Welcome to the first installment of a new series on the blog! In “True or False” I will look at the assumptions, beliefs, opinions and myths surrounding a specific aspect of college admissions. I will use relevant data to evaluate whether or not these ideas are “True” or “False”–or somewhere on a continuum between the […]
In The News: Demographic Trends In The United States & What They Mean For College Education, Pt. 2
Yesterday, I wrote a response to an article in the New York Times having to do with increasing numbers of Americans attending college. The article included a graph (reproduced at right) that demonstrated that virtually every ethnic group is attending college at a higher rate than in previous decades. Today I want to expound on the […]
In The News: Demographic Trends In The United States & What They Mean For College Education; Pt. 1
Ever since I was a kid, one of my favorite daily rituals has been reading the newspaper. Nowadays, I rarely actually read the news in its “dead tree” format, but on a daily basis I do visit the websites of the following newspapers: the New York Times, the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Citizen’s Voice […]
“We Are…”: Inside Penn State
On January 14-15, 2013 I had the privilege of attending the “Building Relationships” program at Penn State University. “Building Relationships” brings a small number of college counselors for an intensive exposure to Penn State, with the goal of raising counselors’ awareness of the state’s flagship public university while giving Penn State admissions professionals a chance […]
SAT & ACT Security Policies & What They Mean To You
Starting in 2013 America’s two college entrance exams, the SAT and the ACT will be drastically tightening their security procedures. They seem to be motivated by the general fetish for increased security in America and also by some recent “scandals”, but the result will be a significantly different test-taking experience for millions of college-bound high […]
On Gaining Admission to A Most Competitive College
As part of Parents’ Weekend at Wyoming Seminary, the College Guidance office hosted a presentation by Jordan Pascucci of the University of Pennsylvania. Jordan is an admissions representative for Penn, responsible for covering the Middle East, Central and South Asia, United Kingdom and other territories, and at one time she also had responsibility for Northeastern […]
Five Things You Should Know About Student Loans
At this time of year (mid-October), most college-bound seniors are still finalizing their college lists and putting the finishing touches on their applications, while juniors are (correctly) focusing solely on having their best year in and out of the classroom. But looming in the distance for most families is the question of how to pay […]
Musings on the SAT Report on College & Career Readiness: 2012
On September 24, 2012, the College Board released a 43 page long report entitled “The SAT® Report on College & Career Readiness: 2012“. For people like me (who love to look at and analyze data to try to observe trends) it is a very interesting and useful resource. Some of the interesting information one can […]
Please Allow Me To Introduce Myself….
Welcome to the blog. My name is Ethan Lewis, and I am the Associate Director of College Guidance at Wyoming Seminary, a boarding and day school in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I have been a college counselor since 2006, and have been working at independent schools since 1996. During that time I have been deeply interested […]