We spent last week at a conference and I missed a few of my regular blogging days.  I'm making up for them with some extra posts to fill in the gaps, but I also wanted high school counselors who read our blog to know that we'll by typing up the notes from the sessions we attended and bundling them together in a PDF file so you can share them with any members of your counseling staff who weren't able to attend.  Many of the sessions were specific to California (like UC and Cal State updates), but there were lots that could apply to any counselor, like changes to the Common App and guidance to share with students about standardized tests. We did this last year and had great feedback from counselors. 

It will probably take us a week to put the packet together, but if you're interested, just keep checking our blog–this is the first place we'll share it.   

Jay Mathews of the Washington Post (and the author of Harvard Schmarvard, one of our favorites) has a great take on visiting college campuses.  I've shared it before, but since he's bringing the topic back up, I'll go ahead and share it again.  Here's his latest post. 

His idea that you can just see what you want to see on college campuses, that you can have a little fun without toting a clipboard and taking notes, also works for counselors. 

Katie shared a great article with us about colleges with strong programs for students with learning disabilities.  You can read the article here.  

This year's Common Application will launch on August 1, 2010.   That's about a month later than it usually releases, which means that if you're planning any summer workshops where students fill out the application, you may need to adjust your dates. 

But you can take a look at the preview version here. 

Occasionally, a family will ask us if a student's chances of admission will improve if she selects an odd major.  The thinking here is that there are so many "business" and "psychology" and "engineering" majors applying to college, you might have a better chance in a lot less popular major, like "forestry" or "food science" or "viticulture" (it's wine making, and don't laugh–it's a real major).

And yes, this can improve your chances…if you've walked your talk. 

A student who's shown a real interest in forestry, who's taken AP Bio and AP chemistry, who's volunteered for the parks service over the summer, who gives tours of the local wilderness park on the weekend, and who has a great answer to the "Why are you applying to this college?" question that includes a good knowledge of the forestry program, that student has an advantage.  She's a good fit for a program that's not a popular one, and the standards of admission for her might be less rigorous then they would for someone applying as a more popular major.

I'm sure there are cases where a less qualified student applied under an odd major with no intention of ever actually studying "soil science" and managed to slip in.  But is it worth the risk to do that?  Do you want to go to any school badly enough to fake your way in?  That's like pretending to love The Beatles just because a girl you desperately want to date is a huge fan of them.  Sure, it might work, but it's also kind of pathetic.  And just like she might expect you to listen to A Hard Days Night non stop once you're together, what if you have to spend a year or two as a "soil science" major before the college will let you switch.  Is it worth it?  I don't think it is. 

Think a lot about what you want to study in college.  Be a mature college shopper who understands that what you learn in college is important.  Pick colleges that match your interests. And don't try to fake your way in by pretending to be something you're not.  

Some students who aren't sure what they want to study in college worry that colleges might hold that uncertainty against them.  They wonder if applying as an "undecided/undeclared" major makes them less appealing than an applicant who's declaring what she wants to study.

Thankfully, as long as you're applying to the right colleges, you won't have to worry.

Colleges that offer the undecided/undeclared option are perfectly OK with students choosing it.  It's a college's way of telling you that they don't expect every seventeen year-old to know what you want to do with your life.  They'll probably have you take general education requirements, the classes that everyone has to take regardless of their major, so you can try different things.  And as long as you select a major by the end of your sophomore year, you'll be fine.

Not all colleges offer the undecided option.  Lots of schools see their mission as one to help you reach a career that you've identified (Northeastern, Drexel and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are good examples of colleges that do this).  When schools like those ask you what you want to study, you need to have an answer.  

But for colleges that offer an "undecided" option, be confident that you're uncertainty is OK.  If they ask you to describe your academic interests, tell them what you're considering studying and why you'd like to keep your options open.  You should be thinking about those things, but the right colleges won't hold it against you if you don't have an answer yet. 

In my next few posts I'm going to tackle some common questions about if and how the major you select impacts your chances of admission.  I'll start with, "Can the major you pick affect your chances of getting into a college?"

The answer is, "At some colleges, yes."

At some colleges, certain popular majors are "impacted."  "Impacted" majors have more interested students than they can accommodate.  It's like arriving at a party that can hold 50 people, but 100 people are already in line to get in.  It would be much easier to get into one of the other, less popular parties.

Not all colleges have impacted majors.  But those who do usually don't try to keep it a secret.  If you want to know if a major is impacted, a quick call to the admissions office will get you your answer.  

So here's the follow up question.  "If the major I want is impacted, should I apply with a less competitive major and then change once I get there?"

It's important to remember that an impacted major isn't just impacted for high school students who are applying; it's also impacted for students who are already enrolled at the college and hope to get into that major. That means you could spend four years at the college and still not get into your chosen major.

If you're going to college because you want to be a journalist, and you've picked your colleges based on the strength of their journalism programs, it wouldn't make sense for you to apply under a different major to any school just so you can get in.

But if you're just considering a particular major and aren't necessarily sure whether or not you'll like it, you might pick a less popular major at some of your schools so you don't unnecessarily weaken your chances of admission. 

Tomorrow: "Is it OK to apply as an 'undecided' major?"

Students often ask us how the classes and grades from their senior year are factored into colleges' admissions decisions.  Here's the answer. 

1.  Any college you apply to this fall will ask you what classes you're taking, and what classes you plan on taking second semester.  They want to see that you're still challenging yourself. 

2.  Some, but not all, colleges will ask to see your grades from the first semester of your senior year (the 7th semester) before they make an admissions decision.  If you apply to those colleges, the grades you get in your first semester can help or hurt your admissions chances.  Hint: you can go to the admissions sections on colleges' websites and see if they'll ask for 7th semester transcripts for admissions.   

3.  Any college that admits you will ask to see your transcripts from both semesters of your senior year.  If you swapped out your hard classes for easy ones, or if you let your grades drop substantially, that can jeopardize your admission.

So for soon to be seniors, take the hardest classes you can reasonably handle while still enjoying your activities and a good night's sleep most nights.  Keep working hard and showing colleges what you're capable of achieving in your classes.  It will help you get into some schools and keep your admissions valid for any who accept you. 

If you need help in math or science, check out Khan Academy before you hire a tutor.  The founder, Sal Khan, says, "I teach the way I wish I were taught."  His online lessons are available on his YouTube channel…for free.

Here's a short piece from NPR news: 

Students and parents often ask us which program is better, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB).  It's one of those questions for which there is no right answer.  Neither program offers more inherent college admissions advantages than the other.

Jay Mathews, a constant source of reason and just plain good sense on the subject of college admissions, has an interesting article tackling this question.  Here's my favorite part:

"One of my heroes on this issue was Harlan “Harpo” Hanson, a big man
with a dry wit who was once both the director of AP for the College
Board and a force behind the first big grant for IB in the United
States. He had four children. He gave each teen the facts about the two
programs and let them decide. Two chose IB. Two chose AP. In each case,
Hanson said, they made the right decision."