Mastering The College Admissions

LandscapeRebecca Joseph, PhD

LAUSD

Fall 2018

rjoseph@calstatela.edu

www.getmetocollege.org

Your Presenter

Rebecca Joseph, PhD• Professor, Cal State LA• Founder, Get Me To College and All

College Application Essays• 2016 Unsung Hero, LA County• Keynote speaker to Fall 2017 LAUSD

Principals

Contact rjoseph@calstatela.edu and getmetocollege@gmail.com

@getmetocollege @allcollegeessay

https://www.slideshare.net/getmetocollege/fall-2018-lausd-staff-presentation

Understanding The New College Application Landscape

Overview of Shifting 2017-2018 American Admissions Landscape

• The landscape changes include testing, financial aid, and new application types

• What changes does 2017-2018 hold for these 5 systems?

Cal State Application

University of California

Community Colleges-LA Promise

Common Application

New Coalition Application

Which Colleges Does This Affect?

• Survey frequency of applications

Tips for Advisors to Finding Firm Footing

• Location

• Components

• Deadlines: Early or Regular?

• Essay management

Many Steps to Class of 2018 College Admissions Process

New SAT; Changes to ACT

New FAFSA Structure and

Opening Date

Changes to Common Application

New UC and UT Essay

Prompts

District Gets Naviance

Class of 2018 College

Admissions Process Organizing Your Applications

New Cal State Application and

Impact of Impacted Campuses

New LA Promise

New FAFSA Cycle and PPY

Shifting Master Plan In California

• In 1960• University of California top 12.5

percent of students in high schools.

• California State University top 33.3 percent.

• Community Colleges-the rest

TODAY ALL NEW CHALLENGES

California State University System

• 2017-2018 Cal State System releases new system: Cal State Apply.

• Most campuses are now impacted.

• Many majors on campuses are impacted.

• Cal State LA received over 36,000 applications.

• New focus on deadlines, deadlines, deadlines

California State University System

• California State University System Releases New Application System

• It’s now open for Fall 2018 applicants.

• EOP is embedded.

• All Fall 2018 applicants must use it.

• TRY IT YOURSELF for one of your students.

Must More Zen

• Must easier. One application for all.

• Pick one campus and then fill out each section.

• Easily add other colleges.

• Still four free for all low-income students.

• No more check payments. Only credit cards or free waivers.

Four Easy Sections

• Academic history requires some practice

• It requires students to add courses by grade. No longer by A-G

• It does have an A-G tracker

• Students must put in all grades even Ds and Fs.

New Achievements

• New achievement section

• Optional for undergrads

• Not sure who and if anyone will read them.

• No limit yet—went up to 11.

EOP Shifts

• EOP application is integrated into Cal State Apply

• Short responses remain the same.

• New system wide deadlines.• January 15 for Fall

• August 31 fro Spring

California State System Graduation Push

• Graduation Initiative 2025.

• Each university needs over 50 graduation rates within 4 years.

• New dashboards for analytics.

• https://analytics.calstate.edu/SASPortal/main.do

New Cal State Data Portal

https://www5.dashboards.calstate.edu/static/page/hsdash/

hshome.html?utm_medium=301&utm_source=calstate.ed

u

Community Colleges

• More system-wide programs.

• Courses now readily available.

• Different transfer rates by college.

• Los Angeles College Promise Promise

• One year of free enrollment to all full-time students graduating from LAUSD and charter high schools beginning with seniors graduating in 2017. Included in this program are priority enrollment, placement in math and English courses required to succeed in college and career support and counseling.

Los Angeles College Promise

• Great opportunity for many students

• Pays for one year.

• Provides multiple supports

Shifts With Other College Applications

University of California

• UCs identify the top 9 percent of students based on GPA in UC-approved coursework completed in the 10th and 11th grades. To be considered for ELC, you must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and complete 11 "a-g" courses prior to their senior year. Rest must be completed by end of senior year.

• While there are no minimum test scores required, all applicants must complete either the ACT with Writing or the SAT Reasoning exams.

• California residents ranked in the top 9 percent of students in their California high school class — and your high school participates in our ELC program — you may be eligible for ELC designation.

•

• 38% of the new California freshman and transfer students were underrepresented minorities — Latinos, African Americans, Pacific Islanders and American Indians, according to UC data posted this week.

• These numbers are projected to swell even more in the next two decades as the state’s population surges by nearly 10 million to 47.2 million by 2040. The state projects an increase of 200,000 college-age Californians, and nearly half of them will be Latinos, whose high school graduation rates continue to rise.

University of California Challenges

• Numbers of applicants. Escalating each year.

• Costs. Now capping out of state and international enrollments for first time.

• Affordability. Often gapping poor children and then expensive for middle class.

• Blue and Gold Program

• CAL Middle Class Program

University of California Application Shifts

• Introduces new format and prompts for both freshman and transfer essays

• Applicants must write 4 short 350 word max essays

• Freshman can choose from 8 prompts

• Transfers have one required and then seven prompts, of which applicants must choose 3

• Greater implications for earlier college readiness

UC Freshman and Transfer Prompts

• Freshman Personal Insight Prompts: Answer any 4 of the following 8 questions:

• What do you want UC to know about you? Here’s your chance to tell us in your own words.

• Which questions you choose to answer is entirely up to you: But you should select questions that are most relevant to your experience and that best reflect your individual circumstances.

