1 / 27

FIFTH ANNUAL OPT-ED ALLIANCE DAY

FIFTH ANNUAL OPT-ED ALLIANCE DAY. Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons Greensboro, North Carolina September 22, 2006. “Making Yourself Competitive for College”. Dr. Herbert L. Davis, Jr., Associate Director Office of Undergraduate Admissions University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

welcome
Download Presentation

FIFTH ANNUAL OPT-ED ALLIANCE DAY

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. FIFTH ANNUAL OPT-ED ALLIANCE DAY Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons Greensboro, North Carolina September 22, 2006

  2. “Making Yourself Competitive for College” Dr. Herbert L. Davis, Jr., Associate Director Office of Undergraduate Admissions University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  3. Competitive for College? Dictionary.com says: compete • "to improve one's competitive position" • The act of competing, as for profit or a prize; rivalry.

  4. The Effects of Education Six million students throughout America are currently at risk of dropping out of school. Students who fail to graduate from high school are more likely to participate in criminal activity than students who do graduate. Likewise, students with low levels of achievement in high school are more likely to engage in crime than students with high levels of achievement. Investing in education would save millions of dollars in crime related expenditures annually. Approximately 75 percent of state prison inmates did not complete high school. (Harlow, 2003) High school dropouts are 3.5 times more likely than high school graduates to be arrested in their lifetimes. (Catterall, 2001) A one percent increase in high school graduation rates would save approximately $1.4 billion in costs associated with incarceration costs, or about $2,100 for each male high school graduate. (Lochner and Moretti, 2001) A one-year increase in average education levels would reduce arrest rates by 11 percent. (Lochner and Moretti, 2001) About 47 percent of drug offenders do not have a high school diploma or a GED. (Harlow, 2003) About 23 percent of the difference in incarceration rates between blacks and whites would be eliminated by raising the average education levels of blacks to the same level as that of whites. (Lochner and Moretti, 2001) A male high school graduate with a D average is fourteen times more likely to become incarcerated than a graduate with an A average. (Arum and Beattie, 1999) For juveniles involved in quality reading instruction programs while in prison, recidivism was reduced by 20 percent or more. (Open Society Institute, 1997)

  5. Myths about Competitiveness • DOUBT: “I’m from a high school with few advanced courses. There is no way that I can compete with students in a big high school .” • STEREOTYPES: “Some colleges are large predominately, white school. There’s no way that I can compete with prep school students.” • FEAR: “I didn’t do well in 9th grade or in my advanced coursework. I’m not going to make it.” • MISINFORMATION: “I’m totally involved in many extra-curricular activities. That should be enough to get me in.”

  6. Myths about Colleges Competitiveness

  7. North Carolina CollegesAppalachian State UniversityBarton CollegeBeaufort County Community College Belmont Abbey College Bennett CollegeBladen Community CollegeBlue Ridge Community CollegeBrevard CollegeBrunswick Community CollegeCabarrus College of Health SciencesCaldwell Community College and Technical InstituteCampbell UniversityCape Fear Community CollegeCarolinas College of Health SciencesCarteret Community CollegeCatawba CollegeCatawba Valley Community CollegeCentral Carolina Community CollegeCentral Piedmont Community CollegeChowan College

  8. North Carolina CollegesUniversity of North Carolina at AshevilleUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at CharlotteUniversity of North Carolina at GreensboroUniversity of North Carolina at PembrokeUniversity of North Carolina at WilmingtonVance-Granville Community CollegeWake Forest UniversityWake Technical Community CollegeWarren Wilson CollegeWatts School of NursingWayne Community CollegeWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Piedmont Community CollegeWilkes Community CollegeWilson Technical Community CollegeWingate UniversityWinston-Salem State University

  9. AdmissionsCompetitiveness Terminology • Early Decision: - For those who want an early response to have time to consider options if necessary. Regular Decision: - For those who want more time to submit senior year grades or other supporting materials. Decision made usually by April 15.

  10. AdmissionsCompetitiveness Terminology • DENIED: Your goal may be delayed. Consider applying to the University as a sophomore or junior transfer. • DEFERRED: Your intended goal continues. You have not been admitted or denied. The University needs to continue to review your qualifications. You will be notified of your admission status by the end of March. • WAITLISTED: Your intended goal is delayed. You have not been admitted or denied. You will be notified by the middle of June. • ADMITTED: Congratulations, you have been admitted.

