Academic Ranking Systems

From the book: The Insider's Guide to Getting Into the Ivy League and Other Top Colleges, here is a summary of how the college admissions officers view students:


Top 1%
Love of learning and pursuit of intellectual endeavors coupled with academic initiative outside the classroom. Take college courses or do special projects, research and independent study involving extensive reading and writing.
The intensity of their intellectual pursuits suggests they will become leaders.

Top 2-5%
Less academic intensity but impressive inner drive to succeed – stemming more from competition than love of learning for learning’s sake Take college classes and follow up their interests with research and projects. May underperform from a sense of boredom. Strong intellectual contributors.

Top 10%
Strong test scores, AP classes. Lack “creative spark”. Diligent, dutiful, strong work ethic. Actual motivation is unclear.
Less initiative – particularly in following up independently outside of class on subjects of interest. Can contribute at college.

Top 25%
Solid student. Honors, AP classes, some regular classes. Does not stand out in any way.
True interests remain undefined and/or unexplored. Unclear what they would add to a college.

Below top 40%
Little academic potential; light course loads; little interest in study.
Real talents lie in another area.

Colleges Ranked by Freshman Class Quality

Thanks to Mr. Ramsey for this research:

College Rankings (from www.go4ivy.com -- a commercial site that charges to assess a student's chance of admission into a college)

Although many college rankings exist, we have developed our own rankings. Our college rankings are independent and based on one criterion: the academic quality of the freshman class. We feel that the best colleges in America are those with the most talented freshman class, not the colleges with the most volumes in their libraries. The colleges on our top 100 list fit this criterion.

Below are four tiers of the nation's top colleges based on the quality of the freshman class. The colleges are listed in tiers rather than ranked individually. We believe that there is an incremental difference between a college that is, for example, ranked 7th versus one that is ranked 10th, and that it is more meaningful to consider colleges in tiers.

Tier I
Amherst College
Brown University
Cal Tech
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Duke University
Emory University
Harvard College
Harvey Mudd
Johns Hopkins University
Middlebury College
MIT
Northwestern University
Pomona College
Princeton University
Rice University
Stanford University
Swarthmore College
University of Chicago
University of Pennsylvania
Washington University: STL
Wesleyan University
Williams College
Yale University

Tier II
Bard College
Bates College
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon
Claremont McKenna
Colby College
College of William & Mary
Cooper Union
Davidson College
Georgetown University
Georgia Tech
Grinnell College
Haverford College
Macalester College
New YOrk University
Oberlin College
Reed College
Tufts College
University of Notre Dame
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Washington and Lee
Wellesley College

Tier III
Barnard College
California: Berkeley
Boston College
Boston University
Bucknell University
Case Western Reserve
Colgate University
Connecticut College
Hamilton College
Kenyon College
Lehigh University
Rhodes College
Rose-Hulman Institute of Tech
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Scripps College
Trinity College
Tulane University
University of Michigan
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of Virginia
US Air Force
USC
Wake Forest University
Whitman College

Tier IV
College of the Holy Cross
Colorado College
Colorado School of Mines
Franklin & Marshall College
Furman University
George Washington University
Grove City College
Illinois Wesleyan University
Kalamazoo College
Lafayette College
Mt. Holyoke College
North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Puget Sound
Sarah Lawrence
Smith College
St. Olaf College
Stevens Institute of Technology
Trinity University
UCLA
University of Maryland
University of Wisconsin
US Coast Guard
US Military Academy - West Point
Villanova University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

More complete lists of schools by area and type:

http://www.go4ivy.com/collegelist.asp

SOURCE: National Association of College Admissions Counselors

In an admissions report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Education Council the following reminder was given to future applicants:

"People do not apply to colleges; folders do. The folder and application are a single opportunity to influence process. Approach each aspect of the application as an opportunity. Devote time and thought to each of the various portions."

As you think about your folder circulating among an admissions committee, consider the following:

1. Read every word of the directions before you even print your name.
2. Demonstrate your best work - something of which you can be proud.
3. Essays should be error-free, thoughtful, logical and organized. Do not overreach. Use comfortable vocabulary. Be yourself. "The essay should say something the rest of the application doesn't say, or at least should elaborate on something the application barely suggests; a talent, an interest, thought on world or local problems, a personal accomplishment."
4. Do not write what you think the admissions office wants. The committee reading your application wants to know you - whatever you think and do. No matter how ordinary you feel, your folder represents a different individual from all the others.
5. Use specific examples when describing your interests and achievements. Explain your involvement - why the things you chose to discuss are important to you. It is better to emphasize the degree of involvement in a few activities than a long list of superficial interests.
6. Why are you going to college? To learn? To learn what? Why? A college should be convinced that you truly want an education. Avoid simplistic answers and reasons. If you want to be an engineer, for example, cite some experience from your own life of deed and thought that led you to this present choice.
7. If humor is part of your style, feel free to use it.
8. Typing or printing is acceptable. In some cases you will be required to write an essay in your own handwriting. Neatness and legibility are obviously essential.
9. Proofread. Spelling errors are unacceptable.
10. Photo copies (clear ones) are perfectly acceptable, but sign each one individually. Your name should be on each page or article submitted in addition to the applications.
11. Proofread again!

