Nearly One-Third of '04 HS Grads Took AP or IB Courses

You have every reason to be proud of doing well in an AP or IB class -- but you may want to think twice if you think that achievement will be enough to make your college application stand out from the crowd.

According to a study recently released by the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, over 30 per cent of the students who graduated from U.S. high schools in 2004 had at least one AP or IB course on their transcripts.

AP and IB courses were even more common among students in demographic categories associated with high rates of college attendance. 43.6 per cent of students whose parents attended college took AP or IB courses, as did over 50 per cent of students from high-income households.

Source: "Academic Pathways, Preparation, and Performance," The National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (Washington, DC), 2006

Early App Volume Down at Yale and Brown, Up Slightly at Princeton

Yale University saw a surprising drop in the number of people applying for freshman admission under its non-binding Single Choice Early Action Program this fall.

Just 3,541 people applied under the program this year, compared to 4,084 last year. The change amounts to a 13 per cent decline in the number of EA applications received.

Some observers think that the record-low acceptance rates Yale posted last year may have discouraged some prospective students from applying this fall. Yale accepted fewer than 1 out of 5 EA applicants last year.

Brown University saw a much smaller decline in Early Decision applications, with this year's volume falling by just over 2.5 per cent from last year.

Princeton University's Early Decision application rose modestly, by 1.7 per cent.

Unlike Yale's non-binding SCEA program, Brown and Princeton's Early Decision options are both binding.

Harvard Approves 9 Secondary Concentrations

Beginning this spring, Harvard students will have the option of graduating with a degree reflecting a minor field of study in addition to their primary concentration.

The University's Education Policy Committee has already approved 9 proposals for secondary degree concentrations so far. A total of 15 to 20 secondary concentration programs are expected to be approved before the end of this year.

The fields that have already been approved for secondary concentrations are Earth and Planetary Sciences, Folklore and Mythology, History of Art and Architecture, Linguistics, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Philosophy, Romance Languages and Literatures, Sociology, and Visual and Environmental Studies.

To qualify for a secondary concentration, students must take 4 to 6 designated courses. At present, only one course may be used to fulfill both a secondary concentration requirement and the University's core curriculum requirements.

Source: "Nine Secondary Fields Approved," by Peter R. Raymond, the Harvard Crimson, November 17, 2006

New U. of Georgia Curriculum Stresses Quant Skills & Foreign Language

The University of Georgia is considering revisions to its undergraduate core curriculum that would put more emphasis on quantitative skills and knowledge of foreign languages and cultures.

The revisions, which have been approved by the University Senate but are still under review by the Board of Regents, would involve the following changes:

• Students would be required to take at least one course in the physical sciences.
• The humanities requirement would be renamed "World Languages and Culture, Humanities and the Arts," and the number of required credits would double from 6 to 12 units.
• Students would be required to take two classes in quantitative reasoning instead of the one that is required now.

If the Board of Regents approves the changes, the University Council will begin determining which courses would fulfill which requirements. Students would probably not see actual changes to their graduation requirements until fall 2008.

Source: "More Science, Less Social Science," by Paul D. Thacker, Inside Higher Education, November 14, 2006

U. Michigan Seeks to Continue Holistic Admissions

The University of Michigan is seeking court approval to continue its present admissions practices for a year. This would mean waiting until the next application season to implement any changes dictated by Tuesday's passage of a proposition banning consideration of race and gender in public education and personnel decisions, including college admisisons.

University officials say they want to avoid a situation where students who applied before November 7 are judged by different standards than students who applied after that date are. The University has been accepting applications for fall 2007 and making admissions decisions on a rolling basis since August.

Following a Supreme Court ruling in 2003, the University of Michigan ended the practice of awarding additional points to undergraduate applicants for belonging to certain minorities. It adopted a holistic admissions system under which applicants are judged on qualities such as extracurricular achievements, leadership, special skills, life experience, and recommendations in addition to academic achievement.

The University of Michigan is one of the most highly-regarded public universities in the U.S., and among the most competitive to win admission to. For fall 2006, the University accepted 47.4 per cent of undergraduate applicants. The middle 50 per cent of this year's entering class of 5, 399 students scored between 27 and 31 on the ACT and between 1900 and 2160 on the SAT. Over half had a high school GPA of 3.9 or higher.

17.5% of MIT Freshman 'Flagged' for Poor Class Performance

Approximately 17.5 per cent of MIT freshmen were warned this year that they were in danger of failing one or more of their first-semester classes, the MIT Tech reports.

Historically, just under one-fifth of MIT freshmen receive 'fifth week flags.' The warnings serve as an early warning for students and advisors, alerting them to academic problems while there is still time to address them.

Faculty point out that fifth-week warnings come at a time when most classes have given only one exam and when many students are still adjusting to MIT's learning environment. The great majority of students who receive flags go on to finish the course in question with a passing grade.

Source: "Number of Flags Higher for 8.01," by Nick Bushak, the MIT Tech, November 3, 2006

Penn State Expects Record Application Volume

Admissions officials at Pennsylvania State University are encouraging applicants to apply no later than the November 30 priority deadline in order to maximize their chances of winning enrollment in what is expected to be a highly competitive admissions season.

Penn State received almost 94,000 applications for fall 2006 admissions. This year's applicant pool is expected to be even larger, with one estimate projecting a total application volume almost 25 per cent higher than last year's.

Penn State will continue to receive and review applications submitted in the winter and spring, under its normal rolling admissions procedures. However, officials caution that students who apply after the November 30 deadline may risk finding that popular programs have already been filled by earlier applicants.

Sources:

"Penn State's Student Population: Admissions Increase Presents Problems," the Daily Collegian (Pennsylvania State University), October 30, 2006

"Students Advised to Apply Early," press release, Pennsylvania State University, October 30, 2006