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Tuesday, February 19th, 2019College Admissions Advisors Answer Questions on “Rigor” for High School Students
Monday, October 29th, 2012
College admissions advisors often recommend that students take the most ‘rigorous’ course load possible. But what do terms like “rigorous course load” mean and how rigorous should a student’s schedule be? The expert college advisors at International College Counselors answered some answers to these elusive questions.
1. How Do Admission Officials Weigh High School Rigor?
Comparisons are made when evaluating students. Admissions officers weigh everything from backgrounds around the world to the context of each high school. In other words, there is no one deciding, defining scale for “rigor”.
What admissions officers will agree upon is that students should take the most challenging course load that they can do well in, while still having enough time to show the deep and passionate involvement in activities that the colleges seek.
“As greater numbers of students are challenging themselves by engaging in rigorous, college-level AP and IB course work in high school, colleges raise their standards. Students need to stay on top of recruiting trends in order to be competitive,” said Mandee Heller Adler, founder of International College Counselors.
2. How many Advanced Placement courses should a student take in high school?
It depends on the student, the high school being attended and the desired college.
Students can take zero to two AP courses and get admitted into a good college. Others can take five or six AP courses a year and get rejected from Harvard.
How to decide?
For the most selective colleges, students need to take the most rigorous curriculum available within their own high school.
If a student is home schooled or the high school does not offer AP courses or enough AP courses, know that colleges are aware of different situations that may restrict what courses can be taken. What they really expect that students excel in the opportunities to which they do have access.
However, students should be aware that they can take AP classes online. Colleges know this too.
Another option is to enroll in classes at a nearby college or take online learning courses to supplement your regular high school work. You can even earn college credit at the same time.
3. Which are better IB classes or AP classes?
IB stands for International Baccalaureate which is an advanced high school diploma program. AP stands for Advanced Placement. In the IB program, students who pass six exams can sometimes enter college as a sophomore. (Note: check with each school because policies differ). Both curriculums have merit. One is not better than the other. But once again, the student needs to take the most rigorous curriculum offered at his/her school.
4. Which is better: an A in the regular course or a B in the honors course?
The most accurate answers is: An A in the honors course.
This is how the joke goes, but it’s the truth.
Colleges like to see students challenging themselves. So the direct answer is: A ‘B’ in an honors course is better that an ‘A’ in regular. A ‘B’ in an AP course is better than the ‘A’ in honors.
Colleges are looking for students who push themselves, are intellectually curious and are interested in learning. More demanding courses are a reflection of this.
However, what a student should take depends on the student. What a student must be careful to do is not overreach. Every student should take the most challenging courses he or she can perform well in. It does not help to take AP courses and get a “C.” Students who take AP must also look towards passing the AP exam.
The worst thing a student can do is take honors courses and then switch to easier courses later in their high school career in order to boost GPA. A warning to students: Do not catch “senioritis!”
5. What courses do colleges want to see?
There are very few situations in which the appearance or absence of any one particular class would determine a student’s college future. But, please be careful: Students do need to meet all the prerequisite of the colleges they are applying to. Some require a certain number or years of math, English and foreign language. And, some schools require certain math levels (such as pre-calculus) for consideration.
Overall, colleges want to see courses that tell a story. They want to see that a student has pursued his or her interests and have taken a balanced set of challenging classes.
As Yale puts it “We encourage you to pursue your intellectual interests, so long as it is not at the expense of your program’s overall rigor or your preparedness for college.”
A few good questions from Yale for weighing your course selection for the upcoming year:
• Am I taking a well-balanced academic program that will provide me with a good foundation for college?
• Am I prepared to take college-level math, writing, and science courses?
• Do I feel challenged by the courses that I am taking?
• Am I seeking challenge or avoiding it?
Endnote
The fact is, admissions professionals are well-trained to identify “rigor” in the entire transcript and not just courses.
If you are a client of International College Counselors, contact one of our college advisors on what courses are most appropriate for your high school student. Other students should talk to their high school counselor.
