Student Impact

At Stonehill we look for commitment, dedication and leadership outside the classroom in conjunction with the academic transcript of a student. Does this mean you have to be student body president, captain of three varsity athletic teams and be a world renowned trumpet player? Absolutely not! Let’s discuss what we at Stonehill look for when we evaluate a student’s “impact.”

What’s important?

1. Quality over quantity. We would rather see an applicant who is serious about a club/activity/job for a longer period of time than a student involved in multiple activities in short spurts. If you’re dedicated and committed to a select few activities, we would much rather you follow your passion than to add superficial “resume boosters” to make your application look better. It takes a lot to fool Admissions Counselors – we can detect “fluff” from a mile away.

2. Taking a more active role. This could be anything from a leadership role as an upperclassman to a promotion at an after school job. An active participant is great, but someone who shows leadership and motivation is an applicant that really catches our attention.

3. Creativity and motivation. Love ping pong but your school doesn’t have a club? Want to raise money for diabetes but don’t know how? Figure out a way! It’s great to see on an application that a student has taken the incentive to start their own club, create a fundraiser or initiate something creative that they’re passionate about.

4. It doesn’t matter what you do- just get involved! There are no “right” or “wrong” activities to get involved in. Not every student we accept is in National Honors Society, has done over 100 hours of community service or has made the varsity team. We look for different activities, honors and clubs to create a more diverse and unique class. Basically, if you love it, keep at it.

Did you know that your level of involvement is factored into your financial aid and consideration for merit aid? You betcha. Just like we give curriculum a grade, we also grade students from “A” to “D” on their level of involvement and give special consideration to students that work part-time instead of after school activities. The students who typically end up with the best financial aid or scholarship packages are those who shine in and out of the classroom.

Why is impact so important in the admissions process? These students are the ones who enhance the Stonehill College experience for everyone on campus. Involved students are the reason why Stonehill has over 80 different clubs and organizations, 20 varsity athletic teams and hundreds of volunteer opportunities in the local and global community. They stay involved and make Stonehill such a fun place to be, they volunteer their time to help those less fortunate and they diversify the student body through their multitude of talents, experiences and ideas.

Up next: Eric discusses counselor and teacher recommendations

To rank of not to rank....

The debate over class rank…will it ever really end? Well hopefully I can bring some clarity to the subject through the lens of the Stonehill College Admissions Office.

At Stonehill we try our very best not to disadvantage students from schools that do not rank their students. We have a system called “rank rating” in which we give unranked students a number from 1 to 7 based on information provided by their school’s academic profile. The school profile is a sheet of paper or a small brochure enclosed with every application that gives us all the information we could possibly want about a school. This may include courses offered, graduation requirements, grading system, average SATs, distribution of grades, number of students in the senior class, etc. It is with this class profile that we are able to assign students a rank rating based on the information provided directly from the school.

Do we re-calculate GPA? Simple answer- no. Since every high school is so different within their grading policy, we would rather get to know each high school well than attempt to fairly recalculate. “Fair” to us is taking the time to visit the high schools in our geographic areas, carefully reading school profiles and calling College or Guidance Counselors if we have questions about a particular student. We feel that this personal attention to each applicant is more valuable than a mathematical formula used to recalculate GPA.

We also look carefully at how a school weighs their grades. This example echoes Eric’s last post about curriculum.

Student A:
GPA of 3.9 and ranked 5% in their class in a school that doesn’t weigh their class rank. This student has taken all college prep classes and electives.

Student B:
GPA of 3.4 and ranked 15% in their class at the same high school. This student has consistently taken Honors and AP classes and in place of electives has taken an extra year of science and foreign language.

Although the class rank of Student A is better than that of Student B, their curriculum shows that they are challenging themselves and perhaps their rank is not a reflection of their academic success. Student B may very well be an acceptable student despite the fact that statistically his or her figures are lower than than of Student A. At Stonehill we also take into account grade inflation, the competitive nature of your class and why your high school has decided to rank or not rank its students when deciding how heavily class rank plays in an admissions decision.

Next discussion: Student Impact- why what you do outside the classroom is so important!

Application Review: Strength of Curriculum

Hi everyone!

As Katie mentioned, this post begins a series of entries designed to give you a more in depth understanding of what we consider the most important parts of the application. First, I am going to focus on what is the number 1 most important part of our decision: the strength of your curriculum.

Notice I didn't say GPA or Rank in Class...No, it is the depth and overall strength of your curriculum that is given the most weight in our decision-making process. I want to give you all a visual to explain why the curriculum wins out vs. GPA.

Let's say you only had GPA to go by and you saw applicant #1 had a 3.67 vs. applicant #2 who had a 3.45...Would you automatically assume the #1 is the far superior candidate? Well it isn't that simple...

Look at this example below:

Applicant #1

Class #1 CP Statistics A-
Class #2 CP English 12 A
Class #3 CP Anatomy and Phys. A-
Class #4 H World History B+
Class #5 Drawing and Painting B+
Class #6 Intro to Business A

Overall GPA= 3.67

Class #1 AP Calculus B
Class #2 H English 12 B+
Class #3 H Physics B+
Class #4 AP US History A-
Class #5 H Spanish V A-
Class #6 CP Psychology A-



Overall GPA= 3.45


Now as you begin to evaluate the transcript you get a clearer picture.

So let's dig further:

Applicant #1 is taking 3 college prep level courses in Math, English, and Science. #1 is also taking an Honors level History class and two electives in Business and Art. #1 has taken mostly College Prep level courses with one Honors course and a few electives sprinkled in.

