Winter Newsletter 2016

Sally Walsh
Happy New Year!

2015 certainly was an eventful year in the world of college admissions and I suspect 2016 will continue to keep us on our toes.  Between the unfolding news from the College Board about the redesigned SAT, the new Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success application platform designed, but not yet released, and the ever-changing landscape of college and university admissions requirements, college counselors have been busy.  Here at Dunbar, we strive to stay well informed to provide you with thoughtful, insightful counsel on navigating this exciting process. 

Best Wishes for a healthy and happy 2016!
 
Sally Walsh, Editor
Dunbar Class of 2016 Early Results:
Congratulations to our seniors who received acceptances in the Early Action and Early Decision application rounds! We are especially proud of them because these were the toughest early pools that we have ever seen. While the number of early applications increased at many, if not most, colleges, the colleges themselves did not increase the numbers of early admits and in some cases, accepted fewer. As a result, the percentages of students accepted from these pools dropped, resulting in higher deferral and denial rates.

We continue to see the importance of demonstrated interest on the student's part. This includes campus visits and interviews (with an admissions officer or alumni), meeting with admissions representatives at either college fairs or while they are visiting high schools, applying Early Decision or Restricted/Single Choice Early Action and opening admissions office emails.
News from the College Board:

Shelly Levine
Shelly Levine attended the College Board Forum in Washington, D.C. in early November and came away with interesting insights on the new SAT and PSAT, reactions to the Coalition's new application, and trends in college admissions. I had a chance to talk to Shelly after her visit.

Sally: (SW): What were the hot topics at the College Board forum this year?

Shelly (SL): Diversity is more important than ever to colleges, particularly socio-economic and international. As much as 40% of the admits at some universities are "diversity admits."

Affordability and retention were also talked about a lot. Colleges are working hard at becoming more efficient and more affordable. They are beginning to ask, "How many
rock climbing walls are enough?" In addition, because of the huge expense of financial aid, colleges are more concerned than ever about retention and graduation rates.

SW: Was there much talk about the new application platform developed by a group of 80+ colleges and universities (the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success*) and what was the buzz about it in the audience? (*see below for more information on this)

SL: Yes! The most highly attended meeting of the day was, no surprise, on the Coalition and its application platform. The Locker component will be available in April 2016 and they plan to launch the application in the summer of 2016. What I find puzzling is the Collaboration Platform. This is intended to enable students to get advice from colleges and local college alumni on what to keep in the locker and answers to questions on such things as what courses to take in high school. I seriously doubt this will benefit the underserved population they are aiming for and will likely increase stress on 9th and 10th graders.

Interesting bit of trivia I learned: The Coalition idea came from conversations generated by the problems with the Common Application a few years ago. Some colleges and universities thought they needed an alternate application and so the idea was born. It was only later that they articulated the rationale for it by claiming they were aiming to reach the underserved.

SW: What did you learn about the new testing, both the PSAT and the new SAT?

SL: PSATs will now be scored to be predictive of what a student's score will be on the SATs so students can track their progress (the PSAT math and reading and writing sections will be scored on a 160 to 760 scale and the related SAT sections will have maximum scores of 800.) The score report has also been simplified with a more detailed "skills insight" section. Students can link their PSAT scores to their Khan Academy accounts (KhanAcademy.org). Khan will then develop an individualized SAT preparation program for the student. Regarding the new SAT, the recommendation I heard was for students to do lots of evidence-supported reading to prepare. For example read The New York Times editorials; examine pictures and graphs in textbooks and relate them to text; and become familiar with US history documents.

College Board advises that concordance tables comparing the new SAT scores to ACT scores will be available by May 2016. Juniors taking the March SAT will not get their scores back until May.

SW: Any other takeaways from the meetings?

SL: International student populations will continue to increase for two reasons: money and the dwindling US college-age population. And I learned that demonstrated interest will not get you in but lack of it can keep you out. Simply put, open all emails from all your colleges and maintain relationships with the colleges on your list throughout the fall. Visit and schedule an interview, if possible. Colleges do keep track!

Thanks Shelly for all the valuable information!

Breaking News Regarding the PSATs!
 
