Well, first of all, that does not mean you’ve been summarily rejected. For students who apply Early Decision or Early Action, deferral is a distinct possibility. What deferral means is that the school you’ve applied to wants to wait to compare you to the rest of the applicants. Your initial application didn’t quite meet the admission standard for positive consideration in the first round.

There’s still a chance, though! And you may get thrown into a period of anxiety as your fate hangs in the balance over the course of weeks or months.

To improve you state of mind and your chances, consider these steps:

1. Don’t push the panic button. If you weren’t rejected out of hand, then there was something about your application that made a positive impression.
2. Follow up: Call the admissions office, ask for the counselor who signed your deferral letter, and ask why you were deferred. Does the counselor have suggestions about how to turn your deferral into an acceptance? Making such a call lets the admission counselor know just how serious you are. But if your letter instructs you not to call, then don’t.
3. Got better test scores to provide to the school? Send them!
4. Forward your midyear grades as soon as possible. (If you have let your grades slip, don’t bother….)
5. Write a letter to the admission counselor who signed your deferral letter. Express your unflagging desire to attend, and why you believe the school would be a great match. No negatives, no whining. Let the counselor know about any new accomplishments not mentioned in your original application, such as activities, awards, and leadership positions.
6. Send another strong, relevant, recommendation from a senior-year teacher that anecdotally proclaims your qualities that make you an ideal match. Be sure the school will accept such an additional piece of information. And be certain that this letter will be outstanding.
7. Take a breath and relax. This may be an opportunity to re-think your choices; what you thought was going to be the perfect school may not be. Always think positively, which means this: be prepared to choose one of the other great colleges to which you have also applied and to which you will be accepted!

While applying Early Action or Early Decision may increase your chances for a positive admissions decision, there are definitely strings attached.

Here are the five broad areas under which most all college applications fall:

· Rolling Admissions

· Early Decision

· Early Action

· Single-Choice Early Action (or Restricted Early Action

· Regular Decision

No doubt you’ve heard about them. Are you clear about the differences between them? Here’s a review.

Rolling Admissions means that colleges made decisions soon after your application is complete – typically within just a few weeks. Your chances for admission are greater the earlier you apply – even if you’re planning to take the SAT or ACT again to increase your score.

Early Decision (ED) means if you get accepted you MUST commit. The decision is “binding.” If you are accepted by your ED college, you must withdraw all your other applications. There are some definite advantages of applying ED to your top-choice colleges – as long as you’re positive that this is the best college for you. However, if you were to back out of your commitment to an ED college that accepted you in favor of another institution, you may end up high and dry—with admission to the other college rescinded! Colleges do communicate with one another.

Early Action (EA) means that students who get accepted do not have to commit. You’re not bound as with ED. The decision is “non-binding.” Unless the college has some restrictions attached to its EA plan, it’s almost always to your advantage to apply EA when that option is available.

A growing number of schools offer “Single-Choice Early Action” or “Restricted Early Action,” whereby you would violate the application rules if you were to apply Early Action to one college at the same time that you apply Early Decision or Early Action to another.

The original intention of the Early Action plan was to enable students to apply to multiple colleges under an Early Action plan, and even apply to another college under an Early Decision plan. In most cases, that is still true. However, there are some colleges that have “Restrictive” early plans which eliminate your ability to apply to other colleges either EA or ED. So always consult the school admissions website—or call admissions—to get the latest rules. Don’t stop inquiring until you are absolutely clear about a school’s policies. The rules have often become a moving target in an environment where institutions are vying for the best, brightest students possible.

Here are a few examples of colleges’ restrictive Early Action plans:

Here are some typical application deadlines that may guide your work over the next few months – but remember to check each college’s actual deadlines:

Two notable exceptions to the above:

The Early Notification/Early Evaluation option at a limited number of selective institutions gives students an idea of their chances for admission. It is neither an admission plan nor an offer of admission.

