Weekly Update: May 22

A long weekend is on the horizon. Wishing everyone a peaceful Memorial Day as we remember the men and women of our armed forces!

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

APPLICATION CHANGES AT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

The University of Michigan is always a popular choice for our students, and the school just announced some changes to the upcoming 2024-2025 application process. In addition to introducing a new B.S. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a new timeline for Urban Technology students, the change that will have the biggest impact on our applicants has to do with direct-entry admission to the Ross School of Business.

For those who are not aware, admission to Ross is VERY competitive. Previously, students were required to apply simultaneously for first-year admission to the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and preferred admission to Ross. Those accepted to LSA would then undergo the Ross review process, but a student would not be rejected from the university as a whole if they were otherwise admissible to LSA. Now, students who are not directly admitted to Ross will not be admitted to LSA–they will simply be outright denied from the university.

This was just announced yesterday, and my understanding is that we do not yet know if the Ross application will continue to require a business portfolio, or if first-year applicants that didn’t initially apply to Ross will continue to have a leg up in the internal transfer process. Personally, I would suggest that first-year out-of-state applicants bypass Ross unless they have extremely high grades, test scores, and course rigor, as well as extensive business experience.

ANOTHER VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE AT A HIGH PROFILE UNIVERSITY

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik received a vote of no confidence from a portion of the undergraduate faculty. While there is no legal penalty, it does show that support for her is waning. The faculty who voted were from the school of Arts and Sciences, the largest of the 21 schools at the university, and make up about 20% of the full-time faculty. Faculty who did not support the vote of no confidence believe that Shafik did the best she could in a difficult situation.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA WORKERS AUTHORIZE A CALL TO STRIKE

The 48,000-member union that encompasses ten UC campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory authorized their union to call for a strike in response to their disapproval of how the university handled the recent student protests. The strike authorization vote, which passed with 79% approval, came two weeks after student protesters were attacked by counter protesters without any police intervention or arrests. Later, riot police tore down the student encampment and arrested over 200 of those protesters.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS BUTKER FACES BACKLASH AFTER COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

NFL kicker Harrison Butker delivered a stunning commencement speech at Benedictine College, in which he declared that a woman’s sole vocation was to be a wife and mother, among other things. The Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, the founders and sponsors of the college, released a statement in response that surprised many. The nuns left no doubt that they wholeheartedly disagree with Butker, not only about his views on women and their role in society, but also with his views of what it means to be Catholic.

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT MAKES A CHANGE

So far, it has been mostly private colleges and universities that have allowed students to declare their love for a particular school through their willingness to forsake all others if admitted Early Decision. Only a very small handful of public universities across the country offer the Early Decision option. And now we can add one more to that small handful: The University of Connecticut. While UConn is not a typical choice for students from our region, it is a great school–considered one of the top public research institutions in the U.S. As an out-of-state student, ED can be a significant advantage! As a refresher, ED is considered a “binding” in that students and their parents sign legally-binding contracts in the application materials, promising to attend the school if admitted.

WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?

Students graduating from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia last week had a slightly confusing time as they waited to walk up on stage to collect their diplomas. The person reading their names managed to mangle them so badly that students didn’t always recognize when they were being called up! The university official was reading from a list of phonetically spelled names that seemed to have no relationship to the actual names. One of the mis-pronounced names: Thomas! 🤷

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

As the school year comes to a close and students make their summer plans, a number of students will begin a summer job. For some, it may be returning to a place they have worked before, and for many others, this will be their first “real” job. Having a job will teach teens a lot of wonderful skills and life lessons about responsibility, time management, customer service, and how to take direction and constructive criticism in a mature manner. But sometimes the experience can be far more dangerous and scary. This article in the Wall Street Journal, The Surge in Young Workers Has a Dark Side: Sexual Harassment of Teens on the Job brings home the harsh realities some of our kids experience. “Young workers ‘often don’t know they have a right to say, ‘This isn’t OK,’ ‘ said Kimberly Rauscher, a professor of public health at Boise State University and one of the authors of the study." Even more concerning, Raucher noted that some teenagers feel “that sexual harassment is simply an odious but inevitable part of the job, especially in customer-facing roles.” As employers rely on more young workers, it’s important to have a serious discussion with your teen about what to do if they feel unsafe in their workplace. Encourage them to speak up, either to their supervisor or a trusted family member, without fearing that adults will not believe them.

As young people reflect on their future, some may be thinking about our robot overlords (kidding!) or at least about the role artificial intelligence will play in their lives. It’s already bumping up against so much of what we know and do right now–literature, research, art, science, manufacturing–and so it’s only natural to believe that it will become even more entwined in our lives in the future. Some schools have tried to ban the use of AI and software like ChatGPT in the classroom, and other schools have embraced the technology in an effort to help students learn how to wield it as an effective tool: beyond a way to simply get a robot to do their homework! AI has the power, if used right, to make peoples’ lives better and richer, perhaps even keeping bits of humanity from disappearing altogether.

