It's Going to be Competitive

In the wake of the current economy, you would think that college admissions will slack off a bit from the intense and selective creature that they have morphed into in this past decade. However, my prediction, based on my experience, is that it will be just the opposite. Why? You ask. That's a very good question. At first, it would not seem to make any sense, right? Financing college over the course of the next four years will be more difficult than ever as the value of the dollar grows weaker and universities and colleges across the country maintain (or even raise) their costs and fees. But this will not be the application deterrent that we might expect. It may, very well, be a determining factor in selecting which college a student will attend after offers of admission have all been gathered and assessed. However, what will happen with the actual application numbers and, thus, the offers of admission, will be startling for most young students and their families.
I believe that what we will see in another five months as the admission decisions are flowing in and students are anxiously checking their mailboxes on a daily basis, is that fewer and fewer students are getting in to fewer and fewer schools. This is happening because the number of applications will rise like the phoenix this year. This is the case because parents are going to tell their students to apply to even MORE colleges and universities than ever before. Why would they do this? For a few reasons, actually.

1) It's an ego thing. Parents want their kids to feel like they have been accepted into schools. Even if a student can only, ultimately, choose ONE university to attend, a parent wants their son/daughter to be admitted to ALL of them.

2) So many smaller liberal arts colleges are dropping their application fee and increasing their marketing material. This means that if they only require one essay or, better yet, participate in the commonapp.org, completing that school's application is a no-brainer.

3) Parents are going to advocate that their son/daughter apply to the wealthiest institutions this year, regardless of whether their chances for admission are realistic or not. They will have their kids do this because in the past year there has been so much more information circulating about these well-endowed schools awarding the most significant financial aid packages and in tough financial times, there's nothing that seems more valuable than having your kid take on a little extra responsibility (filling out yet another application), paying a $50 application fee, rolling the dice and seeing if it pays off in the end, with an offer of admission and a healthy financial aid package.

4) Parents still want their students to apply to all of those cool, out-of-state schools, but they also want to make sure that there will be in-state options also, seeing that in-state tuition is going to be looking all the more attractive this year. This will definitely cut down on the anxiety that comes with paying tuition bills when there seems to be no current end in sight, with regard to this financial mess.

5) Being that the universities are still in the business of making money, they will begin to accept a higher number of qualified foreign students to enter their gates. Foreign students ordinarily pay full tuition and fees. If a university wants to award more financial aid to those qualified domestic students but don't want to decrease their overall revenue, they will have to start admitting a higher number of internationals. If they do this, then the same (or, if I'm right in my above ideas, a larger number of applicants) will be competing for an even smaller percentage of domestic student slots.

In other words, what I have heard this year from an overwhelming number of parents is that they still want their kid to be able to apply to all of those great out-of-state and private schools, but they know that it's really unlikely that they would consider a $40,000 per year education in this economy when, for that same amount, they could cover the entire degree, practically. Because this financial turn of events has been so quick and unexpected, this was never a thought that they expected to have to consider when the college search process began.

Anyhow, that's my thought for the day. Please stay interested in education. It means the world.

Higher Education and the Election

Granted, the most pressing issue in this current election is not funding for higher education, access in higher education or any other area of higher education, as we know it. In fact, one of the most distressed and failing programs of W.'s Presidency is his N.C.L.B. education policy. So, should this be at the front of the minds of all voters? No. I don't think it should be. There are far too many other issues that require more pressing attention from our lawmakers. Especially considering the fact that education, like religion, should not mix with politics. Furthermore, at our universities and colleges in America we have the most intelligent and literate members of our society- in all different vocations and fields- who should, by themselves, be broaching the subjects of admissions access, affordability, job opportunity post-graduation, and overall higher education policy reform. I have always been a believer in the autonomy of colleges and universities. The effect of dependent institutions on local government is evident currently in the State of Florida. It is here, that the vast system of state universities is going so broke because of ill policies and mismanagement at the political level, read: mismanagement at the political level, not the university level. So, while there are definitely more urgent matters that should be factored into the vote on November 4th, is there still not some need to overhaul a failing and struggling highly politicized system. In other words, should education be at the forefront of the issues? No. Should it be a consideration in this election? Most certainly. Because, when the war is over and the market recovers and houses need selling and the U.S. starts to turn again, the only thing that will ever save us from destroying ourselves, the only element that will help us to persevere with calm and rationale through difficult cycles and times, is education. Not kindergarten and not college. Not high school or middle school. But the entire system, from top to bottom. The whole kit. Everything that we want our future to be, the future of our children and the future of our world, relies on us, as a country, getting smarter and becoming more well-informed. We must, as a society, recognize in our education system, the most rich resource that we have available. If nothing else in our country is truly a democracy, but instead a republic, education is the one opportunity that should afford all with equal opportunity and a level playing field.
Don't know if it makes any sense, but I feel better after writing it.
Smile.

TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

I don't often feel so strongly that I feel compelled to put someone else's ideas on my blog. This was just too good.
If you care at all about education, about ideas and about creating wonder, check this talk out from Sir Ken Robinson.
This has reaffirmed my idea to develop the High School Hikes program so that kids can clear their minds of clutter, focus on art and creativity and healthy ways to express themselves. Sorry if this somehow offends anyone. That was not my intent. I just believe that his talk has many interesting points which we often recognize but seldom act on. And it's good, at times, to hear someone else say things that we, perhaps, thought no one else in the room was thinking.
All my best and I'll work harder to blog more often. I would love to get more feedback from anyone on topics or interests that you may be interested in reading . . .

First Month Phone Calls From College

This has been an interesting few weeks of fielding phone calls for me. Without getting too specific or personal, regarding the individual students, I want to just express, here, what I would tell (and have told) any student who calls me in the first semester, to explain to me a negative trait of his/her college life:

We are humans. For humans, change is not easy. Drastic change, such as a move, being responsible for your own well-being and/or trying to create your own sense of happiness, all while existing in the midst of a community of new people, this is NOT easy! On top of this, it's almost always predictable as to which aspects of the college life are going to be the most difficult for each individual, in my experience. One particular student will struggle with a roommate; one will struggle with eating healthy; partying moderately; managing study time. There are so many aspects that make this move to college difficult. But just because it's difficult does not mean that it's not also exciting. Most of the students are totally satisfied with the physical location and environment of their college choice (hey, this IS my job!). It's letting go of their high school life, their nurturing environment and their amenities of home that makes the adjustment difficult. College is not a cult (well, there are some, but those aren't the schools my students attend). To enjoy the college experience does not require 'drinking the Kool-Aid'. All it requires is an open-mind and embrace. You see, it's an almost-guarantee that difficult times bring negative thoughts. We all doubt ourselves on occasion. This is normal. But there are formidable ways of coping with this doubt. The one that I highly recommend: call ME. If that's not your choice or you need something extra, try to confront your anxiety. In other words, make an effort to recognize what is so difficult about this change that you're undertaking and plan methods to make that change more manageable. If you're not making friends as easily as you would like, look at what your personal investment in making friends is. Maybe you have to go and say "hello" to everyone wearing a blue shirt on campus. Maybe you have to go join a club. Maybe you should reach out to a professor. If it's more a situation of being homesick. You're calling home several times a day, talking to your friends who stayed at the local college, plan trips back home for weekends, perhaps you need to self-impose limits. You start by calling home once a day (this will dwindle to, maybe 4 times a week, more or less). You get yourself off of Facebook. Instead of investing time and resources into planning trips home, go around campus and find information about the various weekend activities offered through the student body, clubs, town/city you're living in, or find a friend and plan a road trip!
Look, I might not be the most sympathetic in this situation. I understand that. Students work so hard to achieve during their high school years, that it seems to me a bit irresponsible to get to college and, within a semester, decide that it's not the appropriate fit. However, I do realize that there are some extreme situations. My word during these rare incidences (and I take it from my background in water polo): Leave it all in the pool. Leave it all in the classroom. Leave it all on campus. Don't leave any stone unturned, any connection unmade, any ally unaligned, any opportunity untaken! You may think that you would be better off at University X, but until you live there, you will never know. And, if you do end up transferring (which, after all options have been examined, is a fine idea) you should make certain that your effort at the first school was the best that you could have given. Because if you don't exert that positive attitude and work hard for a great collegiate experience, you are doing an injustice to yourself. Not only that, but being that change is not easy and college is (likely) the biggest change that you've undertaken thus far, college is not easy. Remember, cliches are cliches because they're true. The grass is always greener. The biggest change creates the greatest growth. You get out what you put in.
With that in mind, get back to the books.
Today you WILL make a new friend.
Today you WILL find out something new about your school or your school's town.
Today you WILL embrace all that hard work you put in to earn for yourself this amazing opportunity!

