Tag: College Admissions

It’s 2018 – Admissions Year

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Welcome to Dr.Paul Lowe’s Admissions Expert Blog – 2018

Parents and students are constantly in the throes of the journey for:

  • Private School Admissions:  The application deadline for the top and competitive day and boarding schools is January 15th.
  • College Admissions:  Early decision and action acceptances, rejection and deferred notices have been sent to students.  It’s time for high school seniors to think about what to do next regarding post-decision strategies.  Final decisions: March -April.  For high school juniors, you’ll be hearing from colleges in 12 months!
  • Transfer Admissions:  Most applications are due in March.  Therefore, it’s time to complete applications and most importantly it’s time to complete those personal statements.
  • BS/MD Admissions:  Competition for coveted spots is heightened based on the increased number of applicants last year which was reflected by the number of rejected applicants.
  • Medical School Admissions: College juniors should begin to draft their personal statements, schedule to take their MCATs no later than May and obtain letter of recommendations.
  • Law School Admissions:  Senior year – If you’re still in college, have your college Registrar submit updated transcript that reflects your Fall semester grades and
  • Graduate School Admissions:  Junior year – Start your search on graduate school programs. Once you have conducted your thorough searches for prospective institutions, make an alphabetical list of between 10 and 20 programs, regardless of what you presently know or have heard about them. Write them all down or put them on a spreadsheet.

Each year, admissions policies and strategies change, so stay tuned for my upcoming, informative, helpful and thought-provoking admissions blogs!

Dr. Paul Lowe, founder and managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group, provides comprehensive counseling advice, exclusively for admissions to top private schools; Ivy League and highly-selective colleges/universities; BS/MD programs;  graduate and medical schools and top visual and performing arts programs.  He also specializes in helping students who have been wait-listed, deferred or rejected gain admission into their top-choice schools.

2017 College Admissions Trends in Review

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

The National Association for College Admission Counseling in association with the US Department of Education and the Higher Education Research Institute developed a report that reflects trends college admissions in 2017.

Here are some of the highlights of trends in 2017 that you may need to follow in 2018:

  • Number of Applications per Student:  The increase in number of colleges to which each student applies continues a nearly perfect upward trend.
  • Application Volume:  There was continued growth in college application volume in 2017.   The number of applications from firs-time freshmen and international students increased.
  • Top factors in admissions offices decisions:  The most important were grades in college preparatory courses, overall high school GPA, admission test scores and strength of curriculum.  Among the next most important factors were the college essay, counselor and teacher recommendations, extracurricular activities and class rank.
  • Student-Counselor Ratios:  The average student-to-counselor ratio was 281-to-1.  The number exceeds the 250-to-1 maximum ration recommended by the American School Counselor Association.
  • Postsecondary/college admissions counseling by school counselors: On average, the time that counselors spend on postsecondary/college admissions counseling: 21 percent.
  • Early Decision and Early Action Activity:  There is an increase in the  number of applicants applying Early Decision and Early Action.
  • International Applicants:  A greater proportion of colleges rated the essay/writing sample as considerably important for international applicants, likely because of the additional confirmation of English skills that the essay provides.

Knowing and understanding past college admissions trends will be helpful for high school juniors (class of 2019) when they are in the throes of the college admissions process.  Trends help us (Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group) to develop and implement admissions strategies so that our clients are accepted to their top choice colleges and universities!

Dr. Paul Lowe is the managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group network.  He and his team of admissions advisors, through the admissions affiliate, Ivy League Admissions Advisors help students gain admissions to ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities.  Through his admissions affiliate:  College Application Rejected, he specializes in  helping students who have been rejected deferred, or waitlisted.  For college students who wish to transfer because they desire a better college or they simply dislike their current college: College Transfer Admissions Advisors.

What If You Are Rejected or Deferred Early Action/Decision?

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

As the early decision results come flooding in there is a mixture of feelings in the air. While some happy students settle in for the holidays with their acceptance letters in hand, others will be disappointed and stressed in discovering that they have been deferred to regular decision or, worse-case scenario, rejected. For those who are deferred, their applications will be re-considered along with the thousands of Regular Decision applicants. In the Regular Decision pool, the selection process becomes even more competitive and selective. The likelihood of acceptance is even lower.

Many students try the strategy of applying to what they perceived to be safety schools because they think the school will likely accept them early, only to discover that they are deferred or rejected. In either case, deferral or rejection, SOMETHING WENT WRONG. The problem is that the application errors that caused the rejection or deferral, if not discovered, will continue without rectification to the regular decision pool and result in multiple rejections.

With only a few weeks left in the application season, I recommend that students scrupulously reevaluate their deferred or rejected early/action application and carefully plan a workable strategy in this crunch-time.  (1) Prepare more applications.  (2) In the case of deferral, see what else the college might need.  (3) In the case of rejection, especially if this was your safety (non-reach school), you seriously need to review your application.  (4) In all cases, you may need to hire an educational consultant who is an expert in post-decision admissions advising.

