Benefits of Taking SAT Early in High School Years

Three weeks from today is the registration deadline for the August 24th SAT exam, and it’s not just rising high school seniors who are planning for that date.  Many teens who are preparing to start their sophomore or junior year are already registered for the summer SAT exam in order to reap the benefits of starting early.

Students know that they can take the SAT as many times as they want and (most) colleges will never know how many times they have taken the test.  When the time comes for students to submit their scores to colleges, they can choose their highest scores, often even “super-scoring” (mixing and matching) so colleges consider their best Math score from one test and their best Reading/Writing score from another test.

Is a College Degree Worth the Cost?

Is a college degree worth the cost?  Articles, studies and reports constantly highlight the high cost of a college education and the resulting debt with which so many college graduates find themselves encumbered. The question inevitably raised is whether the ends justify the means.  Do college graduates, despite their debt, find themselves better off than their peers who bypassed the college route?

While there are exceptions to every rule, statistics clearly show that, for most students, the more you learn the more you earn.  Analysis of U.S. Census data for 2019 indicated that, in every state, median weekly earnings was closely correlated with the level of the one’s education.  Nationwide, the median weekly salary of those with a high school diploma was $730, those with an associate’s degree was $862, those with a bachelor’s degree was $1,198, those with a master’s degree was $1,434, and those with a doctoral degree was $1,825 – two and half times the weekly salary of high school graduates with no further education.

College Internships May Be Key To Career Success

Some of the most intriguing companies to students preparing to enter the job market – Facebook, Amazon, Google and Microsoft – are offering internships with monthly salaries topping at $8,000. 

While it’s the experience, in the long run, that is the most valuable, it’s always a plus to students when they are paid for their internships and some companies are compensating students most generously.  The employment website Glassdoor recently listed the highest paying internships over the past year and found that tech companies comprised 44% of the list, with finance and consulting firms close behind.

The social media company, Facebook, paid interns at a median monthly rate of $8,000, while Amazon, Salesforce, Google, Microsoft, Uber, Bloomberg LP, and Capital One all paid at a median monthly rate varying between $7,725 and $7,000.

Understanding College “Yield” Can Have Big Rewards

Virginia Tech, a highly regarded university most popular for its engineering programs, did an amazing job this year of successfully identifying which applicants would enroll if accepted.  It did too good of a job, in fact.  Virginia Tech is experiencing a historically high “yield rate” – which is the percent of accepted students who actually enroll.   About 8,000 students accepted offers to enroll for the fall of 2019 while the university was targeting an enrollment between 6,600 and 6,700 students. 

Virginia Tech addressed the situation by sending an email to the accepted students last week offering financial incentives to those who would agree to postpone their enrollment date.  It offered funding for community college classes, internships, gap years, and summer sessions at Virginia Tech to accepted students who would delay their arrival on campus by a semester or a year.

College Job Can Result in Long Term Financial Gain

Students who work during their college years earn, on average, $20,000 more each year for their first 15 years after graduation than do students who did not hold a job while attending college. That’s the findings of a study recently published by the Education and Employment Research Center at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations.  It reportedly didn’t matter whether the student had worked part time or full time.  

There are several reasons for the wage premium, according to the report.  Some employers value on-the-job experience more than a student’s major or GPA. Also, a job in college can provide students with valuable references and networking connections.  And students who learn early to successfully balance academic and work responsibilities often have valuable time management skills to bring to their professional career.

Six Strategies for Filing Successful Applications

(Part 2 of Column Series)

In last week’s column, the first three strategies were enumerated on how to construct impressive college applications.  The advice was to write an impressive essay, personalize each application, and be sure to cover the basics (such as a solid GPA and notable SAT scores).  This week’s column continues with three additional strategies for increasing the likelihood of getting a “You’re Accepted” letter or email from your colleges of choice.

4) Start constructing a resume early in your high school years so you will have time to fill in the gaps that become evident when you put your life experiences in writing.  You’ll want to be sure to have a category for volunteer work.  Colleges offer limitless opportunities for students to engage in volunteer work, and they know that students who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to helping others during their high school years are much more likely to be altruists during their college years. It’s also ideal to have a “passion project” to highlight on your resume.  Have you launched a business, initiated a profitable charitable drive, written and published a book, hosted an art exhibition, or developed an impressive skill or talent?  Colleges are seeking a well-rounded student body comprised of students who have varying attributes.  Students who develop an impressive resume over the course of their high school years have a powerful tool to include on their college applications.

Six Strategies for Filing Successful Applications

(Part 1 of 2 Column Series)

It’s not a secret that it takes considerable time and effort to compose effective college applications, so there’s no better time than the present for college bound students to embark on the journey. Here are some tips to get started:

1) Write an impressive essay.  Most students start out with the Common Application, which is accepted by more than 700 colleges.  It requires one essay (that can be used for all of the college applications) between 250-650 words.  Students need to think of something they want to share with the college admission people that wouldn’t otherwise come across in their application.  The goal of an effective college essay is to show insight into one’s admirable character, a sense of direction for the future, and a thirst for knowledge and opportunities in the next stage of life. It has already been announced that the Common Application questions for 2019-20 will be the exact same as those offered for the current year.  So students can get to work early, writing and fine-tuning an essay that they are proud of.