Quiet students may be overlooked for selective admissions so they should highlight their accomplishments all the more. (08-5-2018)

  • By Jacob Seeger
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  • 09 Aug, 2018
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In the information that was provided by Harvard in the court cases about admissions, it looks as if students who were outgoing and more exuberant in interviews or meetings with admissions staff got noticed, while quieter students were disparaged in some of the comments from the admissions staff.  That's what reporter Jonathan Zimmerman noticed in the article "One group that definately faces prejudice in college admissions," Aug. 5, 2018  in the Washington Post. 
Zimmerman also points out that a lot of research shows that the quiet, introverted people in life are just as productive in results and in leadership, if not more so, than the talkative people. He points to Bill Gates as a quiet leader, one of the world's most successful. I point to Warren Buffet in my book. So being an introvert is normal and productive, but students who are that type of person should take steps to produce accomplishments, even if in a more private, quiet way, and highlight those accomplishments. Perhaps in face-to-face contact, go ahead and say "I'm more quietly determined than I am boisterous. I'm still going to accomplish great things." 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/one-group-that-definitely-faces-prejudice-in-college-admissi...

USA Today reports that grades and scores matter most to admissions officers. (May 11, 2020)

By Jacob Seeger • May 17, 2020
An article in USA Today reports that the National Association for College Admissions Counseling survey shows that grades and courses are of considerable importance at about a 75 percent level, and the essay is of considerable importance at about a 25 percent level. The survey is at: ( https://www.nacacnet.org/globalassets/documents/publications/research/2019_soca/soca2019_ch3.pdf )

The Starter Guide noticed that test scores came in at about 46 percent in considerable importance. And activities were only at 6.4 percent of considerable importance. So, students, the moral of the story is to take as hard of classes as you can, get the best grades you can, and don't let activities ruin your grades. See the article at USAToday.com, "Let's return sanity to college admissions. Coronavirus pandemic gives us an opportunity," by Jeffrey Selingo, May 11, 2020. 

Colleges buy student names from SAT to mail students an invitation to apply. But is it just to boost the college's number of application? (Nov. 6, 2019)

By Jacob Seeger • May 17, 2020

The Wall Street Journal's Douglas Belkin reports how colleges buy students' names and scores for 47 cents from the SAT company. Then the colleges mail the students invitations to apply. But many students might just barely qualify, so students should look closely at each college's range of test scores before getting their hopes up. The colleges, as some in this article claim, may be all in competition to get as many students to apply, even if the student's chances are low. So, the Starter Guide website reminds you that the test score ranges for admitted applicants for colleges are listed in the U.S. governments College Scorecard for free. So, if you get a mailing, it doesn't necessarily mean your chances are any higher at all. Please double check your scores to each college's range. Now, test scores are only part of the process, so good grades in a lot of harder classes mean a lot too, so applying may still be justified. Just be aware that colleges send out a lot of mail. See "Universities Buy SAT-Takers' Names And Boost Exclusivity: For 47 cents, College Board will sell a student's data, feeding admissions frenzy," by Douglas Belkin, 11-6-2019, pg. A1 & A10, Wall Street Journal.

College Admissions Debates and Details from the Harvard Admissions Lawsuit (8-28-19)

By Jacob Seeger • September 2, 2019
This lengthy article by Jay Caspian Kang in the New York Times Magazine provides a lot of details about the debates about college admissions, showing how convoluted it can be.  See, "Where Does Affirmative Action Leave Asian-Americans?  A high-profile lawsuit against Harvard is forcing students and their families to choose sides, " 8-28-19, 
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/magazine/affirmative-action-asian-american-harvard.html?fallback=...

Tips for Paying for College from NPR Radio (06-14-2019) 

By Jacob Seeger • June 21, 2019
This 30 minute presentation, (or read the transcript) has some great information, a sort of a summary of common sense things to do. A lot of what is says agrees with a lot of the things in the Starter Guide to College, so some things are redundant, if you've read the book.  https://www.npr.org/2019/06/05/729907683/paying-for-college-what-to-know-before-you-go?utm_source=np...

Private Colleges Overall Are Lowering Tuition Prices, With Grants and Discounts (05/08/2019

By Jacob Seeger • May 10, 2019
A study by the National Association of College and University Business Officers shows that nationwide, colleges are lowering their net tuition prices with more discounts and grants. see  https://www.nacubo.org/research/2018/nacubo-tuition-discounting-study. 

Trade Schools Are Better for Some Students Than 4-Year Degrees, Even When the Parents Don't Like It at First,  03-16-2019

By Jacob Seeger • March 10, 2019

See "The Stigma of Choosing Trade School Over College:  When college is held up as the one true path to success, parents—especially highly educated ones—might worry when their children opt for vocational school instead, " by Meg St-Esprit, The Atlantic. March 6, 2019.  https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/03/choosing-trade-school-over-college/584275/

Girls: Be More Confident! Young women outwork young men in school, but then the men are more willing to take risks and show confidence. 2-7-2019

By Jacob Seeger • February 23, 2019
"Why Girls Beat Boys at School and Lose to Them at the Office: Hard work and discipline help girls outperform boys in class, but that advantage disappears in the work force. Is school the problem?" By Lisa Damour, New York Times, Feb. 7, 2019


In college, don't just pass the classes, get to know a professor and find mentors, 8-17-2018

By Jacob Seeger • February 23, 2019
Find mentors and go and talk with professors, not just pass the classes. See "How to Get the Most Out of College: They're privileged, pivotal years. Navigate them with as much care as you did the path that got you there," by Frank Bruni, Aug. 17, 2018.  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/opinion/college-students.html

Here's some of the debate of admissions staff about whom to admit. 2-20-2019

By Jacob Seeger • February 23, 2019
This article shows some of the give and take that admissions officers discuss as they try to decide whom to admit. It's not a scientific process, but a process formed by people, who must come to conclusions and opinions about other people, which are the students who are applying. See, " 'Give these brown babies a shot': UNC defends its use of race in admissions," by Benjamin Wemund, Feb. 20, 2019, Politico.  https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/20/unc-race-admissions-1162175

Degree holders on average earn more, but a lot of people don't finish to get the degree and  then the costs may not be worth it. 9-29-2018

By Jacob Seeger • September 20, 2018
"Given the choice, I would much rather be a 22-year old college graduate with $30,000 in debt (roughly the national average among those who take out federal loans) than an 18-year-old who decides not to enroll in college at all. The direct financial rewards of a degree are enormous, and don’t even begin to capture the many other dimensions that attending college can positively impact one’s life," wrote Temple Univ. Economics Professor Douglas Webber, PhD, in his report, "Is College Worth It? Going Beyond Averages." for Third Way, 9-28-2018.   A big problem, however, is that 6 out of 10 people don't finish to get the degree, and the degree itself is important to making more money, reported Webber. 
https://www.thirdway.org/report/is-college-worth-it-going-beyond-averages
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