Each year, Tucson students ask for my help in applying to the University of California.  The attractions are obvious:  sun, sea, and access to the remarkably robust California economy. 

Until last year, like many other state universities, the University of California (“UC”) welcomed non-residents because of their outsized tuition payments.  For some campuses, being from out of state conferred a sizable advantage. I noted it here: Geographic (or Monetary) Diversity?

This year the UC altered course.  It is now prioritizing admitting more California students, and will most likely do so for the rest of this decade.  If you want to get into one of the flagship universities, or even one of the second-tier institutions, your quest will be significantly more difficult than in years past. 

Why is this happening now?

California is not blazing new ground so much as returning to the status quo after many years of using non-resident tuition to substitute for state funding.  The Los Angeles Times offers a short history:

The rollback in out-of-state and international students represents a significant policy shift years in the making. The public research university system began aggressively recruiting and enrolling higher-paying nonresident students as a source of additional tuition revenue after the 2008 recession when the state slashed its UC funding by one-third.

UCLA and UC Berkeley, for instance, increased the share of nonresidents among undergraduates from about 9.5% in fall 2008 to about 24% in 2021.

The growing number of nonresident students sparked a public outcry and a 2016 state audit, which found that UC admission practices were harming California students. UC sharply disagreed, arguing that the extra nonresident tuition dollars allowed it to pay for more California students and that state budget cuts had forced its hand. Eventually, the state economy recovered, funding for higher education began to rebound, and state elected leaders made clear that UC should boost California student enrollment as their constituents were demanding.

UC admits record number of Californians, fewer nonresidents – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

After a few years of resisting the Legislature’s entreaties, the UC relented after the Legislature passed a budget that directed additional funding toward enrolling California residents. 

The results have been dramatic.  Although various articles quote a statistic from UC stating that the percentage of non-resident admissions offers fell by 19% in 2022, the figures provided for the flagships – Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSD – show an even steeper decline.  Berkeley and UCLA each admitted 35% fewer non-residents; UCSD’s admits dropped 45%. Compare FRESHMAN Applications by Campus and Residency – Fall 2020, 2021, and 2022 (ucop.edu) with Freshman Admissions by Campus and Residency Fall 2020, 2021, and 2022 (ucop.edu).

Some of these declines are attributable to an increasing number of non-resident applicants over the last two years.  Some campuses, such as UCSD, limited enrollment last year because of housing shortages.  Although the UC is looking to expand (and UCLA just purchased a second, smaller, campus nearby), such efforts will take years to bear fruit.

The picture for non-residents will not improve soon.  Any new slots will almost certainly be allocated to the burgeoning number of California students applying.  The reason the Legislature and, eventually, the UC are acting is that parents vote; California parents have been vociferously complaining that their students are not being admitted to the University of California.

What does the decline in non-resident admissions mean for students in Arizona and other states?  The UC already requires non-residents to have higher GPAs than residents (3.4 v. 3.0) to be considered for admission.  While AP and IB honors courses are eligible for the extra point of GPA used to calculate a “weighted GPA,” courses designated as “honors” courses by high schools outside of California are not. 

Lowering the number of slots for non-residents will increase the qualifications non-residents need for admission.  At some point, California residents will have an easier time of it than their non-resident counterparts.  (They already do if they are in the top 9% of their high school class, but this only wins them admission to the UC as a whole – which often means admission to UC Riverside and UC Merced.)

This inflection point has already arrived at UC Berkeley – where only 9% of non-resident applicants were admitted last year compared to 15% of California applicants.  The odds were equal for non-residents and California students at UCLA.  However, non-residents retained a measurable advantage at UCSD (24% v. 31%).

Further, non-residents may be “self-selecting,” such that only those with better qualifications than their resident peers are applying.  Further, all UC campuses are now “test blind.”  This means one less opportunity for non-resident students to demonstrate superior qualifications. 

Should you apply to the University of California?

If you need financial aid, look elsewhere.  The UC no longer provides need-based financial aid to non-residents, and merit aid awards are few and far between.  See Who can get financial aid | UC Admissions (universityofcalifornia.edu) (although the website refers to “very limited UC financial aid” for non-residents, this appears to refer to a few scholarships awarding only a few thousand dollars per student per year); see also Grants & scholarships | UC Admissions (universityofcalifornia.edu).

Further, most of the UCs are overcrowded, meaning that you may have trouble graduating on time and your lecture halls will be jammed.  Another important consideration is the availability of your area of study.  Before applying to a campus, determine whether you will have difficulty declaring (i.e., getting into) your choice of majors once you arrive.  Google “university of california impacted majors” and read very carefully. 

The whole UC experience may not be the “California dream” you are anticipating. 

Here is one student expressing a bit of buyer’s remorse:

As a biology student, UCSD does have a very distinguished biology program and research,” Wu said. “Although it does have abundant resources available to each student, there are some parts where I feel that my tuition isn’t worth it. For example, we have three-hundred students in a lecture hall compared to a private university where you have, like, fifty. Besides that, I am too separated from my family and I have to pay for actual living, transportation, and food.”

