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When and why should I take the PSAT?
When and why should I take the SAT?
How will the schools I'm applying to get my test scores?
What is the ACT?
How many AP courses should I take?
What does Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) at the
University of California (UC) mean?
I heard Advanced Integrated Science isn't considered a
lab science by the UCs. Is this true?
Does an early application give me an advantage in
admission?
Why should I apply for financial aid? My parents think
they make too much to qualify.
What are highly selective colleges looking for?
Which “looks better” to colleges: having a job or performing
community service?
Seniors: So you're thinking about dropping a class?
When and why should I take the PSAT?
The PSAT is designed to prepare you to take the SAT. All juniors should take the PSAT, which
is offered once a year on a Saturday in October. Taking the PSAT as a junior not only prepares you for the SAT
(which you will take in spring of your junior year) but also puts you
in the running to qualify for National Merit scholarships. Only a junior-year score can be considered
for National Merit.
Be sure to pay close attention to the Score Report
you will receive after taking the PSAT; it will not only tell you your
score but it will also give you a wealth of excellent information about
the areas in which you performed strongly and those in which you need
more work. The Score Report is one of the most useful
features of the PSAT.
Some sophomores choose to take the PSAT. It is important to recognize that sophomores
are not likely to score as well on the test as juniors; they simply
have less math and English under their belts if they take the test this
early. If you do decide
to take the test as a sophomore, it's crucial that you not be discouraged
by your test score! It
will surely go up when you retake the test junior year.
It's also crucial that if you do exceptionally well on the PSAT
as a sophomore, you don't decide there's no need to take the test as
a junior—you would miss the opportunity to be considered for a
National Merit scholarship if you only took the test as a sophomore.
The argument for taking the test as a sophomore is that it provides one more opportunity (off the record, since colleges never see PSAT scores) to practice for the SAT. The arguments against taking the test as a sophomore are that some students become discouraged by their low scores, or—for students who score high—fail to take the test again junior year.
It's up to you!
But when you do take the
PSAT, be sure to make good use of the Score Report you will receive;
it's detailed and personalized to help you do better on the SAT.
More information about the PSAT is available at www.collegeboard.com.
When and why should I take the SAT?
The SAT is used by many four-year colleges in making
admission decisions. To apply to the UC (University of California),
CSU (California State University), and many independent (private) colleges,
students must report an SAT score.
The SAT Subject Tests are used by some colleges as well, including
the University of California.
Most students take the SAT for the first time in spring
of junior year, and then retake the test in fall of senior year to try
to improve scores. Most
colleges will use your best scores, so there's no risk in taking the
test more than once. For the University of California, December
of senior year is the last test date from which scores will be considered.
Most students take SAT Subject Tests in the spring
after completing the subject area.
For example, a student who completes U.S. History in junior year
should take the SAT U.S. History Subject Test in May or June of that
same year. SAT Subject Tests can be retaken in fall
of senior year to try to improve scores.
The University of California requires two SAT Subject Tests (in
any subject area of the student's choosing, except they may not both
be in the same discipline).
More detailed information about the SAT and SAT Subject
Tests will be presented in fall of your junior year in your English
class.
Information about the SAT is also available at www.collegeboard.com.
How will the colleges I'm applying to get my test
scores?
You will be asked to self-report your test scores on your college applications, but colleges MUST receive official test scores from the testing agencies themselves. You can write in the relevant college codes when you register for the test (you can send up to four free score reports to colleges each time you register), or you can request that scores be sent later. Your request can be made by phone, mail, or e-mail. Check with www.collegeboard.com or www.act.org to learn more about sending scores. Colleges will not receive your official test scores unless you take action to have them sent, so don't miss this important step in the college-application process!
What is the ACT?
Should I take it?
The ACT is another college admission test. The decision whether to take the SAT or
the ACT tends to be a regional one; in some parts of the country nearly
all students take the ACT, whereas in California nearly all students
choose to take the SAT. Colleges
will generally accept either an ACT score or an SAT score; check with
the colleges that interest you to see if they have a preference.
Most use the test scores interchangeably.
