mstelzner

Saying No to College (University)

 Posted by at 1:05 pm  Higher Education Trends, US  Comments Off on Saying No to College (University)
Dec 032012
 

This article from the New York Times makes some fascinating points about the potential value of shortcutting college or university, but be sure to read the comments also. Some of the readers make points that are as least as valid as the author’s, and the combination yields a more balanced perspective.

The idea that a college diploma is an all-but-mandatory ticket to a successful career is showing fissures. Feeling squeezed by a sagging job market and mounting student debt, a groundswell of university-age heretics are pledging allegiance to new groups like UnCollege, dedicated to “hacking” higher education. More…

This gallery contains 0 photos

Where to Start When Researching US Colleges & Universities

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Where to Start When Researching US Colleges & Universities
Nov 142012
 

Do you want to identify US colleges or universities that meet specific criteria? In a particular geographic region, or of a particular size? Given there are more than 4,000 4-year institutions of higher education in the US, you’ll want help sifting through all the options. There is no shortage of information online about almost any college you can name.

[listly id=”2ID” layout=”full”]

Note that this list is “live” and additions and subtractions will be made to it over time. If you register for List.ly, the tool used to create this list, you’ll be able to add  websites and to mark your preferences.

 

IB or Swiss Maturité: Which Is Better?

 Secondary Schooling, Switzerland, UK, US  Comments Off on IB or Swiss Maturité: Which Is Better?
Sep 272012
 

Updated 11-March-2015: UK universities no longer have caps on EU/EAA students admitted with non-UK qualifications. Updated 31-May-2013 to reflect information from NARIC about UK recognition of the Swiss Maturité.

Expat parents in Switzerland frequently ask whether their children will have more options when applying to university with an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma or a Swiss Maturité. There is no simple answer to this question, although it helps if you are lucky enough to know the country where the student wants to study ahead of time.

The IB Diploma: Large Numbers and Standardization

In general, the IB diploma is more widely recognized than the Swiss Maturité because it is a well-defined and well-documented program, awarded annually to a large number of students. Exams are standardized and student marks are normalized across all students taking the exams, so a mark of 30 at one school is the same as 30 at a school on the other side of the world. Most universities know about the IB diploma and publish their IB recognition policies.

The Swiss Maturité: Small Numbers and Many Variations

The Swiss Maturité does not have the same level of international recognition as the IB because a much smaller number of students who complete this qualification apply to universities outside of Switzerland. After all, Switzerland has its own excellent, highly ranked universities with very low fees. Many foreign universities are not familiar with the Maturité, and what is not known tends to be considered less valuable.

All 26 cantons, as well as the federal government, have different curricula and different exams for their academic Maturités/Maturas, making it difficult for universities to understand each type of Swiss qualification. UK NARIC, the agency responsible for providing information on recognition of foreign academic qualifications, considers the Maturité based on the federal exam – the exam private school students sit – equivalent to federally-recognized maturités awarded by publicly-funded gymnases. Unfortunately, UK universities frequently require extremely high marks from students applying with a Maturité, causing many students to give up on the possibility.

There is one logistical complication to note for private school students who take the federal exam. Because they sit the summer exam late in August and early in September, it difficult to submit results in time for Fall admission to UK universities. Many of these students plan a gap year or a gap semester after taking the exams in the winter. Parents of students sitting the federal exam also complain of losing the summer to exam preparation.

Where the Maturité Shines

If your child wants to attend university in Switzerland, it is easier with a Swiss Maturité because maturité students are automatically admitted to any Swiss university. This is as true for students who barely pass as it is for students who have top marks. Swiss universities require the full IB diploma, specific IB courses, marks that are well above average, and sometimes an entrance exam.

When US colleges and universities know the Swiss Maturité well, they seem to be big fans. An admissions officer from Harvard recently stated that, in the past few years, Harvard has admitted more students from Switzerland with the Maturité than with an IB diploma.

