by Emily Standish
College 3 by 5: Three Things about Five More Colleges in the Sun
It's April, as in “April showers bring......more showers.” Still dreaming about the sun? Here are five more colleges (follow-up from last month's list) that are in sun-drenched locations. Pack your flip-flops, sunglasses, and laptop. That's what you'll need for school supplies.
Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, HI www.chaminade.edu
- New four-year nursing school trains seventy-two new nursing students per year in three state-of-the art units, each with computerized, programmable mannequins that mimic the sounds and symptoms of real patients.
- Forensic Science, Criminal Justice, Early Admission to medical school, and Business are some of the most popular programs offered to undergraduates.
- By the numbers: 95% admit rate with rolling admission; Mid-range SAT* scores: CR 420-520, M420-520; ACT 18-22.
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI www.uhm.hawaii.edu
- UH Manoa's affiliation with the Western Undergraduate Exchange sets tuition at $12,600 for Oregon students (2012-13), with non-resident scholarships for high achievers.
- UH Manoa is known for its pioneering research in such fields as oceanography, astronomy, Pacific Islands and Asian area studies, linguistics, cancer research, and genetics.
- By the numbers: 71% admit rate with May 1 deadline; Mid-range SAT: CR 480-580, M 510-610,ACT 21-25.
Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA www.scad.edu
- Programs in a wide variety of arts and letters include accessory, jewelry, and fashion design, architecture, art history, interactive design and game development, furniture design, film and television production, sound design, urban design, writing, and many more.
- Equestrian studies students use an 80-acre equestrian complex to learn equine-related careers in equine management, equine photography and videography, journalism, equine training and organization management.
- By the numbers: 62% admit rate, Mid-range SAT: CR 490-610, M 470-580, ACT 20-26
St. John's College, Santa Fe, New Mexico www.sjca.edu
- St. John's students take an interdisciplinary curriculum for all four years based on a Great Books program in an atmosphere of small discussion-based classes.
- One of the Colleges That Change Lives, St. John's comprises two small campuses in Santa Fe (400+ students) and Anapolis, Maryland (450+ students)
- By the numbers: 86% admit rate with rolling admission, Mid-range SAT: CR 610-740, M 570-660, ACT 25-32
Whittier College, Whittier, CA www.whittier.edu
- Located mid-way between Los Angeles and Orange County, 1,300 undergraduates learn in an atmosphere to honor the college's Quaker roots, with an “appreciation for the complexities of the modern world and workplace while never losing sight of the importance of social responsibility.”
- One of the more diverse liberal arts campuses in the US, 46% of the student body are minorities, many are first in their families to attend college.
- By the numbers: 72% admit rate with rolling admission; Mid-range SAT: CR 470-580, M 470-590, ACT 20-25.
*Mid-ranges are the 25th to 75th percentile scores of the 2010 entering freshman class. CR = Critical Reasoning, M = Math.
Sources for this article: www.collegedata.com, Fiske Guide 2012, America's Best Colleges 2012
by Emily Standish
Ready for a little bit of sunshine? Is your son or daughter ready to go to a college where s/he will add sunglasses and flip-flops to the college packing list? Maybe you have a spring break trip planned to a place where you can get out of the rain. If so, take a side trip to look at one or more of these colleges.
Chapman University, Orange, CA (www.chapman.edu)
- Chapman's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts allows students hands-on experience in film production, advertising, screen acting, broadcast journalism, digital arts, screenwriting, and more
- In addition to supporting their DIII athletics, students use their free time to head to the beach or spend the afternoon at Disneyland, three miles from campus. Hollywood is 30 miles north where media arts majors access hundreds of internships in the entertainment industry
- By the numbers: 50% admit rate; Mid-range* SAT scores CR 540-640, M 550-660, ACT 25-29
Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL (www.eckerd.edu)
- Just over 1,800 undergraduates enjoy a laid-back campus with challenging academics near the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico
- Popular academic programs include marine science, environmental science, international studies, and creative writing
- By the numbers: 71% admission rate in rolling admissions; Mid-range SAT scores: CR 510-620, M 495-610; ACT mid-range 23-28
New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL (www.ncf.edu)
- All classes at NCF are pass/fail; students receive a written narrative evaluation from their professor for each course. All seniors write and defend a senior project and research, with a surprisingly large number of seniors offered Fulbright Fellowships to continue their research
- 825 undergraduates learn in small discussion-based classes and have one month between fall and spring semesters to pursue individual projects and research
- By the numbers: 53% admission rate; Mid-range SAT: CR 640-740, M 580-670, ACT 27-31
Rice University, Houston, TX (www.rice.edu)
- 119 majors are offered to undergraduates, with architecture, engineering and pre-medical majors among the most popular. Undergrad architecture students spend a year in an architecture firm to get practical experience
- 3,300 undergraduates enjoy fourteen NCAA Division I athletic teams, dozens of intramural sports, and eleven residential colleges with their own dining halls and public spaces
- By the numbers: 21% admission rate; Mid-range SAT: CR 650-750, M 690-790, ACT 30-34
University of Redlands, Redlands, CA (www.redlands.edu)
- After fall and spring semesters, students can choose a one-month intensive “May Term” class on campus or a travel class in a foreign country
- Pre-professional majors, liberal arts, business and music majors are most popular. All enjoy the surrounding environs of Big Bear Lake and Arrowhead ski resorts, as well as the SoCal sun
- By the numbers: 67% admission rate; Mid-range SAT: CR 520-620, M 520-620, ACT 22-27
by Emily Standish
College 3 by 5: Three Things About Five Eco Colleges
An “Eco College” is a place where students can live, learn and study within a mission of sustainability. These five colleges, and others noted below, are models of institutional commitment to practicing sustainable building practices, renewable energy, and for some, locally managed food resources. Note that each of the five colleges described below have rolling admission policies, meaning that they fill their freshman class as applications come in – and they have later application deadlines and there is still time to apply this spring, for Fall 2012 admission!
Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, Alaska www.alaskapacific.edu
- APU's “Active Learning” encourages students to be “activists and idealists”, engaged in adventure, service, and project-based learning.
- Academic programs include Business, Counseling Psychology, Earth Sciences, Environmental Policy, Outdoor Studies (includes a course in Expedition Mountaineering), among others
- By the numbers: 34% admit rate, Mid-range* SAT scores: CR* 480-590, M* 480-590,
- Mid-range ACT composite: 21-26
College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine www.coa.edu
- COA was the first college in the US to reduce its green house gas emissions to zero.
- All students design their own academic program within a Human Ecology major, choosing from three resource areas and nine focus areas.
- By the numbers: 75% admit rate. This college is test-optional: test scores do not need to be submitted.
Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington www.evergreen.edu
- 100% of Evergreen's operating energy comes from renewable sources and its organic campus farm produces some of the dining service's food
- With no general education requirements, all students design each quarter's classes around a theme taught by faculty from different disciplines. Narrative evaluations are given instead of grades.
- By the numbers: 94% admit rate. Mid-range SAT scores: CR 510-640, M 460-590. ACT 21-27.
Northland College, Ashland, Wisconsin www.northland.edu
- Northland is a national leader in alternative building techniques, with one of the campus residence halls built as a prototype for the LEED green building rating system. The campus has a variety of renewable energy sources and participates in the “Dark Skies” initiative.
- In addition to the liberal arts majors at Northland, majors such as Environmental Geosciences, Outdoor Education, Environmental Chemistry, Ecological Restoration, Wildlife Ecology and Management, and Engineering are also offered.
- By the numbers: 76% admit rate. Mid-range SAT Scores: CR 463-560, M 443-578; ACT 21-25
Prescott College, Prescott, Arizona www.prescott.edu
- Prescott's philosophy includes social justice, environmental awareness, sustainable communites and agriculture, outdoor leadership, and teacher preparation
- 780 undergraduates can choose experiential learning in majors such as Adventure Education, Wilderness Leadership, Sustainable Community Development, and Ecological Design in addition to more traditional liberal arts and fine arts majors.
- By the numbers: 99% admit rate; Mid-range SAT scores: CR 510-670, M 480-570; ACT 20-28
If your son/daughter loves the outdoors and/or has been an Outdoor School student leader, an Eco College may be a good fit. Here are some other choices with similar philosophies: Green Mountain College, VT; Hampshire College, NH; Marlboro College, VT; University of Montana; Montana State University; Western Washington State University;and Warren Wilson College, NC. Check out www.ecoleague.org.
*Mid-range SAT scores of the middle 50% of the 2010 entering freshman class. CR = Critical Reasoning, M = Math.
by Emily Standish
College 3 by 5: Three Things about Five Colleges
Here are five colleges across the United States known as “co-op” colleges. Programs at these colleges are specifically designed to give students hands-on, often paid, experience in their major field while during college so they are career-ready adults when they graduate.
1. University of Cincinnati, Ohio,www.uc.edu
- The nation's largest and oldest co-op program, comprising 3,000 students in forty professional-practice options (UC has 22,000 undergraduates) such as architecture, design, engineering, nursing, music
- Rolling admission deadlines vary by college (see web for details), IB credits accepted
- Numbers: Admit rate: 62%, Mid-range* SAT scores: CR 500-610, M 520-640; Mid-range* ACT score: 22-27
2. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, www.gatech.edu
- Georgia Tech's Undergraduate Cooperative Education Program is a five-year plan for students to alternate semesters of school with semesters of paid work.
