Weekly Wisdom

Synopsis:
Affirmative Action and checking off “the race box”, articles about drug use on SAT and privatization of public colleges, question about eccentric activities, online app tips, and visiting Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Introduction:

Thanks for continuing to read our newsletter. We encourage you to send in questions if you have them, and forward it to friends. We live off of your referrals! Now, to this week’s issues: Applications and affirmative action, articles about drug use on the SAT and the privatization of public schools, on-line application advice, and a quick look at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Weekly Wisdom

You're filling out your UC application and you see the question asking for
your race or ethnicity. The question has to come up: will it hurt or help you to check off your ethnicity? What if you leave the question blank? What is the status of affirmative action at the Universities of California?

It's a little confusing. In 1995, the UC Board of Regents passed a
resolution banning affirmative action in admissions. And then in 1996, the
voters approved Proposition 209 which enacted the same ban into law. But
that wasn't the end of the question.

In response, the UC system adopted a "comprehensive review" system that
downplays grades and test scores in favor of students' backgrounds and
experiences, gleaned from application essays and lists of school activities.
John Moores, chairman of the Board of Regents, wrote a 2003 article in
Forbes magazine detailing how UC Berkeley routinely admits minority students
with SAT scores as much as 400 points lower than those of rejected
non-minorities. Moores was formally censured by his fellow regents for his
article.

As long as comprehensive review is used, it's likely that minority status
will help in the admissions process despite Proposition 209. So, unless you have a personal pride issue, if you are a minority, go ahead and check the box of your ethinicity, as it can probably only have a beneficial effect, if any at all. The
universities claim that checking "Caucasian" will not hurt an
applicant, that they collect the information solely so they can meet their
obligation to provide the federal government with race and ethnicity
statistics.

In the meantime, the Regents are trying to find other means to
admit more minority applicants, including guaranteeing admission to anyone
who graduates in the top 4% of any high school in the state (the local eligibility context rule) and toying with the idea of no longer requiring SAT scores at all. Our view is to answer the question or not, as you see fit.

Upcoming Deadlines

November 10th - last day for late registration for Dec 4th SAT & SAT II

November 18th - last day for late registration for Dec 11th ACT

November 30th - UC Applications must be in!!!

December 4th - SAT I & II

December 11th - ACT

December 20th - dealine for January 22nd SAT

Articles in the News

Our first article is a disturbing one. At The Prep School, we have heard many stories about kids trying to cheat or do anything to gain the upper hand on standardized tests. We have even heard about the subject of this article – kids who take drugs in order to gain an extra edge and focus on the test. This is worth a read for any parents of nervous test-takers.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Our second article is a very interesting one about public schools across the country. As funding dwindles for public university systems, and as the necessary rate hikes continue for in-state and out-of-state students, the question arises: should public schools be privatized? This article discusses just that question.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Ask The Experts

asktheexperts@thepreptalk.com

"There are a couple of activities I have done which don’t really fit into any particular area on the application I am filling out. Where should I put them?"

A: This question falls into the “don’t overthink your application” category.

An activity that doesn’t quite fall into any of the pre-ordained categories can still be put into your application. Just put it wherever you think it best fits. For example, a community service activity should be put into extracurricular activities if there’s no specific place in the application for community service. If, however, you received some sort of award for the service, you might consider putting it into the “honors and awards” section. The short answer is: use your brain. If you want them to know about something you did, put it in the most logical place, even if it doesn’t seem like a perfect fit. In fact, the very fact that you’ve done something that doesn’t fit perfectly with their expectations may just impress them.

Application & Essay Tips

Apply on-line! There are so many advantages to applying on-line it’s hard to list all of them. But, the three biggest are easy enough, so here goes.

First, you won’t have to go through the hassle of mailing the application itself with the proof of mailing and what not.

Second, you can keep all of your application work in one place, safely and securely on the school server, and work on it in many sessions, saving your work as you go. No worries about losing things.

Finally, the on-line checklists provided by the school will help to insure that you do not forget any part of your application process. Start early. Apply on-line. Step into the 21st century.

Featured College

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is one of the many impacted California State schools. The Cal State system, which encompasses 23 campuses and serves the needs of hundreds of thousands of students, is the step below the UC system on our state’s college ladder. But don’t tell that to students at San Luis Obispo. First of all, as an impacted school, admissions criteria are tougher than for other Cal State schools, meaning that the normal policy of a simple eligibility index is gone and tougher standards, including review of test scores, are put in place.

Also, Cal Poly is largely considered a technical school heavy on hands-on and labwork, and the students here enjoy it very much. Architecture, engineering, and technology majors dominate the landscape, and students believe (perhaps rightly so) that the education they receive is as valuable if not more so than their counterparts at “top” schools.

Cal Poly students also tend to love the environment. San Luis Obispo is a small town, dominated by the school, and is right on the California coast in what some consider to be its most beautiful section. Students bike, hike, and enjoy the outdoors in a way that other schools can’t really offer. What’s more, because the school is relatively low-stress, students have time to take advantage of the environment, which suits everyone fine.

Though San Luis Obispo certainly doesn’t have the cachet of some other schools, its environment, attitude, and offerings make it an ideal choice for some technically oriented students. Just don’t think it’s an automatic thing because it’s not a UC.

Vocab of The Week

Ameliorate (v): to relieve from hardship

Jessica Simpson knew that Nick Lachey was cheating on her, and she felt that a trial separation would ameliorate the situation.

Galvanize (v): to imbue with life or animation

The loss of the election was a severe blow for some Democrats, while others feel galvanized and will fight even harder in 2008.

Picayune (adj): of little value, small or insignificant

He mocked her picayune concern for whether or not Ryan and Seth would return to Newport on “The OC”

Jejune (adj): childish, uninteresting, lacking in maturity

Mary-Kate and Ashley have starred in many films, but not one of them was as jejune as “New York Minute”, which proved to be a new low.