When to Change Programs

If your child is very young, you don’t need to decide now. From an academic standpoint, it is typically easier to move from local schools to an international school. You can move them at the end of primary school, or even as late as year 8, 9 or 10, as long as they are fluent in English – and assuming the international school has space. Not to minimize the international school space issue, but there is some flexibility in terms of when a student makes the move.

Dual IB/Matura Programs

Some gymnasiums in Basel and Zurich offer top students the opportunity to complete both qualifications – a Swiss Matura from their canton and an IB diploma – at the same time and with little additional work. Those cantons acknowledge issues with international recognition of the Swiss Matura and adopted this approach to maximize opportunities for their students. It appears there would be significant demand for such a program in cantons with large numbers of expats such as Vaud and Geneva. Although canton Vaud schools are consider a dual IB/Maturité program, it does not appear to be a high priority.

SAT and/or ACT: Admissions Testing (Mostly) for the U.S.

 Posted by at 6:28 pm  Secondary Schooling, US  Comments Off on SAT and/or ACT: Admissions Testing (Mostly) for the U.S.
Aug 212012
 

Most American colleges and universities require students to send results from either the SAT or the ACT when they apply for admission. Since high school curriculums and grading systems can vary widely from one school to another, these standardized exams allow admissions departments to compare the performance of students across schools. They are just one factor considered in the admissions process.

Some universities outside of the United States might consider the SAT or ACT in their admissions when an applicant does not have a local qualification. For example, Aalto University in Finland and  Trinity College Dublin both consider the SAT or ACT, as do many Canadian universities.

Both the SAT and ACT focus on mathematics, reading comprehension, and writing. The ACT also includes a science section. The SAT takes about 4.25 hours to complete and the ACT takes 3.5 hours.

There is a second type of SAT exam, the SAT Subject Test, that is an hour-long exam on an individual subject. More on this subject in a later post.

The exams are created and administered by different testing organizations:

  • The SAT is offered by the College Board and
  • The ACT is offered by ACT, Inc.

SAT vs. ACT: Which to Take?

The structure and types of questions differ between the two exams and a certain percentage of students will do much better on one than on the other. One suggested strategy is to take both the SAT and the ACT in the spring about 15 – 18 months before starting university, and then retake the one where you have better results the following fall. Alternatively, the student might prefer to take timed practice tests rather than official exams, but accurate timing is critical for making comparisons between scores. In either case, the student should spend time practicing sample test questions and learning recommended test strategies – test preparation frequently improve scores significantly.

When and Where to Take – or Sit – the Exams

Unlike the exams students sit before university in Europe, the student can choose when to take the SAT and ACT. Most universities require you to send exam results by January of the year you’ll start university, so you’ll typically need to take an exam no later than the middle of your last year of high school or gymnase.

  • The exams are offered five or six times a year on Saturday mornings in international locations, typically in international or private schools.
  • Anyone can register online to take the exams until four – six weeks before the test date.
  • You can take the test as many times as you want, though few students take an exam more than three times.

To determine SAT test locations outside of the United States, go to this page on the College Board website, select the date you want to take the test, your country and city, and click Select. Note that not all locations are available on each test date.

The ACT is offered five times a year and a table of test dates and locations by country are available on their website by selecting your country and clicking Select.

How the Results Are Used in Admissions

Most American colleges and universities do not publish minimum scores on these exams, although they often provide mid-range scores for students admitted in the previous few admissions years. The College Board website defines mid-range test scores as follows:

This range reflects what most students scored – who were admitted and enrolled in the freshmen class, and who reported their scores to the college. It’s sometimes called “the middle 50%.” Keep in mind that 25% of students scored below and 25% of students scored above these ranges.

Mid-range scores are typically listed in the Admissions section of a college’s or university’s website, but other websites such as CollegeData.com aggregate this data so it is more easily accessed. For example, here is the mid-range data for Boston University.  It is always a good practice to also check the university website and to find the year the data represents.

