Tag: College Counseling

College Transfer Admissions Tips

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

The college application season begins to draw to a close (decisions for competitive schools are being released in late March), one would believe that everything is slowing down.  But actually, we are in the throes of the college transfer season!  Many college freshmen and sophomores, after a semester or so,  have already decided that they need to transfer to another college.  Throughout the years, I have encountered many students who wish to transfer.  It is now becoming a growing trend.  In our practice, we are increasingly even seeing students who are making the decision to transfer while in their first semester, freshman year.  Here are some of the main reasons I see why students decide to transfer:

  • They are unhappy:  Why remain in an environment for four years where you will be unhappy and miserable – and pay tuition, room and board that will cost you (or your parents) $200,000 – $250,000.
  • Fresh start:  For time to time, a student may have faced unexpected challenges, disciplinary actions at a college and they need a new college environment
  • Institutional prestige:  You may be attending your safety school and you want a second shot or you were discouraged from applying to your dream school.  In any case, you desire what we call an UPGRADE.
  • Pre-graduate school preparation:  Your current college may not have a strong pre-law,  pre-med or pre-business program needed for graduate school admissions preparation or employment.

Whatever reason you may have for transferring, the bottom line is that you need to develop an effective action plan to transfer.   Here are ten tips for prospective college transfer students:

  1. Obtain your high school transcript:  As a transfer applicant, colleges like to see your official high school and college transcripts.
  2. Obtain college letters of recommendations:  What professors have known you and can write you a meaningful letter of recommendation?
  3. Common App Transfer Application:  Colleges use the Common App.  Take it seriously and be mindful of deadlines and required supporting documents.  Colleges have different policies for transfer students.
  4. Transfer Essays:  College transfer applicants must write meaningful and convincing essays to transfer into their top-choice school.  The main essay: What are your reasons for transferring?  Watch out for the school-specific supplementals!
  5. Provide a current college transcript:  Grades matter!  What are your current academic courses?
  6. Standardized tests:  If you have taken standardized tests make sure that you report them on your Common App.
  7. Extracirricular activities:  In what school organizations are you involved?  Are you involved in activities outside of school?
  8. Disciplinary actions:  If for any reason, no matter how minor, you had a disciplinary action while in college, it’s best (and honest) to report it on your Common App.  under Family Educational Rights and privacy Act (FERPA), your current college can disclose your school records, without your consent to other schools to which you are transferring.
  9. Research and visit your target schools:  It’s important to research as many schools as possible, develop of a short list and visit schools on this list.
  10. Consider seeking professional, expert advice:  Why?  In my professional experience, I find that prospective transfer students need to develop individualized, effective transfer plans and implement them.  As a transfer student, you no longer have the assistance of your public high school guidance or private high school college counselor.  You will need an educational consultant who specializes in college transfer admissions.  You’re basically on your own in a process that is even more competitive than when you applied to college the first time!

Dr. Paul Reginald 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: College Application Rejected. and student who wish to transfer to another college:  College Transfer Admissions Advisors.

Do Admissions Officers Consider Diversity In College Admissions?

Diversity in college admissions
~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Diversity in college admissions:  Colleges are looking for cultural, intellectual and meta-cognitive diversity in their classes as well as students who can relate to diverse populations.  Colleges accept classes not just great students.  They are seeking students who understand and appreciate other races cultures and ethnicities.  With regard to diversity, admissions committees ask the following questions: Can the applicant co-exist in our diverse community of different students who are global thinkers?  Does the applicant profile demonstrate a lack of a diversity experience?  Has the applicant meaningfully interacted with people outside of their socio-economic, cultural and ethnic norms?  It has been my observation that college admissions officers and deans of admissions behave like forensic investigators; they analyze and assess how, why and when dots are connected.

Colleges want talented, intellectually engaged students who will be meaningful contributing members of a diverse incoming class and future alumni who will be their global ambassadors.  They do not seek students who are “unique just like everyone else” in their respective communities.  In my experience, applicants who are accepted are those who can standout and lucidly articulate their achievements, goals and personalities and project themselves in a positive light to a committee of six to ten diverse people!

In my firm, which consists of a culturally, ethnically and racially diverse team, we truly appreciate and understand this emphasis, and we innately embrace the meaning and value of standing out and apply it to the competitive admissions process.  Our “Diversity Competitive Advantage” translates to successful admissions results for our clients!

Dr. Paul Reginald 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: College Application Rejected.

College Admissions Tips for Art Students

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

High school students who are interested in arts programs or majoring in art in college must prepare for the college admissions process in the same manner as other college-bound students.  However, in addition to grades, GPA, extracirricular activities and college applications, they must develop a professional art portfolio.  The art portfolio requirements vary at each college so it is essential to contact each college Art department for these specifications.

Here are several useful tips for college-bound art students:

  1. Have your artwork photographed, videotaped, scanned or graphically converted to display in a professional manner.
  2. Show a range of techniques and mastery in the works you choose.
  3. Choose works that show creative thinking and a unique perspective.
  4. Begin developing your portfolio during your junior year so that you may evaluate what works you already have and plan to create works in areas that you are lacking.
  5. Take your works to a professional for critiquing!  An art teacher, local artist, art professor or a current art student may be good sources to give your portfolio a trial run.
  6. Since your art portfolio is a part of your college admissions process, you should consider retaining the services of an admissions advisor who has experience in working with art students and understands the philosophy and academic mission of each of your target colleges.