Serving as an incredible on-line resource for adding middle and high schools courses to a student’s academic program, Florida Virtual School (flvs.net) has upped the ante! Reminiscent of the “pen pal” in the way it involves students across distances, the Florida Virtual School club may be an exciting way for students to broaden their horizons and meet peers from around the state. Clubs are open to all FLVS students that are active in at least one course:

National English Honor Society – an honor society to expand the knowledge of English in the minds of those who need tutoring and those who are tutoring, this club leads various literacy initiatives at FLVS and in the community. More info.

Future Business Leaders of America - a club to promote leadership skills and develop skills for success in the business field. More info.

History Club – join other students interested in exploring history topics and competitions. More info.

International Club – this club promotes international awareness in the school and the community. More info.

Latin Club – this club encourages an interest in and an appreciation for the culture, language and literature of Latin. More info.

Model UN Club – join other students with similar interests as you step into the shoes of ambassadors from UN member states to debate current issues on the organization’s agenda. More info.

Newspaper Club – explore the field of journalism, creative writing, and news reporting with other student writers as we create the student newspaper. More info.

Science Club – explore various topics in science and participate in the annual Science Fair and Science Olympiad. More info.

Spanish Honor Society - The Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (SHH) is an honor society for high school students enrolled in Spanish and Portuguese and is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. More info.

Student Ambassadors – join other students to help represent FLVS in elluminate sessions, on Facebook, and with Legislators. More info.

Of all the tasks surrounding the college application, none takes more effort than writing the one or more required essays. Each year we highlight some suggestions for topics—and what to avoid. Again, it’s time to review some pointers.

First, though, let’s consider what this essay business is all about. Readers approach your writing as a window into your character. We’re not talking about character as in “humorous ha-ha” or “time-tested student with great record.” Rather, we mean the degree to which you demonstrate in your writing that you are alert, maturing and introspective, that you are developing a clear appreciation for how big the world is and how much you want to know about it.

So, readers are not interested in re-reading about your great deeds. Nor are they concerned with polemics about religion, politics or social issues. College admissions personnel want to taste a slice of your life, and from that slice get a flavor for who you are by how sensitively you interact with ideas and surroundings. As a former Dean of Admission at Princeton University so aptly stated, “The college application essay is an opportunity for us to unzip the top of your head so we can look inside and see what makes you tick!”

Your history of drug use? No. Life in the party lane? Uh-uh. Exposé of your couple of nights in jail? Nope. Travelogue about an adventure to Moab or Madrid? Not quite.

We often tell our students that experiences can and should evoke some self-reflection. To write about it against a well-depicted background has the chance to rivet the reader, who thinks, “Hmmm. This is the kind of student who is thoughtful, who has an angle. I think I’ll put this folder on the small pile.” And that’s where you want to be! On the small pile, the one with folders that pass the test of reader interest. There, the essays reveal a considerate human being, thoughtful and open to learning.

Next time we’ll write a few words about the “hook”—the all-important opening line or two that can draw in the reader. Stay tuned!

Essays/Personal Statements:

Although there are some universities that do not require essays, colleges on the Common Application as well as UF, UCF, and FSU require essays. NOW is the time to start thinking about potential topics. Seek your parents’ advice on essay topics since no one has known you better or longer than they have. The questions for this year’s Common Application are exactly the same as last year. Even though UF, UCF, and FSU have not yet announced their essay questions for this year, look at last year’s questions as they will likely be somewhat similar. Note that some colleges on the Common App have supplemental (additional) essays which will not become available until much later in the summer.

Applications – all done online!:

Common App (www.com;monApp.org): If you are applying to any of the 460 colleges on the Common Application, USE IT rather than the colleges’ own applications. In fact, some Common App colleges don’t even have their own applications. A list of these 460 colleges can be found at the end of the attached file: Common App & SUS Questions & Common App College List.PDF. (A few of these colleges may opt out of the Common App by the fall.)