The ACT differs from the SAT in a number of ways (for
example, the ACT has a science component, while the SAT does not), so
it might be to your advantage to take both tests.
Colleges that accept both tests will convert your ACT scores
to an SAT score and use whichever score is higher, so you can't lose.
More information about the ACT is available at www.act.org.
How many AP classes should I take in high school?
Many selective colleges hope that students will follow
the most rigorous courseload available at their high schools. At Menlo-Atherton, this means challenging
yourself with honors (AS) or AP courses.
It is important to recognize, however, that no one
expects students to take every
AP class available, or to take AP classes in all subject areas. Choose to take AP classes when you are
extremely interested in the subject area, if you feel ready to tackle
the extra work, OR in cases where a teacher or Guidance Advisor has
encouraged you to seek the extra challenge.
Choose the regular level of the class if you have little or no
interest in the subject area, if you feel that taking the honors-level
class will cause you to struggle with your other classes, OR if choosing
the tougher course will deprive you of time and energy to pursue extracurricular
activities that you love, spend time with your friends and family, and
enjoy high school!
If you think this is not a clear answer to the question,
you're right! There is
no right answer for every student.
You will need to find the balance of regular and honors classes
that is best for you. It will depend on your personal interests
and motivation, the type of colleges to which you will seek admission,
the rest of your courseload, the activities you enjoy, and your ability
to deal with challenge and even stress.
Talk to your parents, your Guidance Advisor, your teachers, and me as you consider which courses to take at the honors level—but most of all, ask yourself what you can handle and enjoy!
What does Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC)
at the University of California mean?
And what does it mean to students at M-A?
You may have read about the ELC program in the news
or heard about it on television.
It is a relatively new program through which the seniors who
constitute the top four percent of each high school in California are
considered UC eligible "in the local context," rather than
in the statewide context that has traditionally made students UC eligible.
M-A participates in this program by providing the UC
with a list of those students in roughly the top ten percent of the
class who sign a waiver permitting their transcripts to be examined
by the UC to determine who would be in the top four percent.
The top four percent as designated by the UC (and the UC has
a special way of creating the GPA to make this determination) are then
notified, and are considered to be "eligible in the local context." This means they will be assured a spot
at a UC campus, though not necessarily their first-choice campus. In general, this means a spot at Riverside
or Santa Cruz, and it will also give students an edge at Irvine.
What does this mean to M-A students? Very little! For many years, those in the top ten percent (and even more)
of M-A's graduating class are eligible in the statewide context, and
have no need to be deemed eligible in the local context. The fact that a student has ELC designation is noted on the
UC application, and is one of many academic factors taken into consideration.
It makes a big difference for students in some very rural (or
very urban) schools where the top four percent might not necessarily
be eligible otherwise. But ELC designation is not terribly meaningful
to M-A students.
If you have further questions about ELC, check the UC Web site (www.ucop.edu).
I heard that Advanced Integrated Science (AIS) is
not considered a lab science for the UC.
Is that true?
AIS and AS AIS are UC-approved courses that fall into
the elective category, rather than the lab science category. All of M-A's chemistry, physics, and biology
classes, including AS and AP, are considered lab sciences by the UC
and other colleges. Students
who take AIS or AS AIS as freshmen and then pursue biology, chemistry,
and physics (in any order) will have met both the required (two years)
and the recommended (three years) UC lab science coursework.
The path through the sciences mentioned above (AIS, chemistry, physics, biology) is an acceptable curriculum for all colleges (although highly selective colleges will look for some or all of these courses to be taken at the honors level). Admission officers at colleges such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT have offered assurance that M-A's science curriculum, beginning with AIS and progressing through three years of lab science, provides appropriate preparation both for admission and for future science study in college.
What is Early Decision? And what is Early Action? I've heard that I'll have a better chance
to get into college if I apply Early Decision. Is this true?
Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA) are two different
programs offered by many private (independent) colleges. An Early Decision applicant prepares and
submits the application early (usually by the end of October), and is
notified of acceptance, denial, or deferral to the regular applicant
pool early (usually in December).