- 13,500 undergraduates and 7,000 graduate students attend this “research powerhouse”
- Numbers: Admit rate: 51%; Mid-Range SAT scores: CR 580-680, M 650-750; Mid-range ACT 27-31
3. Kettering University, Flint, Michigan, www.kettering.edu
- Fourteen undergrad majors in math, science, business and applied engineering: 1,850 undergraduates choose co-op positions from among Fortune 500 companies
- Rolling admission, with IB coursework accepted
- Numbers: Admit rate: 64%, Mid-range SAT scores: CR 530-630, M 590-680; Mid-range ACT score: 24-28
4. Keuka College, Keuka Park, New York, www.keuka.edu
- 1,600 undergraduates in rural upstate New York in a liberal arts environment, four 140-hour internships are required for graduation (one each year)
- Rolling admission, IB coursework not accepted
- Numbers: Admit rate: 74%. This college is test-optional: test scores are not required for admission.
5. University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, www.uvic.ca
- One in four UVic students alternate semesters of paid work and school
- Recognition of IB diploma and IB certificate student course work
- Numbers: For US students, minimum SAT composite score: 1740, minimum ACT: 26
See website for detailed international student admission information
Check out these additional co-op colleges: Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH;Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA; Northeastern University, Boston, MA;Oregon State University's College of Engineering; Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY; or www.waceinc.org.
* Mid-ranges are the 25th-75th percentile scores of the most recent entering freshman class.
"Harvard and Ohio State are not going to disappear any time soon. But a host of new online enterprises are making earning a college degree cheaper, faster and flexible enough to take work experience into account."
This New York Times article explains how Web start-ups offering a mix of credits forwork-experience, peer-to-peer teaching, and online classes with transferable credits are making it easier to get a reputable degree -- or simply acquire valuable knowledge and skills -- at least partly online.
Cradled in the hills of Bozeman at an elevation of 4,800 feet, Montana State University is one of the state’s two flagship research institutions. 11,500 undergraduate students, 2,000 graduate students and a staff of nearly 3,000 means that people affiliated with the university make up nearly 50% of the city population. That’s apparent when you walk the bustling streets of downtown Bozeman, which sport a funky mix of boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and bars. The music scene is vibrant and the youthful energy is palpable.
Why might a student from Oregon or Virginia choose MSU instead of a local state school? Since 40% of the student population is from out of state, there must be compelling reasons. Here are some that struck me:
- High-achieving students who seek balance are drawn to MSU. This is a place where people work hard and play hard. The school's generous merit scholarships and excellent honors program attract a smart crowd. Undergrads can get a $1500 research stipend and approx 250 students across all majors do research and share it with the community each April. The school boasts an impressive list of graduate fellowship winners. Honors students usually take two honors courses each term. “Great Explorations” gives them an opportunity to study a country for an entire semester, and then go there for two weeks.
- Amazing professors make a lifestyle choice to teach in Montana. These educators have the credentials and teaching skills to be at the most prestigious schools in America, but they love teaching undergrad students, raising their families in one of the most beautiful places in the country, and experiencing four seasons of outdoor recreation.
- Strong programs in the arts and sciences are the hallmark of MSU.
- Ever thought about a career as a snow scientist? Be prepared for lots of heavy-duty science courses and check out the sub-zero lab at Montana State University. Built a few years ago, it is one of three such labs in the world. (The others are in Switzerland and Japan and the three labs do some joint research.) Students are researching avalanches and better predictive methodology, studying Arctic and Antarctic core samples, permafrost, fish migration, and have come up with some interesting techniques for “manufacturing” snow.
- Yellowstone University is sometimes the school’s nickname, since jaunts to the national park take less than two hours. The school is known for its Yellowstone research and there are even classes available that spend a high percentage of class time in the park (including overnights). Where else might you study the difference between the geothermal features geysers, fumaroles, hot springs and mud pots and then get to see all of them “in action”?
- 2,300 students are engineering majors and the school offers a wide variety of engineering disciplines including chemical, electrical, industrial, civil and bioengineering, as well as both computer science and computer engineering. Engineering students are active participants in “The Grand Challenge”, a cross-university symposium where students use inter-disciplinary approaches to solve our most pressing global problems.
- If you complete film school at MSU, you might join the “Montana Mafia”. This is a group of MSU grads working in the entertainment industry who go out of their way to network and help new grads find industry jobs. The film school is frequently ranked among the top 5 in the country. Montana PBS is on campus and many film students intern there. Like many of the arts programs at MSU, admission to the film school is “gated”. Students take a year of film classes to build a portfolio and then apply for admission into the major. There are spots for 48 per year.
- The School of Architecture has a 4+1 program which means students earn both an undergraduate and master’s degree in five years. The first year is open enrollment. Interested students may take the pre-requisite courses and build a portfolio. Students will need pre-calculus and college physics to pass through the “gate”. There are spots in the major for 91 students per year. Students get ten semesters of design studios and at least three semesters of hand & digital graphics studios. 50% of architecture students study abroad during their fourth year, with the popular destinations being Rome, Asia or South America. Students may also spend a summer participating with classmates at one of their design/build projects in Nepal or Kenya.
