Texas Ed Spectator

In general, I don’t think “starting off” at a community college to get a four year degree is a good idea for most people. This isn’t necessarily a criticism of the education quality at community colleges but rather a recognition that unless a student is especially focused and motivated, his or her chances for graduation are slim. However, a recent story in the Express-News reminded me that for many, the community college may be the only viable option.

Nonetheless, San Antonio College only has a 11.7% graduation rate for a four year degree in six years. If you find yourself at SAC for financial reasons (and the tuition is significantly lower than that of four year institutions) take advantage of the Presidential Honors Program.

Presidential Honors Program

A limited number of students are selected for this program every fall and spring semester. High school applicants are evaluated on the basis of high school GPA and class rank, SAT and/or ACT test scores, teacher recommendations and weight of academic load (number of math, science, social science, and humanities courses). Selected students are given a full scholarship (tuition and books). Those entering the program then take a mix of honors courses, contract courses, and regular courses to fulfill the requirements of the Honors program and of the students’ major. Graduates of the program can enter degree programs at universities in any field. The Honors program also helps place its students in universities and often can help students gain scholarship continuations into the Junior and Senior year.

Such a program is one way to get the attention and support you need to make it to the four year college. Some community colleges actually have agreements with other colleges where students in their honors programs can directly transfer into the four year university’s program. And given the graduation rate at some four year colleges, the honors programs is another way to prevent falling through the cracks.

The University of Texas at San Antonio’s six year graduation rate is only 30.2% compared to 75.1% for the University of Texas at Austin. Surely, however, the students in UTSA’s honors programs must have a higher graduation rate? Furthermore, the eligibility requirements for UTSA’s Honros College aren’t exactly daunting: graduation in the top 20%, ACT of 24, SAT (M+V) 1100.

I suppose this comes across as a back-handed compliment to the programs. Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that you can get a great education at either of these schools. But you would certainly be maximizing your resources if you pursued the honors options available at less selective schools.

Unfortunately, these programs can be hard to find. The honors program link shows up after the second click on the UT Austin website. It takes four clicks on the UTSA page and that’s only if you know to click on “Student Information Bulletin” and then “Admission to Colleges and Special Programs.” As for the program at SAC, so far I’ve only found it by doing a search on the website. I don’t know what links into it. Maybe it’s the administration’s way of keeping down enrollment.

In any case, for all those students who aren’t likely to get into UT Austin because of the top ten percent rule, there are probably some excellent honor programs which would serve them just as well.

Now they’re suing UT for considering race in the admissions that fall outside the top 10 percent.

UT sued for considering race in admissions

“But for her race and ethnicity, it is our belief she would have been admitted to the University of Texas,” said Edward Blum, director of the Project on Fair Representation, a legal-defense group that fights the use of race and ethnicity in public policy.

What exactly is this “belief” based on? Do Hispanics and African-Americans make up a larger percentage of the non-top ten percentage admits than Anglos (excepting athletes in money making sports, of course)? Are individuals from these groups being admitted with lower SAT scores than Anglos? How about those with a lower class rank? Is playing the cello supposed to be considered part of the admission process? If so, how does that compare to getting merely decent SAT scores at a poorly funded and poorly performing high school?

I have to admit that this is a change from the usual “my child scored 1400 on the SAT but can’t get into UT because she’s not in the top ten percent” complaint. Fisher’s SAT scores would put her in the bottom of the middle 50% for UT. It would be nice to know why they think she would be admitted under “race neutral” conditions.

Technorati Tags: UT Austin, admissions policy, racial preferences

I’ve seen this book, “Acing the College Application,” around and just the little skimming I’ve done standing in the book aisle has convinced me that it’s a superficial treatment of the college application process. This review of Naomi Schaefer Riley’s seems to confirm it.