As this years’ admission cycle comes to an end and students have chosen which institution they wish to attend–though thanks to the FAFSA snafu, some are still waiting to make that decision–thoughts are turning towards next year’s cycle and beyond. Each year, colleges and universities decide their criteria for admission, some of which they share (how they use holistic review to read an application) and some of which they hold a little closer to the vest–their “institutional priorities”. One of those items that they do share is their stance on standardized tests, the SAT and ACT. Right now, many schools are still test-optional, and some even test-blind, meaning that they don’t even accept or look at tests, but some are now once again requiring tests as part of a student’s application. The latest of these schools are several public colleges and universities in the state of Georgia. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted to rescind the temporary waiver of test scores they had put in place during the height of Covid-19. There will now be a minimum SAT and ACT score required at seven schools: the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Georgia College and State University, Augusta University, Kennesaw State University, and Georgia Southern University. This requirement will begin in the fall of 2026. 

It was unfortunate that just a few weeks prior, Georgia State University in Atlanta accidentally sent congratulatory admissions letters to 1,500 applicants who were not admitted, at least not yet. The same university made this same error with 1,300 students in 2018. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions!

The question of whether test scores help or hinder a student’s application or how colleges use scores in the admissions process is part of an ongoing debate as colleges ponder their testing policies. This article offers a deeper dive into that debate and asks questions about the future of test-optional admissions. Bob Schaeffer, public education director at the standardized testing reform organization FairTest, points out that with “over 1,900 schools extend[ing their] test-optional or test-free policies” and another “1,700 institutions hav[ing] test-optional and test-free policies with no expiration date”, it’s a question worth asking.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

I started my college counseling career working at an independent school in a New York City suburb, and I still find it interesting to reflect on how regional preferences can impact college choices. There are certain “go-to” schools for kids in that area that students here rarely consider, and vice versa.

A great example of one of those schools is Fairfield University — in the Northeast, this is a practically given on every college list for kids who are interested in schools like Georgetown, Boston College, Notre Dame and Villanova - particularly if they want to pursue business or nursing. Yet for some reason, it doesn’t make a lot of lists here. When I was in Connecticut at the IECA conference, I decided to tour Fairfield for the first time in a number of years, and I have to say — this is really a hidden gem for DC students.

With approximately 5,000 students, Fairfield is a mid-sized Jesuit institution located in a beautiful New York City suburb. As are other Jesuit schools, Fairfield is dedicated to educating the whole person; however, it does a great job of blending that commitment (alongside its core curriculum) with excellence in pre-professional fields.

Rankings aren’t everything, but Fairfield is consistently named among the top 30 schools in the country for “Best Undergraduate Teaching” by U.S. News & World Report - it’s currently tied at #28 with Tufts and UNC-Chapel Hill. They have a similar placement in the publication’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs” rankings, in the fields of Business Analytics (#16), Marketing (#17), Finance (#17) and Accounting (#28). There are approximately 20 students per class, so everyone really does get a lot of individualized attention.

Students live on campus for their first three years, and I found the campus to be particularly pretty — it’s not the newest you’ll see, but it’s so well-maintained and pristine, with lots of grass, trees and red flowers everywhere. And in addition to the ability to get into Manhattan in just over an hour, the best part of Fairfield’s location is the proximity to the BEACH! It’s located less than a mile from the Long Island Sound beaches, and students have so many fun traditions involving the beach — yes, even in the winter! Seniors traditionally live in beach houses off campus, which they all love (I took this picture at Jennings Beach, right near where most of the seniors live).

If you’re interested, check out the “Why Fairfield?” video on the school’s website and consider attending a virtual information session!

Interested in more about standardized testing? Check out these posts!

Weekly Update: March 6

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

COLORADO COLLEGE WITHDRAWS FROM ANNUAL RANKINGS

Colorado College made a groundbreaking decision last week! It became the first college since 1995 to withdraw from the U.S. News & World Report’s annual undergraduate rankings of best colleges. Representatives from the school claim that the annual report is based on a “flawed methodology” and doesn’t objectively measure the quality of education. Instead, according to Colorado College, the rankings favor schools with lower student debt. Although Colorado College will no longer submit data to the U.S. News & World Report, the publication will continue to rank the school based on publicly available data. Meanwhile, Colorado College officials say they are committed to studying the ramifications of this big decision and sharing that information with other schools.

COLUMBIA AND WILLIAM & MARY ARE REMAINING TEST- OPTIONAL…INDEFINITELY 

Columbia University and William & Mary College announced last week that they will remain test-optional indefinitely - Columbia being the first Ivy League school to do so. Since spring of 2020, over 1700 colleges and universities have gone test-optional in response to the pandemic. While some schools have begun to reinstate their testing requirements, others are extending their optional policies to allow for greater flexibility and freedom in how students showcase themselves in an application. Following these two announcements, more schools are expected to update their testing policies soon. We will continue to provide updates as information is released; in the meantime, remember that test-optional admissions and test-blind admissions are not one and the same. In a test-optional situation, the student with test scores typically still has a real advantage. I still really like my pool analogy from 2020!

THE FEDERAL RESERVE OF NY RELEASES DATA ON COLLEGE MAJORS AND INCOME POTENTIAL

The Federal Reserve of New York recently released its findings on college majors and earnings potential. Not surprising, the highest incomes are those in STEM-related fields, while social services and education are fixed at the bottom of the list. What is interesting about the data- and perhaps a bit surprising- is the comparisons of early career salaries and mid-career earnings growth. For example, all engineers have similar early-career salaries, but those who choose chemical engineering are likely to earn ten to twenty thousand more per year mid-career. Fascinating! Experts believe these numbers are quite useful for young adults, who can use the data to make informed decisions about the paths they’ll pursue within a particular field or interest. Along the same lines, I absolutely love these TikTok videos from Salary Transparent Street - check them out!

