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Wednesday, June 10, 2020

College Prep 101 College Admissions Glossary of Terms

Learn the College Admissions Lingo Before Starting Your College Prep Ready to start your college prep but not sure what some of the college admissions lingo means? We’re here to help. The college admissions process can be confusing to many families, and it doesn’t help that there’s a whole new set of terms and phrases related to the process that many are not familiar with. At we aim to make applying to college as easy as possible by bringing families that latest college admissions news and information every week. Below are some common college admissions terms that college bound families should become familiar with when beginning their college prep. ACT – A standardized test used by college admissions officers to evaluate prospective students. The test has four sections: English, Math, Science, and Reading and an optional essay, and is scored out of 36 points. You can learn more about the ACT here. Admission Rate – The percentage of applicants who are admitted to a particular college. A sample of admission rates can be found here. Advanced Placement (AP) – A program coordinated by the College Board whereby high schools offer college-level courses with specific curricula in a large number of academic fields. Participating students have the option of taking an AP exam at the end of the course to demonstrate knowledge and potentially earn college credit. Coalition Application – An online application for admission created by the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success (CAAS) that is accepted by over 90 universities in the US. It is a newer platform that was launched in 2016. The CAAS application platform has a number of tools, including the locker, where students can store essays, projects, and other materials for review by counselors and admissions officers, the application itself, and resources for students who may have limited access to college prep materials and guidance. Common Application – An online application for admission that is accepted by over 600 universities in the US, Canada, UK, and more. It can be accessed online here. Some colleges also require a school-specific supplement, which can ask for additional information like essays, short-answer questions, and more. Demonstrated Interest - A student’s level of interest and commitment to attending the institution to which he or she is applying as shown through visits, contact with the admissions office, application essays, and more. Deferred Admission – An admission outcome wherein a student who has applied for early admission is not accepted or rejected, rather their application is reconsidered within the regular admission pool, and a decision on acceptance or rejection is revealed with other regular decision applications in the spring. Learn more about deferrals here. Early Action – An application option that typically allows students to apply by November 1 or November 15 and receive an admission decision by December 15 that does not bind the student to attend if admitted. Early Decision – An application option that typically allows students to apply by November 1 or November 15 and receive an admission decision by December 15 that commits the student to attend if admitted. FAFSA – Abbreviation for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is used to determine eligibility for federal financial aid. Only US students qualify for federal financial aid, however some colleges may ask international applicants to complete the FAFSA in order to assess financial need. Financial Aid – Money given or lent to students by a school or the US government to help cover the cost of college (international students generally are not eligible for financial aid). GPA – Grade point average, which is a number that represents the average value of final grades accumulated over all years of high school completed thus far. GPAs can be weighted, meaning advanced courses give students a numerical advantage, or unweighted, meaning all courses are given the same values regardless of rigor. Informed Interest – A subset of demonstrated interest, which is meant to show how informed a students is about a particular college or degree program. Students can demonstrate informed interest by writing detailed â€Å"why this college† essays that mention specific courses, professors, and more. They can also demonstrate informed interest in interviews, supplemental essays, and more. Need-Blind/Need-Aware Admission – Colleges that have â€Å"need-blind† admissions policies do not take students’ financial needs into consideration when making admission decisions. Colleges that have â€Å"need-aware† admissions policies do consider students’ financial needs when making admission decisions. PSAT/NMSQT - ThePSAT/NSMQTis a preliminary version of the SAT. It is meant to prepare students for taking the SAT (or ACT) by simulating a shorter version of the exam, exposing students to relevant testing material, and showing students where they need to improve in order to reach their goal score on the SAT. The PSAT/NMSQT is also the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). This means that students who obtain a certain score on the PSAT can qualify for National Merit Scholarships, which can go a long way toward financing your college education. Regular Decision – An application option that involves applying by a late fall or early winter deadline in exchange for an admission decision the following spring. Rolling Admission – An application option by which colleges review and make decisions about applications as they are received. The application cycle usually opens in early fall and may extend into the spring or until the freshmen class is filled. SAT– A standardized test used by college admissions officers to evaluate prospective students. The test contains three sections: math, reading, and writing, and an optional essay section. The exam is scored out of 1600 points. You can learn more here. SAT Subject Test – SAT Subject Tests are standardized tests used to demonstrate proficiency or knowledge in one of 20 specific subject areas. You can learn more about SAT Subject Tests here. SCEA – Single-choice early action (SECA) is an early application option that is similar to EA in that you are not bound to attend if accepted. However, with the SCEA restriction, you cannot apply early to any other school, be it early decision or early action, until you have heard back from your SCEA school. After you receive the school’s decision of acceptance, deferral, or denial, you may apply to other schools Score Choice – A score reporting option used by the College Board which allows students who have taken the SAT multiple times, or SAT Subject Test, to choose which test date for the SAT or which individual Subject Test score they would like to send to colleges, rather than sending scores from every time they’ve taken the exam. Test-Optional – A test-optional college either doesn’t require SAT or ACT scores for admission, or deemphasizes the importance of SAT and ACT scores in the admissions process. Learn more about test-optional and test-flexible colleges here. Waitlist – A group of students held in reserve after a college makes its admissions decisions. If openings occur, students on the waitlist may be offered admission. Learn more about waitlist decisions here. Yield – The percentage of students offered admission to a college who subsequently enroll. Here’s a sampling of yield rates from some of the country’s top universities. Is there an admissions term you’ve come across that we missed? Tell us in the comments below!

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

How to Choose High School Research Paper Topics

How to Choose High School Research Paper TopicsThere are many lists of high school research paper topics available on the internet. Some lists have categories such as science and technology, history, economics, humanities, social sciences, and so on. These are all good subjects for your research paper. These topics will help you when you are filling out the information on your project.You should decide first what type of subject you would like to do first. For example, do you want to write a report on physics? Do you want to write a report on chemistry? Your list of high school research paper topics should contain one subject that is similar to the topic you wish to study.A good way to check out which lists of high school research paper topics to choose from is to browse through them. You may be able to find a list of high school research paper topics that cover a variety of subjects that are similar to the topic you wish to study. This way you can try out the lists to see if they pr ovide enough information for you. You should also look at the comments other students have left on these lists of high school research paper topics to determine whether the topics and subjects covered are truly related to the subject you wish to research.Another good source for information is other research papers. Look for papers that cover the same topic you are researching. You may find some key points that you want to incorporate into your research. Look for references to the topic on other research papers. This can be very helpful.Other sources for information about research paper topics include your teacher or guidance counselor. They may have some of their own ideas about the topic you are interested in. They may be able to direct you to a list of high school research paper topics. They may even be able to give you advice about how to go about choosing the right topic for your research.A great list of research paper topics is also available in your school library. If you are lucky, your school library may be able to offer you a special project or research topic. The main advantage of using a library is that they tend to have more than one copy of every topic you will need for your research. This makes it easier to get the book you need to complete your research. The library will also be able to offer you a little assistance in finding the topic you need.There are special classes that can help you with your research. If you wish to specialize in your chosen topic, ask the class how to find a list of high school research paper topics. Specialty classes may help you by going over specific topics. One advantage of having a class is that you can make up your own research paper topic to fit your needs.Finally, consider making use of the books and websites available for research paper topics. These sources tend to have much more information than the list of high school research paper topics that you get from the library. If you decide to use the internet as yo ur source of information, make sure that you read the website carefully to ensure that you are getting accurate information.