OpinionJournal - Leisure & Arts

Take this passage from Michele Hernández’s “Acing the College Application,” where she assesses the chances of a high-school student getting into a college of his choice. “Best case: Neither of your parents attended college at all, your father is a factory worker, and your mom is on disability. . . . Worst case: Your father went to Yale as an undergraduate and then Harvard Business School and is now an investment banker and your mom went to Brown, holds a Ph.D. in chemistry and works as a research chemist.”

We all understand that being a rich white kid puts one at a disadvantage in the college-admissions process.

This casually drawn conclusion on both the parts of the author, Michele Hernandez, and the reviewer rankles me. First of all, how can you have all the “passionate” enrichment activities unless your parents have money? I know some exceptional kids do but they are just that, exceptional.

Then there is the fact that while students from private schools make up only ten percent of the student population at the elementary and high school level, they seem to be disproportionately represented at the elite colleges.

Percentage of freshman from public school

Poor little, rich Johnny isn’t getting beat out by some poor Hispanic kid from the Rio Grande valley; he’s getting beat out by another poor, little rich kid.

Now at days, virtually everyone applying to selective schools has perfect or near perfect SAT scores and is in the top ten percent of their class. So which do you think is going to make more of a difference in the application process, a mother who is an alumnus or a father who is a truck driver? Which applicants are more likely to have the resources to follow their passions?

I’m sure that there are some minority students admitted that have lower scores than many of the white males who were rejected. I’m just as sure that there are athletes, artists, musicians, and students from Montana (other traits people are often born with) that have lower scores than those who were not admitted.

It sounds like these books are encouraging you to reap the benefits of your parent’s wealth without appearing as such to the admissions committees. Or maybe the authors are just trying to reap the benefit’s the parents wealth without appearing as such to the parents.

Technorati Tags: college admissions, private admission counseling, discrimination, Acing the College Application, What High Schools Don’t Tell You, Naomi Schaefer Riley

Very interesting article on Harvard’s new accessibility to the middle class. Families making less than $120,000 won’t pay any tuition. The author, Steven Roy Goodman, argues that by providing additional aid, Harvard and others with generous endowments, are hoping to head off legislation by Congress that would mandate schools to spend 5% of it’s endowment as required by other private foundations.

Goodman reports that Harvard claims the tuition initiative could cost it $22 million a year. However, if it heads off the Congressional mandate, the school saves $245 million dollars a year for the endowment.

The real story on Harvard’s generosity - The Boston Globe

Quite a trick. Spend at best a tiny fraction of the endowment, while reducing growing political pressure in Washington and around the country that could potentially cost the university more than 10 times the additional amount of financial aid.

When there are plenty of colleges with endowments of less than $50 million, like Goodman, I can’t help but wonder what Harvard plans on doing with it’s endowment. It’s obvious that it doesn’t need it to educate the vast number of struggling and unprepared students it admits every year (that’s sarcasm, it’s 25th% for the SAT was 1390.)

Maybe it could spend some it’s money on initiatives with high schools that don’t send as many students to the selective schools. It could pay for some college test prep classes that many high school students can’t afford. It could give some high school students  stipends that allow them to pursue the all important extracurricular activities instead of working a part time job. Or maybe provide a bridge year of studies for free for students who’s high schools have ill prepared them for college.

Better yet, if money is so important for quality education, Harvard should put the quality of it’s endowment and education to the test. Admit not so spectacular students and see if the Harvard experience can make them even better students. It’s easy to educate someone with a 1400 SAT, how about someone with less than a 1000?

I can’t imagine Harvard going for that one. The entire admissions’ process from the school’s point of view is to admit students that will create the best possible “community” and “education environment” on campus. If that’s the case, then why not provide free undergraduate tuition? I’m sure this would increase the applicant pool and allow Harvard to become even more selective. And as Goodman points, out it just might save its endowment from Congress so that is can be used for…what?

Technorati Tags: Steven Roy Goodman, Harvard, College Endowments, college costs, tuition