IQx.com – Colleges Information Online

Author: Gem

  • Application Essays

    When a student is writing his/her application essay, there are several aspects to do and not to do.

    Don’t “Thesaurus-ize” Your Essay. Do Use Your Own Voice.
    Admission officers can easily tell Roget from a high school senior. Big words, especially when misused, detract from the essay, inappropriately drawing the reader’s attention and making the essay sound contrived.

    Don’t Bore the Reader. Do Use Interesting Language.
    Admission officers have to read hundreds of essays, and they often skim. They aren’t looking for a new way to view the world; they’re looking for a new way to view the applicant. The best way to grip the reader is to begin the essay with a captivating snapshot.

    Do Use Personal Detail. Show, Don’t Tell.
    Good essays are concrete and grounded in personal detail. They do not merely assert “I learned my lesson” or that “these lessons are useful both on and off the field.” They show it through personal detail.

  • Importance of SAT Scores

    SAT test scores are listed after your transcripts. While that may mean that they’re less important than a student’s grades these scores are still extremely essential. Sometimes, they can make or break an application.


    In general, it’s fair to say that admission officials prefer students who demonstrate their ability to perform well in school. This information will be reflected on the transcript. Test scores are important because they help admission officers get a more focused picture of the type of student they’re looking at.

    A student may barely squeeze in for a spot if his/her test scores are terrific but his/her transcript is loaded with C’s. On the other hand, the student’s favorite college may never admit the student based solely on poor test scores. For that reason, it’s a good idea to take tests seriously, even if the student has amazing grades and does not consider the tests important. Especially at the most selective colleges, the smallest differences between applications can mean the difference between an acceptance and a rejection.

    Keep in mind that there are more activities to take into account than a student’s transcript and test scores

  • Applying Early

    Finally a student has cut down the list of schools and is considering applying early to get the ball rolling on his/her college plans. Typically, there are three ways that a student can apply early and some universities may offer more than one of the following options:

    • Early Action (EA), which allows a student to apply to more than one school early and gives him/her an early answer about his/her acceptance. EA applications shouldn’t be used liberally by applying this way to every school on a student’s list. Having the ability to submit multiple EAs doesn’t mean the student should feel free to overuse it.
    • Early Decision (ED), which also gives a student an early answer, but restricts him/her to applying ED to only one school and requires that the student will guarantee up front that (s)he’ll enroll if he/she is accepted. If the student is, that student must withdraw his/her applications to any other colleges. He/she is committed to the school and can’t apply anywhere else, even during the regular admission season.
    • Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) or Restrictive Early Action (REA) is the newest option, which limits a student to applying early to only one school to get an answer in advance about acceptance. It’s not binding, but restricts the student from applying anywhere else under an EA or ED application. The student can apply elsewhere during regular admission and does not have to make a decision to enroll until the school’s regular deadline.

  • College Letters

    With this economy in this shape, college admissions officers sent out record marketing letters. I know a few high school kids who receive at 20 letters per day from colleges, universities and even vocational schools. The admissions office is now busy with their acceptance notifications–sending out fancy certificates, T-shirts, tubes of confetti, or Internet links to videos of fireworks–in an effort to inspire loyalty and lock in commitments from today’s worried high school seniors. Even a traditionalist school like Kalamazoo College is printing its hand-drafted and hand-signed letters on better-quality paper and is sending out bigger packets so that acceptances will look more impressive.

    For some students, that personal touch is what really makes the difference. Old-fashioned personal letters that show an admissions officer actually read the essays may actually made the difference. For others real things could be the trigger for the final decision. Which school do you want to go? Should it be the school that sent you a personal letter or the school that sent you a T-shirt? What about other things such as:

    • This year the school’s acceptance package from St. Bonaventure University in western New York contains a T-shirt.
    • MIT sent out a tube filled with a poster and confetti to its early admissions.
    • A lot of schools are shipping bumper stickers, decals, and other knickknacks.
    • Ithaca College sent out “Phat package”–a foot-long envelope emblazoned with the words “Something big is about to happen.”
    • Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa. sent out a fancy new translucent envelope holding a green linen folder embossed with the college seal and the words: “You have been accepted.”
    • Baylor, Rutgers and Elon sent out suitable-for-framing acceptance certificates.
    • St. Bonaventure upgraded the college’s T-shirt package this year.