This year, college advisors at International College Counselors helped more than 200 students find, apply to and gain acceptance into the college of their dreams. The expert college counselors at International College Counselors are dedicated to helping students and their families successfully navigate the college application process.
For more information on International College Counselors or to contact an expert college counselor, please visit www.internationalcollegecounselors.com.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE COUNSELORS:
International College Counselors provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications to domestic and international students.
The college counseling and college coaching services are tailored to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each student. Mandee Heller Adler, founder of International College Counselors, is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and also received an MBA from Harvard Business School. International College Counselors’ achievements include being recognized as one of South Florida’s Top 100 Small Businesses in 2012.
International College Counselors has offices in New York, New York; White Plains, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Miami Beach, Florida; Miami, Florida; Coral Gables, Florida; Palm Beach, Florida; Boca Raton, Florida; Medellin, Colombia and Caracas, Venezuela.
Go to the College Fairs
Monday, October 15th, 2012
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SAT & ACT Test Dates. Get Your Calendars Updated NOW!
Thursday, June 14th, 2012SAT and ACT test dates are coming up fast. We’ve listed them below for your easy reference. If you want the name of a top-notch tutor for your student, don’t hesitate to call an expert college counselor at International College Counselors or email us at www.internationalcollegecounselors.com.
THE SAT
Upcoming SAT dates and deadlines
DATES
2012
October 6 Register by September 7 Late Registration September 21
November 3 Register by October 4 Late Registration October 19
December 1 Register by November 1 Late Registration November 16
2013
January 26 Register by December 28 Late Registration January 11
March 9 Register by February 8 Late Registration February 22
May 4 Register by April 5 Late Registration April 19
June 1 Register by May 2 Late Registration May 17
Register for the SAT here
Find out subject test availability
*Learn about making changes to your SAT test center, date or which test you’re registered to take
Visit the SAT home page
THE ACT
Upcoming ACT dates and deadlines
2012
September 8 Register by August 17 Late registration August 18-24
October 27 Register by September 21 Late registration September 22-October 5
December 8 Register by November 2 Late registration November 3-16
2013
February 9 Register by January 11 Late registration January 12-18
April 13 Register by March 8 Late registration March 9-22
June 8 Register by May 3 Late registration May 4-17
International students will find test dates in other countries here
Register for the ACT here
Visit the ACT home page
For a recommendation on a SAT or ACT tutor or to contact an expert college counselor, please call 954-414-9986 or visit www.internationalcollegecounselors.com
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE COUNSELORS:
International College Counselors provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications to domestic and international students. The college counseling and college coaching services are tailored to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each student. Mandee Heller Adler, founder of International College Counselors, is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She also received an MBA from Harvard Business School. Ms. Adler’s achievements have brought her recognition as one of South Florida Top 100 Small Businesses in 2010.
International College Counselors has offices in White Plains, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Miami Beach, Florida; Miami, Florida; Coral Gables, Florida; Palm Beach, Florida; Boca Raton, Florida; Medellin, Columbia and Caracas, Venezuela.
Online Courses: Build a Better College Resume and Improve Your College Application without Leaving Home
Wednesday, June 6th, 2012High School students in their pajamas can enhance their college applications.
Colleges love to see that a high school student has taken online courses even if no credit is awarded for the course. Online courses help your student demonstrate they can do college-level work and show their motivation to learn beyond basic curriculum requirements. By taking online courses, students can also explore interests in a particular profession or field of study. Students can also opt to take online classes that can earn them college credit.
Below we’ve listed some courses that can be taken online for credit and no credit. Some are free, some aren’t. This is not a comprehensive list, but a mere sampling.
Free online college courses for no credit:
Coursera
Coursera offers courses from the top universities, for free to everyone. Current courses come from Princeton University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and University of Pennsylvania. Courses range from the maths and sciences to poetry and world music.
edX
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are teaming up to offer free, online, college-level courses under a joint superbrand known as edX. MIT currently offers web-based courses featuring discussion forums, short videos, and laboratory simulations, all under the guidance of MIT professors and teaching assistants. Harvard plans to officially announce its first courses in the summer and begin offering the courses in the fall.