An Early Decision applicant signs a binding agreement to attend
the ED college. This is a very serious contract between
student and college, not to be taken lightly. Students who apply ED should be absolutely certain of their
choice. They should also
be willing to forego the opportunity to compare financial aid offers
from other colleges, as they will see only one financial aid offer,
that of the ED school. ED applicants should also have strong
junior-year transcripts and test scores, as first-semester senior grades
(and some first-semester test scores) will not be available to the admissions
office evaluating an ED candidate.
Early Action operates similarly to Early Decision in
that the student submits the application early and is notified of an
admission decision early. However,
Early Action is a non-binding program, meaning that EA applicants do
not sign an agreement to attend if admitted, and may consider
acceptances (and, of course, financial aid offers) from other colleges
to which they will apply later.
Does an early application confer an advantage in admission?
It certainly can appear that way when you examine statistics
about percentages of students admitted early compared with percentages
of students admitted with the regular applicant pool.
However, this does not mean an advantage to the individual applicant
in all cases. While some colleges do acknowledge that
knowing they are the student's first-choice college leads to an advantage
(though sometimes only a slight one), many colleges point to the early
applicant pool as a generally stronger pool, with higher grades and
test scores and with students who have already determined through a
variety of means that they are a good match for the school.
So in some cases, early applicants are competing within a much
tougher applicant pool.
Be sure to learn, for each college you are considering,
whether they have an ED or an EA program, and whether they acknowledge
an admission advantage to early applicants.
In no case should you apply ED if you would not be thrilled to
attend that college. ED
and EA are not admission strategies, they are admission options.
The UC and the CSU do not have ED or EA programs (with the exception of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, a CSU that does have an Early Decision program, though its program is designed slightly differently—check the Cal Poly Web site for details).
Why should I apply for financial aid? My parents think they make too much money
to qualify.
Don't write yourself out of the running for financial
aid without investigating it a little further! Eligibility for financial aid is determined by many factors,
including your parents' income and assets, your income and assets, the
number of family members, the age of the older parent, and more. While it's possible that families with
very high incomes will qualify for little more than student loans, those
loans can be an important part of paying for college, and they are
financial aid:
The interest rates on these loans are very low, and they don't
need to be repaid until the student has completed his/her studies (in
college and even beyond, in graduate school).
And some students who have thought they would not qualify for
aid have, indeed, qualified for grants.
Having applied for financial aid can be important if
your family's circumstances change; you may be at a disadvantage at
some colleges if you did not apply for aid, and later you need to do
so.
For more information on financial aid, go to the LINKS page of this Web site and follow the links listed under Financial Aid.
So what are highly selective colleges looking for?
Students (and parents) are often mystified by the decisions that are made by highly selective colleges (I’ll call them HSCs here). In late winter and spring, as responses begin to arrive in the mail (or, now, on the Internet!), I hear the same questions: “Why did she get in to College X? My grades and test scores were a lot higher and I wasn’t admitted.” “What more could my son possibly have done? He seemed like the ideal applicant!” “What was College Y thinking? Nearly all of our applicants from M-A were denied!” “I know a minority student [substitute “athlete” or “legacy” here!] who was admitted who didn’t have the stats my kid has!”
HSC decisions, painful as they are to students who have been denied, are not nearly as illogical as they seem, and only rarely mystify me. Here’s why:
- A “rejection” notice by a an HSC is not a personal indictment of the student. Nearly all of those who are not selected at these schools are superb students, highly capable of success in college. Most have top grades, test scores, and résumés. And they’re terrific kids! There simply aren’t enough places to accommodate them, so tough decisions are made. Think of the top 10% of our senior class: all of those students have earned a 4.0 GPA or higher; most have impressive test scores. And yet statistically, if all of them applied to one of the HSCs, as few as 5 to 10 of the 49 would be admitted.
- Colleges have their own agendas (called “institutional priorities”) over which we have no control and often very little knowledge. The student athlete or musician who might have been admitted two years ago (or even next year!) might not be what College Z is looking for this year! Yes, the student whose family has close ties to the college will often have an advantage; this is another institutional priority for the college. But while a college may have a higher admit rate for students who are “legacies,” or who might add to the campus population’s diversity, or who fill a specific need, we do not see selective colleges admitting unqualified applicants in these categories. The deny rate for these students is still higher than the admit rate!
