Boston University Joins the Gourmet Guide

If you're headed to the City on a Hill -- Boston, Massachusetts -- on your college road trip, we've now got you covered when it comes to where to dine -- North End Italian, Pad Thai, frozen yogurt at Fenway, and the oyster house where you can sit in President John F. Kennedy's old booth. Of course, it wouldn't be Boston without some great deli and we've got recommendations for that, too. (Full disclosure: the editor of this blog is a Boston University graduate and misses delicatessen. There is none to be found in northern California.) These recommendations come courtesy of Boston University's Admissions Office and they've been very generous with their inside knowledge. So you'll be good through a road trip that takes you to visiting any combination of the many colleges and universities in the greater Boston area, such as Simmons College, MIT, Boston College, Harvard, Tufts, Brandeis, Suffolk, Pine Manor, or the New England Conservatory.

Handling Rejection: A Necessary Part of the College Application Process

Today we welcome a guest blogger -- Tamar Chansky, Ph.D. -- who has some excellent advice for both students and parents about how to handle the rejection that can be a part of the college application process at this time of year. Take advantage of her common sense and helpful sound bites as the news -- good and bad -- arrives in the coming days:

When it comes to applying to college, we’d all (students and parents alike) love to fast-forward to the glorious ending.  That “start spreading the news” moment, when we buy the t-shirts and bumper stickers of our child’s newfound alma mater, tell our friends, our enemies, our neighbors, and any stranger in the supermarket line who, willing or not, is going to hear all about it. But that is getting ahead of the story. Handling the good parts, kids and parents need no help with. It’s natural. You celebrate, you revel, you do massive recycling of all the other college catalogs and paraphernalia. Your decision is made; you are done.

BigFuture, the College Board's New Website

The College Board, the not-for-profit organization whose programs include the SAT, AP tests, PSAT/NMSQT, and CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, has launched a new website for high school students that includes a college search function, a scholarship search tool, and an action plan program for the application process. Click on the links to see what the Chronicle of Higher Education and New York Times' The Choice blog are saying about BigFuture. And let us know your thoughts about this new resource...

What College Really Costs...

Think college costs a lot? Some of the most expensive colleges in fact cost far more than they charge. This Chronicle of Higher Education article -- "Hey, Students, Your Education Costs More Than You Might Think" -- takes a look at students' awareness of the real cost of college.

As Karen L. Leach, vice president for administration and finance at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, lays out the case:

Counting all the tuition the college brings in, but subtracting financial aid, Hamilton's budget is $115-million, she explained. Divided by the enrollment, 1,812 students, that comes to a cost of about $63,500 each. Then, subtract the $53,470 the college charges in tuition, fees, and room and board: "Each person, even a full-pay student, gets at least a $10,000 scholarship," Ms. Leach said.

Rice University joins The Gourmet Guide

Bound for Houston, Texas, on your college road trip? Well, today Rice University joins the Gourmet Guide.  There's gulf shrimp and blue crab sandwiches, soul food, South American fusion, peach cobbler, catfish and grits (for breakfast!?!) and Nutter Butter ice cream.  Okay, we're really hungry now... Check it out... Rice University From Julie M. Browning, Dean for Undergraduate Enrollment, and Tamara Siler, Senior Associate Director of Admission at Rice University Local Foods 2424 Dunstan Road Houston, Texas Locally sourced gourmet sandwiches, salads, and prepared meals. Here's a hint of what you'll find there: Capered tuna sandwich with tomatoes, crispy onions and hard-boiled farm egg; sides of Tuscan kale with golden raisins and toasted pine nuts;  arugula salad with shrimp, cranberries, Texas honey pecans, pecorino, and lemon-thyme vinaigrette. And… draft root beer from 8th Wonder Brewery. Goode Company Barbeque Three locations in Houston: 5109 Kirby Drive 8911 Katy Freeway 20102 Northwest Freeway How do you like your barbeque? At Goode Company you'll find beef brisket, pork ribs, turkey breast, chicken, Sweet Water duck, and jalapeno pork sausage. Can't decide? Try the combo plates, BBQ po-boys or stuffed barbeque potatoes. There's also a gluten-free menu.