Open courseware at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins is a respected medical school offering a selection of popular courses which would be of particular interest to students who plan to study medicine, or a related field.
Udacity
Udacity offers a variety of free online courses and students can sign up at any time. Currently all the courses being offered are computer related, and include: Building a Search Engine, Web Application Engineering, Applied Cryptography and Programming a Robotic Car.
Online college courses for credit:
Colleges offer independent study online courses that can be taken any time, any place for credit. They also offer a selection of online cohort courses that follow the semester calendar.
California State University
Miami Dade College
University of Texas
Online pre-college courses, some for credit and some not
Brown University (not for credit)
Students can demonstrate they can do Ivy League level academic work.
Northwestern College (for credit)
This is a college in Minnesota, not Northwestern University.
Oregon State University (for credit)
Through OSU’s Extended Campus, you can choose from over 40 college classes in subjects like Calculus, Art, German, Philosophy, Wildlife Conservation, Women Studies and Atmospheric Sciences.
Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science (not for credit)
Provides students with university-level online courses in mathematics and computer science.
Contact International College Counselors
If you have questions on online courses, credit transfer or college applications and are a client of International College Counselors, please contact our expert college advisors at www.internationalcollegecounselors.com
Former President of Pine Crest School to Join International College Counselors
Monday, May 21st, 2012International College Counselors is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lourdes Martinez Cowgill to the position of Senior Director of College Counseling. Cowgill, who served as president of Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton for 15 years, will work one-on-one with undergraduate and graduate students, advising them and guiding them through the college admission process.
As a former President, Headmistress and College Counselor at Pine Crest School, Cowgill worked closely with students including Presidential Scholars, National Merit Scholars, scholar-athletes, visual and performing arts majors, Ivy League-bound applicants, and many others. Additionally, Cowgill regularly spoke with colleges on behalf of students, and was instrumental in making Pine Crest School one of the top private college preparatory schools in the nation. Under her guidance, Pine Crest students matriculated to all of the top colleges and universities in the United States.
At International College Counselors, Cowgill will provide expert college advising services to students all over the world who wish to attend a school in the United States. These expert college counselor services include assisting students with college selection, college admissions essay writing, application support, high school planning, interview preparation, scholarship help, wait list / deferral strategies and more.
Cowgill’s leadership positions on the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Board, National Merit Corporation Advisory Council, and Educational Records Bureau (ERB) Board of Trustees offer families insight into standardized testing and the role it plays in selective college admissions.
Cowgill is fluent in both English and Spanish. She has done national work in that academic field as a member and Chair of the Spanish Achievement Test (Spanish SAT II) and presenter for Spanish AP workshops in the Southern region.
Cowgill earned her B.A. from Barry University, her M.A. and Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College, and her M.Ed. from Florida Atlantic University.
AP Grade Reporting
Monday, May 7th, 2012To report the AP test or not to report the AP test, that is this week’s question.
After taking one of the many various AP tests, there are usually three ways a student will feel: Great! Good. And Awful.
If you think you did great or good, congratulations!
If you’re sure you did awfully and scored a 1 or a 2, or you’re not sure how you did, you can withhold or cancel your score.
Because AP grades are released in July, any request for changes in reporting must be received by June 15.
The expert college counselors at International College Counselors note that it’s not likely that any one AP grade you submit, no matter how low, will fatally wound you.
Canceling vs. Withholding
Canceling AP grades
Canceling an AP grade permanently means you’ll never, ever see the grade and it’s deleted from your record forever.
The option to cancel a score helps a number of students, say the expert college advisors at International College Counselors. Some of those students took an AP course but found that the class didn’t cover all the information on the test or they didn’t study for the test as much as they should have. (And this happens more than we’d like to think.) This option also encourages the risk takers, the students who take an AP exam in a subject they might not have taken the class for. (They’re the ones who study a lot on their own).