Does Your Senior Year Really Count?

Welcome to your senior year. It’s an exciting time full of change and celebration. Many people may have told you how unimportant your senior year is. For example, they maybe told you that your grades don’t matter one iota, (although they usually stress, ironically so, that you should do better in the first semester than the second). Or, maybe, they told you that colleges will not look at your grades from senior year because they already have accepted you based on your 9th-11th years. Well, my young, goal-oriented high schooler, THESE ARE LIES. Your senior year counts. Not only does your senior year count towards your high school graduation, it counts towards the trend that you have worked so hard to set over the past three years and that you promised you would continue to achieve when you applied to college.

But, fret not. The senior year, although it does count as a significant factor in the college admission decision- as far as the strength of your curriculum, your GPA and your class rank are concerned- it is not unlike any of the other years that you have entered. My advice is the same for seniors as it is for freshmen: it’s better to get an A in a regular-level course than a C in an AP course; it’s better to challenge yourself with courses that reflect your intellectual interests than courses that you feel pressured to take (i.e. if you really want to take anatomy-physiology instead of physics, go for it!).

The senior year is about you getting comfortable with directing your own academic pursuits. Don’t do what your guidance counselor tells you to do if her/his reason is “you HAVE to take this class for college”. Instead, take a constructive balance of courses that shows you are academically serious but also intellectually curious. If you have taken AP courses in the past, take an AP course or two. You may also consider taking a more creative course or pursuing an internship. Whatever you do, don’t fill your schedule with courses like “study hall”, “teacher’s assistant” and/or “typing”. These are courses that just demonstrate laziness and a lack of curiosity.

The worst thing that you can convey to colleges is that you are not taking your senior year seriously. Remember, at most schools, your senior year WILL count as 25% of your academic history. At some, it will count as even more (33%), as many universities do not calculate your 9th grade year as a part of your overall academic GPA and history. In other words, continue to work as hard as you always have, in classes that similarly challenge you.

A Winning College Essay

Granted, most high school seniors find the most difficult part of their senior year to be brainstorming the ideas for their college admission essays and then, once they’ve got their topic chosen, writing it in the preferred amount of words. Before I go any further, let me say here what I know to be true, the application essay(s) are the most important component of the applications. The point is not to be well-organized with the transition sentences and the specific number of supporting arguments. The point is to be creative and execute whatever you undertake to write (a poem, song, short story, typical essay, etc. . .) with style and verve. Take a risk. Challenge yourself.

That’s the point of pursuing a college education, right? It’s one big risk. You have to move away from home, live with a complete stranger, eat in the same place all the time, get yourself to 8am class, live on hardly any money, choose for yourself what you want to get involved in and be happy about it all—and when you’re not coping with the pressures of this transition, recognize it yourself and seek out your own help. See, college is all about testing YOUR limits. May as well start testing yourself during the application process.

Believe me, I understand how difficult it is to sit down and write about a specific topic, especially when the topic is personal. Writing about oneself is THE most difficult. The only people who seem to be really effective at this are politicians and I don’t know if any of them truly write their own books anyway. Then again, they have lots of practice talking about themselves. The everyday layman, however, does not. This doesn’t mean you don’t have some really interesting or tragic experiences to write about. And, if you can’t think of any- no worries. I always tell my students, the topic doesn’t have to be brilliant. You could write 1,000 words about staring at a fish in a bowl. Just so long as you make it fascinating. You see, the essay is a different type of exam. Though it is by no means standardized, the admission essay does test your ability to say something important about yourself (your terms) but in a regulated number of words (their terms). It’s sort of like your chance at an interview. But it’s also a bit like your first true test of expression.

