"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."   John Adams, December, 1770

Recommendation letters
According to December 27th article in USA Today about 5 to 10 percent of recommendations from counselors and teachers are "negative or damn with faint praise." Students should carefully consider whom they will ask to write their recommendations.

Standardized testing in colleges?
From a New York Times article by Karen W. Arenson on February 9th, 2006, "A higher education commission named by the Bush administration is examining whether standardized testing should be expanded into universities and colleges to prove that students are learning and to allow easier comparisons on quality."

Carnegie Mellon announces their Fine Arts Pre-College Summer Programs
ARCHITECTURE - ART - DESIGN - DRAMA - MUSIC
"The Carnegie Mellon Summer Programs, June 24-August 4, 2006, will show you what college life is all about from the classroom to what's happening on weekends. You'll meet people from all over the world, be inspired by our world-renowned faculty, take part in the excitement of campus life and have the opportunity to explore the city of Pittsburgh." For a video look at the Carnegie Mellon Summer Programs, go to
http://www.cmu.edu/enrollment/pre-college/video/pre-college_dsl.html

Sterling College Environmental Steward Scholarship
Guidance Counselors can nominate a student for Sterling College's Environmental Steward Scholarship. Sterling College in Vermont is offering a "full tuition scholarships to incoming students who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to environmental service and volunteerism. This award covers tuition expenses-an approximate value of $70,000 over 4 years."
To learn more about this scholarship contact Sterling College, 800-648-3591.

"Summer in the City" at Barnard
Barnard College is offering "Summer in New York City", a Pre-College Program at Barnard College, Columbia University. The program offers challenging college level courses, the opportunity to experience college life and the opportunity to explore New York City.
Visit their website at www.barnard.edu or contact Alexandra Nestoras at 212-854-8866.

EA at Harvard
An article in the College Bound newsletter states that "just over 800 students were admitted to Harvard's Class of 2010 under its Early Action program this year."

Record Apps for First-Year Students
College Bound also reported that the following colleges received record numbers of applications for first year students: Beloit College in Wisconsin, Wake Forest University in North Carolina, Lawrence University in Wisconsin and the University of the Arts in Pennsylvania.

UVM Gaining in Popularity
The University of Vermont reports that applications to the University have risen 36.7 percent over last year's record level, setting a new high of 17,616 to date. Last year at this time, 12,890 applications had been received. Applications have more than doubled since 2001.

In the CPS ARCHIVES:

January 2006 Newsletter
November 2005 Newsletter
October 2005 Newsletter
September 2005 Newsletter
August 2005 Newsletter
July 2005 Newsletter
June 2005 Newsletter

Given the nature of the admissions process and the selectivity of many educational institutions, we cannot guarantee admission to any institution.