What are Colleges Doing about Grade Inflation

Posted on November 2, 2010 by admin

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College Admissions Help from a College Admissions Advisor

College Admission Counselors are reporting that high school grade inflation is creating a big challenge for many college admissions committees. In the past, colleges could generally rely on a consistent 4.0 scale that was fairly uniform in most institutions to assess high school performance.

With competitiveness for college admissions increasing at the student, family, and high school level, college admissions counselors there have been some important shifts in how high schools are reporting grades to college admissions committees.

Some of the new “trends” from high schools that universities and college admissions committees are finding disturbing:

Not providing the applicants high school class rank on college admissions applications to colleges which makes it hard to compare relative high school performance.

Changing high school grading scales to make it harder for college admissions professionals to compare between schools. College admissions advisor Kevin Vaughn sees this trend increasing at a rapid pace.

Weighting certain classes differently than others. Although this grading system is designed to advantage students who take a heavy AP, IB and honors courseload, it again works against fair and balanced assessment of high school performance.

Allowing the average GPA to drift upwards. One college admission counselor group reports that over the last three years, average GPAs have risen by nearly 11%.

So what are colleges doing to combat the trend of students trying to increase college chances of admission? Two main shifts to increase college chances are prevalent. First, standardized college admissions test scores are taking on increased role in college admittance decisioning. A noted college admission consultant reported that the SAT, ACT, and PSAT are carrying more weight in college admission chances than ever before not because they are better indicators of college success, rather they are a way to differentiate students who no longer can be differentiated from high school grades.

Secondarily, colleges are focusing more on the intangibles. Those components which make up the Admit Insights Candidate Strength ScoreTM – areas like extracurriculars, community involvement, athletics, demonstration of leadership, etc.

College applicants should work with their college counselors and informal college advisors ensure as they focus on creating a great admissions profile, they keep adequate emphasis on both grades/standardized tests and the other “softer components” that make them a whole candidate in the eyes of the admissions committee.

Jamie Warder

www.AdmitInsights.com

Admit Insights

Jamie@admitinsights.com

Tips About Selecting Colleges

Posted on October 16, 2010 by admin

Choosing a college is not an easy task it involves pre planning and seems like a monumental task. Major section while choosing a college is depend upon your interested course, type of field, fees structure, latest course contents and so on. As fees structure, course content, study environment, lectures, seminars, faculties all are varies from one college to another. Of course, every one has his or her own choice while selecting college, different colleges having different preferences and will be like differently by everyone, since everyone has different needs. The following are some steps for a successful college search. Different colleges offer vastly different experiences, diversity in degree programs and cost a wide range of prices.

list of colleges in pune

There are some colleges while selecting college like,

First, make a choice whether to opt private or government college, while selecting this competition, fees structure, faculties, reputation all matters. Decide how much you can afford to pay for college, and look at the colleges in this range that suits your budget and pocket. Different Colleges have different fees structure, and you can pay many times more for one over another.

Look at the course content that will match with your interest and field. Look into what the schools actually offer. Also look whether they offer latest course content as per the market trends or not. It would be very great and helpful if you consult with someone who already went there or already studying in that particular college. Personal recommendations are often the best way in order to select quality college. Just remember that everyone has different views and suggestion about the college so, take decision after getting strong consultation with different peoples who are already connected to different colleges.

Location of college is also matters it means if you are in outside city area then select college as per accommodation or boarding system in nearby area of college. Therefore, before leaving home town first decide and check all the points regarding living environment and accommodation system in the college city.

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Certain colleges have particular programs and degree courses that they specialize in. Like for nursing, architecture, pharmacy, journalism, media instructor and other professional courses need education from specialize colleges. Therefore, if you concern about all these types of job oriented short term courses, certification, diplomas you can select according to that.

Before selecting college check recruit and internship programs and services conducted by particular college. Analyze there previous recruitment records and select according to that how it is famous within the corporate market at international standard.

