Nowadays, teenagers are connected to one another through the World Wide Web. The era of snail mail has transformed to the era of Twitter, Facebook, Myspace etc. There are many outlets for teenagers to be involved in a social network online. It is easy to upload pictures and leave comments on other people’s pages. The problem, however, is that college admission officers and prospective employers are also using these online tools to search for more information about the applicant. By searching online about the applicant, it offers them a more “complete” view of the person they might want to hire or accept for college. The online social networks can connect long lost friends together, but can also jeopardize a person’s future.
For that reason, before uploading pictures or updating about your current mood, think about how this information can be received by potential employers or college admission officers. Use the privacy settings that are part of the online social webpage. In addition, when in doubt of placing something online, do not post it. It is extremely important to think twice before posting pictures, personal updates online. Thus, be careful and be smart. Students want to encourage prospective employers and college admission officers to want them, not discourage.
Adrienne Kwan
University Advisors
Social Media Director
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Choosing Your Perfect College
Here are several tips before embarking on your first college fair:
1. Look to see what colleges will be participating. Then, pick and choose the colleges that you’re interested in. Go online and research each college. Remember to prepare questions to ask the college representatives during the college fair.
2. When at the college fair, remember to have pen/pencil, paper, your list of questions, and a bag to hold the college informational packets. Also, you should find out the location of each college representative and plan out the most efficient route. In addition, don’t forget to attend financial aid workshops that might be offered at the fair.
3. When at a table, ask the college representatives the questions you have prepared. Ask smart questions about the university’s campus—about the different programs offered, extracurricular activities, and the general atmosphere of the campus. Remember to jot down notes on each university.
4. After leaving the college fair, look through each university informational packet. Mark down which colleges stood out more than others. Then, go out and plan to explore the various campuses. Don’t be afraid to venture onto the off-beaten track! Smaller and lesser known universities also have a lot to offer. If the campus is appealing, follow through by going on a campus tour, or talking to the university’s admission officer.
Adrienne Kwan, Director of Social Media
University Advisors
1. Look to see what colleges will be participating. Then, pick and choose the colleges that you’re interested in. Go online and research each college. Remember to prepare questions to ask the college representatives during the college fair.
2. When at the college fair, remember to have pen/pencil, paper, your list of questions, and a bag to hold the college informational packets. Also, you should find out the location of each college representative and plan out the most efficient route. In addition, don’t forget to attend financial aid workshops that might be offered at the fair.
3. When at a table, ask the college representatives the questions you have prepared. Ask smart questions about the university’s campus—about the different programs offered, extracurricular activities, and the general atmosphere of the campus. Remember to jot down notes on each university.
4. After leaving the college fair, look through each university informational packet. Mark down which colleges stood out more than others. Then, go out and plan to explore the various campuses. Don’t be afraid to venture onto the off-beaten track! Smaller and lesser known universities also have a lot to offer. If the campus is appealing, follow through by going on a campus tour, or talking to the university’s admission officer.
Adrienne Kwan, Director of Social Media
University Advisors
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Social Media in College Admissions
Facebook? Blogging? Twitter? Colleges are beginning to utilize social media to reach out to potential applicants. As seen on Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s university website, college officials have allowed for student blogs to be posted on the website. In addition, other universities such as Amherst, Bates, Carleton, and Yale have embraced this recent trend. According to this article, high school seniors applying to MIT have found the student blogs refreshing. It allows for applicants to learn about the university from a college student’s perspective, rather than what the officials try to paint the campus as.
By having students’ blogs on a university website, it creates a more complete view of the university. Instead of having typical descriptions of a college’s positive features, high school seniors can see the good with the bad. For a university, utilizing social media outlets on the website can only have positive outcomes.
Adrienne Kwan
University Advisors
Director of Social Media
By having students’ blogs on a university website, it creates a more complete view of the university. Instead of having typical descriptions of a college’s positive features, high school seniors can see the good with the bad. For a university, utilizing social media outlets on the website can only have positive outcomes.
