The College Advisory Newsletter 2
May 2014
Helping Hand College Guidance
Presents
The College Advisory Newsletter
Increased Competition in Admission
A recent article in the Los Angeles Times highlighted a drop in the acceptance rate of California students to many of the UC campuses as compared to the previous year. The same can also be said about admission to many of the highly selective private colleges as this article also indicates. This is primarily due to a rise in international applications, particularly Asia, and also caused by students applying to more schools with the ease of the Common Application. The most competitive UC campuses were UCLA with an admit rate of 16.3% and UC Berkeley with an admit rate of 18.8% for California residents. Stanford University only admitted 5%.
The UC system has increased the number of out of state students it accepts. In addition, the UC system has offered more places to international students than in past years. This brings in more tuition dollars.
What can you do as an applicant to avoid disappointment and increase your chances of admission?
- Start the college application process early to complete flawless applications and quality essays.
- Consult with your high school counselor or independent college counselor early in high school to select curricular and extracurricular activities to strengthen your application.
- Apply to a wide variety of schools including reach, 50/50, and safeties. Try to keep an open mind.
- Visit and research colleges.
Helping Hand College Guidance is here to help you maximize your chances of admission and present the strongest application possible. Pam Ohriner, as a college advisor is here to guide you every step of the way. Please contact us if you would like to arrange for a free consultation.
New Opening Date for the UC Application
The 2015-2016 UC undergraduate admission application will now be available on August 1st, 2014. This will allow students more time to complete their application. The application essay prompts will remain the same. However, the application can only be submitted from November 1st to November 30th, the same as last year.
Acceptances
A partial list of colleges that Helping Hand College Guidance students have recently been accepted to include:
California Lutheran University New York University Emory University Vanderbilt University University of Michigan Loyola Marymount University Chapman University University of Massachusetts American University University of Arizona Bentley University University of Miami Miami University Northeastern University University of Southern California Wesleyan University University of Delaware University of Oregon George Mason University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute University of Alabama University of Mississippi Washington University in St. Louis University of San Francisco University of Colorado – Boulder Sierra Nevada College |
University of Washington University of Utah Portland State University University of Nevada, Reno Utah State University University of California – Los Angeles University of California – Berkeley University of California – San Diego University of California – Santa Barbara University of California – Irvine University of California – Santa Cruz University of California – Merced University of California – Riverside University of California – Davis Cal State Long Beach Cal State San Diego Cal State Northridge Cal State Humboldt Cal State Los Angeles Cal State San Luis Obispo The Catholic University of America Notre Dame de Namur Cal State Chico Drew University Cornell University |
Upcoming Events
May 6th, 2014 – Big Ten Counselor Program at the Hyatt Regency. I’m looking forward to sharing the latest admission news with students.
May 31st, 2014 – Presentation at the Pio Pico Koreatown Public Library from 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
“Understanding the College Application Process” with Ketterman College Funding.
Presentation of “Understanding the College Application Process” at the Venice Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library – Date to be determined in June.
Summer Essay Workshop
The summer is the perfect time to write and edit your UC and Common Application essays. If you are looking for a low cost option to private counseling sessions, consider organizing a small group (3-4 students) as an alternative. We can meet at the home of one of the students in the group or at a mutually agreed upon place.
Please contact Pam at Helping Hand College Guidance to discuss further details.