In high school, no one cares about expression. Your assignment is never to write a poem or a passionate stream of consciousness piece, right? Correct. Your job in high school is to comply with the various and varied standardized tests and write all assignments in such a manner that you’re constantly preparing your organizational writing skills to look like this:

Paragraph 1- Present your generic point of view

Paragraph 2- Present your first supporting argument and example

Paragraph 3- Present your second supporting argument and example

Paragraph 4- Present your thi- . . . and on and on and on

Conclusion - Conclude your paper by re-stating your point of view but don’t present any new facts.

Wow! Doesn’t this just bleed creativity? I know that I, for one, am fairly confident that if a student can write creatively in order to express him/herself caring not whether every thesis statement is perfectly positioned in the first paragraph (as students are taught in high school to be the ONLY proper way to create an introduction) but that the thoughts are organized in a manner that promotes flow and easy understanding for the reader, they will not have to be taught the concept of written expression as it pertains to communication in the post-high school years. And I don’t think there is a single university professor out there who is anxiously awaiting a group of really inept freshmen writers hoping to teach them all how to write a creative and well-thought paper. You see, every person must be able to express emotions and ideas on paper if, for no other reason, than the fact that he/she wants to become effective in the professional world (not to mention one’s personal life where writing and written communication are becoming more and more necessary with the advent of email). I have conversations all the time with both students and parents, alike, where the ability to effectively communicate inevitably comes up as a significant concern of both groups.

The biggest concern for most parents is that their student(s) cannot express themselves on paper. Have they ever been taught? Regardless, this is not the issue. In my opinion, if a student is an avid reader, whether or not he/she has ever had good writing instruction, the level and reading ability comes through in his/her writing. Writing is so unique in that it is not really a teachable craft. I believe that grammar is teachable and a basic knowledge of it certainly will benefit any writer. However, to truly be able to convey a message, one cannot be pushed or prodded but instead must be creatively inspired and practiced. In other words, start writing NOW! Write for ten minutes every day. Write poetry: haiku; limerick; stream of consciousness, etc . . . Write fiction using creative first lines to get you started. If nothing is coming to mind, try this: “Stuck. She was experiencing another case of writer’s block and this time . . .”

Seriously, go for it. Write away. Oh, and don’t forget, the key to all good writing- err, at least the key to all things written well is READING. You’ve taken the first step by reading this blog. Now, go read something more interesting. Then, if you finish your fiction and poetry writing and you are, for whatever reason, craving another assignment but cannot conjure up any ideas, drop me an email, actgroupbrady@gmail.com and, if you want me to read it (and respond), make sure that you have expressed yourself clearly and creatively. I’ll look forward to great things from you in the future.

Where I've Been

Greetings, College Enthusiasts!

Alas, I am working from a computer at the library as my new laptop has been delayed in shipment, yet again! For those of you who don't know- and may care- my laptop was stolen right out from under me, literally, at the San Francisco Airport, two weeks ago. What a tragedy, eh?! But I have recovered and the sense of a new school year will help me even more.

Being that I'm at a library, it has made me notice what, exactly, the young people are doing. Is it just me or has gaming absolutely infected the current high school generation? In hearing from a colleague at North Carolina State University a few months ago, I found out that gaming is the #1 reason for students in the engineering and computer science programs to drop out. That was absolutely shocking. In accord with the previous blog, about Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods, I have decided to act as responsibly as I can and incorporate into my education curriculum, a new educational program called High School Hikes. After reading Louv's book and hearing, seeing and feeling the evidence of sedentary lifestyles all around me, I believe that if I can do something to open the eyes and minds of some young people, I can help in the fight against nature deficit disorder. Starting now I am soliciting for students to join me on the maiden voyage: most likely a drive up to the Great Smokey Mountains for a few days of exploration, introspection and good, old fashioned fun! What a wonderful world we will discover-- after the 12 hour drive, that is.
Wonderful nonetheless. Be in touch. Ask questions. Read a book. Never stop learning. Never stop growing!
Be well.