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Why the sudden need to ensure proper punctuation and spelling in a rowdy football cheer? Well, the UGA admissions department is now a lot more like pit bulls than bull dogs when it comes to the rules of standard written English. Students who want to proudly wave the Red and Black come fall 2009, must focus more attention on the Writing section of the SAT. Previously, UGA had only considered the combination Math and Verbal score of this standardized test when making admissions decisions. Now, however, the game has changed.

Straight from the Bull Dog’s mouth:

Writing and Standardized Tests

For students applying to enroll at UGA beginning in Spring, 2009 and later, the writing section must be submitted for both the SAT and ACT if both tests are to be considered for admission. For students who are only submitting the SAT, the writing section is always included in their final scores. For those submitting the ACT, they must have at least one submission of the ACT with the optional writing included. If they submit more than one ACT, at least one must have the writing included.

If a student is submitting both the SAT and ACT, they must have at least one ACT with the writing included: it will always be included with the SAT. If there are no submitted sittings of the ACT with writing, UGA will not be able to use the ACT for consideration for admission.

How Will UGA Use the Writing Score

UGA has a traditionally used standardized test scores and high school GPA to help predict success as a freshmen at UGA. In the past, the English and Math sections of the ACT and the Verbal (now Critical Reading) and Math sections of the SAT were used for the standardized tests, each section individually. These were combined with the student’s GPA and the rigor of the curriculum was also factored.

For the past three years, since the inception of the new writing sections of the ACT and SAT, UGA has required that students submit at least one standardized test with a writing section. Admissions has used the writing scores (and even reviewed some of the essays) on an individual basis to add information when needed. With two classes of freshmen students with writing scores having enrolled and completed their freshmen year we have now analyzed the role that the writing section can add to our ability to make better admission decisions. We will now incorporate it into the prediction regression for all applications. In order to do this, UGA must have a writing section for each of the types of tests (SAT or ACT) that the student submits as part of their application.

As in the past, while standardized test scores do play a role in admission, the choice of high school courses and resulting grades play a must stronger role in predicting success at UGA.

More news:

UGA to start adding in SAT writing scores

UGA might consider standardized writing tests

Good news:

Fear not, though. Students just need to review some simple rules about appropriate comma placement, parallelism and adverb use, and they are well on their way to higher scores. Our students frequently see big gains on their Writing section scores with limited study.

The end is in sight. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel. By January, it will be done. By March you will know. So close, yet so far away!

As your summer memories fade like daylight into the autumn dusk, you still have a big task ahead of you. The actual college application and…THE ESSAY! It doesn’t have to be as daunting as it sounds. The key to keep it in check–and meet all your deadlines–is to stay organized.
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While the summer weather isn’t exactly fading away, summer vacation is. Sorry, students, but you have only a few precious weeks before the demands of the school year start to creep back. As memories of long days at beaches and pools and late nights at concerts and movies wane in the face of back-to-school shopping, you, lucky Juniors, have more to worry about this year than your standard class load. That’s right, college-bound brainiacs, you’re time has come. If you’re lucky, you’ve seen older siblings struggle through this process and eventually reap the rewards. If you are the first to embark on this long, long journey, don’t worry. Think of what an inspiration you’ll be to those who come after.
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Hello, Readers! I know you all enjoy the posts we make to our blog. I hope you find them both entertaining and helpful. On that note, I’d like to hear from you. What would you like to know about in regards to college admissions and acceptance, standardized testing and all other things high school? Post a comment with a topic you’d like further explored. I look forward to hearing from you!

