Book: U.S. News & World Report America’s Best Colleges (2010 Edition)
- A+ Schools for B Students (page 12-13) – http://www.usnews,com/aplus
- A Strong Commitment to Teaching (page 15) – 80 colleges and universities focus on undergrads – http://www.usnews.com/college
- Chapter 2: Narrow the Search (page 16-43)
- 5 Keys to Finding the Right Fit
- Start with you, not the colleges.
- Visit campuses. http://www.usnews.com/roadtrips
- Humor the tour guide. But ask questions!
- Drawn to specific type of schools?
- Be realistic.
- 5 Keys to Finding the Right Fit
Only 2.9% of students applied to 12 or more schools.
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College Fairs
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Feedback fro students at http://www.studentsreview.com can alert you to things you won’t get from a school’s own site.
For fall 2010, Department of Education projects the ratio of collegegoers to be 57% girls to 43% boys.
- Programs to Look For (page 34-35):
- Internships
- Senior Capstone (ask students nearing the end of their college years to create a project of some sort that integrates and synthesizes what they’ve learned)
- First-Year Experience (first-year seminars or other academic programs that bring small groups of students together with faculty or staff on a regular basis)
- Undergraduate Research Creative Projects
- Learning Communities
- Study Abroad
- Service Learning
- Writing in the Disciplines
- Turning Two Years Into Four (Community Colleges) (page 42-43) – http://www.usnews.com/commcollege
- More than 100 2-year colleges have more than 3,000 students and offer campus housing.
- Chapter 3: How to Get In (page 44-59)
- 5 Keys to an Awesome Application
- Grades do matter. Don’t succumb to senioritis.
- Don’t do well on certain tests? Consider the ACT instead of SAT.
- Polish your essay until sings. Make sure your authentic voice comes through.
- Pick your teacher recommendations carefully.
- Rejected by the schools you applied to? May is not too late to start over.
- Stop Selling Yourself Short (page 46-48)
- Making the grade.
- academic risk takers
- challenged themselves
- rigorous curriculum
- has it prepared them?
- What we want for students is the feeling that they’re looking for the next great thing they need to know. We like to see a sense of joy and curiosity.
- Express yourself.
- doesn’t have to be a week in Africa. It can you were a clerk at Safeway for the summer and that changed the way you view race relations or the environment.
- one in which “a student travels in a few swift paragraphs from one perspective to another and has seen the deeper meaning, learned the lesson, or found the humor.”
- We are looking for a thoughtful, earnest presentation that shows complicated interests and thinking.
- Always, always, always be honest.
- Show a little love.
- demonstrated interest – showing genuine enthusiasm for each school on your list is a must.
- No college wants to play second or fifth or 15th fiddle.
- We want kids who want us.
- Tailor each application individually, with concrete examples of why you can see yourself there.
- Find your fans.
- The best choice isn’t always the teacher whose class you aced.
- Better to pick the one who can describe what you’re like as a person.
- Ask if they can write you a strong recommendation and if the teacher hesitates, back off.
- Depth beats breadth.
- It’s important to be well lopsided rather than well rounded.
- Focus on what you’re good at.
- Doing less but doing it well.
- Avoid being one dimensional.
- Anything you’re passionate about has merit, including an after-school job.
- The interview.
- Some are informational and some are evaluative.
- One-on-ones are a way to underscore your desire to attend.
- Rehearse your questions and talking points with an adult.
- Communication not just your strengths but also your enthusiasm.
- Say clearly and politely, “This is what I’ve achieved, and I am proud of it.”
- Full Disclosure.
- from whatever tipped you up, accepted the consequences, and done what you could do to make amends.
- You’ve got to show that you learned something.
- Don’t whine.
- Acing the Essay.
- Brainstorm – Ask family and friends what to write about. Focus on what matters to you and why. How you spend your free time is a good place to start.
- Show; don’t tell – use examples and anecdotes.
- Be polite but not too humble.
- Seek feedback – ask someone to read your essay and ask, “Does this sound like me?”
- Take your time and don’t do it at the last minute.
- Killer Extracurrics.
- Choose wisely.
- Lessons – what drew you in, and what did you learn?
- Details, details – president of the poetry society? Say how many members the club has and what you do.