Two-Year Colleges: An Often-Overlooked Alternative To Four-Year Institutions

Posted on September 23, 2010 by admin

What if you want to play college sports but aren’t a four-year college prospect out of high school? Wonder if your grades or SAT/ACT scores aren’t good enough to get you accepted to a four-year college? Maybe your athletic skills need more polishing? Or, perhaps you want to save money?

Attending a two-year community college (also called junior college in some areas) is an excellent alternative to four-year institutions. Most community colleges have competitive sports programs where you can grow physically as well as socially, and improve your level of athletic and academic performance cost-effectively before continuing on for a four-year degree.

While not all community colleges offer sports scholarships, some do. You can contact the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) to inquire.

But, even if the community college you want to attend does not offer sports scholarships, the overall expenses are usually much less than at four-year schools. According to the College Board’s annual publication, Trends in College Pricing, 2008: tuition and fees at two-year colleges average ,402 per year; ,585 at public four-year colleges (in-state) and private universities, ,000. This does not include room and board and other expenses.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when you’re trying to decide between a two-year and four-year institution:

1) Am I socially secure? Am I mature enough to go away from home, live and study on my own, make new friends, etc?

2) Are my family’s finances sufficient to pay my college expenses? If not, is there enough other financial assistance available?

3) Am I academically prepared? Can I compete scholastically at the four-year college level?

4) Do I know what I want to major in? If not, have I at least identified my strong areas of interest?

5) Can I compete in my sport at the four-year level, based on my physical maturation, level of competition and skill level?

If you can answer “yes” to most or all these questions, apply to a four-year college. But, if your answers are mostly “no” then seriously consider going the community college route.

Advantages Of Getting Trained In Career Colleges With Papsa Membership

Posted on September 22, 2010 by admin

There are countless numbers of career colleges available today. However, the career colleges of Pennsylvania are known to be the best for many reasons. One of the advantages of getting trained in the career colleges of Pennsylvania is that, you don’t have to wait for getting into an aspiring career. The Pennsylvania career colleges offer great career assistance which enables you to step into the very best career as soon as you complete your training. The quality of the training is the next benefit that you can get out of the career colleges of Pennsylvania. With well experienced faculty and hands on practical classes, these career colleges of Pennsylvania feed the students with the most updated information to shine in their career. The main attraction of the career colleges of Pennsylvania is the PAPSA membership. PAPSA is the one and only organization to represent all the for-profit colleges of Pennsylvania. Just keep reading on the article to know more about PAPSA and the advantages of getting trained in the career colleges with a PAPSA membership.

What is PAPSA?
The Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators (PAPSA) is an organization representing 320+ private career colleges and schools in the Pennsylvania area. PAPSA is dedicated to provide the top quality education for the candidates getting trained in the schools and career colleges of Pennsylvania. PAPSA has provided great assistance to many career colleges in the past few years by offering the most wanted professional development programs to the career college faculty and students. Career colleges of Pennsylvania with a PAPSA membership are the best places to get quality education in this planet.

What advantages can students get, by Joining Career colleges/ schools with PAPSA membership?
There are countless numbers of benefits that a student and the college can get out of joining PAPSA. The candidates of the career colleges of Pennsylvania with a PAPSA membership will get the best quality education available in this planet. With the assistance of the PAPSA membership, the career colleges will be able to provide industry exposure to the candidates during the training period itself. PAPSA will also be providing various seminars on Job specific skills to the students and faculty to get the updated information about every industry.

Advantages for colleges in getting a PAPSA membership
Not only the students, the career colleges of Pennsylvania can also get many benefits out of the PAPSA membership. Apart from getting assistance to provide the best quality education, the career colleges of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg can get financial assistance too. PAPSA also provides much needed professional development programs (total of 15 programs every year) provided to the faculty, student services staff, directors and admissions personnel.

Bottom Line
Various services provided by PAPSA for the job training schools and career colleges, make Pennsylvania the best place in this planet to get career education.

Are Online Colleges Right for You?

Posted on August 29, 2010 by admin

So, you’ve been thinking about advancing your education so that you can gain that extra earning power that college graduates enjoy. It is well known that college graduates have a lower risk of unemployment, enjoy better job quality, are more likely to be in high-level positions and have much greater promotion prospects because of their advanced level of education. Perhaps you already have your bachelors and want to get your masters so that you are ready for greater opportunities that come your way. No matter what degree level you want to pursue, you can do it all from the comfort of your home through online degree programs offered by online colleges.