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Your teen might have been trained in CPR, but are they certified in Mental Health First Aid? With the sharp increase of mental health problems in children and teens since the onset of the pandemic, schools are finding it difficult to fully support their student populations. There are so many students in need and not enough trained professionals to go around. To combat the problem, many schools are turning to Teen Mental Health First Aid. The program trains teenagers to recognize the symptoms of a mental health concern and respond appropriately. Topics cover those that are most pertinent to the age group, from anxiety and depression to eating disorders and addictions. Although the training certainly doesn’t replace professional support, Mental Health First Aid can help create a community-centered approach to wellness. 

To some, Robert Allen is known as a super yacht lawyer. To others, he’s a Facebook troll. However, Allen would like to be recognized as the mastermind behind Governor DeSantis’ conservative takeover of New College in Sarasota, Florida. An alumnus of New College, Allen allegedly helped Governor DeSantis recognize the potential of the school to be a “jewel of the South” and make sweeping changes to its board of trustees. According to alumni members of the New College community, Allen has been very vocal about his ties to DeSantis via social media and has even engaged in arguments with more liberal-leaning alumni on Facebook. Many are less concerned with Allen himself and more with what these changes could imply–that New College is a “testing ground for larger efforts by DeSantis on his road to the presidency.”

High salaries, great benefits, lots of vacation time- you might think these are the most important factors recent college graduates are looking for in a job. However, it turns out there’s something even more valuable to new twenty-something employees: stability! A recent report by Handshake- a career website catering to college students- indicated that Gen Z is craving security. Even though young adults have become experts at adapting to major changes (i.e. a global pandemic), they are ultimately looking for a secure environment in which they can invest themselves. The report also found that recent grads are still optimistic about job potential-even though many say a recession is ahead- and fully understand their worth. This generation is more informed than ever about earnings potential (the data is everywhere!), and they aren’t afraid to have honest conversations about salary. 

There are so many considerations that drive the college decision-making process, but for LGTBQ students, the choice often comes down to one big factor: rights. In response to recent legislation in several states, students in the LGTBQ community are rethinking their college plans. Families are prioritizing safety more than ever, as students worry about the potential for discrimination and hate crimes. And for many LGTBQ young adults, they are focusing just as heavily on the political implications of a school and state just as they are on academic programs and campus life. If you are interested in learning more about LGBTQ-friendly college campuses, check out Campus Pride and The Princeton Review.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We have been busy kicking into high gear now that Common App essay prompts have FINALLY been released for our Class of 2024 juniors! All of our students should have received an email from Shannon last week with instructions on next steps to begin.

Since these prompts are normally released in January, we typically encourage students to take their time in terms of scheduling meetings and deciding exactly when to start. However, this year’s delayed prompt release has left us with a much shorter window. If students want to stick to our typical “Finish by September” timeline, we recommend getting started on these Common App essays right away. Please email our admin team if you have any questions about the timeline!

In other news, there’s an exciting opportunity this month that Fairfax County Teens looking for a job won’t want to miss! The Fairfax County Teen Job Fair is a great chance to look for a summer job, network with local businesses and organizations, and/or attend career-building sessions to enhance your skills. The event is conveniently being held on three Saturdays in March: the 11th, 18th, and 25th. You can register for one of the dates here.

Weekly Update: January 18

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

CYBER ATTACK SHUTS DOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT

Students in Des Moines, Iowa, received two unexpected days off of school last week. The Des Moines school district canceled classes following a cyber attack. Specific details about the attack have not been released, but the district has been working hard to restore the network. On Thursday, students returned to school, although families were warned that wi-fi would not be available yet.

SEVEN FCPS HIGH SCHOOLS NOW UNDER FIRE IN NATIONAL MERIT CONTROVERSY

The situation has continued to unfold over the past few weeks, and seven different high schools in Fairfax County have now admitted that they did not provide timely notification of National Merit Commendations. I want to share what we do with our own students as a matter of course each year, in case this helps anyone. Instead of waiting for official notification, we just compare the student’s selection index on their 11th grade PSAT with the score cutoffs online. I would never have a student submit an application with this award until they receive official notification, but the selection index should provide an indication as to whether official notification should be imminent. And if it doesn’t come automatically, the student knows to ask! [Note: I find that Compass Prep typically has the best information on cutoffs, but their site appears to be down on the date this post was written!].

VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SUBMITS NEW PLAN FOR HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS

Two months after its revised proposal was rejected, the Virginia Department of Education submitted yet another draft of its K-12 history and social studies standards. Although the practice of updating standards is usually smooth, Virginia’s history and social studies draft came under attack in the fall of 2022. Many believed the standards “diluted” topics related to cultural diversity and racism. The Board of Education is now tasked with reviewing the new 68-page proposal.

LANGUAGE CONTROVERSY AT USC

Last week, USC made headlines when its School of Social Work announced that it will be replacing the term ‘field work’ with ‘practicum’ in its curriculum. The change, which was explained in a letter to the Suzanne Dworak-Peck Practicum Education community, is part of an effort to promote more inclusive language. As the memo noted, “Language can be powerful, and phrases such as ‘going into the field’ or ‘field work’ may have connotations for descendants of slavery and immigrant workers.” The announcement has caused some confusion and outrage for some. In response,  Elizabeth A. Graddy, interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, clarified, “The university does not maintain a list of banned or discouraged words. We will continue to use words – including ‘field’ – that accurately encompass and describe our work and research.” 