Who fares best in applying to college?

Earlier this week, a student from Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California, wrote a column for Patch.com with a refrain familiar to many—a lament for the more carefree days before the pressure and stress of preparing to apply to college seemed to take over her life. "It seems like everything I do, sign up for, and participate in is because it somehow will look good on my college application. I volunteer for just about as much as I can muster. I am trying to find my ‘angle’…" Dearborn wrote. Alice Kleeman, who heads the College and Career Center at Menlo-Atherton High School in neighboring Atherton, California, was struck by the column and emailed us her thoughts. We couldn't have said it better, so we wanted to share her response with you: "It makes me sad when students believe that to be admitted to college they must try to become someone other than who they truly are.

Admission: Rescinded

We received the following message from a dean of admission we know: It's only March and we'll be rescinding our first admission. Children: do not lie. Students -- and parents -- don't forget that all offers of admission to college are conditional. Colleges may rescind admission for a number of reasons -- if a student enrolls and makes a deposit at more than one college;  if there is a significant change in senior year grades;  if there is a lapse in judgment or integrity such as cheating or suspension for alcohol use. And admission can be rescinded for lying, for misrepresenting any facts or work in the application -- grades, test scores, essays, a change in personal circumstances, extracurricular activities, a disciplinary matter. In signing the application, students certify that every piece of information and material in the application is the students' own work product and pledge they have upheld the highest standards of honesty, character, and moral and ethical principles.  In signing, you are saying, “This is who I am and what I stand for and I stand by it.” That’s something to be taken very seriously as a matter of personal honor. Colleges require it, and rightly expect it. This is a big deal. "The notion of integrity is the most important value we reflect on when we think about students attending the university," says Kirk Brennan, Director of Admission at University of Southern California.

Diversity: My "Aha" Moment

The role diversity plays in college admission is complex, sometimes divisive, and often not well understood by students and parents. It is receiving renewed attention in the wake of the Supreme Court’s agreement to hear a case challenging the University of Texas’ admission policy, which will effectively consider whether affirmative action should be eliminated.

Why do colleges value diversity? Is it a worthwhile goal? What are its implications – pro and con?

Today, we begin a new series bringing you stories of what diversity has meant to deans of admission, educators, public figures and others – their personal “aha” moments with the subject.

Jarrid Whitney, Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at California Institute of Technology, begins this exploration, touching on a moment in his own undergraduate experience that addresses a side of this issue many students of color may experience as they progress through their college careers. We think his personal and poignant response will resonate with students and families of all races and on all sides of the issue of affirmative action.  Here is his response:

College Loans: Is Borrowing Worth It?

Today's guest post is from Jon Boeckenstedt, vice president for Enrollment Policy & Planning at DePaul University, who has a gift for cutting to the chase whether he's writing about testing, college tours, or tuition. Here is his take on the value of a college degree and how a student may want to think about borrowing to obtain that education: 

It has long been believed that attending college paid back financially and with a better quality of life in general.

Then we had a little economic calamity in this country, and people aren’t so sure any more.

Some people think we’re in the middle of “A Perfect Storm,” where several important (negative) things are happening at the same time, thus creating a crisis: College tuition keeps increasing, and often increasing faster than inflation; federal aid keeps shrinking, causing student debt to grow dramatically; and the jobs recent graduates need to pay back student debt are growing scarcer.  On top of that, problems like unemployment are even greater for people who don’t have a college degree.

Things We Like: Free -- Great -- SAT Prep

The Khan Academy is an educational website that lets anyone “learn almost anything—for free.” Khan Academy boasts an online library of more than 3000 video micro-lectures on everything from algebra to venture capital and it now includes an entire section on SAT test prep, using the College Board's Official SAT Study Guide. In 10-minute videos, Khan works through each problem in the math sections of the study guide.  He recommends students take the practice tests on their own, grade them and then use the Academy videos to understand the problems they didn't solve correctly or simply to review their work.  We've been working through these videos ourselves and, while they may not be slick in their presentation, they provide clear, helpful, step-by-step instruction that feels one-on-one.  And, one more time… it's free. File this under "Things We Like."  

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