For parents who engage our services after the disheartening news of deferral or rejection, I use our post-decision strategies.  I discover what the student did to be rejected or deferred, build upon their current student profile and accomplishments and re-energize their application so that they are removed from the deferred list and placed on to the accepted list.  Additionally, I assess the student’s Regular Decision applications (due by January 1) to identify mistakes on their Early Decision application so that their mistakes do not become viral and affect the student’s Regular Decision applications.

The worst thing a student can do is to settle for a safety school after all their hard work and find themselves (and their parents) in this unhappy situation of being rejected from their dream schools and reach schools.

 

Dr. Paul Lowe is the manager director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group network.  He and his team of admissions advisors, through the admissions affiliate, Ivy League Admissions Advisors, help students gain admissions to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities.  Through his admissions affiliate:  College Application Rejected, he specializes in helping students who have been rejected, deferred or waitlisted.

Early Decision and Early Action Notifications: 2017-2018

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

It’s mid-December and the majority of early decision and early action notifications from the Ivies and most of the highly selective colleges and universities are here! Many applicants with high SAT/ACT scores, high grades and seemly perfect applications and personal statements were rejected or deferred to the regular decision pool.  For example, Harvard has offered admission to 964 applicants out of 6,630 students who applied early,  Yale: 842 accepted, 5733 applicants, and Princeton: 799 accepted, 5402 applicants.

Here are several Ivy League and highly selective college and universities that have notified students:

  • Barnard College:  December 12, 2017
  • Brown University:  December 14, 2017
  • Cal Tech:  Mid-December
  • Carnegie Mellon University:  December 10, 2017
  • Columbia University:  Mid-December
  • Cornell University:  December 14, 2017
  • Dartmouth University:  December 14, 2017
  • Duke University:  December 14, 2017
  • Georgetown University:  December 15, 2017
  • Hamilton College:  December 15, 2017
  • Harvard University:  December 12, 2017
  • Johns Hopkins University:  December 15, 2017
  • MIT:  December 14, 2017
  • Northwestern University:  Mid-December
  • Notre Dame University:  Mid-December
  • Princeton University: December 13, 2017
  • Stanford University:  December 8, 2017
  • Swarthmore College: December 15, 2018
  • Tufts University:  Mid-December
  • University of Michigan:  By December 24
  • University of Pennsylvania:  December 13, 2017
  • Yale University:  December 14, 2017

Dr Paul Lowe is the managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group network.  He and his team of admissions advisors, through the admissions affiliate, Ivy League Admissions Advisors help students gain admissions to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities.  Through his admissions affliiate:  College Application Rejected, he specializes in helping students who have been rejected, deferred or waitlisted.

The Changing Landscape of College Admissions

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

For years, elite colleges have tried to address a proportional decline of students arriving from areas beyond metropolitan and suburban areas.  These colleges have been implementing additional measures to address diversity issues on college campuses.  Increasingly, private elite colleges are seeking small-town and rural students.

One thing has not changed with regard to college admissions and diversity.  Recent studies by the National Center for Education Statistics have shown that even with Affirmative Action policies, Black and Latino students are more underrepresented at these colleges and the percentages of students in these schools have remained flat over the last 35 years.  The only increase in percentage of students by race are Asian students.

Research studies have shown admissions biases against rural students with financial needs; and found that leadership roles popular in rural communities, such as 4H clubs, Future Farmers of America and ROTC worked against the students who claimed them on applications.  As a result of the decrease in students from low-income and working-class white families from rural areas, colleges are now increasing their admissions effort to recruit these students.

What are some of the elite and selective colleges doing to address these issues?  Swarthmore has a created a program called Small Town Swarthmore.  Princeton has increased their recruitment efforts through transfer programs from community colleges to help students from rural backgrounds.

Colleges want U.S. geographical diversity, not just students predominantly from metropolitan and suburban areas.  As schools implement their plans to increase diversity in their incoming classes based on small town and rural students (as well as Black, Latino and Indigenous students), expect to see a change in demographics on elite college campuses that properly reflects the true diversity throughout the U.S. population.

Dr. Paul Lowe is the managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group network.  He and his team of admissions advisors, through the admissions affiliate, Ivy League Admissions Advisors help students gain admissions to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities.  Through his admissions affiliate:  College Application Rejected, he specializes in helping students who have been rejected, deferred or waitlisted.

Winter College Planning Checklist for High School Juniors – 2017

college planning checklist
~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

It’s still fall, but it’s not too early for high school juniors to continue (or for some to start seriously planning) for the competitive college admissions process.

There are lots of things to do during the winter months.