If you are considering studying for an online college degree, then you are not alone. Online colleges and universities are becoming very popular as more and more people are realizing the benefits of online learning. Pursuing a college degree online is an advantageous way to study as you can learn at your own pace and on your own time. But even with all the advantages of pursing an online college degree, is an online college right for you?

Pursuing an online college degree is not for everyone. You need to have the right characteristics to study for an online college degree. Some of the characteristics needed when pursuing an online college degree are:

Self-motivation & Self-discipline

Ability to prioritize

Ability to set your own goals

Good reading comprehension

Self-Motivation & Self-Discipline

You need to be highly self-motivated and self-disciplined and thus, be able to work without supervision. Since you don’t have a set class times at online colleges, it will be up to you to set your own studying times. It will help if you plan out your day and carve the same specific time each day to study. Self-discipline is required so you resist the urge of other distractions in your home such as doing the laundry, washing the dishes or watching TV. Self-discipline will also help you stick to your deadlines.

Ability to Prioritize

If you are choosing to pursue an online college degree, then it is probably because you have many other commitments to juggle such as work and family. Once you have made the commitment to attend an online college, then you must keep in mind that your education is just as an important of a commitment. With that mentioned, you should possess the ability to prioritize your schedule.

Just because online college degree programs are flexible, this does not mean the courses are easy, nor does it mean you can procrastinate class assignments and projects. With the many other commitments you have, it is important to prioritize your schedule, set deadlines, and as mentioned above, stick to the deadlines you set.

Ability to Set Your Own Goals

As with getting a degree through a traditional campus college, it is easy to fall off track without clear goals. Thus it is important to set both short-term and long-term goals when you pursue an online college degree. Some online colleges allow you to get a degree at your own pace and your pace will determine whether you get your online college degree in two years or ten years. When you pursue an online college degree you should set reasonable short-term goals such as taking 6-8 units (or as much as you can take) per quarter or semester. These short-term goals will help you reach your long-term goal with ease and will show the progress you are making towards achieving your long-term goal.

Good Reading Comprehension

A good level of reading comprehension is needed as online colleges teach primarily through written material written at college level. While you may have interaction with your classmates and/or instructor, the interaction will be done primarily through e-mail, chat rooms, and message boards.

If you find it difficult to attend college courses on campus, attending an online college is a great way to earn your degree. With online colleges and universities, you now have the opportunity to advance your education without having to push aside previous commitments. Just keep these characteristics in mind and you can be successful in advancing your education by earning your college degree online.

Top Academic and Admission Strategies for Colleges

Posted on August 15, 2010 by admin

With the rising cost of college, it is important to utilize as many cost cutting strategies as possible. Let’s explore some top academic and admission strategies to help reduce the cost of college.

1.Career Planning

Career planning is often overlooked during the college planning process. However, this is one of the most important decisions that students will make. Without proper career planning, many students take 5-6 years to complete a degree. Many students receive degrees in declining growth fields or fields with a surplus of applicants and cannot find employment after graduation.

However, this can play a critical role in reducing the overall cost of college. A contributing factor in the college dropout and transfer rates is a lack of career planning and a failure to make college decisions based on career goals. Research by the US Dept of Education and American College Testing show that each year, approximately 50% of college freshman leave the college in which they first enrolled. Of the dropouts, about 30% transfer to other colleges at least once, and 20% transfer twice and typically take 6 or more years to complete a 4-year program.

Students who receive career planning prior to college selection and attendance have few major changes and college transfers, graduate on time, and tend to be more goal- and academic-focused. You may want to check out web-based career planning services at www.careerdimension.com and www.myroad.com.

2. Use Smart Admission Strategies

Apply where the student is academically above the incoming freshman class profile. Private colleges place a premium on good students and will often use tuition discounts to attract them to their campuses.

