Category: Common Application

Colleges Use a Team-based Approach to Read Applications

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

As more and more top students apply for coveted spots at Ivy League and highly competitive schools, several of these schools have developed a new team-based approach to efficiently analyze and evaluate each applicant. Rather than work alone, each to a recruitment territory, admissions officers are now reading in pairs.  They discuss and rate each applicant according to specific criteria, mission of the college and recommend a decision (reject or accept) and type notes into a system as they simultaneously discuss the applicant simultaneously reviewing each application on separate screens.  The new approach, initially developed by University of Pennsylvania.

In this new model, one reader assesses the applicant’s academic credentials, reviewing transcripts, test scores, recommendations and course load and the other reader focuses on the student’s voice: essays, interviews and talents. This new evaluative approach allows the admissions officer pairs to have an in depth conversation about each applicant and render efficient decisions and allows the admissions offices to review thousands of applications efficiently.

I have always emphasized to my clients that admissions officers review everything.  Now, they are having a conversation about applicants as they read their applications!

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Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group.  Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive concierge-type admissions advisory services for U.S. and international families and students who are interested in applying to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and combined BS/MD programs.  Dr. Lowe also helps students gain admissions into their top choice private schools and colleges after they have been deferred, wait-listed and rejected.

As an experienced and trusted admissions advisor for over 20 years, Dr. Paul R. Lowe is an active member of the following organizations that uphold the ethical and professional standards and principles of good admission practices in college and independent school counseling: Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC), New York State Association for College Admissions Counseling (NYSACAC) and International Association for College Admissions Counseling (IACAC).

 

 

College Admissions: How Will Your Character Be Assessed?

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

The work of selecting students for admissions into colleges and universities is becoming more complex. Each year college admissions officers and their committees review thousands of applications and seek to predict the likelihood of those applicants to meaningfully contribute socially, culturally and personally to their specific college communities.  Ivy League and highly selective colleges use a team review process to holistically evaluate each applicant when creating a particular class during the admissions process.  That means acceptance to these colleges is not based on a simple formula of cognitive measures (grades and test scores).  Instead, admissions officers consider a variety of factors, including the student’s academic record, extracurricular interests, intellectual achievements and personal background, to decide who will be rejected or accepted.

Many college admissions offices are now looking to rely less on cognitive-based measures (standardized tests and grades) and more on character attributes when choosing applicants. They are turning to research showing that a student’s potential for long-term success is predicted less by test scores and more by traits such as optimism, curiosity, resilience, metacognition and adaptability.

College admissions professionals have spent several years determining other character traits that are most important to their respective institutions. When admissions officers have chosen the applicants they plan to present to their admissions committee, the applicants have been determined to have traits such as honesty, resilience, curiosity, perseverance, leadership and the capacity for teamwork.  Traditionally, these character traits are discovered by admissions officers using personal essays, interviews, lists of extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation to get a holistic view of applicants.  Admissions officers now have other tools for character assessment at their disposal.

For college admissions, character traits tied to an interview, essay answers and letters of recommendation, are just as important and impressive, if not more so as, academic credentials.

I have always advised my clients to consider their character attributes and the holistic approach as they prepare for college admissions. It should now be clear that character assessment is the premier focus for college admissions.

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Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group.  Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive concierge-type admissions advisory services for U.S. and international families and students who are interested in applying to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and combined BS/MD programs.  Dr. Lowe also helps students gain admissions into their top choice private schools and colleges after they have been deferred, wait-listed and rejected.

As an experienced and trusted admissions advisor for over 20 years, Dr. Paul R. Lowe is an active member of the following organizations that uphold the ethical and professional standards and principles of good admission practices in college and independent school counseling: Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC), New York State Association for College Admissions Counseling (NYSACAC) and International Association for College Admissions Counseling (IACAC).

Summer College Planning Checklist for Rising High School Juniors

college planning checklist
~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert
Happy August!  Are you busy enjoying the summer? Or are you preparing for college admissions as a rising junior?  Use your summer downtime to plan and organize your college admissions journey.
  1. Enroll in an ACT or SAT prep course during the summer while you still have time.
  2. Research and find out test dates for ACT or SAT.
  3. For international students, research and find out test dates for the TOEFL exam.
  4. Visit college campuses to see which types of schools appeal to you.
  5. Begin to develop a preliminary list of colleges.
  6. Continue your participation in internships, camps, research, community service and other activities and see how they fit in your college admissions journey.
  7. Review your online persona.  Examine your information on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.
  8. Begin to prepare for courses that you have enrolled in for the upcoming school year.

