Passion-Directed Focus On College Applications

Parents who over-schedule their children, with the goal of building a resume to impress college admissions officers, should take a moment to pause.  That’s no longer what they’re looking for, according to recent reports. 

“College admissions is not about what your student achieves during high school. It’s about who they’ve become. College admissions officers are captivated by students who own their stories -- students who connect the dots between their values, experiences, and dreams,” according to a recent Forbes article.

 

The role of curiosity is a powerful predictor of academic success, according to educators. Rather than pack their children’s schedules with an array of activities, parents should take note of their children’s passions and encourage them to pursue those specific paths.

The Top Vo-Tech High School Programs

High school students may have more options than they are aware of when it comes to their education. Students in Somerset and some neighboring counties can seek admission to Somerset County Vocational & Technical School, located at 14 Vogt Drive, Bridgewater.   

While students can certainly seek admission for programs such as Auto Mechanics, Plumbing, Welding, Building Trades, and Electrical Construction, there are so many other options. These include Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Law & Public Safety, Performing Arts, and Health Occupations.

 

Some students attend Vo-Tech under a “shared-time” plan, taking 15 credits of vocational training along with four academic classes at their high school. Other students attend Vo-Tech full time.

Learning Different Students' Admission Strategies

Identifying and applying to “best fit” colleges can be challenging for most college-bound students. But it can be particularly perplexing for students with learning disabilities.   

When these students reach the pivotal point of applying to college, a multitude of questions arise. Should they use accommodations on the SAT? Should they disclose their learning disability on college applications? What accommodations can they expect in college? Which colleges specialize in teaching students with learning disabilities?

 

Often the first step of the college application journey is tackling the SAT. Students with learning disabilities should have their counselor, early on, file an SSD (students with special disabilities) form with College Board, requesting the accommodations which the student uses in high school classes. The most popular accommodation is extended time on tests. Most students who seek this accommodation are granted 50% extended time, but some are granted 100% extended time which allows them to take the test over the course of two days.

“Legacy” Boosts Admission Rates at Elite Colleges

What do all the Ivy League schools, Georgetown, Duke, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and a host of other prestigious institutions have in common?  They all favor “legacy” applicants – those with a parent, grandparent, or sibling who graduated from the university. 

“The most competitive schools tend to be the ones where legacy offers the biggest admissions boost,” according to Forbes. “For these institutions, legacy admissions have historically served as a way to maintain ties with alumni, secure donations, and increase their yield rate, which can be beneficial for rankings and institutional reputation. A family’s commitment to a school across generations can be seen as a reflection of the institution’s selectivity and prestige.”

 

The boost for legacy students varies at different institutions. A civil rights complaint filed last year again Harvard University claimed that donor-related applicants were seven times more likely to gain acceptance to Harvard, while legacy applicants were almost six times more likely to gain acceptance, according to Forbes. “Recruited athletes, legacies, relatives of donors, and children of faculty and staff constitute approximately 30% of those accepted each year.”