- Commitment – show how much work you put into the water polo team.
- Making the grade.
- Taking Charge of Your Test Scores (page 49)
- SAT Score-Use Practices guide – http://www.collegeboard.com which breaks down many schools’ specific policies.
- Make a chart that refers to each college’s rules so you completely understand each school’s requirements.
- College Board’s SAT-Skills Insight which identifies skills that are needed for the test and poses sample questions.
- Science section of ACT tests your scientific reasoning skills (40 questions).
- 1.4 million fro ACT versus 1.5 million for SAT
- http://www.usnews.com/sat
- Rocketing Past the Blunders (page 50-51)
- Sanitize your e-mail address.
- keep nicknames private.
- Follow directions.
- Recruit enthusiastic recommenders.
- Extracurrics: Don’t overdo it.
- Shun jargon.
- Explain changes.
- Know thy college. – say something specific about the school.
- Keep schools straight.
- Think twice before tugging at heartstrings. – unless you can use a sorrowful story to reveal something about yourself, it is a tale best not told.
- Keep it clean.
- Don’t use those “texting” words.
- Explain easy courses. – Took honors English through 11th grade then slid down to a standard class. “Burned out” is not a good answer. “Decided to focus on my real love – science” is much better.
- Own up to bad behavior. – Don’t lie. Take on the experience, show contrition or lessons learned.
- Optional essays aren’t optional.
- Be electronically savvy.
- Handwriting counts.
- Don’t assume your counselor will handle it.
- Don’t be cocky.
- 5 Keys to an Awesome Application
If you do opt to stay on a wait list, write or call with any new info you think will help: a stellar final transcript, a special award or achievement. And let your college know you’re not just toying with it.
- In early May, NACAC’s survey of space availability lists schools that report spots remaining for qualified applications. It stays online until mid-August.
- Chapter 4: How to Pay for College (page 60-71)
- 5 Keys to Finding the Money
- Look at education as an investment.
- Spread your net wider. Seek out new sources of cash. Apply to good, cheap colleges.
- More students are getting federal grants. and federal student loans are now bargains.
- Parents should shop around, especially for bank loans.
- Best value schools (page 67) – % receiving grants based on need; average cost after receiving grants based on need; average discount from total cost.
- Target colleges’ admission statistics – http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
- Web sites: BabyMint, LittleGrad, Futuretrust, Upromise, SAGE Scholars
- 5 Keys to Finding the Money
Students who request extra help (and can document their need for it) are far more likely to get aid these days.
- Compare loans:
- It’s What You Didn’t Think Of (page 66)
- Storage containers.
- Gym membership.
- Parking and car registration fees.
- The latest iPod incarnation.
- School pride gear.
- Formal wear.
- Flu-fighting vitamins.
- Paper costs.
- Food storage – rent a small fridge each semester.
- Out of State at In-State Rates (page 71)
- Know no boundaries.
- 4 geographically based programs: The Midwest program; Academic Common Market (South); Western Undergraduate Exchange (West); New England Board of Higher Education Regional Student Program
- Escapes – vacations.
- Know no boundaries.
Other Links
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Education Trust (graduation rates) – http://www.collegeresults.org
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Racial Diversity (page 40) – diversity index (0.0 to 1.0)
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Economic Diversity (page 41) – pell grants ratio
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International Students (page 41) – percentage
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Add comment November 23, 2009
California Bay Area – Selected High Schools & School Districts
# |
County |
Website |
Accountability Progress Report |
| 01 | Alameda | URL | APR |
| 07 | Contra Costa | URL | APR |
| 38 | San Francisco | URL | APR |
| 41 | San Mateo | URL | APR |
| 43 | Santa Clara | URL | APR |
# |
School District |
Website |
Accountability Progress Report |
Cty # |
| D01 | Dublin Unified | URL | APR | 01 |
| F01 | Fremont Unified | URL | APR | 01 |
| L01 | Livermore Valley Joint Unified | URL | APR | 01 |
| P01 | Piedmont City Unified | URL | APR | 01 |
| P02 | Pleasanton Unified | URL | APR | 01 |
| A01 | Acalanes Union High | URL | APR | 07 |
| M01 | Mt. Diablo Unified | URL | APR | 07 |
| S01 | San Ramon Valley Unified | URL | APR | 07 |
| S02 | San Francisco Unified | URL | APR | 38 |
| F02 | Fremont Union High | URL | APR | 43 |
| G01 | Gilroy Unified | URL | APR | 43 |
| L02 | Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union | URL | APR | 43 |
| M02 | Milpitas Unified | URL | APR | 43 |
| M03 | Mountain View-Lost Altos Union | URL | APR | 43 |
| P03 | Palo Alto Unified | URL | APR | 43 |
Note: All APRs are linked to 2008-09 Accountability Progress Reporting available on CA Department Education API website.
