Category Archives: College Admission

College Admission

Application Advice for College-Bound Students

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High school seniors are sending out more and more college applications each year and NACAC members have some advice for students who want to make their applications stand out in the growing pile.

Extracurriculars are a big buzzword on college applications, but Craig Meister, director of college counseling at Oxbridge Academy (FL), urges students to look beyond just their school’s offerings.

Get involved in your larger community. Don’t count out after-school jobs or even taking care of your siblings.

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College Admission, International Education

Updated Guide Highlights Options for US Students Seeking Degrees Abroad

Interested in exploring educational options outside the US?

NACAC’s newly updated Guide to International University Admission features country profiles and admission advice for 13 destinations that have proven popular among US students seeking full degrees outside their home country.

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College Admission, Value of College

A Reminder: The Work We Do Changes Lives

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Editor’s note:  This post was originally published on Admitted in August 2017. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.

All of you see it every year.

A senior who graduated in May stops in before they head off to college. The smile is bright, but the eyes betray them; they are scared.

It’s easy for me to reassure them because, as old as I am, I remember how transformational the first week of college was. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college, and I grew up in a town of 13,000 in Illinois. I really had no idea what to expect. I was pretty scared.

It started in my second class. My professor said something, and I laughed out loud. He asked me what was so funny, and I told him that I had never ever thought about what he had just mentioned. He gave me a sly grin and became a lifelong mentor.

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College Admission, College Admission in the News

Stanford Will No Longer Issue Press Releases About Admit Rates

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What’s the admit rate at Stanford University (CA)?

For this year’s freshman class, it was 4.3 percent, according to a statement released by the university in the spring.

But moving forward, the institution will no longer use media releases to tout its selectivity.

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Access, Career Exploration, College Admission

Campus Work Programs Could Help Expand Access

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Editor’s note: A version of this post was originally published on Admitted in October 2016. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.

On-campus jobs aren’t optional at Berea College (KY).

Students at the NACAC member institution work 10 to 15 hours a week in approved positions either at the college or within the surrounding community.

The requirement has been part of the Berea’s formal educational program since 1906, and college president Lyle Roelofs thinks more institutions should consider the model as a way to address the growing challenges of access and affordability.

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College Admission

Women’s Colleges See Yield Increases

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Some women’s colleges are reporting especially high yield rates this year, according to a recent Inside Higher Ed article.

At Bryn Mawr College (PA), the percentage of applicants who accepted offers of admission went from 32 percent in 2017 to 36 percent in 2018.

Barnard College (NY), Mount Holyoke College (MA), and Smith College (MA) also saw 4-percentage-point increases in their 2018 yield figures.

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College Admission, College Readiness

Girl Scouts Introduce College Knowledge Badge

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The Girl Scouts have introduced their first badge dedicated to college exploration.

The College Knowledge Badge — launched in July —is for scouts in grades 11 and 12.

“By showing girls how to research the admission process, financial aid, and other key factors, our College Knowledge Badge meets a specific need and addresses the life skills girls have told us they’re interested in—and that many don’t find support for outside of Girl Scouts,” according to a recent post on the organization’s blog.

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