Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Feb 9, 2012, 5:00 am
When is the best time to talk with an independent college admissions consultant? Sooner rather than later. I talk to many families that wait until junior year, and sometimes even senior year, before talking to anyone about the college admissions process. While that can work, here are some reasons w...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Feb 7, 2012, 5:00 am
Just wanted to let everyone know that the print version of the 2012 Edition of BS/MD Programs-The Complete Guide is now available through Amazon. UPDATE-Amazon is now listing the new book when you search their titles.  Note, however, that the updated version of the ebook is still not out. I am wai...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Feb 2, 2012, 5:00 am
I just wanted to let everyone know that the 2012 Edition of my book “BS/MD Programs-The Complete Guide” will be out any day. I thought the new edition would be a lot simpler than the last but I was wrong. There are a number of new programs listed in the appendix and the new addition of the book...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jan 31, 2012, 10:00 am
I have often expressed my dislike of college rankings.  And then we get the story that Claremont McKenna college, a great liberal arts college, was manufacturing SAT scores that they sent to US News, presumably in an attempt to get better rankings. Very disappointing. But then I read a response to...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jan 31, 2012, 5:00 am
Net price calculators are supposed to be the best new thing to help you figure out what a college costs. And they can be helpful. But can you trust them? In short, no. At least not unless you know the four year graduate rate for the college in question.  You see, no matter how accurate the net pri...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jan 26, 2012, 5:00 am
Last week I talked about how some college admissions counselors manipulate data to look better. Many colleges do the same thing with the information they provide regarding medical school admissions. Colleges want to look good to perspective students and many of those students want to be doctors. So...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jan 24, 2012, 5:00 am
You will see many independent educational consultants talk about their past history working in a college admissions office. Is that helpful for someone helping students with the admissions process? Yes. Seeing the college admissions process from the standpoint of the college gives you a good perspec...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jan 19, 2012, 10:00 am
The Choice, a blog related to college admissions from the New York Times, has started providing posts to help students in India. India Ink provides college admissions information specifically directed at some of the issues facing international students in general, and Indian students in particular....
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jan 19, 2012, 5:00 am
100% of my students get into one of their top three colleges. Impressed? You should be. But wait, there is more to this story. If you are working with students applying to non-selective colleges this is obviously no big deal. Everybody gets accepted everywhere. However, with college admissions comp...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jan 17, 2012, 5:00 am
Notice how many college admissions counseling companies have the name “Ivy” in them. You know why? Because some people think that if they have “Ivy ” in the name of their business it implies that they have some kind of inside track to admissions to the Ivy League or other selective colleges....
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jan 12, 2012, 5:00 am
For the next few posts I am going to have a series disclosing what I call the dirty little secrets of the college admissions world.  I am doing this because while there are many great independent counselors out there, a few give a bad name to all of us who act honestly and in the best interests of ...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jan 6, 2012, 5:00 am
I am very excited to announce that I have a new person working with me at College Admissions Partners. Rather than tell you about him, I will let him introduce himself. Hello! My name is Brian Burgemeister and I’m the newest addition to College Admissions Partners. I grew up in Redwood Falls, Min...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jan 3, 2012, 5:00 am
Coggno has an interesting infographic illustrating the influence that social media has on college admissions. The nice thing about infographics is that is lays out the information in a very simple to understand form. The big take away for me from this information is not that college admissions prof...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Dec 29, 2011, 5:00 am
There is a very good discussion of the Ivy Academic Index at the New York Times. For those not familiar with the general background of the Academic Index, it is an academic formula used by the Ivy League Colleges to determine which athletic recruits will be admitted. Recruited athletes need to meet...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Dec 27, 2011, 5:00 am
I have discussed before what I do as an independent educational consultant but I still have people call me up and ask what I do. So, let’s review. 1.  I help students prepare to be competitive candidates for the best college for their needs. 2. I help students identify which colleges are the be...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Dec 22, 2011, 5:00 am
Whether you are celebrating Hanukkah, getting ready to celebrate Christmas or just enjoying the holidays before the New Year, I wish all of my readers peace and good will for this time and the year to come. Both of my daughters will be home for Christmas and most of my in-laws will be here as well ...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Dec 20, 2011, 10:41 am
BS/MD. BA/MD. Early Acceptance Medical Programs. Guaranteed Medical Acceptance Program. These are some of the names that are used to describe programs where high school students are admitted to medical schools.What’s up with all the names? I am in the process of updating my book on BS/MD Programs...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Nov 3, 2011, 12:24 pm