    What about dean letters? Are you going to cry? We have had tears and cheers at inappropriate places and times, this is unnecessarily upsetting many students and their classmates. School’s preference for electronic rejections aggravated feelings of worthlessness. The new electronic rejections–some of which are little more than “Admissions decision: Deny”–feel much harsher than the traditional letters enclosed in ominously thin envelopes. Some posters on collegeconfidential.com have complained that after all their hard work on essays, electronic rejections can feel especially brutal. Someone said he felt awful when he logged on to read “Admissions decision: Deny” and then got what he called a “hard, cold” formal rejection in the mail.

    Schools hire webmasters and web designers to design new digital letters. For example videos through email a link to a video of cheering crowds and the words “Congratulations. You’ve been accepted to Elon!”. Binghamton University added flash animation to its E-mail last year. The University of Georgia greeted accepted students with a link to an animated graphic of fireworks, says this year’s fireworks will be flashier than ever. Bryn Mawr launched its video acceptance last year, is promising an even better video this year. California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo provides a flashy acceptance video because studies show an average applicant applies to anywhere from nine to 12 other schools and will choose from about six offers. In addition, as a science and tech school, Cal Poly attracts applicants more fluent in text messages and Tweets than snail mail.

    At IQx.com, we are going to publish some of the example acceptance and rejection letters. You will have a taste of the new buzz.

  • SAT (1)

    SAT Exam

    Because almost every college and university in the United States accepts the SAT exam as part of the admissions and placement process, more than two million students take the test every year. The SAT exam is divided into the SAT Reasoning Test and the SAT Subject Tests.

    The SAT Reasoning Test assesses a student’s critical thinking, analyzing, and problem-solving skills, all of which are necessary to succeed in higher education. This test is divided into three categories: Writing, Critical Reading, and Mathematics. The Critical Reading section is further broken down into three sections, two of which are 25 minutes and one of which is 20 minutes. The Mathematics section is broken down in a similar fashion as the Critical Reading Section, with two 25 minutes sections and on 20 minute section. Time allotted for the Writing section is 60 minutes: 35 minutes for multiple choice questions and 25 minutes for students to write an essay. All of the sections are scored from 200 to 800 points. The SAT exam is administered seven times a year in the United States, U.S. Territories, and Puerto Rico. It is also administered six times a year in other countries.

    The SAT Subject Tests assess a student’s knowledge, as well as his or her ability to apply that knowledge, in specific subject areas. There are currently twenty subject tests, all of which fall under the general subjects of English, history, math, science, and languages. The tests assess how well a student has mastered a subject, but the content of the exams is not based on any specific curriculum or textbook. Colleges and universities use these exams in the admissions process, as well as to advise students and for placement purposes. Some schools require specific exams while others will allow the student to choose the subject tests he or she wishes to take. All of the SAT Subject Tests are 60 minutes and are comprised of multiple choice questions. It is recommended that students take the exams at the end of their junior year or the beginning of their senior year, or as soon as the student has completed the high school class related to the subject test (for example, Physics or World History).

    Students may register for the SAT exam online or via mail. Tests are administered on Saturdays; if a student cannot take the exam on a Saturday because of religious observance, he or she can take the exam on a Sunday. Students who are registering to take the exam on a Sunday for the first time, are younger than thirteen, are requesting to test closer to home (because the nearest testing site is at least 75 miles away), or plan to test in Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, or Togo, must register with a paper application via mail. There is a fee of $41.50 to take the SAT Reasoning Test, which includes up to four score reports sent to colleges and universities. For the Subject Tests, there is a basic fee of $18.00, a fee of $8.00 for each additional exam, and an additional $19.00 for Language Tests with Listening.

  • Top 5 College Majors

    If a student is questioning himself/herself on what to choose as his/her major in college, here is a list of the top 5 majors. Of course, every person is different and sometimes none of these are right for somebody.

    1) Business Administration and Management. Business majors often find success in the field of their choice, working their way up the ladder to become managers, executives, and vice presidents in their companies. This major offers: training in accounting, finance, marketing, economics, human resources, and decision making. Students learn to organize, plan, direct, control, and manage an organization.

    2) Psychology. Psychology is the study of the way humans and animals interact and respond to their environment; in essence, it’s the study of behavior and the thoughts behind it. This is an extremely time consuming education route. Just don’t expect that four years of college will land a student in a private practice where people lie on a couch and tell their troubles for $95/hour. A student would need an extra five to seven years of schooling and a Ph.D./Psy.D. first.

    3) Elementary Education. Basically, the teaching career. This career gives a chance to share knowledge with young minds in literature, mathematics, sciences, etc.

