When the pandemic hit and schools closed down, I not only missed out on working directly with my students, but I also lost the chance to meet with many college reps where I learn a lot about schools, programs and trends in admissions. Thankfully, many schools took to the web to share info about their school in the way of interviews, virtual sessions, and campus tours. I attend sessions with 100+ people on a call and I had more than one with 2 students on a call joined by 4 admissions people. Some schools were dynamic and insightful, including voices from several stakeholders while others could not appear less interested in getting your application. In fact, it is the highly selective schools who were the least helpful. Only a couple of them (example: Duke, Dartmouth) had virtual information sessions and I found them very boring and uncreative. Harvard and UPenn had virtual tours but no sessions. And more than a few "elite" programs had nothing at all - literally nothing. What does that tell you? They are basically saying, "We don't have to do anything special when you can't come to us because you will still apply anyway." And they are right. I wish we could change that.
The experiences have varied widely, but here are some of my impressions. Google and Microsoft are among the top employers of graduates of Case Western Reserve University. But where is CWRU? California? No, Cleveland, Ohio. I recently attended a session with a small liberal arts college in Ohio where four of their comp sci grads were employed by Google. Four! For a school and major that size, this must be a very high proportion. The next time someone tells me you have to go to Berkeley to get a job in Silicon Valley, I am just going to smirk. Average class size under 20. Student to teacher ratio under 15:1. Think these are unique? They aren't. Every liberal arts school I listened to could boast this. Pretty much no public school is going to meet these standards. But what does that mean? Some schools merely flashed the statistic on a slide and moved on. This tells me nothing about the student experience. I was much more interested in the schools that talked about how that is helpful for you, the student. Some programs cited 1-to-1 meetings with professors in their freshman year. Others had faculty mentors from the first or second semester. Don't be fooled by stats - push to see what the stat actually means from a student experience standpoint. Retention rate 90%+ when national average is 65%. What does this really mean? What are the reasons people my not continue at a school? I wager this has much more to do with personal and familial circumstances than it does with anything happening at a particular school. My advice in the search process is to not consider certain statistics like these unless you can really justify what that means for you and why it is important. 66, 75, 90, and even 100% of students study abroad at some of these liberal arts schools. The Ivy League ranges from 20% on down to 4% with an average of 10%. What does it say about a school that encourages (or requires) students to take their learning on the road? I believe the opportunity to study abroad is essential; it allows students to learn from others in a new place in our world, be challenged in ways they have not been, and to experience cultures previously unknown to them. Some schools give priority admissions and scholarships to students who want to stay involved in Fine Arts. Not major in them. Just stay involved in them at college. Schools will talk all about service, athletics, performances. Top schools don't talk about this because people that go there give up all of their exploratory options to stay in the competitive hunt. It is refreshing that there are schools that are sending the message to high school students that instead of skipping out on activities like art, theater, and music to focus on test prep, you will not only be recognized for your passions, but rewarded for them. A lot of questions were asked, some good, most bad. In fact, many times the questions were asked by parents. Here are a few of my favorites:
Whether or not a school has an ultimate Frisbee team apparently is important to many students because it was asked a lot. Also asked often were very poorly worded questions like #2 and #3 above. How is a rep supposed to answer that? When you ask questions of a rep, ask them something that they can actually provide examples on. And never ask them questions like bullet points 4 and 5 above. These can be found online in barely more time than it takes to ask the question. If you do not do your research, it shows. And finally, if you not only spell "COVID" wrong but also put the wrong year, maybe college isn't for you. I even got waitlisted at UPenn for a financial aid talk. So it can happen to all of us! However, I do have several major takeaways in addition to the points made above. First, I have never been more convinced that smaller liberal arts schools have just as much, if not more to offer than the big name schools, privet elite or large public research university. Second, I reinforced my belief that every school has something amazing to offer. If you never talk to them, how will you know if it isn't right for you? I am excited about virtual sessions. The playing field for those of us who cannot travel to visit schools has been leveled. I hope everyone out there takes advantage of the new way of sharing information.
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Do I need to take a TOEFL (IELTS, Duolingo, etc.) test to study in the US (or Canada, or UK, or other county with an English-speaking program)?