Applicant #2 is taking 3 Honors level courses in English, Science and a Foreign Language. #2 is also taking 2 AP courses in Math and Science. #2 is also taking a 1 College Prep level course in Psychology. #2 is taking mostly Honors courses with a few AP classes mixed in. #2 has also taken a fourth year of a foreign language instead of filling that slot with an elective.

Now which student do you think is a stronger candidate?

Keep in mind that this is an incomplete example because it is only showing one year of work. When we evaluate a curriculum for Admissions purposes, we look over the course of all four years and track the progression.

For example, let's take 2 students that are interested in Business.

Here is student #1 and his Math curriculum over four years
9th: Algebra 1
10th: Geometry
11th: Algebra 2
12th: Statistics

Now here is Student #2:
9th: Geometry
10th: Algebra II
11th: Pre Calculus
12th: Calculus

By evaluating these two progressions I would look more favorably on Student #2 because the depth of their math background is more in line with that of successful Business student's here.

The important thing to remember is that every student is different and therefore we do a holistic review of the application. We choose to evaluate every individual to see what their path has been and ultimately make our decision based upon four years of academic work.

Next up: Katie will discuss how your involvement in and outside your school plays a role in our Admissions process!

Application Review- A Mini Series

Now that the Early Decision and Early Action deadlines have passed, Eric and I though it would be appropriate to discuss the process of how we at Stonehill review the application. It it one of our goals to "demystify" the admissions process by being open and honest about our process at Stonehill College. Throughout the next couple of weeks Eric and I will tackle the following topics:


-Strength of Curriculum
-Class rank versus schools that do not rank
-Student Impact: How what you do outside the classroom makes a difference
-Counselor and teacher recommendations
-Essay and supplemental materials


Eric wrote a great post on standardized test scores a few weeks ago, so in the spirit of not being too repetitive, we will not include much about that aspect of the admissions process in our "mini series."

REMINDER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE APPLIED EARLY ACTION

You must submit First Quarter Grades in order for your application to be complete. A midyear evaluation will not be sufficient. This is especially important to students from New York and New Jersey since schools tend to only send the Midyear Report. Please remind your College Counselor that we need First Quarter Grades ASAP. They can be faxed to 508-565-1545 or mailed to:

Stonehill College

Admissions Office

320 Washington Street

North Easton, MA 02357

Fall Travel Wrap-Up

Fall Travel is over!!!! For so many Admissions Counselors around the country, those are four wonderful words. Now don't get me wrong- we love to travel and meet students, but the wear and tear after two months can be quite draining! My bed at home and quiet office life is a welcomed change. In just a few weeks, we'll begin reviewing Early Decision and Early Action candidates which I know the entire office is looking forward to starting. After meeting so many great students, we can't wait to open up your file and see what you're all about!

To mark the momentous occasion that is the shift from travel season to reading season, I have added a photo montage of my travels in September and October. Here are "Katie's Fall Travel Superlatives"

Most Scenic: Litchfield County, CT

Prettiest School
Toss up this year between Salisbury School in Salisbury, CT and Avon Old Farms of Avon, CT. This decision was harder than McCain v. Obama. I'll give the upper hand to AOF for the coolness factor that they were second in line to have the Harry Potter movies shot on their campus.

Avon Old Farms

Salisbury School

AOF

AOF Fall Foliage

Thirstiest Counselor: Jackie Gould of Suffolk University
This woman drinks at least 5 water bottles during the course of any given college fair. I am constantly being asked if I can "watch her junk" while she goes on a hunt for more. She also harasses all the counselors around her to grab her more water bottles on their way to the hospitality room or the bathroom. She is out of control and must be stopped! In related news, I went as Snow White for Halloween and suckered Jackie into being my dwarf. Please see below.

(Photo credit: D.J. Moore of Wentworth Institute of Technology)

Most Memorable Student: Austin from Plainville High School

Austin asked me if I remembered his name, would he have a better chance of being accepted? He then proceeded to repeat in for me about 5 times in a row. Guess what? It's been a few weeks and I still remember his name. Perhaps this trickery works.

Best Ice Cream-Kimball Farm in Westford, MA

I'm a little bias. I grew up eating Kimball farm at least once a week during the summer months. It was 30 minutes from home and worth the drive! On my way through Central MA this fall I couldn't resist getting a cone. Their mint oreo in a waffle cone is to die for! Maggie Mo's in West Hartford, CT was a close second.

Best food at a college fair

Hands down- Glastonbury High School in Glastonbury, CT. The homemade cookies and apple cider made this an easy choice. Keep up the good work!

Worst Day: September 30, 2008

Hit a car parallel parking in front of a high school. Upon entering said High School, I found out I had actually parked at the lower school. So I dinged up my rental car for nothing. No worries, damage wasn't significant enough for penalty. Stressful nevertheless.

Best Friend: My GPS

Last fall travel season I did not have a GPS.....it did not go so well. Last spring I took my stimulus check and finally bought one. My life has forever changed.

Last of all....Happy Election Day! For those 18 and above, get out there and vote! If you need a little incentive, Starbucks is giving out free coffee and Ben and Jerry's is giving out free ice cream! Free stuff just for performing your civic duty! What are you waiting for???

Go Vote!!

So coming up this week:

• Katie will be wrapping up her Fall travel and highlighting some of the best, and worst moments.
• Now that the Early Action/Decision deadline has passed, we will begin to discuss our application review process so you can see what happens from the time you click submit on your computer, until the day you get a letter in the mail.

But for now just GO VOTE!

Enjoy watching the coverage of the election tonight. No matter who you are rooting for, this is a truly historic day in our history!