the Common Application without completing your extracurricular essay. These are 150 very important words, so this should not be the last thing on your application that you complete.

Step 3: Get Organized

It is essential that you take the time to organize everything you need to do to complete your applications. Create an excel spreadsheet, write it on a calendar or just make yourself a massive “to do” list, but find a way to write it all down. 

Here are some of the items you need to consider:

• Application deadlines
• Merit application deadlines
• CSS Profile deadline
• FAFSA deadline
• Deadlines for requesting interviews and/or auditions
• Supplemental forms and essays
• Athletic supplement
• Artist supplement
• Teacher Evaluation
• School Report
• Mid-year or first quarter grades
• Requesting your official transcript
• Submitting your official ACT, SAT and/or SAT Subject tests

Step 4: Look for the details

In addition to everything listed in Step 3, there are often hidden deadlines that you may not be aware of. Make sure you visit the admissions page of each college you are applying to in order to learn the specifics of their admissions process. 

Here are some hidden deadlines to watch out for:

• Do you have to submit your application or supplement by a certain date in order to obtain and alumni interview?
• Do you have to submit your application by a certain date in order to be considered for merit aid?
• Does the college want your supplement as soon as possible?

Once you have everything organized, you may feel like you have more control over everything you need to get done. Once you have control, you can go back to focusing on what is really important: producing the highest quality applications you can.

Katherine Price
Senior Associate

The post Four Steps To Help With College Application Stress first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

From the availability of classes to rising fees over budget cuts, Cal States have received a lot of negative attention lately. While Sonoma State is not immune to these issues, it does appear that students are able to obtain their classes and graduate on time, if they are flexible. General education courses are available. But you may have to take Biology at 8 AM or find a way to attend a class on a Friday afternoon. Students have to learn to take advantage of the courses that are open- which often means they are not at the most convenient times.

Sonoma State is also the type of school where you can build relationships with your professors and become involved. The campus is not daunting or intimidating. In fact, several students that I spoke with all said the same thing: it is a friendly place.

Watch the video or read the summary below to learn more.

Today I had the opportunity to visit beautiful Sonoma State University. I would consider Sonoma State to be one of the hidden gems of the Cal State system. It offers a small school experience at a public school price. The campus has about 7500 undergraduate students. The average class size is about 23 to 28, which allows students to have a personalized academic experience and to build relationships with their professors. Another impressive factor at Sonoma is their housing system.  They have several fairly new residence halls, but they also offer special interest housing.

During the first year, students can choose to live with other students who have interests similar to their own. They can choose anything from diversity to adventure to healthy living. There are also Freshmen Interest Groups (FIGS). These are groups directly related to the academic area of interest. This helps students get a jumpstart in their major and also helps with course selection.

Now, I know a lot families have concerns about applying to the Cal State system right now due to the budget cuts that are taking place in the state of California. I asked about budget concerns while at Sonoma State and the general consensus is that yes, there are budget cuts and in order to accommodate that, there are talks to raise some of the fees. Students are strongly encouraged to voice their concerns over the rising fees. However, I would like to point out that there is a lot offered in those fees. Students have access to a recreation center, they have free technology repair, even free bicycle repair.

So there are a lot of things that are covered in those fees, in order to, I think, offer a great college experience. Another concern is the availability of classes. There are seven impacted majors here at Sonoma State. These majors are a little more crowded which makes them a little more competitive and classes are little more difficult to get. Overall though, students are able to get their classes, if they are flexible. That means that you have to be willing to take some 8 AM courses and some Friday afternoon classes in order to get those general education requirements done. Overall, I think Sonoma State will offer a high-quality college experience to any student.

Katherine Price
Educational Consultant

The post Cal State Hidden Gem- Sonoma State first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Consider the following:
February 1st

• Baylor
• Arizona State
• University of Connecticut
• Cornell College
• DePauw
• Gettysburg
• Goucher
• Kalamazoo
• Knox
• Lewis & Clark
• Miami University of Ohio
• University of Michigan
• Mills College
• NC State
• Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
• St. Lawrence
• Sweet Briar College
• Trinity University (Texas)
• Whittier College
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
• Xavier University of Louisiana

• February 15th
• Allegheny
• Case Western
• Centre College
• Drew
• Earlham
• Eugene Lang
• Guilford
• Howard University
• Muhlenberg College
• Rhode Island School of Design
• Rollins
• College of Wooster

Juliet Giglio
Educational Consultant in Syracuse, New York

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