PSAT scores from the October test were released in early January and the changes in format and scores have resulted in varying reactions from our families. Here are our initial thoughts on how to think about these results and we have also included links to articles that explore the new PSAT results in greater detail.

PSAT scores for sophomores provide an interesting read on how a particular student seems to do in this test format.  If the results are surprisingly low compared to the student's general academic performance, extra attention to test preparation may be needed as they approach testing in the junior year.  This year we are less able to determine which students might have a shot at National Merit recognition as juniors based on their sophomore year performance since this is a new format with new scoring and we can't compare these selection indices with prior indices.  Stay tuned!
 
The best use of PSAT scores for juniors is to indicate how the student fared in this new test format. However, if a student is taking the ACT and has not achieved the ACT test scores they hoped for by the end of the spring, strong scores on the PSAT could lead one to consider re-grouping over the summer to prepare to take the SAT in the fall. 

In addition, as parents, students and counselors examine the scores, the scores and percentiles may appear to be higher than expected. Why? Because the new PSAT scores were based on a "Nationally Representative Sample" which shows how the student's score compares to ALL juniors in the country, including those who might not typically take the test. They do report a user percentile which would compare scores to students who typically take the test, but these are only available online.

It is important to note that these new scores are for a different test with a different scale and to help make sense of these comparisons, the College Board created a concordance table for end-users:

Concordance Tables 
 
Valuable articles to read to learn more:
More information about The Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success: 

This new application platform, announced in October 2015, has caught the attention of the media. Below are links to articles that discuss the reasoning behind this new application and some concerns about it.

At Dunbar, we understand that any new application, particularly one designed by these popular 80+ colleges and universities, could be significant for our students. We will follow the news of the unfolding of this application platform closely, understanding that much more work needs to be done before it is ready to be released. Continue to look for updates in future newsletters!

First, a few definitions taken from their official website: (http://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/how.html)

"Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success":
This is a new organization led by college admissions directors from 80 + colleges and universities that has organized to develop an application for all students that "encourages reflection and self-discovery."

The Platform is made of three components:

"Locker": The student maintains a virtual locker that could contain academic documents, supplemental essays, artwork, videos and information about extracurricular activities, beginning in 9th grade.

"Collaboration Platform": Student collaborates and shares locker materials with mentors, teachers and guidance counselors.

"Application Portal": Relevant student data feeds into application portal and student can select what goes to which institution.

Laura Pappano in this piece in The New York Times captures the intentions of the new platform and some of the questions surrounding it:

William Fitzsimmons, the admissions dean at Harvard, and others have voiced concerns about the new application platform developed by the Coalition (of which Harvard is a member) and he reveals in this piece from the Harvard Crimson that much more work needs to be done on this alternative application before it is unrolled.

 
Thinking of Transferring?
Each year we hear from a few students who, for a variety of reasons, express an interest in seeking to transfer to another college or university. We hear such reasons as: "I feel as though I need a bigger (or smaller) school;" "I've decided on my major and feel as though I'd be better served at another school;" "my college is not living up to my expectations" or "I'd really rather be going to a college where the weather is warmer, colder or in a different geographical part of the U.S., or beyond."

Refer to this link from last year's newsletter that will provide you with more important details about transferring:
The Book Corner: 
What to read about college admissions:
old_hard_cover_books.jpg
Where You Go Is Not Who You Will Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni

Writer for The New York Times, Bruni provides a convincing argument, using data and supporting details, that where young people attend college matters less than the effort they bring to their academic experience. Despite providing some scary examples of just how out of control the college admissions process has become, he offers a sane understanding of how we got here and how to try to stay afloat in this journey. Recommended reading for parents, students, and counselors!
Did you know?
The University of Southern California will use
the essay portion of the SAT for placement only, not admissions. 
The Common App has created an app for the Iphone.  Students will be able to get reminder messages of due dates. 

Case Western University favors applicants who declare a major.  "Undecided" is not advisable. 
Trinity College and George Washington University no longer require the SAT or ACT for students applying for undergraduate admission.  They join other colleges who are choosing to make standardized tests optional and encouraging students and counselors to look beyond scores.  For a complete list of test optional colleges, see
www.fairtest.org
As always, please contact any of our consultants at Dunbar Educational Consultants with any questions you may have.

Or call us by phone: (203) 972-0730
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