Additional Important Tips -- SENIOR YEAR (SENIORITIS)

1. Colleges pay close attention to choice of senior year courses and to performance in the seventh semester of high school. Hence it is not wise to "lighten up" in the senior year. An upward trend in the senior year can be helpful in the admissions process whereas a senior year slump can be extremely detrimental.
2. Colleges reserve the right to revoke offers of admission or to put matriculating students on academic probation if eighth semester grades should fall dramatically. Avoid dramatic changes in effort during the last semester.
3. Be sure to inform your college counselor if a college notifies you that your file is incomplete.
4. Thank your teachers for writing letters of recommendation, preferably with a card or note. (It is a very time-consuming task.)
5. You will be invited to attend informal meeting/receptions hosted by the colleges to which you are applying. If you have been asked to RSVP please do so. If you have responded affirmatively and cannot make it, contact your host and let him/her know of your change in plans. If there is a sign-in sheet at the reception, use it.
6. As a courtesy to the colleges please respond either affirmatively or negatively to their offers of admission in writing. Do so within the time allotted for such a response.
7. The admissions process is very much a process of relationship building. Many colleges base their decisions on their perceptions of the applicant’s interest in their school. Be sure you build and maintain a relationship with the schools you are applying to as much as possible and contact with the school until you have received a decision letter.

CHOOSING A COLLEGE

Go to http://www.collegeview.com/. Picture your ideal college. Once you have decided on important factors, use this site to find which colleges meet those requirements. Narrow or broaden your search criteria as needed.

Take virtual tours. At CollegeView, you'll find KeyFacts and a link for each college that may be a possibility for your students. That link takes you to the college's site, where you can take a virtual tour of the campus.

http://www.collegeview.com/index.jsp

Read articles:
http://www.collegeview.com/articles/CV/application/step_by_step.html

SPRING CALENDAR -- COLLEGE DATES

Ed Fund Scholarship Application Deadline
http://edfundwest.org/

GFSF Scholar Applicant Interviews – week of March 16-20, 2009
GFSF Scholar Award Recipients Announced – March 30, 2009
http://www.goodenfamilyfund.org/calendar-of-events

2009 Spring San Francisco College Fair
Saturday, April 4 (1:30 pm -- 4:30 pm)
Concourse Exhibition Center
San Francisco, CA
http://www.nacacnet.org/EVENTSTRAINING/COLLEGEFAIRS/NCF/SPRING/Pages/SanFranciscoNCF.aspx

CSU-East Bay College Fair – April 24, 2009,
CSU-East Bay, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM & 6:00 – 8:00 PM
http://www20.csueastbay.edu/events/college-fair/index.html

East Bay College Connection Fair
St. Mary’s College Fair – April 25, 2009, St. Mary’s College, 1:00-4:30 PM
http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/admissions-and-aid/undergraduate-admissions/ebcc.html

WEST CONTRA COSTA PUBLIC EDUCATION FUND

Founded in 1983, The Ed. Fund (West Contra Costa Public Education Fund) is dedicated to inspiring student achievement, encouraging commitment to lifelong learning, honoring and supporting teachers, and building community partnerships committed to public education in West County public schools.

Programs

The Ed Fund invests in our schools through grants made directly to public school teachers; arts and music programs; college scholarships for high school seniors; after school programming; and teacher awards that recognize excellence. The Ed. Fund is also a community partner to and acts as fiscal sponsor for several agencies serving students in West County public schools. Over the past 25 years, The Ed. Fund has helped West County public schools by:

Awarding over $2,000,000 in grants and programs directly to schools
Giving nearly $400,000 in college scholarships
Providing resources to over 5,000 educators
Serving as the non-profit umbrella for over 50 education-focused community groups To learn more about our programs, click here.

With generous support from various private donors and foundations, The Ed. Fund provides scholarship funds to high school seniors in West County with financial need. We believe everyone deserves the chance to go to college. After six years and nearly $400,000 worth of college scholarships, we are confident this is a worthwhile investment in the future of West County.

http://www.edfundwest.org/

GOODEN FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The Gooden Family Scholarship Fund (GFSF) is committed to helping academically capable, under-represented students achieve their goals toward higher education. We offer college preparatory services to selected high school scholars from West Contra Costa Unified School District and free public workshops about college.

GFSF believes that all interested students deserve a chance to receive higher education, regardless of their economic status. GFSF is taking steps in our community to make a difference in the lives of promising high school students by offering college application support. Through our Scholar Project and Outreach Project we hope to increase the participation of low-income, under-represented students at major colleges and universities

http://www.goodenfamilyfund.org/