IDAHO MURDER SUSPECT APPEARS IN COURT

Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students, made a brief court appearance last Thursday. He waived his right to a speedy trial and will now await his next court date, scheduled for late June. To date, Kohberger has not spoken publicly about the tragedy or entered a plea. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Before heading off to college, most teenagers are warned about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and partying. But there’s another risky behavior that could leave undergrads in jeopardy: gambling. Thirty-six states have legalized sports betting in recent years, according to the American Gaming Commission, and gambling companies often seek out college students as their target customers. Several universities have even made deals with sports gambling companies, leaving young adults vulnerable to addiction and financial ruin. To help students avoid the alluring trap of sports betting, experts insist that parents look out for certain markers of behavior and encourage universities to do their part in providing education and support for this lesser-known danger. 

We’ve got bad news for students who plan to study psychology or marketing in college. Last week Business Insider revealed a list of 12 most useless college majors, according to career experts. With the cost of higher education continuing to rise, the list considers subject areas that won’t have the best return on investment. Perhaps not surprising, the arts- theater, acting, and film- all made the list. Some may be shocked, though, by other subjects in the top ten. Psychology was listed because students often require a graduate degree to forge a career in the field. And English took the number eight spot. Career experts argue that it’s probably more practical to major in business over English, unless you want to be a teacher or writer. What does our office of English majors think about this? A bachelor’s in English might not pave the way for one specific job, but that’s what we love about our degrees–you can do just about anything with it!

For the majority of Americans, the University of Idaho murders are a tragedy. For some however, the night of November 13 is pure entertainment. The increasing popularity of true crime shows and podcasts has led to a surge in amateur investigations of this horrific incident, especially on platforms like TikTok. Thousands of videos have been posted, including some from psychic mediums, who revealed their theories on the mystery murders. Seems harmless, right? Wrong! Many of these videos shared misinformation and accused innocent individuals of involvement in the murders. As a result, members of the University of Idaho community- a professor, victims’ friends and a surviving roommate- have all come under attack. And it’s not just online fury. Some have received real-life death threats. These safety concerns call into question the “wild west”-like nature of social media platforms and ethical concerns over exploitations of true crime and tragedy.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

We’ve been carefully following the issue of compensatory education for FCPS students during the pandemic period, and I attended the first school board session on the subject last week on January 10. I actually asked a question at the end of the meeting - I wanted to know whether or not private school tuition reimbursement would be allowed, but didn’t get a clear answer. The lack of clear answers seemed to be a pattern…

Interestingly, I found out later that the FY 2024 budget only allocates $2 million towards this ENTIRE compensatory education fund. That makes a little more sense to me in terms of the lack of clarity - there’s just not enough money available to provide adequate compensation. We don’t know exactly how many students were impacted, but if we use the estimated 25,000 number provided by the district (another estimation provided was 26,500, so I am trying to be conservative), we end up with $80/student. If half of those families do not pursue any type of compensation, that leaves us with $160/student.

As a taxpayer as well as a parent of a student impacted, I have mixed feelings on this entire issue, but I do think that every family should know what their rights are. I have personally found the Fairfax County Parents Association to be a great source of information and would recommend them to other families who want to stay in the loop.

On another note, we recently learned about an exciting opportunity for high school STEM students in the greater DC area. If you’ve conducted original STEM research, submit your work to the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. You might just have the chance to present your work and compete for scholarships. For more information, please visit the JSHS website.

Have a great [short] week!

Weak Spots, Water, and Walks: Quick Tips for AP and IB Exam Prep

Across the country, thousands of teenagers are busy studying for AP exams, which begin on Monday, May 2, and IB exams, which begin on Friday, April 29. While we hope that AP and IB students have been diligently preparing for months already, we understand that the days leading up to exams can be stressful and chaotic. So today we’re sharing tips to help these students maximize study time over the next two weeks and walk into their exams feeling confident!

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TAKE INVENTORY

One of the most important things you can do in the weeks leading up to your AP or IB exam is assess your strengths, weaknesses, and gaps. If you haven’t completed a practice test recently, now is the time to take one. Not only will it be a great dress rehearsal for the actual exam, it will also give you the opportunity to reflect. Do you need to refresh your memory on old material you learned back in October? Are there skills or content that you didn’t quite cover in class? Which areas are slowing you down or confusing you? These are just a few of the questions to ask yourself as you look over the practice test. Also, look back at old assignments and instructor feedback to identify areas you'll want to focus upon. 

Of course, it’s not enough to simply take inventory mentally.  Make an actual checklist, so you have a quick reference sheet to help guide and organize your study sessions.

SCHEDULE YOURSELF

Whether you’re preparing for one exam or five, it’s crucial to make a schedule and manage your time wisely. Yes, we know teachers and parents have been dishing out advice on time management and study skills for years, but we have a quick (and painless) hack to make the next few weeks efficient. 

Are you ready for our secret? Use your phone calendar! Schedule in study sessions as you would any other appointment or event. If you think about it, you wouldn’t just skip a doctor appointment or your regularly scheduled sports practices. Apply that same mentality to your studying. You’ll be much more likely to prioritize your study sessions if you’ve factored them into your day. Bonus: your phone will send you plenty of reminders and alerts, too! 

Ideally, schedule yourself for thirty minute or one hour study blocks. However, even dedicating a fifteen minute window of time during your day to reviewing notes or looking over flashcards can make a difference. 