To cancel a score, you must send the College Board a Score Cancellation Form AND a written request by mail or fax by June 15. You must include in your letter:
your full name, home address, birth date, high school
the year(s) that you took AP Exams
the name, city, and state of the college you specified
the name(s) of the exam(s) for which you want a grade cancelled
your signature
This service is free but note that the grade report that you and your high school receive will indicate that the grade has been canceled.
Withholding AP grades
Withholding a score means you may have one or more grades withheld from the colleges you indicated on your answer sheet. This gives you the chance to see your scores before the colleges.
You may later release the grade to that college by sending AP Services a signed written request and a small fee.
What we suggest to the students we work with at International College Counselors is to not send your scores to any colleges in May.
Our reasoning is as follows: with your test, as explained to our company by an AP representative, you only get to send your scores to one school free, any others are $15. In other words, if you choose to withhold your scores from all the colleges until you see them, you’re only “losing” $15. Many students can think of the $15 as “insurance”. It’s easy to see your scores and then send them in if you want to.
You can withhold a score if you already sent them in, but if you took them this year, expert college advisors at International College Counselors recommend waiting until early July. Beginning July 1, grades by phone are available for the 2012 exams. It’ll cost you a few extra dollars to get your scores by phone, but it’s a very small price to pay in the larger scheme of things.
To withhold a score, you must notify the College Board by sending them a written request by mail or fax by June 15. You must include in your letter:
1. your full name, home address, birth date
2. the year(s) that you took AP Exams
3. the name, city, and state of the college you specified
4. the name(s) of the exam(s) for which you want a grade withheld. (All your grades will still appear on the reports sent to you and your high school.)
5. a check for the exact amount due made out to “AP Exams.” There is a $10 fee per score, per college.
6. your signature
Note that unlike a canceled score, a request to withhold a grade does not permanently delete your grade. A withheld AP grade will be sent to your high school. It will count in your AP average and affect AP scholar designations. This means you can choose the scores that work to your advantage and feel confident to take some extra AP exams.
Make sure you keep a copy of all your correspondence with the College Board.
Contact the College Board
For more information straight from the College Board on AP grade reporting services, including addresses, phone and fax numbers:
Contact International College Counselors
For help from an experienced college advisor, please contact the expert college counselors at the Miami based International College Counselors of http://www.internationalcollegecounselors.com
International College Counselors
(954) 414-9986
About International College Counselors
International College Counselors is a Miami-based company that provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications. The college admissions counselors at International College Counselors work with domestic and international students. International College Counselors, founded by Mandee Heller Adler, tailors college counseling and college coaching services to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each student.
International College Counselors has seven offices in three countries.
International College Counselors Expands with New Florida Offices
Thursday, April 26th, 2012International College Counselors is pleased to announce the expansion of their college admissions counseling business with new offices in Miami, Coral Gables and Palm Beach, Florida.
International College Counselors operates in three states – New York, Florida and Massachusetts, and three countries – the United States, Colombia and Venezuela.
Their new offices in South Florida will bring the International College Counselors team’s expertise closer to more students, their families, and area schools.
“We saw a need and an opportunity to bring Miami, Coral Gables and Palm Beach a local college admissions resource,” said founder and CEO, Mandee Heller Adler. “With our new offices, we’ll be able to provide more students and local schools with the personal attention International College Counselors is known for. Our guidance is based upon a student’s individual needs and talents.”
International College Counselors new branches are located at 1395 Brickell Ave., Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131; 2525 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Suite 300, Coral Gables, FL 33134; and 800 Village Square Crossing, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410.
International College Counselors will maintain their current headquarters in Hollywood, Florida and they look forward to continuing their intelligent growth, while maintaining the high quality of personal, professional service they provide their clients.