Add comment October 26, 2009
How many people get perfect 2400 in SAT test?
According to this article, “Over 100 Score Perfect 2400 in New SAT”:
- as the 300,000 students who took the first sitting of the new test March 12, 2005 began receiving scores, the College Board reported that 107 scored a perfect 800 on each of the three sections – writing, critical reading and math. [That is 1 out of 2803, 0.000356%]
- Of the 1.4 million 2004 high school graduates who took the old SAT, 939 scored a then-perfect 1600 [That is 1 out of 1490, 0.00067%]
According to this article, “Michigan Teen Gets Perfect Scores On SAT, PSAT, ACT Tests” (April 27, 2009):
- The College Board has reported that roughly 1 in every 5,000 students taking the SAT gets a perfect score.
- The ods for the PSAT are 1 in every 1,000
- 17-year old Willa Chen, a senior at Canton High School in Canton, Michigan, has made history by getting a perfect score on all 3 of her exams (PSAT, SAT, and ACT).
According to this article, “Willa Chen scores perfect on her ACT, SAT and PSAT”:
- The College Board reports approximately one student in 5,000 taking the SAT gets a perfect score of 2,400, while the odds are a little better, one in 1,000, on the PSAT, The Detroit News reported.
- The other major college entrance test, the ACT, which comes from a contending organization, states the odds of a perfect finish are one in 14,000.
According to this article, “How many people have gotten a perfect score on the SAT”:
- Of the 1.5 million students who took the SAT in 2008, only 294 students earned a perfect score.
According to this article, “Four area students score 2400 on SAT — perfect” (September 5, 2009):
- Profile for: Tom Hui is a self-described video game lover. Michelle Liu calls herself a nerd. Marissa Pan simply likes books, and Tanya Nguyen prefers balance in her life.
- What do they have in common? All scored 2400 on the SAT, putting them in the elite company of 297 nationwide and 10 in Georgia earning perfect scores last year (2008).
According to this article, “Perfect score on the SAT?” (link to PDF file):
- 294 college bound seniors out of a total of 1,518,176 who took the test in the year 2008 got 2400
- 5683 college bound seniors out of a total of 1,518,176 who took the test in the year 2008 got 2300 or more
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Add comment October 25, 2009
Education Funding
Is CA ranked 47th or 25th?
10 Facts About K-12 Education Funding
Interactive Map: Title I Education Grants
Comparing California (June 2008)
Analysis of the 2008-09 Budget Bill: Education – Per-Pupil Funding
Getting the Facts Straight on Per Pupil Spending in California (Posted on April 03, 2008)
The Census Bureau report strongly refutes the oft-cited "fact" that California is near the bottom in per-pupil school spending. The national average was $9,138 in 2005-06. California was at $8,486, with New York the highest at $14,884 and Utah the lowest at $5,437 – one of 22 states, in fact, that fell below California’s level.
In terms of school revenues, California was 25th among the states at $10,264 per pupil, just under the national average. It was above average in per-pupil income from federal and state sources and about $1,700 per pupil below average in local revenues, thanks to Proposition 13, the 1978 property tax limit measure.
Per-pupil spending rankings all relative
Why are the rankings so different?
Education Week adjusts per-pupil spending to reflect regional variations in cost of living, particularly teacher salaries, and the National Education Association does not.
Both start with similar spending in California during fiscal 2004-05. Education Week uses federal data, $7,905 per pupil; the NEA uses its own data, $7,942 per pupil.
Then Education Week applies a 1990 federal “geographic cost of education index” that drops California from 30th to 46th at $7,081 per pupil, well below the national average of $8,973 per pupil.