- The “perfect” college applicant simply cannot be “created” during the high school years. Students waste energy trying to figure out what will “look good” to an HSC. These efforts are fruitless. The ideal applicant is one who has demonstrated genuine intellectual curiosity and vitality since long before high school (and this does NOT mean good grades—this means a deep love of learning!). S/he is likely to be an avid reader (tackling far more than assigned reading) and an explorer of ideas. S/he is far more likely to have been extraordinarily dedicated to one or maybe two outside interests than to have a long and varied résumé. S/he has made important contributions in the classroom that can be documented by teachers. (And yet even some of these sterling applicants will be denied, simply because there isn’t room for all of them.)
- The good news is that HSCs that turn down the vast majority of applicants are small in number; most experts cite that number as approximately 50 of the nation’s 3,000-plus colleges. Fortunately, there are hundreds of excellent colleges that will warmly welcome our wonderful M-A students. In my chats with seniors who requested meetings with me, I stressed the need to research and apply to a range of excellent colleges, and not to focus only on those HSCs. (This is true even within the UC system; even excellent students cannot count on admission to UCLA or Berkeley; they must look at some of the other campuses where they will also receive an excellent education.) But once again (the students might say, “for the millionth time”), let me reiterate that SELECTIVITY and QUALITY are not synonymous! The best college match for any student may not be the college with the biggest “name” nor the one that admitted the lowest percentage of applicants. And let’s not forget that our community colleges—with admission open to all students—remain a viable and excellent path toward a college degree.
If you want to explore this topic further, several good books are available
on this subject. I like The Gatekeepers by Jacques Steinberg for a frank
exposition of institutional priorities, plus Harvard Schmarvard by Jay
Mathews, Looking Beyond the Ivy League and Colleges That Change Lives
(both by Loren Pope) for good discussions of why students benefit from
looking at less selective colleges. There are also some unfortunate books
on the market that do imply that students can turn themselves into ideal
college applicants (Michele Hernandez’ A is for Admission is a book I
deplore on this count). Books like this only feed the destructive frenzy
that has our students turning themselves inside out in an effort to become
what the colleges ostensibly want.
Which “looks better” to colleges: having
a job or performing community service??
The framing of this question is one of my pet peeves! It NEVER NEVER
NEVER NEVER NEVER makes sense to ask the question “which looks better?"
Students need to stop and think about what would mean something to them.
They must ask themselves, do I need the money? Then I should get a job!
If I don't need the money, can I get a job that relates to my interests
and passions—something more meaningful than working at a fast-food
restaurant or retail establishment? Can I find a job where I can demonstrate
the kinds of qualities colleges are looking for (commitment, leadership,
initiative, spark, etc.)? Is there a community that I genuinely want to
serve? Is there an area where I think I can make a difference by volunteering?
Have I thought about either a job or service that relates to my areas
of interest? College admission officers are quick to spot résumé
padding when students participate in either jobs or service that they
think will "look good." Students need to consider how they would
enjoy spending their time and dedicating their energy—then they
should do it, and stick with it! "Looking good" is the last
thing on earth I want to see students seeking. (And by the way, if students
choose right, and have a quality experience either at work or volunteering,
amazing as it may seem, they will automatically "look good"
to the colleges of their choice! Amazing!)
Seniors: So you're thinking about dropping a class?
Well, I hope you’ll think again! There are occasionally excellent and
valid reasons to drop an academic class or to make the change to a less
rigorous level of the same subject, and I’ll discuss those rare cases
below. But in general, there are far more good reasons to stay right where
you are. You need to think really carefully about why you want to drop
the class; be honest with yourself, and make a smart decision. I’ll try
to give you the colleges’ perspective as well as my own.