    4) Biology. Biology majors focus on the living world–that’s everything from single-cell bacteria to whales. Classes in which you learn about calculus, microbiology, cell biology, genetics, evolution, physics, and organic chemistry are among some of the courses available. In addition to being a stepping stone for medical school, a biology major can lead to a job in a growing field such as genetics, biotechnology, or medical research. Veterinarians, optometrists, ecologists, biochemists, and environmentalists all may have majored in biology.

    5) Nursing. Generally, nurses help people meet basic health needs, adapt to physical changes, recover from illness, and die with dignity. They are employed in clinics, hospitals, schools, corporations, the military, and in private practice. Currently, nurses are in high demand in the world. While in school, students receive lots of practical, hands-on training. All would-be nurses are required by law to take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) after graduating from an accredited nursing program before they can be considered “registered.”

  • What Colleges Look for in an Applicant

    What Colleges Look for in an Applicant

    When deciding which applicants to admit to their college, admissions officers consider many different factors.

    – A Challenging Schedule
    One of the main factors that college admissions officers look for is a rigorous class schedule. Universities want students who are willing to challenge themselves. Depending on the college, a challenging schedule is even better than having the best grades. If an admissions officer is deciding between two applicants, where one student has a 4.0 with standard courses and the other applicant has a 3.5 average but takes advanced courses, the admissions officer will usually pick the 3.5 average student.

    – Grades
    Although a challenging schedule may hold a little more precedence, grades are still vital to colleges. Many colleges have a minimum GPA (Grade Point Average) requirement in order to apply. Therefore, it is essential that a student keeps his/her grades up throughout his/her entire high school career. Also, students should not slack off in their senior year of high school. It has happened time and time again that a university revokes the student’s admission due to “senioritis”.

    – Standardized Test Scores (SAT, SAT 2)
    Colleges definitely take admissions test scores into consideration. Starting in the 21st century, in order to get a scholarship off test scores, the student’s test scores must be in the 99th percentile minimum. If test scores are near the median range, then class schedules and grades will be the main deciding factors for admission. If test scores are low, an admissions counselor may discard the student immediately unless their grades and schedule are simply outstanding.

    – Extracurricular Activities
    Being involved in extracurricular activities shows admissions officers that the student is a well-rounded student and that the student is good with time management skills. Colleges want students who are going to be involved with activities on their campus. Keep in mind, however, that a student should not join a bunch of activities just to fill up his/her high school resume. Admissions officers are looking for quality over quantity. A few activities that really interest the student looks a lot better on a high school resume.

    Application Essay
    The college application essay allows a student to show his/her uniqueness to admissions officers. Counselors look for application essays that are honest and provide supplemental information. Counselors do not want to see a student restating what is in their transcript.

    Letters of Recommendation
    Admissions officers rely on letters of recommendation to let them know how others view the student. Generally, a student wants to ask someone who knows them well and would give a positive report.

  • Picking a Field of Study

    How Not to Pick a Field of Study

    Just because parents are probably paying for a student’s tuition, does not mean they can choose your major or potentially, your career. Although it is tempting to let someone else make the hard decision, do not take the bait. Seeing as this is the student’s life, the student should be in charge. Parents should remember that they didn’t want their parents making their decisions for them.

    Just because a student doesn’t want to think about the course selection doesn’t mean the student should pick a random topic for the heck of it. This is a very important issue and it must be considered and every aspect weighed.

    How to Actually Pick a Field of Study

    • Make a list of pros and cons when choosing a major: For example, a student might want to be an English major because he/she enjoys reading and writing. That’s a “pro.” A possible “con” might be that the lack of clear-cut career. Recognizing the positives and negatives of any potential field of study can help a student be honest with the decision. This way, the student will always know that he/she is selecting a certain field of study for the right reasons.
    • Discuss your decision of college major with your parents and/or close relatives. Now, this does not mean a student should have others make the decision for them, but it does mean a student should seek outside input. Besides, it’s always encouraging when someone else thinks that the choice is a good one.

  • Best Valued School

    Which school has the best value? Value is what you got for what you had paid. It is about spending less money and getting more than you paid. The more grants the school provides to you, the better value to you. You can always borrow money, but that does not lead you to a better value. This is especially important during current recession.

