Cash for Good AP Exam Scores?
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The $2 million initiative was aimed at improving the racial gap in Advanced Placement results. While the results fail to show compelling evidence that cash can actually improve test scores, New York City is not alone in offering financial incentives to students. As the New York Times reports, Texas, Ohio, and Arizona have all used financial incentives to motivate students to perform better academically.
What are your thoughts on cash for scores? Please take our poll or post a comment. |
Spotlight on College of the Atlantic
This week's spotlight takes us up north to Bar Harbor, Maine, home of College of the Atlantic. I chose COA for a couple reasons: 1) not enough people have heard of it; 2) the world would be a better place if more schools were like College of the Atlantic.
With just 350 students and its seaside perch in coastal Maine, College of the Atlantic isn't for everyone. Don't expect a giant symphony hall or a 100-million-dollar athletic facility. What you can expect are small classes, interdisciplinary learning, devoted teachers, a beautiful campus, and a type of student life that earned COA a spot on Princeton Review's "green honor roll." The college is proud of its carbon-neutral campus, and all students major in Human Ecology, the relationship between humans and their environment. The curriculum is truly interdisciplinary, and students can craft their education to approach Human Ecology through the arts, sciences, and/or social sciences.
If you'd like to learn more about College of the Atlantic, read the COA profile and visit the COA website. If you're familiar with College of the Atlantic, please share your impressions in the COA discussion thread in the College Admission Forum. Prospective students and their parents would love to hear some first-hand accounts of life at COA.
Don't forget to visit the forum to recommend other great colleges for future spotlights.
photo: post406 / Flickr
The 20 Most Selective Colleges
Some colleges and universities send out a lot of rejection letters every spring. You can probably guess that Harvard and Stanford are on the list. Some of the other schools may surprise you. This list presents admissions data for the country's 20 most selective colleges. All have acceptance rates below 20%, and a couple are below 10%. You'll find a mix of small colleges and large universities, and the U.S. military academies also prove to be extremely selective.
I've included just those colleges that have an enrollment of over 200 students, and I have not included places with an audition- or portfolio-based application process (although it's worth noting that Julliard is more selective than all members of the Ivy League).
Realize that selectivity alone doesn't explain how difficult a school is to get into. Some of the colleges on the list have high selectivity, but the average test scores and GPAs of the applicants are significantly lower than other schools on the list.
More Top Colleges and Universities:
- Top Women's Colleges
- Top Liberal Arts Colleges
- Top Universities
- Top Public Universities
- Top Engineering Schools
- Top Business Schools
photo by _Gene_ / Flickr
Spotlight on St. Mary's College of Maryland
This week's spotlight focuses on another great public liberal arts college. Despite what the name might lead one to believe, St. Mary's College is a secular, public college. Its name stems from the fact that the college is located in St. Mary's City on the banks of St. Mary's River. I chose St. Mary's College of Maryland for a spotlight feature because the school offers that rare mix of a small liberal arts college experience with the price tag of a public university. Indeed, with about 2,000 students and a 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio, St. Mary's College is not your typical state school. Academics at St. Mary's are strong, and the college can boast of a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and its status as the only Public Honors College in Maryland.
St. Mary's City was first settled in 1634, so the college environment is rich in history. The school's waterfront location has led to some interesting campus traditions including an annual cardboard boat race, a winter swim in the river, and a toss in the pond to celebrate one's birthday. For the college-bound student who isn't keen on the tuition of a private college but wants the personal touch that doesn't exist at a 40,000-student university, St. Mary's College of Maryland is worth a look.
To learn more about St. Mary's College such as costs and acceptance criteria, check out the St. Mary's College profile. If you'd like to share your own experiences with St. Mary's, please drop a line in the St. Mary's discussion forum. And be sure to visit the St. Mary's College website.
Have an idea for a future college spotlight on About.com? Please post your recommendation in the College Admissions Forum.
Photo by dicoplio / Flickr
Other Public Liberal Arts Colleges
Admission to The Big Ten Conference
For a lot of students, the college experience wouldn't be complete without packed stadiums and exciting Division I athletics. What does it take to get into a university with a top athletic program? This list of universities in the Big Ten Conference answers the question. From private Northwestern to a few schools that show up on my top public university list, the Big Ten includes a wide range of schools for students with a wide range of interests and abilities.