Are you convinced that you don’t have any extra time in your schedule to study? Well, think again. A few small changes to your usual routine can usually free up some extra minutes. For example, if you’re a morning person, consider waking up 30 minutes earlier and gaining some before-school study time. (Note: this is only a good idea if you’re actually getting a healthy full night of sleep to begin with). You can also maximize your time during study halls or a long lunch period to review. If you’ve got a long car ride home, study–as long as you’re the passenger, not the driver. 

We also encourage you to create a dedicated work space for yourself, whether that’s taking over your favorite corner of the library, finding a local coffee shop where you can study, or even carving out a quiet spot at home.

GATHER PREP MATERIALS

By this point in the year, you probably have a large collection of AP or IB prep materials. Gather those that will be most useful for review based on the inventory checklist you made earlier.  Start by looking through your own notes and files. Some students find it helpful to physically print out documents or convert notes into digital flashcards. We love Quizlet, especially because you can download the app on your phone and access all of your study materials with a quick tap of your screen. 

Also, don’t forget to log into your AP Classroom if you’re preparing for an AP exam. There are plenty of review materials under the “Exam” and “Exam Preparation” tabs. You’ll find everything from scoring guidelines to practice sets to daily video tips. If you’re not familiar with the AP Classroom and the digital resources offered by College Board, talk to your teacher. 

There are fewer options for IB students, but we really like the guides and past papers posted by PrepScholar.

For students who crave an actual prep book, order one on Amazon or visit your school or local library.

BE SOCIAL

In the weeks leading up to the exams, you might start to feel isolated with all of your solo prep sessions. But you don’t have to do it alone! Organizing a study group is a fantastic way to offer classmates support and get some extra help in areas where you have gaps. Plus, studying is always much more fun when you’re with your friends. Just be sure to stay on task! Make an agenda for your study sessions, so you have clear goals for what you want to cover and accomplish. 

We also recommend reaching out to your teacher if you need extra help, whether it’s stopping by during their office hours or requesting a study session.

STAY HEALTHY

Most importantly, don’t let AP exam stress get in the way of prioritizing your health. Especially when it comes to sleep, don’t trade in a night of zzz’s for more study time. Studies show that if you’re sleep deprived, these late nights won’t help you. Also, drink plenty of water (as opposed to coffee or energy drinks) and eat real food that will actually nourish you.

In between your study sessions, take a break from the screen, stretch, and take walks. Exercise is important for memory and retention. And of course, reward your hard work with things that make you happy, whether it’s listening to music or calling a friend.

GOOD LUCK ON AP AND IB EXAMS!

Is "Test-Optional" a Trap?

It seems like all we’ve done this past week is talk about testing, testing, testing!

But these conversations go beyond the College Board’s recent decision to cancel the SAT Subject Tests. The bigger conversation this cycle, just like the last cycle, will be about that ubiquitous “test-optional” designation. 

We’ve seen some students and families this year dismiss the “test-optional” language as a trap, going above and beyond to make sure their student is able to produce test scores for fear of being disadvantaged in the process. And we’ve also seen the other extreme - students who take “test-optional” at face value and neglect to test, even with easily accessible test dates. So who is right?

What does “test optional” really mean?

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The short answer is, unfortunately, it depends. As we’ve documented over and over, admit rates have dropped to shockingly low levels this year at the most selective universities, in large part because the applicant pools were so much bigger than in previous years. Without a testing requirement, it became easier than ever to apply to these schools. Furthermore, students with high test scores were more likely to apply, because they felt their test scores would make them stand out, and students with low test scores were also more likely to apply - because they didn’t have to submit the scores! 

Less selective schools, however, are seeing the opposite effect. Our local neighbor George Mason was one of many institutions that extended its application deadline from January 15 to February 1. While this is a nice way to cut students some slack in a difficult time, it is also a sign that the school was low on applications. The University of Rochester saw early decision applications drop 47% year over year, leading them to extend their ED I deadline from November 1 to January 20. This is evidence that students who in previous years may have applied ED to Rochester instead chose to “shoot for the stars,” helping to make up the huge applicant pools at schools that are more selective.

All this to say, test-optional policies are going to be treated very differently at the high volume, highly selective schools than at the vast majority of institutions that are not seeing this increase.

Stanford, for example, has said that it will require test scores from the Class of 2022 if it is possible to do so, while Baylor and Penn State have already committed to remaining test-optional.

In the past 48 hours alone, two different Ivy League schools, Cornell and Columbia, have announced their plans to move forward with a one-year extension of test-optional admissions for the Class of 2022.

Cornell’s, as it was this past year, is actually more of a unique hybrid between test-optional and test-blind depending on the undergraduate division in question, but the school points out that the policy is only due to “the extraordinary circumstance” of the pandemic and students will face “increased scrutiny” with the rest of their application materials, including “evidence of commitment and effort to pursuing other challenging learning experiences” outside of school.

At Michigan, Swarthmore, and Rice, students will be able to self-report PSAT or pre-ACT scores - a sign that scores are still important to the admissions committees!

Northwestern’s website notes that they “will still find value in scores,” while Georgetown has similar language, noting that they “value the information provided by standardized testing.” At these schools, nearly every applicant is highly qualified, and those who submit test scores, even if test-optional continues, will have very high scores to report. Most high-scorers will still submit test scores to these institutions, and admission will be just as difficult, if not more so!