Congratulations, Seniors! You’ve been tested and interviewed to death, and now acceptance letters are pouring in! All that’s left before the best four years of your life begin is a trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond for a snazzy new bath mat and towel set and a quick prayer to the roommate god that yours doesn’t sit in the dark and talk to his toes. Alas, if only it were that easy. For a minute, let us assume the best of all possible worlds. You’ve been accepted to your dream college and they have even granted you some sort of scholarship. However, unless you are the next Einstein, one of your parents is faculty or staff, or the university library shares your name, chances are you are not attending tuition-free. So even though you have successfully navigated the treacherous sea of college admissions, you are not home free. Now you must steer your way through the murky waters of funding your oh-so-exciting education.
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Please forgive the pun above. I couldn’t resist. Now that my utter lameness has grabbed your attention, I will impart some knowledge that will make your cringing subside. When GA Tech says they look only at your highest scoring sections in Math and Verbal (that means ENGLISH Test from the ACT and the Critical Reading test from the SAT) from standardized tests, they mean exactly that. After speaking with Admissions Officer Beatrice Hegidio, I learned the admissions department is so eager to make you look good, they will take your highest scores from either the ACT or SAT. In short, they will mix the tests to get the best score for you.
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Spring Break! The two most beautiful words to any student during the dreary month of February. You can see it just beyond the horizon, all shiny and full of promise: sleeping late, bumming around, not doing homework. If you’re not beach-bound this March, Spring Break is a great time to visit potential colleges. Instead of the annual family road trip to the World’s Largest Ball of Twine (which, incidentally, is in Cawker City, Kansas), why not suggest a trip to the educational institute of your choice?
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Take a deep breath. Relax. You’re done. You’ve licked your last envelope and pasted your last stamp. Now the future of your college education lies in the very capable hands of the U.S. Postal Service. A sense of relief steals over you; a calm settles in. For about 5 minutes. Then your pulse begins to pound and your mind begins to race. “When will they get my application?” “How will I know if they got my application?” “What if the mail plane carrying my application flies into a rift in the space-time continuum and all evidence of my academic existence is erased?”

Jackie Mantey’s article “What to Do While Waiting for Admission Letters” in U.S. News and World Report answers these questions and more. Take another deep breath and read on. Her advice will help spare your nerves and your fingernails as ACCEPTANCE looms in the distant future.

250 words? That hardly seems like enough to convey your special interest, your perspective on diversity, or your reasons for applying to a particular college.

What many colleges are looking for in these “short answer” essays is how you can efficiently, effectively, and in some cases, creatively, make your case. Is this essay going to make or break your application? Most likely not. It’s not going to save an application that is already in the pits, and it’s not going to get an otherwise perfect applicant tossed in the “no” pile. It will, however, help selective institutions to make the fine distinctions necessary when reviewing the applications that fall between those two extremes.

Don’t save these “shorter” essays for the last minute – give them the same amount of thought and soul searching that you would a longer essay.

Do stay within the word limit they give you; it’s there for a reason. Show the admissions staff that you have the ability to follow directions.

Don’t take the word “optional” literally. If a school offers an “optional” essay, send the message that you rise to a challenge and go above and beyond. (Exceptions would be optional essays addressing extenuating circumstances or breaks in your education; these are only necessary if applicable.)

At the beginning of November, Tufts was featured in the New York Times in an article about the optional 250-word essay on their application – it’s an interesting look from the other side.

And this, my friends, was exactly 250 words.

While I was in college, I’d receive the same voicemail every November like clockwork. “Hi, Linda! This is Betsy from Development! We’d like you to come by and write a thank-you note to the donors who made your scholarship possible! OK, thanks!” (Yes, some people can only be punctuated with exclamation points.) So, every November like clockwork, I’d find myself walking across campus and up three flights of stairs to scribble the same four sentences of gratitude for my Presidential Scholarship or Ivan Allen Endowed Scholarship or whatever the Financial Aid Office decided to name my scholarship that year. To me, a thank-you note was a small price to pay for a college education–smaller than tuition.

But thank-you notes are not a new invention. For generations kids have been writing thank-you notes to grandparents, aunts, uncles, second cousins twice removed and neighbors for birthday, holiday and graduation presents. However, students are now using these well-honed skills to send thank-you notes to college admissions counselors, tour guides and alumni. In her New York Times article “Thank-You Note Enters College Admissions Game” from October of this year, Karen W. Arenson explores this rising trend. Students are taking gratitude to a whole new level. Who needs personalized stationary when you can send personalized candy?

While thanking someone for their time or advice is polite, the general consensus seems to be that elaborate thank-you notes will not give you the edge over some less gracious applicants. Patrick Winter, Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Georgia, agrees. “The notes are not included with a student’s file, nor would they be utilized in any way in the admissions decision.  UGA does not measure the student’s “desire” to attend as a factor in the decision process.”

Though heartfelt thanks and tasteful stationary might not tip the scale in your favor, this exercise in politeness would be good practice for the future. The business world is just as competitve as the academic; sending a thank-you note after an interview is a great way to keep your name in the running. Besides, it’s just good manners. I believe Emily Post would agree. Wouldn’t you?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/32267

Thank you, Bruce Poch.

Mr. Poch, Dean of Admission at Pomona College recently wrote this article for Newsweek about the search for authentic applicants. It’s the same story we’ve heard since we were kids - “just be yourself” - but so many students (and parents) have trouble believing that it will work to their benefit in the college admissions process. Every admissions counselor has a story like the one that Bruce shares. Take a look at this article. Read. Enjoy. Share with family. Rinse and Repeat.