Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Princeton Review Top 20 List #1 - Most Accessible Professors

I just picked up my 2012 copy of The Best 376 Colleges. This is one of my favorite "go to" resources for students.

One of my favorite sections are the 62 "Top 20" ranking lists in eight categories:

Academics/Administration, Quality of Life, Politics, Demographics, Town Life, Extracurriculars, and Social Scene.

My next 8 blog posts will provide you with my favorite "Top 20" list from each category.

Most Accessible Professors

1. US Military Academy
2. US Coast Guard Academy
3. Pomona College
4. US Naval Academy
5. Air Force Academy
6. Reed College
7. Sweet Briar College
8. Skidmore College
9. SMU
10. Williams College
11. Sarah Lawrence College
12. Wabash College
13. Claremont McKenna College
14. Amherst College
15. Franklin & Marshall College
16. Webb Institute
17. Colgate University
18. Hampden-Sydney College
19. Ohio University - Athens
20. Muhlenberg College

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Money Saver: Free Online College Applications

In today's economy, who couldn't use an extra $250-$700 dollars?

Below you will find a list of colleges/universities that will allow you to apply online for FREE.

Most of these schools are a part of the Common Application.

This is not an exhaustive list, but a selective one, based on past Casady students who have applied to one of these institutions. This extra savings should make the schools below that much more attractive compared to universities online. To see the full list of schools click here.

Monday, October 3, 2011

10th Grade College Night Snapshot

A couple weeks ago we had 10th grade college night at Casady.

This year we did this event with both parents and students.

We brought in Peter Van Buskirk, former Dean of Admission and author.

Mr. Buskirk did his 2-hour College Admission Game workshop.

Our hope was that our 10th grade students would be energized by the event to keep going hard and avoid the "sophomore slump".

Mr. Buskirk focused on the "big picture" in the first hour. Both the big picture of the college admission landscape. And the big picture of aiming for the "best college fit".

The second hour was comprised of mock admission simulation. Mr. Buskirk took his committee of almost 100 students and parents through 4 student applications. They discussed the strengths and weaknesses, possible "hooks" and possible hurdles. In the end, the committee made a decision on who to admit to their selective liberal arts college.

Here is a video snapshot from the mock admission discussion.