 

This gallery contains 1 photos

How to Be “Seen” from Abroad by Coaches: Athletic Recruiting in the U.S. (Part III)

 Posted by at 1:47 pm  Athletic Recruiting, Uncategorized, US  Comments Off on How to Be “Seen” from Abroad by Coaches: Athletic Recruiting in the U.S. (Part III)
Jul 312012
 

As mentioned in the previous article in this series on athletic recruiting for non-US residents, an already complex process becomes even more challenging when you live in another country, since coaches don’t have easy access to the types of situations where they see many U.S. high school players. And to be recruited to play your sport at the collegiate level in the United States, you first have to be noticed by coaches. Then the coaches must decide that you can contribute to their team, and that you are academically strong enough to be admitted to their institution. But it is becoming more and more common for international students and U.S. citizens living abroad to be athletic recruits, so if this is your dream, persevere with the process!

 

[Note on terminology: Remember that in the U.S., the words college and university are frequently used interchangeably when referring to institutions of higher education.]

Put Together Your Sport Resume

Your athletic resumé or CV summarizes your athletic career in a form that you can both email to coaches or print out to hand to them when you talk in person.  It combines contact information and education details, along with your athletic statistics and accomplishments.  When possible, get letters of recommendation or technical evaluation reports by high-level or professional coaches.

Here’s one sample of an athletic resume. Search on the web for CVs for your particular sport because the specific information to include varies by sport. Keep this document in a file on your computer so that you can add to it on a regular basis.

Collect Relevant Academic Reports

Coaches also need to know if your academic performance is high enough for you to be admitted to their university. If you are talking to a coach from Harvard or Stanford, s/he needs you to be much stronger academically than coaches from many state universities.

Be ready with a scanned copy of your most recent school records, starting from year 9. If the records are not in English, be sure to also have a translated copy available. Unless you go to an American or international school abroad, the coach may need to see more information about your country’s system of schooling in order to understand the level of rigor involved. The NCAA guides for international students are critical to this process.

Prepare for the SAT or ACT

Standardized tests for U.S. college admissions, the SAT and ACT, are crucial in the athletic recruiting process. Test scores give coaches another data point about whether you fall within range for admission at that institution. Practice these exams early because practice has been demonstrated to increase student scores, and the higher your scores, the greater the chance a college might accept you.  If the language of instruction at your school is not English, then admissions departments will not expect your test scores to be as high as those of students educated in the U.S.

American students typically take the SAT or ACT for the first time in the second half of year 11, but many take the PSAT or PLAN – practice versions of the full exams that are formally administered and graded – in October of year 11 or even year 10.  These exams are administered at some international schools. Once you have results from an official exam, add a scanned copy of your scores to the information you give to coaches.

Search Out Connections to Coaches and Players

With your resume in hand, start with your own coaches and then widen your circle. Talk to coaches and more advanced players, looking for those who know about specific programs in the U.S., who have played themselves in the U.S., have contacts there in your sport, or have experience helping other students who were successfully recruited. If there is an international school near you, even if you have never attended it, contact the coaches there for information. If you cannot find coaches for your gender or your sport, keep trying and ask each person to refer you to someone else you should contact.

When you talk to local coaches and advanced players, ask for an assessment of your ability to compete at the collegiate level in the US, and in which division. Another goal is to find people who have credibility with coaches in the US and who can acting as a reference so that coaches pay more attention to you.

Record Your Play

Have your parents or someone else video your play. Video will be especially important for reaching coaches since many are unlikely to be able to watch you live. Start early on this project because it takes awhile to become proficient and a lot of video to get what you need. By the latter part of year 10, your goal is to have a well-edited highlight video to showcase your skills during training and matches. Search on YouTube for samples that other athletes have posted.

You can then use your videos to give coaches a first indication of what you can do.  Specific video requirements vary by sport, and you may eventually need video of an entire game showing how you played for the duration. Upload your video to YouTube.com and consider setting the permissions to private so that you control who sees it.

Identify Programs of Interest

Now comes the research-intensive part of the process. Build a list of criteria that you want in a college or university you attend independent of the athletic program. Then add the factors important to you in the sports programs you consider.

