Univarsity

When Helping Your Child Choose the Right College, Ask the Right Questions at the Right Time

UniVarsity — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 00:22:13 +0000

I like this article, When Helping Your Child Choose the Right College, Ask the Right Questions at the Right Time and think it gives a good perspective for parents. It should get you thinking outside of some of the typical criteria (size, location, etc.) families often use to think about college selection. I also like his point about letting your child let you know when he/she is ready to talk about college.

Katie Couric Interview Discusses Finding a Good College Fit

UniVarsity — Fri, 01 May 2015 23:02:27 +0000

With the admissions frenzy increasing each year, it’s even more important to focus on college fit. I highly recommend a recent book by Frank Bruni called “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania.” I found it really insightful and pertinent to reframing how to approach college admissions. Here’s a link to Mr. Bruni’s interview with Katie Couric. It’s worth watching:

Updates to Common App Essay Prompts are Up!

UniVarsity — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 16:37:36 +0000

Along with the announcement of a NEW Common App essay prompt option, Common App has also announced some updates to the other prompts. They also told why they made the changes, and they shared some other updates that have been made to the app! Students will be very familiar with the Common App in just a few short months, and we are so excited about it all!

We are pleased to share the 2015-2016 Essay Prompts with you. New language appears in italics:

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

The changes you see reflect the feedback and consensus of nearly 6000 individuals who responded to our recent survey. Among the survey highlights:

197 individual Member responses representing 110 Member institutions
5667 constituent responses (64% school counselors; 14% students; 11% independent educational consultants; 4% parents; 2% community based organizations; remainder = other)
82% of Members and 90% of constituents agree or strongly agree that the current prompts generate effective essays on the whole
62% of Members and 48% of constituents believe the “story/background” prompt is the most effective
76% of Members and 44% of constituents would like to see the “place where you’re content” prompt replaced
35% of Members and 30% of constituents feel that analytical ability and intellectual curiosity (as a combined percentage) are most the difficult attributes to convey through the current prompts
85% of Members and 82% of constituents feel the prompts should be left open to broad interpretation
3% of Member respondents suggested Topic of Your Choice as a new prompt
6% of constituent respondents suggested Topic of Your Choice as a new prompt, with the breakdown as follows: independent educational consultants (47%), community-based organizations (7%), school counselors (5%), parents (2%), other (2%), students

In addition to the revised Essay Prompts, next year’s Common Application will include several changes to better serve Members, counselors, and applicants.

Personal Essay Requirement Changes

Beginning next year, our Member institutions will have the choice to require or not require the Common App Personal Essay. To learn more about how we will implement these modifications, we invite you to read our blog post on essay requirement changes. A similar post on recommendation requirement changes will follow shortly.

Applicant Screen Print Option

In another frequently requested enhancement, next year’s applicants will be able to preview their application screen by screen (Profile, Family, etc.) at any time, not just as part of the submission process. For a sample of what this new feature will look like, read this description.

More changes and additions to be announced

Later this spring, we will be able to share a comprehensive list of all changes, additions, and revisions to the application and recommender systems for 2015-2016, including information on how we intend to support a college’s choice to require or not require a letter of recommendation. Please be on the lookout for webinars and other training resources to help you prepare to support your students.

Does Where You Go to College Impact Your Job Future in California?

UniVarsity — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 18:20:45 +0000

This month, high school seniors throughout California are receiving college decision notices of acceptance and rejection. They, and their parents, will think, “Where I go to college will decide my employment future.”

What do we know about college choice and job success in California? How important is college selection in determining employment future?

Read the article, Does Where You Go to College Impact Your Job Future in California? to fond out more!!!

Gallup Survey Gauges College Graduates’ Well-Being

UniVarsity — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 17:05:33 +0000

This study found that, “if working graduates remember having had a professor who cared about them, made them excited to learn and encouraged them to follow their dreams — which Gallup called being “emotionally supported” while in college — the graduates’ odds of being engaged at work more than doubled.”

The shocking part is the percentage of students actually felt that they had a professor who did all of those things! Read the article to find out more.

College Application Lessons Learned the Hard Way

UniVarsity — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 19:36:20 +0000

Check out this article about a senior who shares some tips (and regrets) about the application process. What he has to say might surprise you!

College Application Lessons Learned the Hard Way

College Freshman Give Advice to High School Seniors

UniVarsity — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 21:39:55 +0000

We interviewed some of our UniVarsity Alumni and asked, “What would you tell a student applying for college?” Watch the video below and see what these college students have to say!

Jim Carrey Gives Graduates Some Good Advice

UniVarsity — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 17:10:39 +0000

Check out this one minute clip of Jim Carrey’s inspirational commencement speech at Maharishi University of Management:

Video Link

Poll: Prestigious Colleges Won’t Make You Happier In Life Or Work

UniVarsity — Tue, 27 May 2014 19:16:28 +0000

Surprising results to a poll on how the level of prestige of your college affects your work and life. According to the following article, http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/05/06/308382912/poll-prestigious-colleges-wont-make-you-happier-in-life-or-work, a more prestigious college won’t increase a person’s happiness in work- or life in general.

Admissions Results 2014

UniVarsity — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 15:38:26 +0000

Patrick O’Connor makes some good observations about this year’s college admissions results. Admissions has become increasingly unpredictable, so applicants can’t take much for granted. I highly recommend following his suggestions http://www.huffingtonpost.com/patrick-oconnor/what-this-years-college-r_b_5085183.html