Tag high school

Juniors: How do you measure your chances for admissions?

GP Edge Guru October 13, 2015

 

 

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Edge Tip:

How competitive for college admissions will you be in the future? This is based on several factors. Some factors are more measurable in the college applications process than others. The easily measured factors include:

  • Your GPA
  • Your tests scores on ACT, AP, SAT or Subject tests

Less measurable, but equally important in your college application process are:

  • How hard you challenged yourself in your course schedule
  • Activities you were involved in during high school
  • Contributions you made to your community
  • Your love of learning
  • Your life’s experiences

Using Measurable Factors

Use the measurable factors to start creating your college list. You need colleges in the red, yellow and green zone of My Chances in your GuidedPath account. Your ACT or SAT scores generate your My Chances zones. Use PSAT or PLAN scores as an SAT or ACT score to get My Chances zones.

What puts a school in your RED zone?

  • test scores are lower than the average scores at the college
  • the college has a low acceptance rate (typically under 20%)

What puts a school in your YELLOW zone?

  • test scores are in the mid 50% range, along with most other students
  • the college has an acceptance rate of 20-60%

What puts a school in your GREEN zone?

  • test scores are in the top 25% of students
  • the college has acceptance rates of 60-100%

What do each of the zones mean?

  • RED zone.  These are DREAM or REACH colleges. This is where immeasurable factors can be very influential.
  • YELLOW zone.  These are EXPECTED or TARGET colleges. A majority of your future college list should be in this zone. It is your sweet spot for college admissions.
  • 1-4 in the GREEN zone.  This is your FOR SURE or SAFETY colleges. These are very important especially for financial aid or merit scholarship potential.

Your Edge:

Follow these steps to check your zones:

  1. Enter test scores from tests.
  2. Explore college profiles, using GuidedSearch.
  3. Click on My Chances in each college profile.

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Seniors: How do you measure your chances for admissions?

GP Edge Guru October 13, 2015

my chances copy

Edge Tip:

How competitive for admissions will you be? This is based on several factors. Some factors are more measurable in the college applications process than others. The easily measured factors include:

  • Your GPA
  • Your tests scores on ACT, AP, SAT or Subject tests

Less measurable, but equally important in your college application process are:

  • How hard you challenged yourself in your course schedule
  • Activities you were involved in during high school
  • Contributions you made to your community
  • Your love of learning
  • Your life’s experiences

Using Measurable Factors

Use the measurable factors to do a final check of your college list. Using My Chances, make sure you have a balance in your college list.  You need colleges in the red, yellow and green zone of My Chances in your GuidedPath account.

What puts a school in your RED zone?

  • your test scores are lower than the average scores at the college
  • the college has a low acceptance rate (typically under 20%)

What puts a school in your YELLOW zone?

  • your test scores are in the mid 50% range, along with most other students
  • the college has an acceptance rate of 20-60%

What puts a school in your GREEN zone?

  • your test scores are in the top 25% of students
  • the college has acceptance rates of 60-100%

How many schools should you have in each zone?

  • 1-3 in the RED zone.  These are your DREAM or REACH colleges. This is where immeasurable factors can be very influential.
  • 2-5 in the YELLOW zone.  These are your EXPECTED or TARGET colleges. A majority of your college list should be in this zone. It is your sweet spot for college admissions.
  • 1-4 in the GREEN zone.  This is your FOR SURE or SAFETY colleges. These are very important especially for financial aid or merit scholarship potential.

Your Edge:

Follow these steps to check your zones:

  1. Make sure your latest test scores are up to date in GuidedPath.  
  2. Then view My Chances under My College.
  3. Change “Display All” to “My Colleges”.
  4. Count how many of your colleges are in the Red, Yellow and Green zones.
  5. Adjust your list if needed!

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Should I do an early application to get an edge in admissions?

GP Edge Guru September 28, 2015

The purpose of submitting an application to a college early is to indicate your top preference for that college or a small group of colleges.  Colleges appreciate knowing you are likely to enroll if admitted. You benefit because you hear early from your “dream” school if you are admitted or not.

The key to managing your college applications is knowing the difference between the three early application types, and when to use them. Most early admission application due dates are in November, with a notification date in December.

Think of early action as chips in your college admissions game. You can spend your chips in different ways.

Early Action

A plan offered by colleges allowing students to apply early and receive an admissions decision earlier than the regular decision dates. You can spend multiple chips to apply Early Action. Students can often submit early action applications to more than one school. You can apply regular admissions to any other colleges. Students have until May 1 to confirm enrollment, and are not required to commit if accepted.

Restrictive Early Action

You only have one chip (early application). You have to decide which one college is at the top of your “dream” list and place your chip there. You are restricted from applying EA or ED to any other college.  You can apply regular admissions to any other colleges.

Early Decision

Another one chip choice, students are restricted to choosing one college to apply to Early Decision. If a student is admitted Early Decision, you are committed to attend the college.  No other applications can be submitted.  All other submitted college applications must be withdrawn.  The up side to Early Decision is you hear early. The downside can be in terms of financial aid options offered.

Why Apply Early?

There is a lot of debate the advantages or disadvantages of applying early. The following table shows the difference in admissions rates between Early Decision and Regular Decision at some of the top universities in the country. This data quells any question about how beneficial applying Early Decision can be.

 

College Early Decision Acceptance Rate Regular Admissions Rate
Brown 19% 9%
Cornell 30% 16%
Dartmouth 29% 10%
University of Pennsylvania 25% 12%
Vanderbilt University 22% 13%

 

Your Edge

Edge is designed to help you maximize early applications.  To manage Early applications:

  1. Set up application plans. Select decision type…..

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