"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

Wells College to increase enrollment of male students
Aurora, NY - Wells College says it's expecting to double the number of male students this fall. The college expects at least 70 men to attend this year, including 31 of the 33 men enrolled there last year.

Lawrence Receives Record $15 Million Gift for New Campus Center
President Jill Beck announced on August 7 that Lawrence has received a $15 million gift toward the construction of the new campus center from a friend of the college who wishes to remain anonymous. The donation is the largest philanthropic gift in Lawrence's history and represents a major milestone in the funding of the proposed $32.7 million facility.

Campus gay point average
Book strives to tell students which schools are welcoming - Sarah Schweitzer, Boston Globe | 08/25/06
In an age when colleges live and die by their rankings, a new focus for campus assessment is emerging: gay-friendliness. The Advocate, the national newsmagazine for gays and lesbians, published a 389-page book this month called The Advocate College Guide listing the 100 schools that it says offer the best discrimination protection, most friendly climate, and most extensive campus services for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students. Sixteen of the schools are in New England, including six in Massachusetts. The Advocate College Guide is published by Alyson Books.

SAT records biggest score drop in 31 years - POSTED: 3:55 p.m. EDT, August 29, 2006 on CNN.com
AP -- The high school class of 2006 recorded the sharpest drop in SAT scores in 31 years, a decline that the exam's owner, the College Board, said was partly due to some students taking the newly lengthened test only once instead of twice.

Financial Aid
James A. Boyle, President, College Parents of America, writes: "There are three ways to pay for college: before, during or after. Paying for college before would be ideal, of course, with savings built over an 18-year period, ideally in a tax-free vehicle, converted to pay for your child's school without affecting your lifestyle one iota. But that's not only ideal; it's a dream world for the vast majority of people.
Then there is paying for college during your son or daughter's education, simply by tapping into existing resources. This is possible for some people, particularly those with a fair amount of liquidity, but still unlikely for the vast majority of parents. That's where paying for college after with education loans comes in, and the purpose of today's column is to let you know that those loans can come from a variety of sources, and serve a variety of purposes…"

He goes on to discuss the different types of loans. "PLUS" is an acronym for "Parent Loan for Undergraduate Student." This is a federal program that private sector lenders work within in order to make college money available quickly to parents who meet credit history requirements and need funds to meet the cost of education. There is no income floor or cap on those who are applying for a PLUS loan. Bill Gates could apply for - and receive - a PLUS loan, and so could someone with a low or moderate income whose child has been awarded substantial amounts of financial aid, but just not quite enough to cover all college expenses."

An important distinction between a PLUS and a private loan lies with responsibility for repayment. A PLUS loan is truly a "parent loan" and the responsibility for paying it back with lie with the parent. A private loan is taken out by the student, but co-signed by the parent thereby putting the repayment responsibility in the hands of the student.

Be Internet Savvy
I've talked in the past to students about how the content they publish online is easily found by employers who Google the names of candidates to see if any red flags immediately appear. How disturbing it was to see a photo of them and think that someone on the outside - a college admissions counselor, a prospective employer, a predator, even a possible college roommate - could make a snap judgment from that single photo. He asked "Is this really how you want the world to see you?" by listing "facts" about students taken right from their Facebook entries with no names, but students suddenly became really aware that all of us and anyone else could also know personal things about them.

Matching Students to the Right College
Commentary by WILLIAM E. TROUTT, the President of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. You can find it at www.scrippsnews.com/node/11997

Regis College to admit men in '07 - Marcella Bombardieri and Tracy Jan, Boston Globe | 09/01/06
Regis College, the last Catholic women's college in the Boston area, will go coed next fall.

Marist Named a Technology Innovator by Tech Magazine
Marist College has been named one of 16 "Campus Technology Innovators" nationwide by Campus Technology magazine. Approximately 500 colleges and universities were considered for inclusion in the magazine's August issue. Marist achieved this national distinction in the area of podcasting. From Colleges of Distinction Newsletter CollegesOfDistinction.com

Randolph Macon Women's College
announced this week the approval of a strategic plan which includes a decision to make the college coed with a global honors emphasis. The College will open its doors to men for the first time in the fall of 2007.

Harvard's End to Early Admissions Intrigues Others - Alan Finder, The New York Times, 9/13/06
Officials at many elite colleges and universities said yesterday that they would carefully consider how to respond to Harvard University's decision to eliminate early admissions, though none were yet ready to follow Harvard's lead.

Princeton Stops Its Early Admissions, Joining Movement to Make Process Fairer - Finder, NY Times, 9/19/06
High school seniors begin a new college application season amid growing signs that the nation's top colleges and universities have deep misgivings about the sanity and fairness of the annual admissions frenzy. A week after Harvard abandoned early admissions as a program that puts low-income students at a disadvantage, Princeton followed suit yesterday, saying it hoped other universities would do the same. "I think it's important for there to be momentum, because I think it's the right decision," said Shirley M. Tilghman, Princeton's president.

UVA to eliminate early admissions - Daniel Katz, The Yale Daily News
The University of Virginia announced Monday that it will eliminate its early decision program beginning with the Class of 2012, taking a cue from announcements in recent weeks of similar decisions by Harvard and Princeton.

The New Business Of College - Edited by David M. Ewalt, Forbes.com
Click here to link to this article online.

College Admissions Myths - Melanie Shor, Forbes.com
Click here to link to this article online

In the CPS ARCHIVES:

August 2006 Newsletter
May 2006 Newsletter
April 2006 Newsletter
March 2006 Newsletter
February 2006 Newsletter
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.