The Answer Sheet: college applications


Posted at 11:33 AM ET, 03/01/2013

A 'most embarrassing moment' college admissions poem
By Valerie Strauss

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:33 AM ET, 03/01/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  College Admissions, College Applications, College Essays, Not Your Usual Essay

Posted at 11:10 AM ET, 11/30/2010

Early college admissions applicants: Have a Plan B
By Valerie Strauss
Early decision applicants are on edge waiting to hear if their first choice college accepted them, but they should be preparing in case the answer is "no."

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:10 AM ET, 11/30/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions, College Admissions | Tags:  college admissions, college applicants, college applications, early action, early action vs. early decision, early decision

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 11/19/2010

A plea to college interviewers
By Valerie Strauss
Two high school college admissions counselors write about problems with some college interviewers and the false hopes they can give to applicants.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 11/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions | Tags:  college admissions, college applications, college interviews

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 11/19/2010

Report: Rise in college applications hurts low-income students
By Valerie Strauss
A new report concludes that the dramatic increase in college applications over the past 15 years is creating a rise in selectivity that will reduce opportunities for more low-income, first-generation students in all levels of higher education, including community colleges.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:01 AM ET, 11/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions | Tags:  arms race, college admissions, college admissions competition, college applications, college arms race, national association for college admissions counseling

Posted at 10:34 AM ET, 11/14/2010

Be careful of 'snap apps' in college admissions
By Valerie Strauss
If your home life revolves around the college application process at the moment or will someday, you should know about “snap apps” to avoid being fooled.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:34 AM ET, 11/14/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions | Tags:  college admissions, college applications, getting into college, snap apps, vip applications

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 11/04/2010

College admissions’ dirty little secrets
By Valerie Strauss
A college admissions advisor warns parents not to let their kids find the school first and then figure out how to pay for it because "students whose parents can 'write the check' stand a markedly better chance of getting admitted, all other factors being equal.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:30 AM ET, 11/04/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions, College Admissions, College Admissions | Tags:  admissions process, college admissions, college applications, college tuition, financial aid, guest bloggers, sticker price

Posted at 10:01 AM ET, 10/26/2010

Safety schools matter in college admissions
By Valerie Strauss
A college admissions consultant advises kids applying to college to think hard about safety schools. They may be the most important schools on any individual’s college list.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:01 AM ET, 10/26/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions, College Admissions, College Admissions | Tags:  college admissions, college applications, getting into college, safeties, safety schools, what's a safety?

Posted at 11:08 AM ET, 10/06/2010

Paper applications for tech schools: a harbinger?
By Valerie Strauss
A college counseling director finds an unusual applications twist: Technological universities using paper applications.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:08 AM ET, 10/06/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions, College Admissions | Tags:  college admissions, college applications, college counselors

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 07/13/2010

Say 'no' to college admissions creep
By Valerie Strauss
A college admissions consultant argues that too many high school students are starting the college admissions process too early.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:30 AM ET, 07/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions, College Admissions, College Admissions | Tags:  bruce vinik, college admissions, college admissions creep, college admissions process, college applications, juniors and SAT, when to start the college application process, when to take the SAT

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 05/18/2010

Getting started on 2010-11 college applications
By Valerie Strauss
Any high school junior who wants to get a head start on college applications now can look at a preview of the entire 2010-11 Common Application.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 05/18/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions | Tags:  college admissions, college applications, common application, common apps

Posted at 09:13 AM ET, 05/05/2010

Many colleges still accepting applications
By Valerie Strauss
Scores of colleges and universities in the greater Washington area and around the nation are still accepting applications from students for enrollment this fall even though the traditional admissions seasons is over.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:13 AM ET, 05/05/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions | Tags:  College of Notre Dame, Hood College, Mary Baldwin College, NACAC, Roanoke College, Trinity University, UMD Baltimore, University of Virginia, admissions survey, college admissions, college applications, colleges still accepting applications, colleges with openings

Posted at 09:32 AM ET, 03/29/2010

Broaddus--The limits of proxies in college apps
By Valerie Strauss
By Henry Broaddus. While GPA is a useful shorthand for grade point average, 4.0 is merely a proxy for successful learning (and in an era of weighted grading scales, it’s usually far lower than the proxy for the most successful learning)... All too often proxies are used in order to avoid the challenge of assessing complex, often multivariate characteristics. Put a different way, the answer to the question, "Is Johnny a critical reader?" cannot be expressed as his SAT Critical Reading subscore alone.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:32 AM ET, 03/29/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions, College Admissions | Tags:  college admissions, college applications