The colleges where you’ve applied expect you to complete the year as you
started it. They do not want to see you drop any academic classes; in
fact, they would rather see you earn a lower-than-hoped-for grade than
drop a class. In some cases, dropping a class could make you ineligible
for the colleges you’ve applied to; in other cases the decision to drop
the class simply makes you less competitive. And you must notify your
colleges of your decision to drop a class or make a level change. Failure
to do so could cause your admission to that college to be rescinded at
the end of the year when your final transcript is sent out to the college
you hope to attend.
Often students will tell me they no longer “need” a certain class. While
it may be true that the class you started first semester is one that is
not required either to meet a high school graduation requirement or a
college entrance requirement, that should not lead you to drop the class.
First of all, you may jeopardize your college admission. But more importantly,
you will inevitably encounter the same subject area later in college;
your exposure to this material now (even if you don’t get a top grade)
will help you be successful when you meet the material again in college.
Believe me, this is true!
The fact that you may be tired of doing the hard work in a certain class,
or that it “bores” you, or that you don’t particularly like your teacher,
is not reason enough to drop a class. In fact, even if all of the above
were true, continuing in the class would be excellent practice for “real
life,” in which you won’t always love every minute of what you are required
to do. You’ll feel better about yourself if you stick it out until the
end of the year.
When is it okay, even necessary, to drop a class or make a level change?
If your mental or physical health is truly threatened by continuing in
the class, you certainly need to make the change. If you find that you’re
not sleeping or that the stress you’re experiencing is having a serious
negative impact on the rest of your academic and personal life; if you’ve
been advised by a doctor, psychologist, or counselor that you must lighten
your courseload; if you are simply unable to continue—you may have a legitimate
reason to drop the class. In this case, you must notify the colleges to
which you have applied of your action, and you will need to explain your
decision. Remember, this is not an appropriate decision if you are merely
bored or tired of working hard in the class. The decision to drop a class
is a serious one; you’re a full-time student, and going to a full complement
of classes is your job!
Before deciding to drop a class, have a frank discussion with your teacher.
Consider alternatives, such as taking the class on a credit/no credit
basis, going in for extra help before or after school or at lunch, getting
a tutor (peer tutors and volunteer tutors are available; there’s no need
to hire an expensive tutor!), or working something out with the teacher
to help you handle the class more effectively. In general, you will find
that teachers are eager to keep you in the class and to help you succeed.
Be sure you’ve discussed your options and your decision with your parents
and your Guidance Advisor. You may also wish to make a phone call to the
Office of Admission of the colleges that interest you most, and ask about
the impact of your decision. (If you’re told that it will have no impact,
you may want to obtain this response in writing.) You certainly don’t
want any surprises at the end of the year when your final transcript is
sent to the college you plan to attend.
So unless you have truly difficult extenuating circumstances, I hope you’ll
rethink your urge to drop a class, and hang in there! I think you’ll be
glad you did.
How many college applications should
I file?
There's an incredible range in the number of colleges to
which students apply. Some students apply to one college: if
they want to go to a college where they're certain to be admitted, why
apply to more? I've seen students apply to more than 15 colleges—in
most cases, such a large number of applications is entirely unnecessary
and sometimes even foolish. It means the student is planning to do the bulk of the
"homework" on the far end, rather than before applying, which doesn't
make a lot of sense to me. Not only that, but if the student is
applying to highly selective colleges, applying to more of them
doesn't increase the student's chances of being admitted.
If we count the University of California
(UC) as one (since it's only one application no matter
how many campuses you choose), I would say a rough average would be
six to nine colleges. But sometimes students apply only to the UC, or
maybe to the UC and possibly one or two Cal State campuses or one or
two private colleges. What makes sense to me is to think of one college you would be excited
to attend, and where you are certain to be admitted. (Let's call it
"College A.") After that, I would not apply to any college that you would turn down in favor of College A. Doesn't that make
sense? But choosing a few "reach" schools, once you have
already chosen College A, is a normal thing to do!
And of course it also makes sense to consider financial aid in deciding
how many college applications to file; if your first-choice college admits
you but attending that college will not be financially realistic for you
and your family, you will need to have a few "financial-aid backups"
(colleges that are affordable or that are certain to offer you enough
aid to make them affordable) on your college list as well.