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.

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.

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.

——————————————————————————————————————

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:

———————————————————————————————————————-

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.

—————————————————————————————————————

College Admissions: The Need to Read

~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

You may ask yourself, why is a college admissions advisor writing about reading?  What does reading have to do with college admissions?  Everything!  One of the first things I ask my clients is what do you like to read outside the required reading at school.  Even the best students have difficulty answering this question.  Why is the need to reed important in the college admissions planning process?  I just provided an example!  There are several other reasons, a few of which are described below.

  1. Common Application supplements, especially ones for the more competitive institutions, ask what types of books have you read or what books influence you. Types of books also demonstrate another character dimension of applicants by which the admissions committee might judge you.  It tells the committee your interests, your passions and most importantly that you are doing something other than the norm, for example, not reading.  Remember, admissions officers read your applications.
  2. Reading helps you to improve your written communication and speech skills. This, of course, will be helpful during college interviews. Remember to use the word “like” as a verb or in a simile, and not as a filler in a spoken sentence.  One admissions officer told me that excessive use of “like” in a conversation is “Valley speak” and sounds cartoonish.   Reading helps you to master the English language, obviating the need to use unnecessary fillers.
  3. Studies show that there is a strong correlation between reading and a student’s ability to grasp math, science and abstract concepts, apply logic in various scenarios, recognize cause and effect, and utilize good judgment. This may translate to better academic performance and even higher standardized test scores.  Most importantly, reading contributes to the possibility of one’s success in all endeavors.
  4. Research has found that when students read extensively they become better writers. Reading a variety of genres helps students learn text structures, language usage and vocabulary that they can then incorporate to their own communication styles.   How does this relate to college admissions?  As you master the English language, you will have less difficulty completing the personal statement and supplemental essays on the Common Application.  You will also express your ideas succinctly, accurately, and convincingly to admissions committees.  When we review our clients’ Common Applications and supplemental essays, we can tell who are the avid bibliophiles.

So as you sea, there is a need to rede. Buy the way, “rede” and “reed” were spelled properly.  They are homonyms of read (four those of ewe who use “spell check” for proofreading yore essays).  Rising seniors, who are filling out their Common Applications, bee careful.

“Reading is to the mind as exercise is to the body.   It is wholesome and bracing for the mind to have its faculties kept on the stretch”…Sir Richard Steele

—————————————————————————————————————————-

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. 

Does It Matter Where You Attend College? Absolutely!

Does it matter where you attend college
~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

I often hear from parents, students, high school guidance counselors and even fellow educational consultants that it doesn’t matter where you attend college, as long as where you attend is a “good fit”.  Actually studies show it does matter where you attend college! My recommendation to my U.S. as well as international clients is that one should attend the “best” school possible where you will happy and have a great and memorable college experience.

Obviously, there are many people who are happy, quite successful and have had wonderful college experiences without attending Ivy League or highly competitive colleges.  However, in this tight job market, recent college graduates increasingly find that higher paying jobs are very selective.  While attending an Ivy League or selective college may not guarantee financial success or happiness, to buyers of talent (HR professionals, employers, personnel departments) it certainly does matter.  One of the first questions they consider while perusing a job applicant’s resume: where did you attend school?

  1. A study in the journal, Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, confirms parental suspicions that the best route to a top job is to attend an Ivy League school. According to Dr. Lauren Rivera, the author of the study, “Elite professional service employers rely more on academic pedigree more than any other factor.  Where you went to school rather than what you did there makes the difference”.
  2. PayScale Inc., an online provider of global compensation data, in a survey demonstrated that an Ivy League diploma is still worth its price of admission and tuition. “An Ivy League education makes a job candidate stand out, even before a recruiter talks to them!  The median starting salary for Ivy Leaguers is 32% higher than that of liberal-arts college graduates and at 10 or more years into graduates’ working lives, the spread is 34%.”
  3. Robert H. Frank, an economics professor at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, stated: “Because of the bitter competition for premium salaries, elite educational credentials are often a precondition for even landing a job interview.  Degrees from elite schools clearly open doors.”
  4. In The Economist that there is a direct correlation between education, the inheritance of privilege and class. According to an extensive report in The Economist: “For those at the top of the pile, moving straight from the best universities into the best jobs. the potential rewards are greater.”
  5. Top 20 universities producing billionaires is dominated by blue-chip, elite U.S. institutions.  Billionaires are likely to have attended some of the traditionally most prestigious universities.  Top universities have become the place where “global players gather”.  Educational insights from an annual profile of the uber-rich – Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census.

Let’s face it.  We live in a competitive, meritocratic and global society where brand, image, prestige and reputation certainly matter.  The answer to the question: does it matter where you attend school, then, is rhetorical.  Still believe it doesn’t matter? Just ask the record number of students (an estimated 30,000) who apply every year to each Ivy League school where the rejection rates can exceed 90% for these colleges.

—————————————————————————————————————————

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.