Well, the answer to that very long question is relatively short: It depends. The truth is, it is complicated. The answer can vary widely by school and student circumstance. There may be literature available to you on a school’s website, or you may discuss this with the admission’s office or a representative at a visit or a fair. Typically, if English is not your first language, you will need a test. However, even if it is, if your passport is from a country where English is not the primary language, you may need a test. The complications only increase from here. What is accepted? The tests accepted at a university will vary. By far, the two most popular tests for this purpose are the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). While the tests have some similarities, they also differ in length, cost, and format. Consider that schools may have a preference between these exams and may not accept both. Furthermore, they may specify the difference between the paper-based vs. the internet-based versions of the TOEFL or the Academic vs. General forms of the IELTS. And if that was not enough of a conundrum, you must ensure that your chosen test will meet the requirements of the visa you will need to study in a particular country. There are other tests which are becoming more popular and are being adopted by schools, such as Duolingo, but it is unlikely all schools on your list will, and you need to consider visas. What are exceptions? There are often exceptions to the testing requirements which means if you can show proficiency in other ways, the school may waive the requirement of the TOEFL/IELTS. The SAT, AP, IB, and years of study in an English-speaking school are all ways that schools consider waiving the language-proficiency test. Again, the rules differ by each institution. To understand how these exceptions can vary widely, please look at MSU, UChicago, and Berkeley in the US, and U Toronto, Waterloo, and McGill in Canada. How to prepare? It is not necessary to have a tutor or pay for a structured class to prep for the test. In most cases, students at a school like ours have more than enough exposure and practice in classes to do well on these exams. Of course, this is a measure in which the student must score well enough to gain admission and get a visa, so it is worth preparing. Both of the major tests provide literature about the test and sample questions for practice. It would be recommended a student become familiar with the format of the exam and the types of questions they will encounter. Over preparing for this exam is not advised, and preparation at the expense of school coursework is risky. Find balance in preparation and the on-going required work of normal schooling. Will it help with admissions? People sometimes are under the impression that a higher English score will help them in admissions. They assume higher scores will be advantageous to their application. However, feedback is to the contrary. If a student has a score that the university deems acceptable for the level required to study at the university, it matters not. There are a wide range of language abilities on many campuses. Here is what the University of Toronto had to say about the use of English tests as a component of selective admissions: The short answer is “no, a higher grade or score on an English Proficiency Test (EPT) does not provide an admissions advantage”. Of course that short response won’t suffice so here is the reasoning behind it, because as you noted, logic might lead to the opposite conclusion. Our admissions team sets the English Language Requirement for the purpose of ensuring a student from any discipline can easily function in an “Academic English” environment. Students should be able to read and digest academic English as well as communicate effectively in both spoken and written formats. The EPT requirements do not exist as a litmus test for writing quality, meaning they are not looking for students to be the “next great” novelist, speech writer, or poet. In short, any score above the minimum may be indicative of a student with a stronger grasp of the nuances of the language but the measure exists to ensure they can operate in an English-speaking institution rather than compose prose etc. Of course, one might argue that for the majority of programs this is well and good but what about English Language programs, literature studies or those programs that rely heavily on essays? Even in these cases the position of the university is that our writing clinics and in class work exists to improve a student’s writing should it be required. In Summary and some considerations: English-language proficiency exams are likely to be required for study in many English-speaking countries or universities that offer English-speaking programs. There are exceptions to the testing, but they vary widely from school to school, and a test may ultimately be required for a visa. It comes down to this: I strongly recommend taking and submitting an English-language proficiency test. Here is why: Every year I have more than one student who does not submit a test because they meet the exceptions. However, one of two things always happens. First, the portal that the student applies through shows the language requirement as missing well after application. The student follows up on multiple occasions to clear this issue, sometimes with the decision being delayed as a result. And second, even though all these exclusions are listed, schools can and do come back and say, “We want to see the test.” It is difficult to scramble and take one at the last minute. I tell my students, “You will do fine on this. Take it, send it in, and never worry about having to follow up or fight the school on your exception.” I hope this provides some clarity around English language proficiency testing. |
AuthorOlder blog posts were for the UCLA Ext course "Using the Internet for College Counseling" Archives
February 2023
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