It will be a wild ride for this year’s high school seniors and their college applications. Qualifications of past students who were accepted to more selective schools last year may be rejected this year.
Because of the economy more students are applying to the less expensive state schools.
In the fall 2012, 56,000+ freshman students applied to Long Beach State and San Diego State received 60,000+ freshman applications.
This year projects the counts will be higher. Budget cuts to the state universities have forced the schools to accept fewer students causing state colleges to become more selective.
So who is getting accepted? Students and parents make the mistake of thinking if a student carries a 3.5+ GPA they are a strong contender for any college spot. I speak with college admissions across the country and they tell me the first thing they look for on an application is not the GPA but the rigor of the courses.
In other words, how many honors and AP classes has the student taken? Admissions know if students can handle several AP or honors classes with As and Bs they should be prepared for college.
More and more students are taking these harder courses and are at the top of the college acceptance lists.
In addition to looking good on the college application most colleges allow selected AP classes to be used toward college credit. This allows students the ability to graduate sooner.
Taking the hardest classes they can handle and getting good grades is a recipe for success. SAT or ACT scores are also important.
High scores often project how students will handle college curriculum. Colleges want the incoming students to be successful.
After grades and test scores, the essay, letters of recommendation, community service, leadership roles, sports, and the arts are considered.
Find an activity you enjoy and excel in it. Think outside the box. Use your talents. One of my students started rowing at the Long Beach Junior Crew Center her freshman year in high school and received a scholarship from a selective university.
The average California high school student to counselor ratio is approximately 500:1. Some counselors are expected to substitute teach or increase their administrative duties.
These added responsibilities will take away time spent with your child. With the increase in college applications and the decrease in counselor time at the high school, parents must become more involved assisting their children in the college process. Their future is too important!
On a positive note attending Los Alamitos High School or any Long Beach High School is access to Long Beach State. If your student chooses to simply attend high school and complete the courses needed to qualify for California State University, Long Beach State will most likely admit them.
The question now becomes, are they going to be happy attending a 30,000+ campus, taking 5+ years to receive a bachelor’s degree and living so close to home?
The decisions students make today will affect which colleges will accept them.
Information for this article was collected from www.act.org and www.collegeboard.com , websites dedicated to assisting and advising college-bound students.
Margene Walz is an academic and athletic counselor for Quest College Counseling serving Los Alamitos, Long Beach, Seal Beach and Huntington Beach. For more information call (562) 280-0460 or email QuestCC@hotmail.com.