  1. Prepare for SAT/ACT.
  2. Consider taking SAT-Subject Tests
  3. Plan to take AP exams in May.
  4. Plan to visit colleges
  5. Refine your choices of colleges by comparing and contrasting schools and attending college fairs.
  6. Review and assess where you stand academically.
  7. Plan your senior schedule based on your current course performance.
  8. Review, assess and take inventory of your accomplishments, activities and work experiences.
  9. Plan your summer activities.

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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).

Early Decision and Early Action Dates for 2017-2018 College Applications

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

It’s Early Decision and Early Action season!  Applicants have already submitted their applications and are waiting patiently for their decisions.  Competition to Ivy League and highly selective college remain high.  Therefore, expect many applicants with high SAT/ACT scores, high grades and seemly perfect applications and personal statements to be rejected or deferred to the regular decision pool.

Here are some early decision and early action notification dates for Ivy League and high selective colleges and universities:

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Colleges with the Biggest Endowments

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

A colleges endowment is intended to support current and future generations of their scholars with the resources needed to advance knowledge, research, and innovation. As such, endowment funds are used for the school’s normal operations and activities, including education, research, campus renewal, faculty work, and student financial aid.

Here are the biggest endowments (as reported by each college – fiscal year ending on June 30, 2017):

  • Harvard – $37.1 Billion
  • Yale – $27.2 Billion
  • Stanford – $24.8 Billion
  • Princeton – $23.8 Billion
  • M.I.T. – $14.8 Billion
  • U Penn – $12.2 Billion

A published research paper: “Why University Endowments Are Large And Risky” by Professors Thomas Gilbert and Christopher Hrdlicka of Washington University’s Foster School of Business, shows that over the past 30 years, universities have chased higher returns on their endowments, leading them to take greater risks. More than 75% of assets in university endowments are now in risky investments, including but not limited to: equities, hedge funds, venture capital, private equity, non-campus real estate, natural resources and distressed debt.

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Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group network. He and his team of admissions advisors, through the admissions affiliate, Ivy League Admissions Advisors help students gain admissions to Ivy League and high selective colleges and universities.

Top Colleges and Student Debt

College Financial Aid
~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Many expensive private non-profit four-year colleges try to keep student borrowing low by giving generous financial aid to undergraduates from lower-income families.  Among highly selective private non-profit colleges, Harvard University was the most successful in keeping federal student-loan debt low for its graduates who took out such loans.  Six Ivy League schools, including Harvard, were among the top 25 on that measure. The list below shows a school and the median debt for its graduates.

1.  Harvard U. – $6,500

2.  Duke U. – $7,500 | Princeton U. – $7,500

4.  Rice U. – $10,228

5.  Pomona College – $11,000

6.  Piedmont International U. – $11,326

7.  Cornell U. – $12,000

8.  Stanford U. – $12,475

9.  Amherst College – $12,975

10.  Haverford College – $13,000

11.  Grinnell College – $13,170

12.  Dartmouth College – $13,462

13.  Yale U. – $13,500

14.  Vanderbilt U. – $14,000

15.  California Institute of Technology – $14,350

16.  Bates College – $14,450

17.  U. of Chicago – $14,500

18.  Williams College – $14,583

19.  Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering – $14,710

20.  Claremont McKenna College – $14,968

21.  Brown U. – $15,000 | John Hopkins U. – $15,000

23.  Georgetown U. – $15,500

24.  Hamilton College (NY) – $15,760

25.  Middlebury College – $15,889

Source:  U.S. Department of Education, National Student Loan Data System

Keep this in mind as you make your plans for college admissions!

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Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group network. He and his team of admissions advisors, through the admissions affiliate, Ivy League Admissions Advisors help students gain admissions to Ivy League and high selective colleges and universities. 

What College Athletic Coaches Are Looking For When Recruiting (Part 3)

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Part 3 of a 3-part series.  

You’ve been playing your sport for 5-10 years and you want to be recruited or at best recruited and receive that four year athletic scholarship from your top choice college. Don’t sell yourself short.

My advice after over 20 years in the college admission business and constantly talking college coaches and Athletic Directors are these additional points college coaches are looking for:

  1. Coach Ability: Coaches want someone who wants to be coached. They don’t want someone who questions what they do and insists on doing something else. A coach has a program in which they have developed an elite team; they want someone willing to fit into that mix.
  2. The WOW Factor: What’s your personal athletic “wow factor” that makes you stand out and get recruited. What do I view as a your “wow factor”?  Your charisma, confidence, motivation, initial-impression, appearance, communication skills, attitude, self-esteem, authenticity, presence, harmony and vibe.  What personal characteristic is truly unique, captivating and exciting about you? And how will you contribute and or passively transfer these characteristics to teammates, to your class and to professors.   It’s a factor that coaches look for as well as discuss with the admissions committee as to the reason why they want you at their school on and off the team.

See Part 1 – Points: 1-3 and Part 2 – Points: 4-6.

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