Apply for admission early. The student should submit an application to the college as soon as possible in the senior year of high school (September through December). After a college begins to fill the upcoming year’s freshman class, the need for the college to offer a tuition discount diminishes. Colleges need to complete their enrollment quotas as early as possible, so they often offer scholarships (tuition discounts) to the students who apply early (even students who do not qualify for need-based aid).

Apply to schools that have a low enrollment yield factor. The lower a college’s enrollment yield (yield percentage), the higher the probability of the student receiving tuition discounts. The enrollment yield is calculated by dividing the number of students enrolled by the number of students admitted. Enrollment is key to a college’s survival. Many colleges select students for admission to their school, only to have them enroll in another school. The colleges have a constant battle to fill seats every year (lesser-known private colleges are even more challenged because they must compete with the low cost of public universities and the popularity of the elite private schools).

The student should also apply to private colleges. Many private colleges have declining enrollments due to their high cost and competition from low-cost universities and popular elite private colleges. These colleges often give a tuition discount to students to fill empty seats at the college. Private colleges must compete with less-expensive, state-subsidized public universities.

Many private colleges offer incredible financial award packages to attract good students. Plus they offer smaller class sizes, which increase the student’s chance of attaining a degree in four years. Be sure to include a few private colleges in your selection process. You might be surprised with the outcome.

The student should apply to six to eight colleges. Do not limit your ability to negotiate the price of college. Apply to several colleges to maximize your financial opportunities. By applying to several colleges, the student is given the opportunity to receive a tuition discount from one college and use that discount to ask for a comparative discount, or better, from the college the student prefers to attend. Try to pick at least several schools where your child lies in the top 25% of the incoming freshman class. This strategy is more applicable to students attending private colleges.

If the student is planning to attend a private college, the student should create competition between colleges. The following types of colleges will create competition for your child:

A college in the same athletic conference

The student should apply to colleges that are competitive in the same area or location, athletic conference, or intellectual fields. The most competition often occurs between colleges that are in the same athletic conference.

An in-state public university

Even though you plan to go to a private college, always apply to a good in-state public university. The public university’s low cost may force the private college to offer a tuition discount to make its cost competitive with the public university’s cost. Low-cost public universities are the private colleges’ main competition.

A similar college outside of the student’s region of residency

The student should apply to similar private colleges that are located outside of the student’s region of residency. Most private colleges try to achieve regional diversity in its student body. The college may offer tuition discounts to entice students who are located in a different region.

3. Use the CLEP Program and AP Tests to Reduce the Cost of College

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a widely accepted credit-by-examination program in the United States today. Although Advanced Placement (AP) courses are usually taken by above-average students, CLEP exams seem to benefit the average student and also the non-traditional (adult ed) student. The CLEP examinations are a series of examinations in undergraduate college courses that provide the student with the opportunity to demonstrate college-level achievement and achieve college credit. The examinations, which are sponsored by the College Board, are administered at colleges year-round. All CLEP exams are delivered on computer, providing test takers with instant score results. Be sure to check the college’s CLEP policy before taking any exam. The CLEP program can help students save time, save money, and advance to more specialized courses.

Perhaps the easiest and most effective way for a student to stand out academically for admissions is to score well on Advanced Placement (AP) tests offered by the College Board (www.collegeboard.com). While these studies are for the academically gifted student, they can represent real dollar reductions in the cost of college. The student can receive a full year’s credit and be granted sophomore standing from more than 1,400 higher education institutions by earning satisfactory grades on enough AP Examinations.

Learn about Virginia Colleges

Posted on August 10, 2010 by admin

As a reader makes progress in his reading ability, he checks his progress and analyses his speed reading abilities and evaluate his comprehension level. A speed reader usually considers what he is going to get from any reading material, initially scanning through the content to familiarise himself with the content, then go on to carefully consider some unclear statements after completing the reading exercise. For instance, some of the diseases that causes serious illness such as hay Fever, Asthma and Cholera are a result of infection from Dust mites.