Adrienne Kwan
University Advisors
Director of Social Media
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Ten Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Educational Consultant
Recently, the Independent Educational Consultants Association put out a bring Q and A for families who are considering using an educational consultant to work with their child(ren). Below are the questions and University Advisors' answers are in CAPS:
1. Do you guarantee admission to a school, one of my top choices, or a certain minimum dollar value in scholarships? NO
2. How do you keep up with new trends, academic changes and evolving campus cultures? How often do you get out and visit college, school, and program campuses and meet with admissions representatives? WE ATTEND CONFERENCES AND VISIT SCHOOLS TO STAY UPDATED ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN COLLEGE/GRADUATE ADMISSIONS.
3. Do you belong to any professional associations? YES. WE BELONG TO NACAC AND HECA.
4. Do you attend professional conferences or training workshops on a regular basis to keep up with regional and national trends and changes in the law? YES
5. Are all fees involved stated in writing, up front, indicating exactly what services I will receive for those fees? YES
6. Will you complete the application for admission, re-write my essays or fill out the financial aid forms on my behalf? NO. THE STUDENT DRIVES THE PROCESS AND COMPLETES THESE FORMS.
7. How long have you been in business as an educational consultant? OVER TEN YEARS
8. What was your background prior to going into educational consulting? What was your training and education? UNIVERSITY ADVISORS HAVE MASTERS DEGREES IN COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION AND RELATED FIELDS. WE HAVE WORKED IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS AND HIGHER EDUCATION AS WELL.
9. Will you use personal connections to get me in to one of my top choices? NO
10. What specialized training do you have? WE ARE EXPERTS IN MANY ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES AND HAVE WORKED WITH STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT ABILITIES.
1. Do you guarantee admission to a school, one of my top choices, or a certain minimum dollar value in scholarships? NO
2. How do you keep up with new trends, academic changes and evolving campus cultures? How often do you get out and visit college, school, and program campuses and meet with admissions representatives? WE ATTEND CONFERENCES AND VISIT SCHOOLS TO STAY UPDATED ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN COLLEGE/GRADUATE ADMISSIONS.
3. Do you belong to any professional associations? YES. WE BELONG TO NACAC AND HECA.
4. Do you attend professional conferences or training workshops on a regular basis to keep up with regional and national trends and changes in the law? YES
5. Are all fees involved stated in writing, up front, indicating exactly what services I will receive for those fees? YES
6. Will you complete the application for admission, re-write my essays or fill out the financial aid forms on my behalf? NO. THE STUDENT DRIVES THE PROCESS AND COMPLETES THESE FORMS.
7. How long have you been in business as an educational consultant? OVER TEN YEARS
8. What was your background prior to going into educational consulting? What was your training and education? UNIVERSITY ADVISORS HAVE MASTERS DEGREES IN COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION AND RELATED FIELDS. WE HAVE WORKED IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS AND HIGHER EDUCATION AS WELL.
9. Will you use personal connections to get me in to one of my top choices? NO
10. What specialized training do you have? WE ARE EXPERTS IN MANY ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES AND HAVE WORKED WITH STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT ABILITIES.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Considering an SAT Optional School
An above satisfactory SAT score is one of the many requirements for high school students when applying to different universities. Nowadays, however, submitting an SAT score can be optional. For example, at Wake Forest University, applicants can choose whether or not to include their SAT score. Some students opt out from sending in his/her SAT score due to low scoring. Last year, 28 percent of Wake Forest’s 10,555 applicants chose not to present his/her SAT score. In addition, students rather have the admission officer focus on his/her extracurricular activities than one standardized test.
With this new trend taking a hold, the role of SAT scores might play less of a factor in the application process. If the SAT is eliminated, will a new standardized test be produced? Also, the non-SAT option emphasizes the value of being a well rounded student and not simply relying on one factor.
Adrienne Kwan
University Advisors
With this new trend taking a hold, the role of SAT scores might play less of a factor in the application process. If the SAT is eliminated, will a new standardized test be produced? Also, the non-SAT option emphasizes the value of being a well rounded student and not simply relying on one factor.
Adrienne Kwan
University Advisors
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