Weekly News Round-Up: Nude Selfies, SAT Essay Blues, and The British Invasion 2.0
Another week, another installment of the latest and greatest in college admissions news. Spoiler alert: nude selfies + college apps = bad.
U BELONG WITH ME. Are you a low-income student with high academic potential who wants to go to college? The Atlantic has decreed that you’re more likely to if you take the ACT (because it offers four free score reports). Or if you live in Syracuse.
A.P.T. KIDS GET INTO COLLEGE. Jokes, this guy thinks all you need to get into college is to be “APT”—Already Professional & Tenacious. His foolproof method: “work hard; play hard; eschew frivolities.” That would probaby go nicely on a decorative pillow.
COMMON APP FAQ. Confused about the new Common Application? College admissions commentator Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz has got you covered. Did you know you get 47 characters per line in the activities section? We didn't.
RANKINGS AGAIN? REALLY? Exciting news for U.S. News & World Report—kids actually pay attention to its rankings, according to a new study that shows that a college’s improvements on the U.S. News rankings increase student applications to that school.
WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? That’s what Tufts wants to know about its applicants, according to this smart article. Why do college apps expect 17 year olds to have answers for deep life questions? Oh, and by the way, that advice about just “being yourself” apparently is a lie.
INTERNET SAFETY. Hey all, the Swampscott Reporter has big news: Don’t go all Miley Cyrus on your Instagram if you want to get accepted to college. And though it may be “less-than-obvious,” do not expect an acceptance from a college if you’ve posted on Facebook that it’s your “safety school.”
WRITE RIGHT. For those of you who feel like you botched the SAT essay section this weekend, never fear: Slate says the SAT essay teaches bad writing anyway.
THE BRITISH ARE COMING. The New York Times reports that nowadays, British interest in U.S. colleges may rival fanaticism over the new iPhone. If you are reading this and happen to be British, we on the Admissions Blog News Team would like to welcome you and your divine accents.