Until July 1, you can play with the existing Common App Online to get a better feeling for it and to get the answers to application questions that you may not know (e.g., in what years did your parents graduate from college?). To get a jump-start on any required supplemental essay questions, review each of your college’s current Supplement to get the current essay questions as they may be the same next year. (Remember, next year’s Supplements may not be available until late summer.) Any data you enter into this year’s Common App will be destroyed on July 1 when the Common App website comes down and their staff builds the new application. But you can print it out to save the info you have entered.

State University System of Florida: The website www.facts.org contains a link to the applications for all the state universities in Florida (click on Applying for College, then College Applications, then Continue). The new applications for the state universities should be available by mid-summer. Note that New College is the only state school in Florida that uses the Common Application.

Other Colleges: Their applications become available on their websites throughout the summer. You should periodically check their websites for availability.

Regardless of which applications you’re using, please begin to work on them online as soon as they become available. You can work on your application over time as  almost all electronic applications allow you to return again and again to website to work on the application and save your work. Then, once an application is complete, do this: email the link to the application along with your username and password to your parents, or someone you trust so they can review same. NEVER SUBMIT AN APPLICATION WITHOUT HAVING IT REVIEWED!

Keeping track of your work: Create an EXCEL spreadsheet for keeping track of college application websites, usernames and passwords, deadlines, essay questions, etc. We recommending using two worksheets in the spreadsheet: one for colleges on the Common App and the other for all other applications. Add additional columns to the spreadsheet if you’d like to track other steps in the process (e.g., portfolio or audition requirements, SAT/ACT requirements).

As families face tough economic decisions, they sacrifice their children’s exta-curricular and enrichment programs. Elite athletic travel teams are forced to fold as once-popular tournaments shrink in number or disappear. That trend is mirrored in academic areas. Test preparation for college entrance (SAT/ACT) and AP exams falls to the wayside, too. Yet few families realize the long-term financial repercussions that such decisions about exams can have.

The rising costs of attending a private university, combined with the economic downturn, force families into choosing the low-cost State University System. Ironically, as the applicant pool increases, so do admission standards. The current cut-off for the Bright Futures Merit Award for SATs (970) falls below the average SAT scores of every SUS school’s freshman class. Calls to raise the standards will once again be scrutinized on February 21, 2009, when the SUS’s Board of Governors presents recommendations that could change Bright Futures.

Currently, Bright Futures awards 100% of a student’s tuition to those who earn a 3.5 weighted GPA and a 1270 SAT or 28 ACT — and 75% to those with a 3.0 GPA and 970 SAT or 20 ACT (Full descriptions of qualifications for Bright Futures are available from your guidance counselor). The 25% difference in cost over the course of 4 years can mean substantial family savings. Students who meet the grade criterion would be wise to invest in test preparation.

There are also fiduciary benefits to scoring well on AP exams that may not be as obvious. Because most colleges and universities award academic credit for high AP exam scores, AP credits can translate into a lighter course load or early graduation. Either option equates to significant savings.

Families who choose the community college option sometimes neglect the SAT/ACT. However community colleges also rely on standardized test scores for placement in college courses. Lower scoring students must enroll in remedial classes which do not fulfill graduation requirements, and so increase the cost of college education. For a student excited about finally having a say in course selection, this can be a frustrating and demeaning realization. Furthermore, successful completion of a remedial series does not guarantee progression to college-level courses; once again the student faces a standardized exam. To avoid such remedial courses in community college, scores of 440 on the SAT Reading and Math (or 18 on the ACT English and Math) are required. Reaching an SAT Reading score of 500 (or ACT scores of 21 in English and 22 in Reading) and an SAT Math score of 500 (or an ACT score of 21 in Math) not only allows full course selection, but also exempts the student from taking the CLAST, another standardized test required for both graduation from community college and for admission into a 4-year SUS school.