The next step is to create a list of the 12 to 15 institutions that best match your list of criteria, where you are interested in both studying and playing. Identify institutions to consider by looking on the NCAA Eligibility Center website, or use the college search feature on the CollegeBoard or College Data websites. If academics are very important to you, consider the universities in this list of schools that take the concept of the “scholar-athlete” seriously. If you are having a very difficult time identifying enough schools for this list, then you may need to consider loosening some of your criteria.

Contact Coaches

Once you identify a school you are interested in, the next step is to contact the coach by email. The best timing for this varies somewhat from sport to sport and among the NCAA divisions, but two full years before you plan on starting university is appropriate in many cases.

Write a short letter of introduction that includes a specific reason why you are interested in this coach’s program and attach a copy of your athletic resume and academic record.  Try to have someone fluent in English proofread everything.  Offer to send the coach a link to your video.

If you don’t hear anything back from the coach, you can try calling but it probably isn’t worth leaving a message.  Be sure to pay attention to the difference in time zones. The NCAA regulates when coaches can return calls to players, and they are very limited before your final year in secondary school.   Analyze which coaches you are hearing from and which not. If you are hearing from D3 coaches but not D1 it may mean your level of play is not high enough for D1.

Don’t hesitate to contact a coach more than once, even if you get no response. However, it is most effective if you have additional information to give the coach – for example, you now have official standardized test scores available, or your team just won a championship.

Plan a Summer Abroad

Most recruited athletes in the U.S. spend the summers during secondary school at development camps where they hone their skills and where, more importantly, they can be seen playing by coaches they hope will recruit them. If you can spend time in the U.S. during the summer, be sure to ask coaches what camps they will be attending. Then go to the camps where you can be seen by the coaches you want to be recruited by. Be sure the coach knows you will be there and has seen your package beforehand.

If possible, tour some U.S. colleges or universities to get a better understanding of the differences between what they offer. Even if they are not schools that have made it onto your list, seeing them in person will give you a better idea of how to interpret information about other colleges and universities.

This type of trip is not financially feasible for many athletes, but don’t give up hope. Most coaches understand this because they cannot afford to travel internationally for recruiting purposes. Be sure to ask them if there is anyone in your area that they know and whose player judgments they value. Finally, ask if there are additional types of video the coach would like to see.

A final note is that the player, not parents, should be contacting coaches. The coach wants to talk to the person they might be spending a lot of time with over a period of years because they’ll be trying to decide how you will get along with both coaches and players. Parents can help with identifying programs that might be of interest, sifting through information on programs, strategizing what to say when phoning or emailing coaches, and reviewing all written communication.

So now the U.S. collegiate athletic recruiting process is all crystal clear, right? Well, I know that is too much to ask for but hopefully you know a lot more now than you did before reading this series of articles and have a strong sense of what you should be doing next to get recruited. And now is an excellent time to leave me a comment telling me what isn’t so clear!

This gallery contains 1 photos

8 Rules of the Game: Athletic Recruiting in the U.S. (Part II)

 Posted by at 10:03 pm  Athletic Recruiting, US  Comments Off on 8 Rules of the Game: Athletic Recruiting in the U.S. (Part II)
May 142012
 

[Note on terminology: In the U.S., the words college and university are frequently used interchangeably when discussing subjects relating to bachelor degree programs.  Colleges and universities may also be referred to as schools.]

After reading Getting Paid to Play: Athletic Recruiting in the U.S. (Part I), you realize that recruiting rules are somewhat different in each of the three NCAA divisions. Time spent up front understanding how the recruiting game is played is time well spent. Violations of rules can make you ineligible to be recruited or can reduce the number of years you can play at the collegiate level. If you are not a U.S. resident, even if you are a U.S. citizen, everything becomes a bit more complex, but students successfully navigate the process from overseas each year.

Rule 1: Start Early

Year 8 or 9 is not too soon to start preparing for the process because all of it takes time. The earlier you start, the more choices you’ll likely have and the easier it will be to meet the eligibility requirements. Coaches at D1 and D2 schools frequently ask for a commitment from players during the year before the final year of secondary school (e.g., year 11 in Switzerland). This does not mean that all players start the process this early, so don’t be discouraged if you have not. What is too late?