Spending more than $12,000 per pupil in Education Week’s ranking are New York, New Jersey, Vermont and the District of Columbia. Below California are Idaho, Arizona and, at the bottom, Utah at $5,463 per pupil.
Per-pupil spending in public schools (2001-2002)
National Per Student Public School Spending Nears $9,000 (US Census – May 24, 2007)
The nation’s public school districts spent an average of $8,701 per student on elementary and secondary education in fiscal year 2005, up 5 percent from $8,287 the previous year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.
New York spent $14,119 per student — the highest amount among states and state equivalents. Just behind was neighboring New Jersey at $13,800, the District of Columbia at $12,979, Vermont ($11,835) and Connecticut ($11,572). Seven of the top 10 with the highest per pupil expenditures were in the Northeast.
Utah spent the least per student ($5,257), followed by Arizona ($6,261), Idaho ($6,283), Mississippi ($6,575) and Oklahoma ($6,613). All 10 of the states with the lowest spending per student were in the West or South.
Education spending, per pupil, apples to apples
More spending doesn’t equal more learning
Add comment October 22, 2009
Is college or postsecondary study really necessary?
- Over the past quarter century, wage gaps between workers with different education levels have increased, largely due to falling real earnings for those with less education.
- Real weekly earnings for workers with less than a high–school diploma fell from $462 in 1979 to $337 in 1998. This downward trend continued for all workers who were not college graduates.
- Twenty years ago, the average college graduate earned 38 percent more than the average high-school graduate. Today, it is 71% more.
- Occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree will grow almost twice as fast as the overall average.
- The three fastest growing occupations, require at least a bachelor’s degree and have higher average earnings.
- All of the 20 highest paying occupations require at least a bachelor’s degree.
|
Educational Level |
Years in Work-place |
Average Annual Income (US Census Bureau, ‘00) |
Average Monthly Income |
Lifetime Income (annual income x years in workforce) |
Estimated Cost of Degree (Average) |
Net Lifetime Benefit (lifetime income – cost of degree) |
|
|
High School Graduate |
47 |
$28,800 |
$2,400 |
1,353,600 |
$0.00 |
$1,353,600. |
|
|
45 |
$35,400 |
$2,950 |
1,593,000 |
$4,000 |
$1,589,000 |
||
|
Bachelor’s Degree |
43 |
$46,300 |
$3,858 |
2,083,500 |
$32,000 |
$2,051,500 |
|
|
Master’s Degree |
42 |
$55,300 |
$4,608 |
2,377,900 |
$40,000 |
$2,337,900 |
|
|
Doctorate |
37 |
$70,500 |
$5,875 |
2,608,500 |
$58,000 |
$2,550,500 |
|
|
Professional (Doctor, Lawyer) |
37 |
$80,200 |
$6,683 |
2,967,400 |
$75,000 |
$2,892,400 |
From the Department of Labor Statistics, 2000.
Source: Building a College Culture by Leslie Hays (Powerpoint)
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Add comment June 1, 2009
Public School Teacher Tenure in California
Proposition 74: Teacher Tenure Ballot Measure
January 2006
Prop. 74: Support 44.8%, Oppose 55.2%
- California was the first state in the country to establish teacher tenure law in 1921.
- Current state law mandates that teachers gain tenure in California after completing a two-year probationary period during which time they can be dismissed for poor performance by their school district.
- Once tenured, teachers gain a degree of security in their positions and can be dismissed only for just cause. State law dictates conditions under which a tenured teacher can be dismissed including unsatisfactory performance or misconduct. Low student achievement is not included as a condition for dismissal.
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The Initiative
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It would raise the amount of time new teachers must wait before they are covered by job protection rules from two years to five years for a certified position.
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It would also allow the school district to dismiss an employee after two consecutive unsatisfactory performance evaluations.
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Other Reference
- The Hidden Costs of Tenure
- The Facts, Myths and Realities about Teacher Tenure
- Teachers agree: Bad teachers with tenure too tough to fire (USATODAY.com)
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Add comment March 13, 2009
Working Off The Tab
Richard C. Morais, 03.10.09, 06:00 PM EDT
Programs offering academic credit for paid internships have new appeal.