Selective state schools have more encouraging language for students who are unable to tesk, with Michigan and Wisconsin both specifying that students who do not submit scores “will not be disadvantaged” in the application process. These still-competitive schools will probably see strong test scores as an advantage in the process, but not submitting test scores will not be disqualifying for an otherwise strong applicant. For clients considering submitting scores, chat with us first and we can help you decide how to present the strongest application!

Feedback from a current senior parent whose student decided to follow our advice and go test-optional. For what it’s worth, the student had amazing grades with a rigorous course load, very strong activities, and followed our advice to the letter by differentiating herself during the lockdown with a community leadership role related to Covid. Most of her list was comprised of selective public schools. All of these factors played a role in the advice we gave her!

On a related note, we have heard about some exciting developments are on the horizon that relate to at-home testing. The ACT is currently beta-testing an at home, computer-based test, and while there is no date scheduled for wide release, the system could be operational as early as this fall. The SAT is also working on a computer-based model that will reroute a student to different questions based on previous performance, much like the GRE. This will certainly make test-taking strategies different in the future, but students have plenty of time to plan, as the test is not anticipated to be released until 2023. 

Bottom line: while testing will be very useful, there are also plenty of circumstances in which submitting test scores will not be the right choice.

So if it is truly impossible for you to take a standardized test without risking your health, rest assured that over 500,000 students this cycle were unable to test. The admit rate for students who didn’t submit test scores was roughly equal to the rate for those who did at most schools that have released that data so far, with the (somewhat substantial) caveat that we do not know any details about demographic differences between the two groups.

On the other hand, if you do have the option, make sure you consider all of the factors when deciding whether to submit your scores.

Overwhelmed by the decision? Book a Meet & Greet or Strategy Session to learn how we can help!

Breaking: SAT Subject Tests and the SAT Essay Cancelled!

The big breaking news for the world of college admissions this week is that the College Board has decided to do away with the SAT Subject Tests as well as the SAT Essay.

Wondering about the impact? Keep reading for everything you need to know..

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: THE ESSAY

The essay will still be part of the test until June, but we recommend that students skip it if they can, as it will likely no longer be part of admissions considerations at any school.

For what it’s worth, we’ve been recommending that our students bypass the SAT Essay for a while now. We haven’t recommended it since before Covid, and even then, only for those for students interested in attending a school in the University of California System - they were the lone holdouts that required it. Once the UC System schools shifted to a test-blind system in Fall 2020, there was no reason for any applicant to pursue the essay.

If you’re currently registered for it, the College Board is waiving change fees for students who would like to eliminate the essay portion from their SAT registration, though students registered for a School Day SAT will likely still have to complete the essay. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: SUBJECT TESTS

While the dropped essay is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, the lack of subject tests could have more of an impact on some of our students’ overall strategy.

First, know that even though the essay will still be offered for a few more months as stated above, SAT Subject Tests will no longer be offered in the US effective immediately, and all existing registrations for the tests will be cancelled.

Subject tests will still be offered internationally for the May and June test dates this summer, but we do not recommend students going abroad to take the test during a pandemic!

That said, if you have already taken these tests, you will still be able to send those scores to colleges (and if you are a client, please make sure to discuss this option with us before deciding to send). 

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We know that a lot of students are celebrating right now - one less test to take! Not so fast, though. For certain applicants, this is not necessarily welcome news.

The lack of subject tests could hurt students in DC-area schools with little grade inflation who typically perform better on these tests than students in less competitive settings.

Other students who fall into the categories below have typically benefited from taking subject tests:

• Homeschooled students

• Students from less competitive or relatively new high schools that hope to attend highly selective colleges or universities (that’s not a typo - this change could hurt students at the most and least competitive schools)

• Students at independent schools that do not offer AP coursework

All of those applicants can benefit from providing additional data points to colleges, who can use that data to measure academic achievement across students from different high schools with varying levels of known rigor.

How else could a college compare an A from TJ to an A from Potomac to an A from Ballou High School in Southeast DC to an A from a homeschool course graded by Mom or Dad?

Here’s the issue:

• Students at highly competitive high schools like TJ or Potomac who worked harder than their counterparts at less competitive schools for the same (or lower) grades will have a difficult time proving that their version of the course was more challenging and work-intensive.

• Students at less competitive high schools like Ballou who worked very hard to master the material despite their environment will have a difficult time proving that their school offered an equally competitive version of the course.

• Don’t even get me started on homeschool students. Along with students at brand new high schools without established reputations (to a lesser extent), it’s going to be really hard to be able to standardize their achievement in a comparable way to students at any high school, competitive or not.

AP Exam scores will now the be the only source of data points to measure classroom achievement.

It’s not as simple as switching to an AP Exam instead of a subject test, even though some students will likely do just that. AP Exams are longer and much more comprehensive, and are meant to measure performance in standardized AP courses that share a common curriculum.

And that’s why it will be difficult for students at independent schools who have veered away from the AP program in recent years to avoid “teaching to the test.” While students from these schools may actually gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter than other students enrolled in the AP course equivalents, they are not typically as prepared to sit for the AP exams.

For example, the U.S. History Subject Test has always been a popular choice for 11th graders. This measured U.S. History knowledge and could theoretically be taken by students enrolled in a U.S. History course of any level at any school; on the other hand, the AP Exam in U.S. History is more appropriate for students who took a course that followed the standardized Advanced Placement U.S. History curriculum.