It’s never too early to start planning for college!

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Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group.  Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive concierge-type admissions advisory services for U.S. and international families and students who are interested in applying to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and combined BS/MD programs.  Dr. Lowe also helps students gain admissions into their top choice private schools and colleges after they have been deferred, wait-listed and rejected.

As an experienced and trusted admissions advisor for over 20 years, Dr. Paul R. Lowe is an active member of the following organizations that uphold the ethical and professional standards and principles of good admission practices in college and independent school counseling: Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC), New York State Association for College Admissions Counseling (NYSACAC) and International Association for College Admissions Counseling (IACAC).

2017-2018 Common App Introduces New Features

2017-2018 Common Application New Features
~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

If you are applying this fall during the 2017-2018 admissions cycle, here’s what to expect from the recent changes to the Common App features (in my previous blog, I covered essay prompts):

  1. Google Drive Integration:  Students will now be able to use Google Docs and Google Drive to upload such documents as  essays, resumes and other materials within the Common App.
  2. More Access for Mentors/Advisors:  Students who are working with community-based organizations, independent counselors or other advisors can assign them to their Common App account.  These advisors can observe the students’ progress and provide guidance.
  3. Self Report Courses and Grades:  Students will be asked the names of courses taken (or to be taken) over the four years of high school as well as grades that appear on their transcripts.  In other words, students will be responsible for self reporting all courses and grades.
  4. Resources for Spanish-Speakers:  For student and families where Spanish is the first language in the household, the Common App will be translatable into Spanish.

The above changes are aimed at streamlining the college application process while making it easier for more students to access the Common App.  However, these changes, including the essay prompts, allow admissions committees using the new team approach and committee approach, during the admissions selection process, to better analyze student profiles and will additionally, increase the number of colleges to which students will apply to in turn increasing the number of applications that many schools will receive.  As a result, expect heightened competition to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities in the 2017-2018 admissions season.

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Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group.  Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive concierge-type admissions advisory services for U.S. and international families and students who are interested in applying to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and combined BS/MD programs. Dr. Lowe also helps students gain admissions into their top choice private schools and colleges after they have been deferred, wait-listed and rejected.

As an experienced and trusted admissions advisor for over 20 years, Dr. Paul R. Lowe is an active member of the following organizations that uphold the ethical and professional standards and principles of good admission practices in college and independent school counseling: Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC), New York State Association for College Admissions Counseling (NYSACAC) and International Association for College Admissions Counseling (IACAC).

Common Application 2017-2018 Essay Prompts

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Every year the Common Application adds or revises essay prompts.  Here are the announced changes to essay prompts that rising seniors can expect to answer:

2017-2018 Common Application Essay Prompts

1. No Change:  Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 

2. Revised:  The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

3. Revised:  Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

4. No Change:  Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma – anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

5. Revised:  Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. 

6. New:  Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? [New]

7. New:  Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. 

After reviewing the essay prompts with my core team and discussing it with several admissions officers at different Ivy league and highly selective colleges, we have developed a list of tips that you should consider when choosing and answering a question so that your essay stands out:

  • Choose a prompt that best describes you.
  • Answer the question!
  • When you write your essay, write about something that matters to you.
  • Use your own voice.
  • Be honest.
  • Pick a topic that will give the admissions committee an idea of who you are.
  • Write about your perspective – the lens through which you view your topic.
  • Consider the schools’ perspectives
  • Write succinctly.
  • Proofread, proofread and proofread!

When I give advice to my clients about their essays, I literally spend hours getting to know them, their motivations, their passions, their strengths and weaknesses. This exercise inspires them to free-think and brainstorm.  We then, together, consider different essay themes as they apply to their individual personality, in an in depth conversation.  My clients then individually re-brainstorm and commence writing their essays in their own voices.  Their peerless and unparalleled essays become memorable and powerful lyrics to great songs enjoyed by the admissions committees.

My belief is that a college essay is a personal branding and marketing tool to convince a group of culturally, emotionally, academically, intellectually and socio-economically diverse people in a room (at each college) in 2-5 minutes why they should accept YOU in their institution! This is easier said than done when students are taught to speak, tweet, text, email (and look) just like everyone else in their respective communities.