So, yes, when taking standardized tests there is more at stake than admission into your dream school. Time and money spent at the “front end” to effectively prepare for the SAT and/or ACT can reap benefits well into the future. So spend you money wisely in such efforts. Seek assistance from an organization that has a proven track record of score improvement based upon years of focused experience. Score At The Top, through its four learning centers in Palm Beach and Broward counties, has over twenty-five years of successful test preparation and academic tutoring experience. We know that our approach works, turning best intentions into best scores. Contact us for the best guidance and tools to build your collegiate future!

AJ

Greetings from Seattle, where the NACAC Conference (National Association for College Admissions Counseling) is just winding down. Yesterday, Harvard’s Dean of Admission, Bill Fitzsimmons, who led a 21-member commission in a year-long study on the use of the SAT and ACT in college admissions, announced their overwhelming conclusion: these tests — as well as preparation for them — are here to stay!

The tests have great predictability and give clarity to an application; however, the abuses that have become inherent in their use must be addressed. Although the Commission looks forward to future testing based more on curriculum, the members agree that colleges need to review their testing requirements, that they should stop using score cutoffs to determine scholarships, and that they should account for inequities among applicants when it comes to test scores. They further recommended that the National Merit Scholarship Corporation stop using cutoff PSAT scores to determine National Merit awards and that U.S. News & World Report stop relying on SAT scores for their rankings, thus inaccurately imputing an institution’s quality to its average SAT scores.

The Commission called for further research, including the value of test preparation and the effective uses and abuses of standardized test scores.

Judi

Why would anyone want to climb a high peak? The famous rejoinder, of course, has long been, “Because it’s there!” Moving right along, people from all walks of life ask a similar question regarding MySpace and FaceBook: Why publish items of sometimes keen personal interest for all the world to see? Answer: because it’s there. And, by the way, we’re deep in the throes of the Information(-glut) Age.

Well, it turns out that kids applying to college who have also rambled and gamboled in FaceBook may well have their “personal” pages read by an admissions counselor. A recent Wall Street Journal article said as much, as did a spate of articles indicating that admissions people in a growing number of institutions are peeking in to gain a wider perspective of applicants. It’s not always the “red flag” item in an application that may set off the easy web search. Simply put, build a MySpace image of one sort or another, and “they will come.” It seems inevitable.

So what’s the advice here? It’s essentially what Judi Robinovitz has been saying for about two years. Tastes differ. Colleges have serious ideas about the kind of collaborative education community they want to promote. Outré ideas may be fine for some, but not for all. While anyone may make the rational claim that web censorship is wrong, the reverse argument follows: abusers of trust—or at least people who might not be able to see things your way—are out there ready to consider whatever you have to publish. To say that caution is required by high school students who use these humongously popular sites would be an understatement. Rather than decreasing, the unknowns surrounding personal revelation on the internet may be increasing. As with everything, only time will tell. What’s your strategy today?

Barry Mallis

Do you wonder why Florida seniors often have trouble getting into their first-choice colleges? Blame it on the SAT!

Florida’s average combined reading and math SAT score remained the same as last year at 993 (out of a maximum of 1600). For individual exam sections, Florida’s average score was up two points in writing (481), up one point in math (497) and down one point in reading (496) compared to 2007. With the national average of 1017, Florida scores are among the lowest in the nation.

What this really means is that Florida students need to do more preparation for the SAT – and take advantage of the new selective reporting option that goes into effect starting with the class of 2010. Thus, juniors should start preparing for the SAT in the beginning of the school year – like NOW! – and take the SAT several times throughout the year since they can suppress scores they don’t like! Continued preparation, especially with real tests, coupled with actual test-taking experiences, will certainly lead to significantly increased scores!

Special notes…

[1] Students will have to “opt into” this new selective reporting service, but the College Board has not yet announced how students will do this.

[2] Students who attend public high schools in Florida will need to keep scores off their high-school transcript to prevent colleges from seeing scores they suppress. Call us to learn how to do that!

Judi