This shift will also likely have a larger effect on students interested in engineering and other subjects where more specialized standardized testing can be a more substantial factor in admissions.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I’ve already taken the SAT with an essay, and while I was happy with my reading/writing and math scores, my essay score wasn’t great. Does this mean I should retake the test?

NO! Do not put yourself through that. One of the primary reasons that many colleges stopped requiring the essay a while ago - well before Covid - was that the scoring was highly flawed. We’ll tell you when to worry about something, but this is not something you need to worry about one bit. Colleges will not blink an eye when they see a low essay score, and it won’t be held against you. It will just be as if you didn’t take it in the first place. If you’re happy with your score otherwise, stick with it!

What does this mean for the ACT with writing?

Nothing has changed on our end - we don’t see any particular reason for students to take the writing section anymore now that the UC system has dropped this requirement. Whether the ACT goes the way of the SAT and drops it entirely or not, it doesn’t really matter: there’s no direct advantage or disadvantage to taking it. However, it does lengthen the amount of time that students need to spend at the test center - and that in and of itself arguably provides an indirect disadvantage as it could impact the student’s performance on other test sections. If you’ve already taken it, no problem, but if you’re registered, drop the writing section.

Why would College Board have gotten rid of SAT Subject Tests if they were so important?

They were important for specific groups of applicants - not the average American college-bound high school students that hope to attend their moderately selective flagship state universities. Those students would likely never have taken these tests, Covid or not.

Of the types of students who did regularly take these tests pre-Covid, hardly any in the HS Class of 2021 took them because subject tests have to be taken on the same test day as the actual SAT, and everyone was consumed with finding a slot for that instead.

With different strains of Covid spreading and a lot of unknowns about testing for the HS Class of 2022, it sounds to me like the College Board may have decided to double down on the more profitable AP test by getting rid of the subject tests.

Why could this be an issue for high schools?

Since this move eliminates a potential positive data point for applicants and may lead to to increased pressure on students to take AP exams, high schools may in turn face increased pressure to offer AP courses.

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We will be paying close attention as colleges and universities update their testing policies in light of this change, and of course the ongoing challenge that the pandemic presents to testing. For more updates, see Friday’s blog!

The year the testing came to a halt

These days, every time I finish a string of back-to-back meetings I open my email to find out that another school has shifted to a test-optional policy for the Class of 2021. Today, there were four: Haverford, Tulane, Colgate, Middlebury - these are good schools! They join a group of institutions ranging from small liberal arts colleges, such as Amherst and Williams, to the entire University of California system.

So what does this mean? I have had so many questions about this over the last week. Kids with good scores are concerned that they won’t matter, and kids without good scores are already packing their bags for UCLA. Not so fast!

let’s talk about the difference between Test-Optional and Test-Blind. This is really important.

Test-Blind:

The school will not consider tests at all when considering an applicant’s candidacy.

At a test-blind school, your amazing test score is about as important as that amazing chocolate cake you just baked for dessert tonight. It’s really awesome that you baked it and I’m sure your family enjoyed it, but it has absolutely zero bearing on whether or not you will be admitted to a given college. Zero.

MIT just shifted to a test-blind policy for subject tests and this is how their website explains the policy in their Frequently Asked Questions section:

I took the subject tests. Can I submit my scores for your consideration?

No: in fairness to all applicants, we won’t consider them for anyone. We think it would be unfair to consider scores only from those who have scored well and therefore choose to send them to us. They are neither recommended nor optional; they are simply not a part of our process anymore.

Just like chocolate cakes are not part of the admissions process!

Test-Optional:

The school will consider any test scores sent as part of the admissions process (usually a major part), but will not hold it against an applicant for applying without test scores. Basically, it serves as another data point; if the score is high, it will only help an applicant.

And what does that mean for the other applicants?

Let’s pretend you’re buying a house, and you think about the factors you need: however many bedrooms, bathrooms, maybe you want newer construction and a big yard. Great! So you are looking at a bunch of McCraftsmen that all more or less look the same and then all of a sudden a Redfin alert pops up on your phone. A house that meets every single one of your criteria hit the market - but this one also has an incredible pool with the most amazing hardscaping you’ve ever seen! All of a sudden your mind goes to entertaining around the fire pit during the summer and, wow, it’s the same exact price as the other houses down the street that also had everything you wanted.

You certainly didn’t need a house with a pool; in fact, you would have called yourself a “pool-optional” buyer. But now that you have five great options and one just happens to have this mini resort in the backyard - is this really a question?

Obviously you’re going to take the house with a pool.

And obviously, if two applicants are exactly the same, and it’s a highly competitive institution, the applicant with the high test score is going to be admitted over the applicant without test scores. No question.

Nearly all of these COVID-19 changes are about schools becoming test-optional, not test-blind.

So, it’s not time to buy the UCLA sweatshirt yet…that being said, it’s not all doom and gloom.

First of all, not all institutions are highly competitive.

There are many that are moderately selective - ones where good kids with lower test scores can have a huge advantage applying as test-optional candidates, particularly when paired with an ED or ED II app and the ability to pay in full. (The ability to pay doesn’t really matter for the highly competitive schools, because there are plenty of qualified applicants willing to pay for a certain sub-set of schools.)

This type of situation is where the right strategy is going to be critical.

Second, not all applicants are exactly the same.

Not even close!