- One of the research projects I liked was a collaboration between architecture students and music students. The architecture students had to design a building and then give the design to the music students who composed a piece using it as inspiration. The music students also each composed a piece that was given to the architecture students who then designed a building to “match the music”.
- MSU philosophically believes that competitive programs should gate at the end of freshman year, because many high school students didn’t have exposure or opportunity to build a portfolio or resume. Other gated programs at MSU include photography, graphic design, and nursing.
- As a land grant school, MSU has its roots in agriculture. Animal science, environmental sciences, plant science, sustainable food and bioenergy systems, natural resources and rangeland ecology, and agricultural business are very strong programs.
MSU is not a commuter campus. Most freshmen live on campus, and upper classmen tend to be circled within a close perimeter of school. The dorms are comfortable and there is a good range of residence options including doubles, suites and apartment-style living. Campus dining offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices. There is an emphasis on fresh, local foods and the dining services staff has been sourcing more foods closer to campus.
The MSU Bobcats play Division I sports and athletic events are a huge draw for the students and local community. Intramural sports are also popular. Outdoor recreation tops the list of student activities and students tend to be passionate about hiking, climbing, bouldering, mountain biking, fly fishing, whitewater rafting and kayaking, ice climbing, camping, skiing or snowboarding. Free bus service is available to Bridger Bowl, Big Sky and Moonlight Basin ski areas.
Everywhere I went in Montana the people were warm, friendly and genuinely caring. That was especially true of everyone we met at MSU and throughout Bozeman. From admissions director Ronda Russell (who has more pep than the Energizer Bunny) to physics professor Dr. Greg Francis (who believes the best way to engage students is to do a death-defying demonstration in every class) these folks love what they do. Their enthusiasm is really infectious, and MSU students seem thrilled with their choice of school. (www.montana.edu )
by Ilana W-B
The SAT is a three-part (math, critical reading, and writing) test required by many colleges in their admissions processes. I plan to write a post with suggestions for each section of the SAT. This is the last post in the series, and I will be focusing on the writing portion of the test.
Preparation
Write a few timed practice essays. You can’t prepare for the prompt you’ll receive. What you can get used to is effectively budgeting your time. Use some old SAT essay prompts (available in preparation books and online) and write the essays, timing yourself. You can have someone score them for you and offer writing feedback as well.
Learn grammar. If you’re lucky, you’ve had a good middle-school or high-school English teacher who taught you all about subjects and objects, parallelism, dependent and independent clauses, proper punctuation, etc. If not, the multiple choice section will be tricky. (You don’t have to know the fancy terms for all of these things, but knowing the rules means you don’t have to rely on your instincts.) You can still teach yourself: Pick up an English grammar textbook and start following a grammar blog.
Read good writing. This can help you prepare for the critical reading section and the writing section all at once! However, for it to be useful for the writing section, it should be good but not too artsy. News articles are a great choice, as are relatively down-to-earth novels. Hold off on books like The Sound and the Fury or Orlando for now—the grammar is nontraditional.
Taking the Test
There are two pieces to the writing section of the SAT: the essay and the multiple choice questions. The essay counts for a smaller portion of your score than the multiple choice questions do, but both are important. Your essay is scored by two people on a 1–6 scale and their grades are added for a 2–12 score. The multiple choice section is scored 20–80. The two are combined (via a changing chart—there is no consistent formula) to produce your 200–800 overall writing score.
Essay tips:
- Spend the first five minutes outlining, the next fifteen writing, and the last five editing
- Make sure your handwriting is legible
- Avoid slang
- Stick to the standard five-paragraph model: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion
- Draw your three body paragraph examples from three different spheres. A typical choice would be a literary example, a historical or scientific example, and a personal anecdote
- Address the prompt! If it requires you to take sides on an issue (and most will), pick a clear stance and stick to it. You don’t have the time for a nuanced approach
- Size matters. Don’t ramble just to take up space, but do try to come as close to filling the provided sheet as possible.
Multiple choice tips:
- If it sounds right, it’s probably right
- Parallelism questions are a favorite of the test writers. Make sure all the items in a list are consistently phrased (i.e., act as the same part of speech)
- Dangling modifiers also appear frequently. Adjectival and adverbial phrases need to modify an explicit subject. “Recognizing the importance of great literature, I read every day for two hours” is an acceptable sentence. “Recognizing the importance of great literature, two books were read by me every day” is not. In the former, the adjectival phrase modifies the subject “I.” In the latter, it technically modifies “two books,” which is obviously wrong
- Remember that the first word after a semicolon is not capitalized.
Resources
