Freshmen: Make College Planning Your New Year’s Resolution
It seems like only yesterday that you started your first day of high school. By now, you may be getting college information from your teachers, guidance counselors and some colleges. But, have you taken the time to sit down and seriously consider your college plans? Chances are you may feel you have plenty of time to address those tasks later down the road. Unfortunately, time is slipping away quicker than you may realize. With the rising cost of tuition and the competition for scholarships increasing, you need to have an action plan in place now. To help you start the college planning process, we have compiled a list of tasks you should complete over the next few weeks. Read the rest of this entry »
Winter Break ‘To-Do’ List for High School Sophomores
As you get ready to welcome in the New Year, be sure to set aside some time for college preparation; the winter break provides an excellent opportunity to do a little research and to start thinking seriously about your future plans. There will be plenty of time to hang out with your friends, catch up on some sleep and enjoy the holidays, but don’t let the time get away from you and neglect working on your college plan. To keep you focused over the break, we put together a short to-do list for you to accomplish before you head back to classes in January.
Test Preparation – Before you leave for the break, stop by and talk to your guidance counselor about the possibility of taking one of the SAT Subject Tests™ this spring while the material is still fresh in your mind. Additionally, if you have already taken the PSAT, use your score report to sign into the CollegeBoard.com website and create a study guide for the SAT. By getting a jump on the SAT now, you’ll be well-prepared for the test during your junior and senior years. Read the rest of this entry »
Disability Accommodations at College: Know Your Rights
Making the transition from high school to college can be challenging, but even more so for those with a disability. While secondary schools are required to provide free appropriate public education (FAPE) under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, colleges are only required to provide appropriate academic adjustments to ensure they do not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These accommodations may include priority registration, note takers, course substitutions, extended test time, TTY in dorm rooms, and adaptive software/hardware for school computers.
Although a student is not required to disclose his/her disability to a college when applying, if he/she wishes to receive reasonable accommodations on campus, notification should be given as soon as possible to allow time to implement the required accommodations. Read the rest of this entry »
Women of Achievement
To celebrate Women’s Achievement Month, we would like to recognize the Seven Sisters Colleges: Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College, Radcliffe College, Smith College, Vassar College and Wellesley College. These historical women’s colleges (Vassar College is now co-ed and Radcliffe College merged with Harvard College) opened between 1837 and 1889, and have some pretty amazing alumnae. When considering where you may attend college, don’t rule out the same-sex campuses. Just consider some of the women of achievement who have received degrees from these all-women colleges.
Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. This successful entrepreneur is a graduate of Barnard College, class of 1964, with a double major in History and Architectural History. Martha runs a successful business that includes books, magazines, television and retail product lines. Forbes estimates her net worth at $970 million. Read the rest of this entry »
Narrowing Your Field of Dreams for College
Deciding where to attend college is one of the hardest (and most important) decisions of your life; the choice should not be made lightly or at the last minute. There are several things to consider before settling on a specific campus. Plus, you may be making this decision with your parents. Yes, that’s right; mom and dad will likely want to have a say in this part of your life, too. And let’s face it: whether they pay for your college or not, they’ll want to know you’re making an informed decision.
It’s important to remember that students and parents might look at and evaluate prospective colleges differently. Parents may want to know the hard facts about a school and, of course, how much it costs. Students are more likely to be interested in location and the social scene. So, how do you find colleges that are right for you and ones that please your parents, too? Follow these tips for narrowing your field of dreams to ensure your college choice doesn’t become a nightmare. Read the rest of this entry »
March Madness and the NCAA Academic Progress Report
Which March Madness teams have the best (and worst) scores when it comes to academics?
With the NCAA men’s basketball tournament underway and March Madness in full swing, we decided to take a look at one way the NCAA evaluates Division I sports teams for academic integrity. About six years ago, the National Collegiate Athletic Association devised, developed, and implemented a “scorecard” for keeping track of how Division I sports programs were doing in terms of graduation rates. The Academic Progress Rate system was launched in 2005 to “predict” the graduation rate of teams playing in the NCAA. The APR is meant to be a predictive index of any given team’s overall progress toward graduation. The score is calculated by combining the eligibility and retention rates of a particular NCAA Division I team. Teams are given a score based on a 1,000 point system. Any team with a score under 925 (which translates to a 50% Graduation Success Rate) may be penalized by losing scholarships and facing restrictions on practice time and competition eligibility. Read the rest of this entry »
A Brief History of Historically Black Colleges and Universities
The first Morrill Act was passed in 1862, and established land-grant funding for a number of agricultural and engineering colleges throughout the United States. Federal lands were given to individual states according to the number of representatives the state had in Congress. The lands were to be used solely for the establishment of colleges. The Act originally contained a clause prohibiting any allocation of federal lands to the Confederate states, but was altered to include those states at the conclusion of the Civil War. The second Morrill Land-Grant of 1890 was the first effective piece of legislation to explicitly provide for the admission of black students. The second Morrill Act required states to abandon the use of race as a basis for admission into land-grant institutions, or to maintain a separate institution for the education of black students. Sixteen institutions dedicated to the education of black students were created around this time using land-grant funding. Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t Let the Path to College Turn Into a Haunted Hayride
With fall underway, many students are already well into a schedule of classes and exams, homecoming festivities and Halloween parties. And, while a few high school students fear haunted hayrides in October, many more students fear the path looming ahead – planning for college. We all know the journey to college can be stressful, but it can also be important and exciting. Some students will obtain a few bumps and bruises along the way, so knowing where to begin is key to a successful search and to finding the right college! Here’s what you should know – start early and start now. Check out the following WiseChoice tips so you can start your college planning: Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t Hide, Get Noticed by Colleges
Have you ever played the board game, Risk®? I never won, nor fully understood the game. But, I did recognize that a well-thought out strategy was important to winning. Much like Risk, strategy is an important component of the college search and application process. A college contact strategy is a vital plan to ensure that a college knows who you are beyond your college application and knows that you are serious about attending their institution.
Most college admissions offices have software that tracks your contact with them. So, each time you place your college contact strategy into action, you should remember to inform the admissions department whom you spoke with, when and where—and be ready to explain why the meeting was so important to you—in order for your meeting to be tracked by the college. But remember, you can’t get tracked unless you have a strategy in place: Read the rest of this entry »
Not All Majors Define Careers: Surprising Majors of 12 Celebrities
This season on Gossip Girl (you might notice several references in my posts, sorry, huge fan here), Hilary Duff plays a movie star who wants to attend college just like any other student. Of course her plans to enjoy NYU are thwarted as she is forced make the final film in her hit series, but it got me thinking about celebrities attending college. Can you imagine rooming with the next “it” girl or comic genius? It happens to some!
To quench my thirst for celeb college knowledge, I scoured the Internet and compiled a list of A-listers and their alma maters. Interestingly enough, not all of them went to school in New York and studied theater! So while your major is important, remember that it does not have to define you or your career path. See below: Read the rest of this entry »
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