This is important to consider and it’s why students cannot write about “How experiencing COVID-19 changed my life” for their college essays. Truly, they aren’t the same - they come from a variety of different backgrounds, with different goals for the future, and different personal stories.

You might have a kid who is just all-around amazing with an incredibly compelling essay, outstanding recommendations, etc - now that student may very well be admitted test-optional to a highly competitive school over the one who has high test scores but is “not sparkly enough,” as a Duke admissions officer once described a straight-A student to me in a counselor advocacy call (true story!).

SO HERE’S MY ADVICE:

1. Control what you can control - I have said it before and I will say it again: you can’t waste time being upset over what happened this year. It’s just out of your control. And if you don’t have a high test score, the reality is that you may not have the opportunity to retake the SAT or ACT in time… but you also might. We just don’t know yet. So don’t worry too much about this.

2. STUDY!!! If I was in this situation and wanted to go to a highly competitive school, I would study, study, and study some more for your test of choice over the next couple of months and hope for the best. David Coleman announced earlier this week that the College Board is attempting to roll out an at-home version of the SAT. And if that doesn’t work out, a deferred student could theoretically take a standardized test well into their senior year - even the February ACT will be back early enough that a college might give it some consideration during RD, particularly for a class that has been impacted so heavily. The good news is that very few students in the Class of 2021 are going to end up with high test scores, so the ones that do have them will really stand apart.

3. Differentiate the heck out of yourself - You have to make up for that lost data point. Blending in with the other upper-middle class suburban applicants with good grades and the same set of activities is not going to be enough here. You need a compelling personal story and a niche. An amazing essay, killer recommendations, you get the idea.

4. Earn the best grades and AP scores possible - They are literally all you have at this point in terms of data, so make them as high as you can. This is probably obvious, but just in case!

5. Consider early decision and be very strategic about your choice - If your grades are not 100% perfect and you were not able to differentiate yourself in some incredible way, consider a private school that’s very competitive but not a no-brainer over a substantially less expensive top-tier option like UVA. Those are the schools that may be the ones to choose. For example, Boston University, Tulane, and so forth.

Remember: you have a lot of time on your hands to work on this stuff!

"Adversity Scores": The College Board's Environmental Context Dashboard

There has been a LOT of buzz over the past week about the College Board’s new “Adversity Score” / Environmental Context Dashboard, which C.E.O. David Coleman discussed publicly last Thursday.

I think that most people reading this blog post probably have a general understanding of what this is by now, so I am not going to summarize it. You can read more here and here if you are interested in a general overview. Instead, I’d like to share a few reasons why I think this is a bad idea.

Discussing the ECD on CNN last Friday

THIS ISN’T COLLEGE BOARD’S FIRST RODEO

Almost exactly twenty years ago, there was a similar initiative that was met with similar outcry. I don’t think most people realize this. Why is College Board repeating a failed project? Yes, the other one factored race into the calculations, but the reasons for the backlash are more or less the same.

A VEIL OF SECRECY

College Board is going to assign scores to students without sharing those scores? Seriously? I get it - they’re trying to cut down on potential challenges - but what if there are mistakes? Students’ counselors can’t even see the scores. To make it even crazier, they won’t release the methodology. Why are they making this so difficult? What’s the problem with just being up front? I know this is a wild thought, but what if there’s an error?This happens! It’s a little disconcerting that they won’t even provide school counselors with the ability to glance over scores for a few seconds to consider whether things look more-or-less correct. Although, the more I think about it, I suppose they’d have to release more information about the methodology for counselors to be able to hazard a guess. Either way, this is a real problem.

CONTEXT IS KEY

As I mentioned, we don’t know the methodology in terms of the calculations and weighting. We do, however, know the list of factors that will be considered (although we don’t know how they will measure the factors). Let’s take one of them that hits close to home for me: the score related to single-parent households. When this story first broke, I thought about how I would have been considered a student living in a single-parent household at the time I graduated from high school, but my younger brother would not have. Our father died of cancer when I was 11 and he was 7, but our mother remarried during his senior year in high school. We both certainly faced a lot of adversity, but one could make the (very accurate, in my opinion) argument that I had four more years of a two-parent household than he did and was therefore better off - even though I was the one in a single-parent household at the time I graduated.

Taking this even further, what about kids with divorced parents? I have plenty of clients that are divorced, but both parents are very actively engaged in their kids’ lives. Are those students living in single-parent households? If the very-engaged dad lives in a condo in Tysons and the student lives with mom in McLean, is that student really worse off than the student in Vienna whose parents are married, but dad has been deployed for the last year? I honestly don’t see how you can consider all of these various scenarios without context.

IT’S NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO QUANTIFY EVERYTHING

Despite everything I wrote above about the difficulty of calculating some of these factors on a per-student basis, the College Board is making it even worse by calculating them on a neighborhood and high school-basis. So instead of faulty-but-at-least-individualized assessments, they are simply combining general averages to calculate the individual student scores. So maybe the student with the high single-parent score grew up in a clear-cut single-parent situation that no one could argue about, but he doesn’t even get credit for it because his neighbors are primarily living in two-parent households. You can’t quantify individualized information with general data!

THIS IS A BAND-AID

Look - I’m not happy with the current system. I think it’s unfair on many levels. There are SO many things I don’t like about it. But at least we all know there’s a problem and we can try to work on it. I would much rather deal with a broken system that leads to constituents seeking a well thought-out solution than a quick fix that doesn’t make sense. At least in the first scenario, there’s hope for change on the horizon.