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Post by casey on Jun 9, 2011 13:16:50 GMT -6
btw - Benet sent around notes to the kids telling them about the transcript needs for NCAA and NAIA and where they need to go-- and to come and pick them up before school broke for summer " I have to give credit to my daughter's counselor at WV. He did the exact same thing. She came home with the transcript request form for me to sign. Incidentally, he's taking care of the two transcript problem and is chasing them down from Neuqua. Thanks Mr. VanKampen - we're lucky to have you now heading the NCAA stuff for Waubonsie. |
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Post by doctorwho on Jun 10, 2011 0:53:54 GMT -6
btw - Benet sent around notes to the kids telling them about the transcript needs for NCAA and NAIA and where they need to go-- and to come and pick them up before school broke for summer " I have to give credit to my daughter's counselor at WV. He did the exact same thing. She came home with the transcript request form for me to sign. Incidentally, he's taking care of the two transcript problem and is chasing them down from Neuqua. Thanks Mr. VanKampen - we're lucky to have you now heading the NCAA stuff for Waubonsie. excellent- kudos to him |
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Post by casey on Jun 10, 2011 14:01:05 GMT -6
Another interesting tidbit to point out was that the admissions director stated that the incoming 2015 class of U of I had the highest number of applicants. There were 30,000 students who applied and 7,000 were accepted. That's a 23.3% acceptance rate. That's what I would call a highly selective school. It's not easy getting into U of I. Some of it's luck but man a kid better plan ahead starting in 8th grade if they want to get into a school like that. None of the other big 10s are any easier. Wonder what Northwestern is like?
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Post by doctorwho on Jun 10, 2011 19:33:48 GMT -6
Another interesting tidbit to point out was that the admissions director stated that the incoming 2015 class of U of I had the highest number of applicants. There were 30,000 students who applied and 7,000 were accepted. That's a 23.3% acceptance rate. That's what I would call a highly selective school. It's not easy getting into U of I. Some of it's luck but man a kid better plan ahead starting in 8th grade if they want to get into a school like that. None of the other big 10s are any easier. Wonder what Northwestern is like? funny you should ask 25,000 applied for 2000 spots. according to Princeton review selectivity rating 98 U of I selectivity rating still very high @ 88 and to be considered- middle 50% ACT 30-33 middle 50% math ACT 29-35 middle 50% english ACT 31-34 middle SAT 2030 - 2280 !! We know one girl going there- she will be playing volleyball for them - coming out of Marist HS- and a boy from Benet playing basketball for them -- now those are sweet scholarships Go Cats! @ $200 less than $50K per year with Room and board |
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Post by casey on Jun 29, 2011 13:24:57 GMT -6
I know that I've talked about the importance of retaking the ACT but wanted to stress that again. Don't rely on your kid to just take it through the school in April. That just isn't enough.
Most of my daughter's friends did the worst on that April National ACT test (my daughter's score stayed the same though). Remember the score is determined based on how many kids are taking the test and doing well. Sometimes it's better to take a less-attended exam (think October, November, and June).
Also, after taking the test and a prep class it might even be worth it to spring for private tutoring. We did that right before the June exam (2 times hour each session/$70 per) and my daughter's score improved 3 composite points (6-7 point gains in two subject areas!). Let's just say it was well-spent money. A private tutor probably won't "teach" your kid something they don't already know but it's the little tips that seem to help most.
Remember you can sign your child up now for the September date. A lot of seniors take that ACT test (those that didn't do as well on the exam as they expected) as well as first-time Junior test-takers. Thankfully we're done with the ACT test for a few years!
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Post by casey on Jan 16, 2012 19:30:40 GMT -6
Just thought I'd add a few more things that I've learned along the way as I'm navigating the college selection process for kid #2.
Though my daughter did not apply to any Ivy League schools (though U of I and WI Madison are getting almost that competitive) I did learn that the admission decisions for those Ivy League schools are much later. Northwestern and Vanderbilt don't even give decisions until March. That seems a crazy long time to wait for decisions. Most Big Ten and midwestern schools give rolling decisions pretty quickly. U of I gave a December date and specific time (though their website always locks up at the appropriate time). It seems like the more competitive a school is the longer you wait for a decision. I do know that Iowa, Mizzou, and Kentucky give very quick decisions (within a week or two).
Take a look at the College Confidential website. It's amazing the great info you can find. One of the best things is the scattergrams that show who really gets in and what the stats are.
Interesting but I didn't realize that UW-Madison assigns individual schools an admission counselor. That individual counselor is the one who reviews the college app and makes the recommendation to the admissions board if a kid is accepted, postponed, wait-listed or denied. Ususally you have no way of getting a name as to who reviewed an application. Found it kind of interesting that MV and WV had the same admissions counselor while NV's was different (maybe it's a Naperville Aurora thing?). Also, it seems like the majority of decisions from an individual counselor come out at the same time. Though I know a WV kid who applied after the priority deadline (October) but still had an answer in 2 weeks. I also know of at least one WV kid who applied in September but still hasn't heard anything. Most kids though got their answer (including my child) sometime in early November but my friends at Hinsdale Central didn't hear until late December. I have to admit that it's kind of annoying when some get their decisions but not all.
Though the district promised that there'd be no reprercussions of dropping class rank know that it does cause some kids to lose out on merit aid. In the case of U of Iowa a good student with only a marginal ACT will no longer qualify for merit scholarships. No longer can a ROI score (regional index score) be determined. Basically this is a calculation that includes GPA, ACT, core coursework, and yes, Class Rank to determine an index score to qualify for scholarships. I feel sorry for the kid who misses out on this money ($4700 a YEAR!) because they don't have a good ACT score. Without a regional index score Iowa requires a 26 ACT and 3.6 GPA (certainly not crazy high by any means) but who wants to lose $20,000 because of no class rank.
Consider having your child retake the ACT. Remember a few points can be the difference in A LOT of money. I've said it before but it seems like a 27 ACT is the magical start of merit scholarship money but some of the biggest difference is the over 30 ACT scores.
U of I decided that they will no longer require the writing portion of the ACT. Thankfully! That means that today's juniors will not need to submit writing for next year's admissions process.
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