Few 20%, instead of siding with the Trivial Many 80%. Remember it as the difference between Skimming and Scanning. Dr. Norman Weinsberger, University of California, Irvine, November 2006, Journal of Neurobiology of Learning and Memory has produced the first study linking the level of Acetylcholine (ACh) as the neurotransmitter responsible for the amount of detail encoded in long-term memory. The nucleus basalis area of the brain triggers the acetylcholine (Ach) for memory priming. To be a good speed reader, you need to implement some strategies. And these strategies need practice upon practice to make them work very well. When you are starting out, do not set unachievable goals such as trying to read and complete a big volume book in a single day. Instead of helping you to achieve speed reading, it will only frustrate your efforts. I would recommend say reading a chapter each and every day to make it interesting for you. In reading, the focus should be on understanding the contents of a material in a limited time. Dentate (tooth-like) Gyrus (ring), a serrated piece of brain structure, wrapped around your Hippocampus (Sea Horse shape) area, located in the Limbic System. When the MITs engineered a mouse without this receptor for a key neurotransmitter (hormone-like) in the Dentate Gyrus, the poor mouser had no new memories to save. He/she could not recognize or recall new locations. To humans as well as mice ? environmental recall is life itself because it is how we remember the episodes of our daily existence.

Colleges in Michigan facts

Posted on August 10, 2010 by admin

Full information colleges in Michigan

Today you join an exclusive club, with 2 million others, including the White House staffs of four U.S. Presidents. These people have the Competitive Edge over their peers in the areas of knowledge and learning. The primary benefit of Speedlearning 100 for both college and graduate-school students is Acing your courses and exams. In your career,SpeedLearners are placed on the Fast-Track for promotions because they are Masters of Learning and Knowledge, and have practical strategies for success. 2.Since your eyes move over the words, and do not rest your eye to read word by word, you will automatically learn to fill in the gaps. In time not only do you learn to read faster, but also comprehend the information faster, which helps in increasing your recall abilities. There are many different kinds of reading material to select when learning how to speed read, but one of the best types to consider is a book with solid material. To train the brain to read at a faster rate, a book containing less ‘flowery’ language is highly recommended. This is because a book with concrete information consists of fewer repeated and redundant words, which adds to a slower rate of gathering information and details. Lizard! (widen your eye-span to include peripheral vision) while reading not only permits you to triple (3x) your learning speed, it improves your brain functions. There is new research in September 2007 to confirm reducing up to 40% your risk of Alzheimer, and increase your potential for an additional nine years of longevity.

Career Colleges of America-career Education and Medical Schools

Posted on August 7, 2010 by admin

As the economy suffers, many people are interested in finding a new career. Sometimes this is a personal choice, and sometimes, like in the case of people who have lost their jobs or have gotten laid off, it is a necessity. There are certain types of careers which become at risk when the economy takes a turn for the worse. A career in the medical field is not one of those risks. If anything, a career in the medical field can be expected to increase in demand overtime, regardless of our economic situation. That is because the medical needs of the population are not necessarily driven by the status of the economy. As the population grows the need for highly trained and qualified medical workers will rise.

The Healthcare Job Outlook for 2008/2009 describes new job growth from 2006 – 2016 as excellent with over 3 million new jobs added for the period. As well, the projected salary increase is 22% compared to just 11% for other industries combined.

The Department of Labor shows similar findings, projecting that medical assistant jobs are expected to increase over 35 percent over the next decade, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The health care industry is expanding as our population grows and ages, and as technology advances, so will the need for highly trained health care workers such as a surgical assistant medical assistant, vocational nurse, computerized office assist, and so on.

A career in the medical field has been referred to as “recession-proof.” Few industries can boast this kind of employment outlook. If you’ve been laid off in another work field, this should not be a concern for you in considering starting training in a medical career. It is highly unusual for medical layoffs to occur.

And if you are considering a career in the medical field, even if you have no medical training, or even a GED, it is best to get started right away, in order to take advantage of this growing industry. Medical career college courses are available for every type of lifestyle. You will receive hands on training, job placement assistance, and in some cases even financial aid. The career choices are nearly unlimited, from vocational nursing programs, to diagnostic medical sonographer training, to pharmacy technician careers, and so much more. Take your first step towards that new career today!

Kevin Cokley Education

Education & Early learning centre

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