  11. So what characteristics are the admission committee looking for? • ACADEMIC RECORD • Course Selection • Grades • SAT / ACT • PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS • Extracurriculars/ • Leadership • Recommendations • Essays

  12. Hints to a stronger admission application • ASK EARLY. • Request recommendations from counselors or teachers early. • BE THOROUGH. • Complete every section of the application carefully. • Put thought and energy into your essay. • Be Neat. • DON’T BE MODEST. • Attach a sheet of activities, if necessary. • Include all achievements. • Include recommendations. • We accept SAT II’s, AP scores, IB scores. • GET YOUR APPLICATION IN BEFORE THE DEADLINE.

  13. Hints for Writing the College Essay • Start early. • Be yourself. • Be honest. • Stay focused on your topic. • Write and re-write. • Get a second opinion. • Proofread. • Know which school you are applying to. • Don’t confuse applying on-line with sending an e-mail.

  14. Competitive Applicants The OPT-ED ALLIANCE DAY Admissions Office has randomly selected 4 applications to review and discuss. Get ready to evaluate the following applications!

  15. Jason Locklear • Attends a large, public high school • School offers several AP & Honors courses • Active in 2 varsity sports, National Honor Society, works part-time, and earned several school academic awards • Strong, thoughtful, and well-written essays • Challenging curriculum, including senior schedule • A/B grades in academic courses and top 20% of graduating class • SAT within the middle 50% range of 1130-1300 • Strong school support in recommendations

  16. Isabel Herrera • Attends a small public high school • School has limited AP and Honors courses available • Active in Key Club, Beta Club, and some leadership with school clubs • Average essays, not well-developed • Mostly Bs in a weak program, did not take advantage of curriculum available in high school • SAT slightly below middle 50% • Solid recommendations

  17. Derek Reed • Attends a large public high school • School offers many AP and Honors courses • Not active in school, community, or church • Weak essays, not well-written or developed • Mostly Bs and Cs in a weak curriculum (no AP and few Honors classes) and poor senior schedule, ranked top 55% • SAT was slightly below middle 50% • Weak school support from counselor and teachers

  18. Jasmine Johnson • Attends a small private school • School has a limited number of AP or Honors courses • Active in community and church organizations, summer research program, and several school awards for leadership and academics • Average essays, but still well-written • Straight As in the best curriculum offered at the high school, ranked top 2% of class • SAT was slightly above middle 50% range • Strong school support from recommendations

  19. So who do you think is competitive? • Jason Locklear: Decision • Isabel Herrera : Decision • Derek Reed: Decision • Jasmine Johnson : Decision

  20. The OPT-ED ALLIANCEcommittee has decided… • Jason Locklear…. • Admit • Isabel Herrera… • Waitlist • Derek Reed… • Deny • Jasmine Johnson… • Admit

  21. OPT-ED ALLIANCE COMPETITIVENESS HINTS

  22. High School Transcript OPT-ED ALLIANCE HINTSAdmissions Credentials We surveyed 100 college-bound high school seniors. We asked them to name the top 5 items needed to compete their admission application. • SAT or ACT score • Application Essay(s) • Recommendations • Extra-Curricular Activities

  23. OPT-ED ALLIANCE HINTSCOMPETITIVE MYTHS We surveyed 100 college-bound high school seniors. We asked them to name the top 4 myths associated with being competitive. • Stereotypes • Doubt • Fear • Misinformation

  24. OPT-ED ALLIANCE HINTSCOLLEGE APPLICATION We surveyed 100 admission counselors. We asked them to name the top 4 hints for high school seniors to make their admission application more competitive. • Ask for recommendations early • Thoroughly complete entire application • Don’t be modest on activities • Apply before the application deadline

  25. OPT-ED ALLIANCE HINTSCOLLEGE ESSAYS We surveyed 100 admission counselors. We asked them to name the top 5 hints to a successful application essay. • Start early • Be yourself and be honest • Write and re-write • Proofread, proofread again • Write to the topic

  26. Competitive for College? Competitive for Life?

  27. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions Dr. Herb Davis 919-966-3993 drherb@unc.edu

More Related