The Project on Student Debt has released their most recent study that shows that the average student debt for students graduating in 2010 rose 5% over the previous year. The average student debt now stands at $25,250. They also provide the loan data for each state and for most public and private co...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Nov 3, 2011, 6:00 am
There is an interesting interactive tool at The Chronicle of Higher Education that lets you look at each college to see where students come from.  If you are wondering how many students from your state attend your favorite college, this is a great way to get that information. Thanks to Lynn Oâ�...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Nov 1, 2011, 6:00 am
I had a parent ask me today whether they needed to disclose all test scores to a college that doesn’t use score choice. The quick answer is you should but why? The argument for submitting all scores for a college that does not use score choice is that you need to provide the information that...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Oct 27, 2011, 6:00 am
Score choice is an option that allows a student to decide which SAT scores to send to colleges when applying for admissions. Sounds simple enough. If you have one strong SAT score and one weaker score you only need to have the stronger score sent. But does it matter? Colleges really do want to vie...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Oct 25, 2011, 6:00 am
Now is a good time for juniors to start thinking about standardized testing. So what do you need to think about? First, what test are you going to take? SAT or ACT? All colleges will accept either test for admissions. Try a practice test of each to see which one you do better on and which one you f...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Oct 20, 2011, 6:00 am
Can you rank BS/MD programs?  This is a common question that I get and the quick answer is no, you can’t rank programs. But why? The problem with trying to rank BS/MD programs is the question of what criteria do you use to rank the programs? What may be important to you in choosing a BS/MD progr...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Oct 18, 2011, 6:00 am
Last week I mentioned how important volunteering is in the BS/MD application process. But there is a secret step that you can do to make your self really stand out.Want to know what the secret is? Start a club whose focus is on helping others. Yep, it’s that simple. Now there are all sorts of wa...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Oct 13, 2011, 6:00 am
Once again I have been contacted by several BS/MD applicants who want to know what their odds at admission are. Now, I don’t chance the students I work with and am certainly not going to do so for someone that I know almost nothing about. But what I often see in these students are great academics...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Sep 29, 2011, 6:00 am
Most college counselors will tell you that when you are looking for a college you want to find a college that “fits” you. I have often said this myself. But what does “fit” mean? There are three types of fit that a student needs to consider when searching for the best colleges for their nee...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Sep 27, 2011, 6:00 am
I recently attended a presentation by several current and former college admissions officers on the use of teacher recommendations in the college admissions process. There wasn’t any startling information provided by the panel but there was some basic information provided in a format that may be ...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Sep 13, 2011, 6:00 am
Just a note to let you know what I have been working on. Starting this fall I will be teaching a class at the University of California Irvine extension in the certificate program for Independent Educational Consulting. The certificate program is a joint venture of UC Irvine and the Independent Educ...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Sep 8, 2011, 6:00 am
Drexel University has changed the due date for application to their BA/BS/MD Accelerated Degree Program. The application was previously due December 1 but that has been changed for this year to November 15, 2011. If you are applying to Drexel, make sure you apply by the new earlier application date...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Sep 6, 2011, 6:00 am
I work with many California students and in many cases, they do not want to go out of state for college.  I understand the desire to stay close to home for many students. However, as a recent report shows, California public colleges are not the bargain that they used to be and in many cases are not...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Sep 1, 2011, 6:00 am
I received an email earlier this week from the parent of one of my student’s with questions about the college list I had prepared for the student.  The student was interested in attending medical school and while willing to look anywhere at colleges had a preference for staying in state. The list...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 30, 2011, 6:00 am
How do you get accepted into a selective college? Join lots of clubs and activities. Be well rounded. That is what most students believe. But the reality is that this is a terrible approach to try and get accepted into a highly competitive college. The most selective colleges want well rounded cla...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 25, 2011, 6:00 am
I work with many students of Indian descent and there are issues that these students need to keep in mind if applying to selective colleges. First, high test scores are necessary. Studies have been done that show that Asian students applying to selective colleges need to have about 100 point more o...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 23, 2011, 6:00 am