    The No. 1 Best Value for public schools is the University of Virginia. This year’s tuition, fees, room and board totaled $18,499 for in-state students and $37,749 out of state. The average grant UVA offered (including scholarships) totaled $9,531. The average 2008 graduate’s debt was $16,847. At top-rated private college Swarthmore, with 1,480 undergraduates for the 2008-09 year, the total cost is $47,804 (with large portion $36,154 — for tuition). But the average grant is $30,073, this is very attractive. The school did not report the amount of student debt, but at each of the top two campuses, about 70% of students graduated debt-free in 2008.

    The Princeton Review’s aim was to determine the average annual cost that a freshman paid for the 2008-09 school year. The selection criteria looked at academics, costs and financial aid, using the most recently reported data from each institution for its 2008-09 academic year. Overall selection criteria included more than 30 factors in three areas: academics, costs and financial aid. Academic ratings were based on student surveys about such issues as professors’ accessibility and class sizes, as well as institutional reports about student-faculty ratios and percent of classes taught by teaching assistants. The financial aid rating is based on a combination of school-reported data and student surveys. Tuition, room and board, and required fees, as well as book costs and other factors, are included in the financial measurement.

    The TOP 10 best value schools from Princeton Review are listed below.

    PRIVATE School;

    1. Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, Pa.)
    2. Harvard College (Cambridge, Mass.)
    3. Princeton University (Princeton, N.J.)
    4. Rice University (Houston, Texas)
    5. Yale University (New Haven, Conn.)
    6. Williams College (Williamstown, Mass.)
    7. Amherst College (Amherst, Mass.)
    8. California Institute of Technology (Pasadena)
    9. Pomona College (Claremont, Calif.)
    10. Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.)

    PUBLIC School

    1. University of Virginia (Charlottesville)
    2. New College of Florida (Sarasota)
    3. College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Va.)
    4. State University of New York-Binghamton
    5. Florida State University (Tallahassee)
    6. North Carolina State University (Raleigh)
    7. University of California San Diego
    8. City University of New York — Hunter College (New York, N.Y.)
    9. University of Georgia (Athens)
    10. The College of New Jersey (Ewing)

  • Popular Universities

    Which university is the most popular one?
    Of course, Harvard University tops the list. You may believe Stanford to be the second, but you are wrong. You will be surprised that Brigham Young University-Provo ranked second.

    Recently U.S. News and World Report ranked colleges by the percentage of students accepted who actually wind up attending. In college terms, it is known as the “yield.” 79 percent of the students selected by Harvard enroll at the Massachusetts school. That is why Harvard ranked the first. Brigham Young University-Provo has 77% yield, ranked the second for the yield even though the school only ranked 113th by traditional method. University of Nebraska-Lincoln is third, with a yield of 71 percent even though it is ranked 89th by traditional method. Stanford University only comes in fourth, with a yield of 70 percent, of course Stanford ranked 4th by traditional method. Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University tied for fifth, each with a yield of 69 percent.

    U.S. News_Rank Acceptance_Rate Yield
    Harvard University (MA) 1 9% 79%
    Brigham Young University–Provo (UT) 113 74% 77%
    University of Nebraska–Lincoln 89 62% 71%
    Stanford University (CA) 4 10% 70%
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4 12% 69%
    Yale University (CT) 3 10% 69%
    Princeton University (NJ) 2 10% 68%
    University of Pennsylvania 6 16% 66%
    Yeshiva University (NY) 50 69% 65%
    University of Florida 49 42% 63%
    Columbia University (NY) 8 11% 59%
    Brown University (RI) 16 14% 56%
    Texas A&M University–College Station 64 76% 56%
    University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill 30 35% 56%
    University of Notre Dame (IN) 18 24% 56%
    Louisiana State University–Baton Rouge 130 73% 55%
    University of Texas–Austin 47 51% 54%
    Dartmouth College (NH) 11 15% 52%
    University of Virginia 23 35% 52%
    University of Georgia 58 54% 51%
    Kansas State University 130 95% 50%
    University of Alabama 83 64% 50%
    University of Oklahoma 108 89% 50%
    North Carolina State University–Raleigh 83 60% 49%
    Ohio State University–Columbus 56 59% 49%
    University of Missouri–Columbia 96 86% 48%
    University of Tennessee 108 71% 48%
    Cornell University (NY) 14 21% 47%
    Georgetown University (DC) 23 21% 47%
    University of Kentucky 116 77% 47%

    So why Brigham Young University has high yield? BYU accepted 74% of the 10,010 people who applied for admission in the summer term and fall semester of 2007. The majority of students at Brigham Young University have traveled the world to preach the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the founders of Brigham Young University. It is the oldest existing institution within the LDS Church Educational System, is America’s largest religious university, and has the second-largest private university enrollment in the United States. Approximately 98% of the 34,000 students at BYU are LDS; two-thirds of its American students come from outside the state of Utah. The university’s primary focus is on undergraduate education. About 70% of student tuition is funded by LDS Church tithing funds, making tuition relatively less expensive than at similar private universities. It is the money! This explains the yield score.