(Forbes)
Drexel is among a subset of major schools in the nation–including Northeastern, the Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Cincinnati and Kettering–that offer highly sophisticated work-for-credit programs called "co-ops.”
Takach, a communications major who is also an editor at Drexel’s student newspaper, is enrolled in the school’s five-year "co-op" B.A. What this means is that this month, in her sophomore year, Takach begins a six-month stint working at Philadelphia’s Chamber of Commerce for $442.50 a week. She will continue in this way–six months of paid work in an organization related to her field of study, six months of classes–until she graduates in the spring of 2012.
Drexel has 1,600 firms and organizations participating in its work-and-study program, the biggest of which are Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT – news - people ), Siemens (nyse: SI – news - people ), Comcast (nasdaq: CMCSA – news - people ), GlaxoSmithKline (nyse: GSK – news - people ), Lockheed Martin (nyse: LMT – news - people ), Motorola (nyse: MOT – news - people ), Sunoco (nyse: SUN – news - people ) and Johnson & Johnson (nyse: JNJ – news - people ).
Most of the university’s 13,197 undergraduate students, says Peter Franks, executive director of Drexel’s Steinbright Career Development Center, are drawn to the 91-year-old co-op program, covering 73 majors, because they believe the practical, mostly paid internships built into their college degree give them a competitive advantage when they are looking for a job after graduation.
The school offers four- or five-year versions of the B.A./B.S. work program, and claims 50% of its students are offered full-time jobs after graduation by one of their co-op employers. Over a third of Drexel’s alumni take up these offers.
"The co-op allows students to make better career decisions, because they have tried different kinds of jobs while at school," says Franks. It also gives employers a chance to kick the tires of prospects. Drexel has retained 85% of its employer-partners during these hard times.
But in this sobering moment in history, co-op programs like Drexel’s are not just good job-procurement programs for graduating students. They can also be an attractive way for students and their families to defray costs while in college.
A year of room and board (but not food) in Drexel’s five-year program costs Takach $39,437. According to the university, Drexel’s work-study program generates for students, on average, an additional $14,500 per six-month work stint.
1 comment March 12, 2009
Prepaid tuition plans threatened
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted: 03/10/2009 01:59:02 PM PDT
Updated: 03/10/2009 03:40:01 PM PDT
(ContraCostaTimes.com)
The rising cost of college and plunging stock market have combined to create a disparity between what some of the 18 states’ prepaid tuition plans have on the books and what they’re supposed to pay. The worst case is in Alabama, where the sour economy has sliced off nearly half of the fund’s assets, and state officials are telling parents the full cost of college isn’t a sure thing.
Among the other states with fewer assets than anticipated liabilities are Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia and Washington. Seven of the 18 — Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia and Washington — back their plans if money runs short.
Many state plans are being hit from two sides. Their investments are dropping in value and public universities are raising tuition by higher-than-normal amounts because the economic downturn is shrinking state funding for higher education.
West Virginia’s plan stopped letting people enroll their children more than four years ago. Its investments have lost $23 million since July 1, or nearly 27 percent of their value.
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Add comment March 11, 2009
Education News
College opportunities for state residents dwindle (Los Angeles Times)
- The state ranks near the top nationally for residents over age 65 who have at least an associate of arts degree, but places only 29th in the nation for those between 25 and 34 who have the same level of education
- California ranks 40th in the nation in the percentage of high school graduates who head directly to college
- 45th in high school students taking advanced science and math classes
- near the bottom in the percentage of students earning college degrees and certificates
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Add comment March 2, 2009
Financial Aids Information – January 16, 2009
The 4 Rules of Paying for College in a Recession (U.S. News – Education)
1. Grades matter more than ever.
2. Early birds will get more scholarship worms.
3. Students should apply to at least a couple of affordable schools.
4. Students should apply to at least a couple of generous schools.
- 49 States Flunk College Affordability Test (U.S. News – Education)
California, the only state that passed in the study, scraped by with a C minus - How to Maximize Your Student’s Chances for Merit Aid (U.S. News – Education)
- How Can I Improve My Chances of Getting Need-based Grants? (U.S. News – Education)
Last Updated: January 16, 2009
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Add comment January 16, 2009