Also Check Out These Athletic Conferences:
photo: mwlguide / FlickrSpotlight on Truman State University
Today's college spotlight takes us to the small town of Kirksville in Missouri. Truman State University (formerly Northeast Missouri State University) represents a fantastic value for the high-achieving student who wants the feeling of a small private college without the $45,000 a year price tag. In 2007 the in-state tuition was just $6,432, and at $11,042 the university isn't soaking out-of-state students either. Also, you've got to love the fact that 94% of students received an institutional grant as part of their financial aid. Quality teaching is highly valued at Truman, and with an average class size of 24, you'll get to know your professors.
To learn more about Truman State University, check out the Truman State profile and visit the Truman State website. If you're familiar with Truman, please share your impressions in the College Admissions Forum.
Many thanks to Mack (macattak2) for recommending Truman State University to be featured here. If there's a college you'd like to see appear in the spotlight, you can make your suggestions in the forum.
photo by DavidOaks / Wikipedia
More Great Public Colleges:
College Interviews
At many colleges and universities, the interview is optional. It may be tempting to spare yourself the stress and opt out. In most cases, you shouldn't. Here's why you should choose to do an optional interview.
Spotlight on Elon University
If you're from the mid-Atlantic area, you've probably heard of Elon University, a private university in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. If you're not familiar with Elon, it's time to take a look. In 2006, Newsweek-Kaplan gave Elon the top ranking for student engagement, and indeed, the majority of Elon students participate in study abroad, internships, and volunteer work. Elon emphasizes a student-centered approach to learning, and the university provides students with the feel of a small liberal arts college, the breadth of a comprehensive university, and the excitement of Division I athletics. It's a rare mix.
Elon also scores points for its value -- the tuition is about $10,000 less than many comparable private universities.
If you're familiar with Elon University, please share your impressions in the College Admissions Forum. You can also use the forum to recommend a college for a future spotlight.
photo: Tony Crider / Flickr
Profiles of North Carolina Universities:
Top Women's Colleges
Over the past several decades, the U.S. has seen the number of women's colleges decline from about 200 to the 60 we have today. A few women's colleges, however, haven't just survived in the country's changing educational landscape, but thrived. Radcliffe College may have been consumed by Harvard, but Barnard College has maintained a strong identity independent of Columbia University. Vassar College has gone co-educational, but all-female Wellesley College consistently places higher than them in national rankings of liberal arts colleges.
Even if you aren't considering a woman's college, take a look at these top women's colleges. What you find may surprise you. These aren't the finishing schools you may have heard your grandparents talking about. Each one of the colleges I've listed has excellent professors, a challenging student-centered curriculum, a remarkable campus, and an endowment between $150 million and $1.6 billion. If you're worried that a woman's college has limited social opportunities, you'll find that every one of these schools has cross-registration arrangements with nearby colleges and universities, and that the social scene is not confined to a single campus.
You can also check out the application essay that got Sophie into Smith College.
Bryn Mawr photo by thatpicturetaker / Flickr
Top College Lists:
Spotlight on Scripps College
For the first (but not last) time, the spotlight turns to one of the country's excellent women's colleges. Scripps College fosters a cooperative but rigorous learning environment for its 900 students. The quality of student life is far above average, and dorm living isn't your typical cubical environment. The Spanish-style residence halls have features such as balconies and inner courtyards, and the campus as a whole is on the National Register of Historic Places.
For those who have reservations about an all-women's college, Scripps provides the best of both worlds. The college itself is small, beautiful, supportive and student-centered. But Scripps is also a member of the Claremont Colleges with Harvey Mudd, Pomona, Pitzer and Claremont McKenna. Students at Scripps have access to all the classes, library resources, dining facilities, and campus activities of the member colleges. The colleges collaborate extensively in areas such as athletics and music.
Do you have ideas for a college or university you'd like to see featured here in the future? Please give us your recommendations in the College Admissions Forum. And if you're familiar with Scripps College, please share your thoughts in the forum.
photo by Mllerustad / Flickr
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