Rule 2: Be Realistic About Your Chances of Getting a Sports Scholarship

This chart from the New York Times, though somewhat dated, shows the number of students playing a sport in the U.S. vs. the number of students who receive an athletic scholarship (third column). Notice that more than 1 in 10 of the girls who play ice hockey in high school receives an athletic scholarship, and the scholarships average 80% of a full scholarship.  Many more women receive scholarships to play soccer, but that number is only about 1.5% of girls playing in high school and the awards are also smaller.

I had no idea there was so much money available for ice hockey players! Be sure that your sport is one that gets funding. Note, for example, that there are no scholarships offered for men’s rowing though there are for women’s. This is because so much money goes into American football and federal law requires an equal amount of money be spent on both genders. Also pay attention to variations in the average amount of money each athlete receives as an athletic scholarship .

Rule 3: Each NCAA Divisions Has Different Rules

This article, written by a college recruiter, gives a basic overview of these differences and gives you an idea of which division might be best for you. However, many student athletes don’t limit themselves to considering colleges in a single division but start with D1 and D2 in hopes of getting an athletic scholarship. If they don’t find enough interest in their talents with those coaches, they then try D3.

Although D3 colleges and universities do not give sports scholarships, many have other forms of financial aid that they use to entice athletes they want.

Rule 4: Don’t Neglect Your Studies

You will not be recruited on your athletic skills alone and your academic strengths have a bigger impact on your options than you might think. The NCAA – and each division has slightly different academic requirements – wants to make sure you are adequately prepared for college-level academics. You must:

  • Complete a secondary school education that prepares you for a university or a university of applied science in your home country.
  • Take a specified minimum number of secondary school courses in specific subjects, including English, mathematics, natural and physical sciences, social sciences, and foreign language.
  • Achieve a minimum average of grades, or marks, in those courses over the four years prior to your completion of secondary school.
  • Achieve minimum marks in standardized exams required for U. S. college admissions, such as the SAT or ACT, and the TOEFL. These tests can be taken in test centers located around the world.

Review the resources for international students on the NCAA Eligibility website and specifically check what the International Academic Standards for Athletics Eligibility says about eligible diplomas and courses from your country.

Rule 5: Maintain Your Amateur Status

To keep competition between teams fair, the NCAA also wants to ensure that student athlete’s have not previously been professional athletes, so you will need to go through a process to certify your amateur status. The most common stumbling block for international students involves compensation from club teams, which cannot exceed the actual costs you incur for playing on the team.

College-bound student-athletes may participate in amateur sports clubs as long as they do not receive expenses in excess of travel, lodging or equipment for practice or competition. A prospect may accept prize money based on performance in an open competition as long as the prize is awarded by the sponsor of the event and the amount of the prize does not exceed the student-athlete’s expenses to compete in the event. College or university representatives may not help with fundraising efforts for a student-athlete’s amateur club team.

Rule 6: It Will Be a Lot of Work

The student does most of the effort here, especially communicating with coaches, which we’ll discuss in the next article in this series. Much of the communication cannot be delegated to parents or a coach or anyone else.

Rule 7: Play with a Healthy Dose of Skepticism

Not all coaches are honorable people, though some definitely are. Some will tell you anything and then suddenly stop returning phone calls and emails when they are no longer interested in you.

Rule 8: Have a Thick Skin

You will likely have a good share of ups and downs in this process and it’s important to not take things too personally.  Prepare for some disappointments along the way.

Now that you understand the rules of this game, you are ready to play. The next steps, which we’ll discuss in more detail in Part III of this series of articles, include identifying specific colleges and universities of interest, and getting the attention of those coaches.