    For BYU, the average ACT score and GPA for these admitted students was 27.9 and 3.78, respectively. Students from every state in the U.S. and from many foreign countries attend BYU. In the 2005-6 academic year, there were 2,396 foreign students, or 8% of enrollment. Slightly more than 98% of these students are active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2006, 12.6% of the student body represented ethnic minorities, mostly Asian/Pacific islanders and Hispanics.

    BYU received other reviews. Princeton Review has ranked BYU the best value for college in 2007, and its library is consistently ranked in the nation’s top ten–#1 in 2004 and #4 in 2007. BYU is also ranked #19 in the U.S. News and World Report’s “Great Schools, Great Prices” lineup, and #12 in lowest student-incurred debt. Due in part to the school’s emphasis on undergraduate research, BYU is ranked #8 nationally for the number of students who go on to earn PhDs, #1 nationally for students who go on to dental school, #6 nationally for students who go on to law school, and #10 nationally for students who go on to medical school. BYU is designated as a Carnegie research university with high research activity, one of the highest classifications by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

  • 2008 College Acceptance Rates

    These are 20 universities with low acceptance rates for 2008. Some of these are record rates such as Harvard’s 7.1%.

    Harvard University – 7.1%
    Yale University – 8.3%
    Princeton University – 9.5%
    Stanford University – 9.5%
    Columbia University – 10%
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology – 12%
    Dartmouth University – 13.2%
    Brown University – 13.3%
    Washington and Lee – 15%
    Swarthmore University – 15%
    University of Pennsylvania – 16.4%
    Bowdoin University – 18%
    Georgetown University – 18%
    Duke University – 19%
    University of Southern California – 21%
    University of California, Berkeley – 21.5%
    University of California, Los Angeles – 22.1%
    Cornell University – 22.9%
    Vanderbilt University – 23.1%
    New York University – 24%

  • UC Schools New Ethnic Acceptance Plan

    Recently announced by Mercury News, UC Schools will now be accepting a lower percentage of asian and oriental heritage. In addition to this, UC schools have agreed to accept more African Americans, Hispanics and Caucasians. This is because students with asian background are taking up a larger majority of the UC universities every year. California wants its colleges to be more diverse and therefore implementing this plan. UC has also agreed to eliminate SAT subject tests as a requirement and to consider “lower-ranking” students more.

  • College Scholarships

    College scholarships are one of the biggest factors when determining which university a person chooses to attend. This is because nearly every student needs financial aid these days with the economy so bad and tuition so high. A lot of the time, a brilliant student will be accepted by Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UC Berkeley, and many other great schools. Unfortunately, this student probably will choose to go to a lesser ranked college just for the money. Most people get partial scholarships. For example: 45% of a full four years paid for. Only very few get a full scholarship (full ride). There are many ways to obtain a scholarship. Some of these include sports, SAT scores, grades, music, national competitions, and other extra curricular activities. The most common way to get a full ride is by sports.

  • College Tuition

    College tuition has been on the rise for decades, and now the prices are just getting ridiculous. To go to a mid-ranked university it costs more money than it took to go to the best school, 10 years ago. In the upcoming 2009 tuition fees, there could easily be a high record of over 70,000 dollars per year. Not to mention, students usually have to buy their own books, rooming, etc. When it comes down to it, parents and relatives don’t have that kind of money. Universities will be giving out many, much fewer scholarships because of the recession/ economy blowout. Money should not be an issue when determining which college a person wants to go to. However, in this day and world it’s the rich that are going where they want, while others have to stand by and watch. The solution to this problem remains to be seen.

  • Yield

    Recently, there is a new type of ranking/rating that can determine which universities/colleges are really the most popular. It can help determine which college students really want to go to. The process is to look at a school’s yield, which is the percentage of applicants accepted by a university who end up enrolling at that institution that year. If a school has a high yield (a large proportion of those admitted enroll), it means that the school is most likely very popular amongst high school students, has a high reputation, and the students are motivated to go the given university. A low yield means that the school is probably a school that students use as a “safety” or “last resort” college. Many colleges use yield as a part in determining how many students they need to admit each year. Currently the college with the best yield is Harvard University.