I work with a number of international students but the country that I have the most students from is India. So, today I wanted to talk about some of the issues facing Indian students seeking admissions to U.S. colleges. The first issue is that facing all international students and it is understandi...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 22, 2011, 12:19 pm
Steven Cohen wrote a great article at the Daily Beast talking about the admissions advantage that out state students may get a some colleges.  If you are thinking about attending a large public university this will give you some very good information. The problem with the increased admission to so...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 18, 2011, 6:00 am
I recently read an article that asked students who just graduated from high school about their advice for getting into selective colleges. The problem with this type of article is that it is a myth that current high school students can help you get into a selective college. They can tell you what t...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 16, 2011, 6:00 am
Last week the Inblog at the Princeton Review started a series of posts on ACT test strategies.  There are two posts over there already and I strongly recommend that everyone thinking about taking the ACT head over there to see the recommended strategies. The first post was on what they call ACT tr...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 11, 2011, 6:00 am
Wayne State College also has a Rural Health Opportunities Program associated with the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The Rural Health Opportunities Program has options not just for medicine but also for other health profession fields. Like the program at Chadron State College the purpose of...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 11, 2011, 6:00 am
Nebraska residents have another option for a BS/MD program at Chadron State College.  The Rural Health Opportunities Program is associated with the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The purpose of this program is to educate students from rural Nebraska who wish to return to practice medicine ...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 9, 2011, 6:00 am
I have found another BS/MD program, this one located at the University of Oklahoma. The Medical Humanities Program is a partnership between the University of Oklahoma Honors College and the College of Medicine. The program is designed to admit 5 incoming freshman  although the Honors College may p...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 8, 2011, 6:00 am
The New York Times recently published an article talking about how important summer programs are to have a strong college essay. The problem is that the author drew a conclusion without really understanding the college essay. Writing a strong college essay has nothing to do with attending an expens...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 4, 2011, 6:00 am
I often see reference made to the University of Kentucky BS/MD program.  While the University refers to the program as a BS/MD program it is not really such. Why do I say that? Although students are accepted into the BS/MD program from high school, the website for the program makes it clear that t...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Aug 2, 2011, 6:00 am
The University of Southern California has decided to stop offering their BS/MD program. This leaves the program at University of California San Diego as the only BS/MD program in California. This has been a popular program particularly with California residents but there are plenty of other program...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jul 28, 2011, 6:00 am
If you are thinking about applying to highly selective colleges you need to keep one word in mind when considering extracurricular activities. The word? FOCUS. Highly selective colleges like to see applicants who have a focus in one or two areas. As you go through high school you need to think abou...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jul 26, 2011, 6:00 am
A parent recently asked me how a student could keep an SAT score that the student received in 7th grade. The College Board’s policy is to destroy SAT scores from students who took the test before 9th grade. To keep a score from an SAT test that a student takes before 9th grade, the family will ne...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jul 21, 2011, 6:00 am
You know what drives me crazy?  Looking at a high school parking lot full of cars on a Saturday morning in the fall when the SAT or ACT is being given.  Why don’t I like to see this? Taking the SAT in the fall of senior year should be a last ditch effort at improving your score. And if that is ...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jul 19, 2011, 6:00 am
The list of colleges that I have that superscore the ACT includes only those colleges that require standardized testing. Why? In my experience if a college does not require a standardized test for admissions, they are willing to give those students who submit a test score the benefit of the doubt t...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jul 14, 2011, 6:00 am
Last time I talked about what liberal arts colleges are. But the big question most people have is “are they any good for students who want to major in science?” Remember that I said that all liberal arts colleges will have basic science majors like chemistry, biology and physics.  Many also ha...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jul 12, 2011, 6:00 am
I talked with two different families this past week that did not know what a liberal arts college was so I thought it was a good time to revisit some basics. Liberal arts colleges are small, generally about 3,000 or fewer undergraduate students.  They typically have no graduate students so the tea...
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Todd J. posted an article on College Admissions Counseling Blog - Jul 5, 2011, 6:00 am
Why in the world would anyone turn down a BS/MD program? Although they are among the most selective programs in college admissions, they are not appropriate for everyone. I had two students this past year turn down a BS/MD program and I thought I would explain these students thinking.  One student...
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