 

This gallery contains 1 photos

Getting Paid to Play: Athletic Recruiting in the U.S. (Part I)

 Posted by at 5:42 pm  Athletic Recruiting, US  Comments Off on Getting Paid to Play: Athletic Recruiting in the U.S. (Part I)
May 032012
 

(Updated May 9, 2012) Want to keep playing your sport while you study for your bachelor’s degree? This possibility attracts student athletes to study in the United States when they might otherwise stay in Switzerland or Europe for university. Whether or not you are dreaming of a professional athletic career, being a recruited student athletic could earn you a sports scholarship or help get you admitted to a college or university that is very difficult to get into. International student athletes attending George Washington University in Washington, D.C. describe the benefits of taking their skills to the next level while continuing their education.

Financial Help to Attend University in the US

There is a chance you will be offered an athletic scholarship that significantly reduces your cost of attending university in the U.S., but you need to be realistic about the odds. Most university athletes in the US don’t receive an athletic scholarship and sports programs offering them are extremely competitive. However, many athletes receive other types of financial aid such as merit aid if they have a strong academic background, or need-based aid. If you must have significant financial aid to be able to attend university in the US, you might end up in a situation where the sports program picks you, rather than you having much choice of where you play.

Help Getting Into a Competitive Institution

If you are both an elite athlete and a very strong student, you have a “hook” that might get you admitted to a highly competitive institution where your chances would be low based on your academic qualifications alone. For example, Ivy League and other top ranked institutions, such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, receive applications every year from many more highly talented students than they have room for.  But, if you meet the academic qualifications, and if the soccer coach tells the admissions department that he wants you on his team, your odds of getting in increase significantly.

Read, Read, Read!

The process of recruiting collegiate athletes is complicated and you need an overview before you decide if it is something you really want to do. Start reading on the web about how the process works and about specific colleges and universities where you might want to play. You may find that you have never heard of some of the schools most highly ranked in your sport.

This overview of Sports Scholarships and the Athletic Recruiting Process is a great introduction tailored to international students. Be sure not to miss the link to the Fulbright handout part way down the page. It contains some great information and tells you what you need to get started.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, better known as the NCAA, enforces rules that ensure equitable competition and protect the well being of student-athletes at all member institutions. Pay attention for the following:

  1. Understand the three divisions in NCAA programs and how they differ. (Hint: Division I schools have the most students and support the most sports teams.)
  2. Find the information describing what courses you need to take in secondary school, the average marks required, and the standardized tests (SAT or ACT) you’ll need to take. (Hint: On the Resources page, there is a section for International Students.)
  3. Read the NCAA eligibility rules about maintaining your status as an amateur.  Club teams in Europe sometimes pay athletes more than the maximum to maintain amateur status.

Consider D3

Getting paid to play is not the only reason to consider being a recruited athlete in the United States. If your family can afford for you to go to school in the U.S. without an athletic scholarship, NCAA Division III may be the way to go. In reality, there are many more student athletes playing for D3 institutions than for D1 and D2 programs combined. D3 athletic programs allow students to combine their athletic careers with first-rate academics. In men’s soccer, for example, truly excellent smaller schools such as Amherst, CalTech, University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Pomona, Swarthmore, Tufts, Wesleyan (Connecticut) and Williams College all field Division III teams.

You can read more about D3 athletics and schools on collegestudentathletes.com. Another recommended website is d3recruitinghub.com.

Getting Started

By now you should have a better idea if you are interested in pursuing the option of being a recruited athlete in the United States, but assuming you are interested, where to start? Check out Part II of this series on athletic recruiting at American colleges and universities. And feel free to leave questions in the comment box below.

This gallery contains 1 photos

Report shows university budget winners and losers in austerity-driven era

 Higher Education Trends  Comments Off on Report shows university budget winners and losers in austerity-driven era
Apr 222012
 

While most countries in Europe are cutting the budgets of their university systems, Switzerland is one of three countries – the other two are Finland and Germany – that are increasing budgets.

A study of the impact of austerity-driven policies on universities in 13 countries across Europe shows a divergence between clear winners and losers, with southern European countries generally but not exclusively faring worst. More

 

 Older Entries  Newer Entries