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

• Transfers: Personal insight questions: There is one required question you must answer

• You must also answer 3 out of 7 additional questions

• What do you want UC to know about you? Here’s your chance to tell us in your own words.

• Which three questions you choose to answer are up to you: But you should select questions that are most relevant to your experience and that best reflect your individual circumstances.

• Required question

• Please describe how you have prepared for your intended major, including your readiness to succeed in your upper-division courses once you enroll at the university.

• You will also need to select 3 out of the following 7 questions to answer:

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.

3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time?

4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.

5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?

6. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

7. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California?

New Testing In Place

Testing

• Entirely new SAT

• New Writing Section of ACT

• Many schools now not required writing section of each

• Many schools now making SAT Subject Tests optional

• Increasing number of new test optional colleges. fairtest.org

• Each test two free waivers.

Private Colleges and Other Public Universities• Often private colleges can

provide more money for low-income, minority students.

• Often better options for undocumented students.

• Great sites to help you find them.

• College Greenlighthttps://www.collegegreenlight.com/

• College Week Livehttps://www.collegeweeklive.com/

• I’m Firsthttp://www.imfirst.org/#!

Common Application

• New essays for 2017-2018

• Allows accounts to roll-over

• Continues to improve transfer application

• Adds Indiana University, George Mason University, and University of Wisconsin-Madison along with 45 other new institutions

• Expands outreach including virtual counselor

2017-2018 Common Application Prompts

250-650 Words 2017-2018 Common Application Essay Prompts

1. 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. [No change]

2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when

you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

[Revised]

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking?

What was the outcome? [Revised]

4. 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. [No change]

5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new

understanding of yourself or others. [Revised]

6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it

captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? [New]

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a

different prompt, or one of your own design. [New]

Little Treasures

New Coalition Application

New Kid on the Block

District Gets Naviance

• Recommendations

• Resume and Career Inventories

• Research College

• Brag Sheets and other student submissions

Affordability Crisis

• College costs have out-priced inflation 3 to 1.

• College debt is at record levels. The millennial challenge.

• New buildings, new middle management.

Types of Financial Aid: Internal

• Need-based• Grants/Scholarships

• Work

• Loans• Student

• Parent

• Merit-based

Different Kinds of Merit Money

External Money

https://roybal-

allard.house.gov/uploadedfiles/student_resource_guide_2

017-2018.pdf

$1 Million Question

Which application to have students

use?

4 Tips for Getting Firm Footing

1. Find Common Denominator• Where do most students apply?

• Use that to drive strategies.

2. Identify Components • All essays? Recommendations? Mix? Early

applications?• Break down and organize colleges by components.

• Personalize at end.

3. Stay current • What has changed? What is current? • Ensure students are working on CORRECT and

RELEVANT components.

• Minimize mistakes and need to back track or rework information

4. Create plan• Review past protocols/policies? Do they still work for

students and your organization? Or do you need new ones?

• Use online application tool/process to track progress.

• Set deadlines.

• Set tasks/assignments.

1. Find Common Denominator

Check or create list with application types. Which application should Andy do?

2. Identify Components

California State

University

University of California California and Out of

State Private Colleges

Out of State Public

Colleges

Application Application Application Application

SAT or ACT(check campus requirements)

SAT or ACT(must have writing)

SAT or ACT(with writing as needed)

SAT or ACT (with writing as needed)

SAT Subject Tests(as needed)

SAT Subject Tests(as needed)

SAT Subject Tests(check campus for requirements)

High School Curriculum Self Report on application

High School Curriculum Self Report on application

Transcript Transcript

Personal Insight Questions(4 )

Personal Statements(number varies)

Personal Statements(check campus for requirements)

Activity List(9, 10, 11, 12)

Activity List(9, 10, 11, 12)

Activity List(9, 10, 11, 12)

Counselor Recommendation

&

1-3 Teacher/CommunityLetters of Recommendation

Counselor or Teacher

Recommendations(check campus for requirements)

Applications open Oct. 1Submit: Oct. 1 - Nov. 30

Applications open Aug. 1Submit: up to Nov. 30

Applications open as early as July 1 (varies)Submit: Varies (as early as July, as late as May)

3. Stay Current

• More colleges than ever are filling more than 50% of their classes with Early Decision.

• More colleges are adding ED 2.

• Applying ED 1 or 2 often doubles likelihood of admissions than regular.

• More students are applying to 12+ colleges.

• Deferrals and waitlists more common than ever.

https://www.iecaonline.com/PDF/IECA_Library_ED-vs-

RD-Acceptances.pdf

Deadlines: EA, REA, ED, 1 & 2?

3. Stay Current

• Get newsletters• http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/co

unselors/resources/counselors-advisers-bulletin/

• Visit colleges for free• http://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/2015/6

/14/fly-ins-for-counselors

• Attend conferences• https://www.wacac.org/annual-conference/

• Visit colleges for free

• Join organizations• WACAC• NACAC

More ways to stay current

4. Create a Plan

Create or use online platform to view all application due dates

Essay Management

Use Available Resources

And More Changes

• Other components to manage:• Recommendations

• Transcript delivery process changing

• Proliferation of student portals –based on student applications

Questions?

Seizing the moment

Contact Dr. Joseph

• getmetocollege@gmail.com

• www.getmetocollege.org

• wBuy my Integrated Website and Mobile App-All College Application Essayswww.allcollegeessays.org

• ww.allcollegeessays.org

https://www.slideshare.net/getmetocollege/fall-2018-lausd-staff-presentation