In 2012, the college advisors at International College Counselors helped more than 200 students find, apply to and gain acceptance into the college of their dreams. The expert college advisors at International College Counselors are dedicated to helping students and their parents with the often daunting and complex college application process.
For more information on International College Counselors or to contact an expert college counselor, please visit http://www.internationalcollegecounselors.com
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE COUNSELORS:
International College Counselors provides expert college counseling on undergraduate and graduate college admissions, financial aid, tuition, essays, and college applications to domestic and international students. The college counseling and college coaching services are tailored to address the goals, needs, and dreams of each student. Mandee Heller Adler, founder of International College Counselors, is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She also received an MBA from Harvard Business School. Ms. Adler’s achievements have brought her recognition as one of South Florida Top 100 Small Businesses in 2010.
International College Counselors has offices in White Plains, New York; Miami Beach, Florida; Miami, Florida; Coral Gables, Florida; Palm Beach, Florida; Boca Raton, Florida; Medellin, Columbia and Caracas, Venezuela.
How to Ask for an Early Letter of Recommendation
Monday, April 16th, 20121. Make an appointment to speak with your recommenders.
Don’t just thrust letter materials into a teacher’s hand the five minutes you have between periods or tackle a coach in the locker room. This shows that you’re respectful of their time.
2. Explain.
Given the number of students who (erroneously) wait for the last minute, your teacher will most likely be surprised you’re asking for a letter so early. Explain that you already know that you’d want a recommendation from him or her. And you wanted to give him or her plenty of time. Also you wanted the teacher to be able to write you a recommendation while your achievements were still fresh in mind. The expectation is that the teacher will store your recommendation on the computer until it is time to paste it into an official letter of recommendation form.
3. Help your recommender.
At your meeting, make sure you give those chosen people information they can use to write your letter. You gain extra points for yourself because your letter will, more likely, be properly detailed. You gain extra points with recommenders for showing them that you are taking this process seriously and that you appreciate their time and effort.
Information to provide your recommender should include:
* Your full name, address, email and phone number.
* A copy of your resume or a list of activities and achievements. (This information can
be used to write a stronger letter.)
* Detailed examples of any accomplishments/ improvements in this particular teacher’s
class or subject
4. Follow Up.
Remember, your recommenders are doing you a favor. Show your appreciation by sending a thank-you note.
Get Your Teacher Recommendations Now
Monday, April 16th, 2012Juniors, we’re talking to you.
Even if you don’t know what schools you’re applying to, the time to ask for a Letter of Recommendation is now. If you’re applying to almost any private college at all, you’ll need a Letter of Recommendation.
By asking for a letter early, college counselors know you’re
1. Making life easier for yourself. You will be busy next year.
2. Making life easier for your teacher and he or she will appreciate it. More importantly, that appreciation may be reflected in your letter!
By giving a teacher more time to write the letter, you’re giving him or her more opportunity to write a letter tailored for you. The best letters of recommendation say something special about you. They provide insight about you, your talents, abilities, strengths, positive qualities, merits, achievements and more.
Choose who you ask wisely and carefully. Make sure you choose someone who likes you. You will most likely never even see the letter that is written about you so it needs to be someone you feel comfortable with.
Different schools may require different formats for Letters of Recommendation. However, the majority of students will be using the Common Application to apply to schools. This means it’s suggested that your teacher writes a general letter for you. Also, the idea here is that the teacher will store your letter on the computer and thus be able to paste it into whatever official letter of recommendation form you provide when the time comes.
International College Counselors note to International Students: Don’t feel you need to ask an English teacher because you think they’ll write the best. The letters need to be in English if you’re applying to a U.S. school, but the teacher can “Google” translate it or have someone in the school translate it. An exception to this would be if you know a school’s admissions office accepts recommendations in other languages and has someone on staff who can read them.
Please click here to read How to Ask for an Early Letter of Recommendation
If you have any questions on Letters of Recommendation and are a client of International College Counselors, please give one of our college advisors a call or send an email.