Admissions Academy Blog

Meeting the Needs of the Needy

•  Posted by Kathy Chi on March 5th, 2009 in Articles of Interest
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College costs have long been on the rise, and in the midst of today’s difficult economic times, it is no surprise that families feel intimidated by their ability to afford a higher education. Faced with diminished endowments and reduced budgets, schools are under pressure as well.

However, there is hope. President Obama is moving forward with plans that involve significant improvements in federal aid programs, including more funds for Pell Grants, expanded work-study, and bigger tax credits. Furthermore, the Federal Family Education Loan Program might soon be replaced by direct federal student-lending, which should provide greater stability and reliability for both students and educational institutions.

But what about the here and now? Higher education could become more accessible than ever in the future, yet some families are in need of immediate relief. Fortunately, most colleges have already started taking steps to ensure that financial aid for current college-bound students will remain intact.

It is hard to predict what will happen as the recession continues, but the commitment to meeting students’ financial needs should remain unchanged.

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UC to Change Admissions for Class of 2012 Applicants

•  Posted by Sarah Ziegler on February 6th, 2009 in Admissions, Articles of Interest
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Yesterday, the University of California Board of Regents approved a proposal to change the freshman admissions and selection process for the fall of 2012. One of the most visible of changes is the fact that SAT Subject tests will no longer be required for admissions. UC has been the only public university system to require SAT Subject tests from applicants, and by eliminating this requirement, UC hopes to be able to attract more students who are academically qualified but may not have access to preparation for the SAT Subject exams.

Other notable changes are the elimination of the three current freshman pathways to eligibility: Eligibility in the Statewide Context, Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC), and Eligibility by Examination Alone. Instead, all freshman applicants who meet the following statewide criteria will be “entitled to review”:
* Have completed 15 “a-g” courses, with 11 of the 15 courses completed before 12th grade,
* Have earned at least a weighted GPA of 3.0 in “a-g” courses, and
* Have taken the SAT Reasoning test or ACT with Writing.

Rather than guarantee admission to all eligible applicants, as UC does now, the following students within the “entitled to review” pool will now be guaranteed admission to a UC:
* Students in the top 9% of all California high school graduates, and/or
* Students in the top 9% of their high school graduating class.

By eliminating the SAT Subject tests, and streamlining the current pathways to eligibility, UC hopes to be able to attract a more diverse group of qualified applicants. In particular, by expanding guaranteed admission from the current top 4% of a student’s graduating class to the top 9%, UC hopes to be able to increase access to underrepresented minority students. However, some minority groups have raised concerns that UC’s new admissions policy will decrease the representation of Asian American students on campus and do little to increase Latino and African American Students. See “Unintentional Whitening of U. of California?” from Inside HigherEd for more.

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College Board’s Score Choice Draws Support and Criticism

•  Posted by Sarah Ziegler on January 7th, 2009 in Admissions, Articles of Interest
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Beginning in March for the Class of 2010, the College Board will offer Score Choice for students taking the SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject Tests. Rather than be required to report all test scores to colleges, students will now be given the option to pick and choose among their test results. The College Board has claimed that Score Choice was implemented because of student demand and that it will reduce student stress and anxiety surrounding the SAT, but ironically, the College Board abolished its previous score choice program in 2002 because of claims that it encouraged “gaming” the college admissions system. Many college counselors and admissions officers now fear that Score Choice will encourage students to take the test more times, and overemphasize testing more in their college preparation, rather than less.

The New York Times reported on the issue and the growing camps in favor of (including Harvard and the University of Chicago) and opposed to (including Stanford and Pomona) Score Choice. Read detailed responses from deans at Stanford and Harvard.

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