UC San Diego To Significantly Reduce Number of Non-Resident Students – UCSD Guardian

The good news is that if you can afford to pay $45,000 in tuition plus room and board per year and have mapped a route to your major and graduation, there are still opportunities to study at UC campuses. 

Some excellent UC campuses still offer an admissions advantage for non-residents

UC Davis, Irvine, and Santa Barbara are fine universities; they also have unique concentrations and majors which may suit your academic and career goals.  UC Santa Cruz also shines in some areas, despite its relative lack of popularity.  Visit Santa Cruz before enrolling – it is its own world in terms of its premiere departments, location, and “vibe.”

However, those campuses, too, will face pressure in the coming years to become more accessible to local students; expect non-resident admissions rates to decline.

What are your odds of admission?

Although you may be at a disadvantage to California residents, what matters most is your odds of admission.  The UC presents an unusually robust set of data from which you can gauge your chances, although you will need to dig a bit to find all of it.

Average GPAs for each campus — weighted and unweighted — can be found here:  Freshman admit data | UC Admissions (universityofcalifornia.edu); choose your campus from the bottom of the page (“Admit data by campus”).  For a more granular view, see Undergraduate admissions summary | University of California for admissions data sorted by ethnicity, and use the column on the right to sort by campus and residency.  Note, however, that the data as of this writing stops at 2021 – the numbers next year may be quite different.

Unfortunately, some students will not be able to attend a UC.  Fortunately, there are excellent alternatives available.

Can you find an equivalent academic and collegiate experience in another state?

Most flagship campuses of public universities admit a higher percentage of non-residents than the UC.  See acct-2020.pdf (universityofcalifornia.edu).  Do not overlook regional consortia, which may offer you considerable tuition breaks for universities in nearby states.  Some of those deals will reduce tuition to the amount paid by residents.  See State & Regional College Tuition Discounts (nasfaa.org) for details. 

There are many other fine colleges in California      

Perhaps you intend to settle in California and believe – probably correctly – that it will be easier to find a job in the state if you are already studying there.  For example, internships near your college may be an essential first step into the local job market. The good news is that there are plenty of California colleges in addition to the UC.   

The College Board’s “finder” (College Search – BigFuture | College Board) lists 174 colleges in California.  Here are just a few of them.  Note that because the UCs no longer offer financial aid to non-residents, many of these schools may be less expensive than the UC.

We start our tour with the crème de la crème.  Stanford and Cal Tech need no introduction.  However, do not overlook the Claremont Colleges.  Harvey Mudd is one of the top STEM schools in the nation. Pomona is a classic liberal arts college, ranked #3 out of 210 by U.S. News – its selectivity is commensurate.  Claremont-McKenna has been minting CEOs and international leaders since it was founded in 1946.  Pitzer and Scripps are excellent liberal art schools.  Students at one college can take classes at the others – the entire Claremont Colleges campus comprising these five colleges is eminently walkable.  If you want to know what “old money” California looks like, this is a good place to start your college tour.

Upset that UCLA may not be within reach?  All is not lost.  USC is available to those with comparable credentials.  Despite suffering several PR hits in recent years, the money poured into the school by one of the strongest alumni networks in the United States (yes, The Ohio State University, I see you), has enabled USC to achieve parity with UCLA in several areas — and superiority in a few. 

Floating back towards admissions terra firma, mid-range choices abound.  Starting in Southern California, the University of San Diego is a small Catholic school with an emphasis on building social capital.  Its School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) includes a Minor in Nonprofit Leadership and Management for those interested in working for, and eventually managing, non-profits.  San Diego State is also a very popular California State University (CSU) with a broader range of offerings.  However, note the discussion about “impacted majors” above. 

As you might expect in Los Angeles, top film schools and fine arts programs are a huge selling point.  The programs at USC, Chapman University, and Loyola Marymount are favored destinations.  However, this can be a very tough ticket to secure – it may be easier to get into the Ivy League than USC’s Cinema Arts program.  You will also find a smattering of top art schools (e.g., Cal Arts, Otis School of Art and Design, and ArtCenter) nearby. 

The admissions picture brightens considerably for students not seeking careers in the movie industry.  Occidental College (founded in 1886) is a well-regarded liberal arts school with appeal to the socially conscious student and aspiring political scientist.  Los Angeles is an excellent place to study society, culture, and politics. 

Loyola Marymount University is a Jesuit university with a solid reputation which just happens to be located a few minutes from Manhattan Beach.  Visual and performing arts students will find plenty to like here, but so will communications majors.

Speaking of the ocean, Pepperdine University is a Christian college in Malibu rated #55 by U.S. News & World Report. Note that religion is an integral part of education at Pepperdine, with three required religion classes, attendance at chapel, and a more conservative political environment than you will find at most colleges in Los Angeles. Read this to see if it may be for you: A Place of Faith | Pepperdine University | Seaver College.

Chapman University is in the city of Orange, a quiet, but central, part of the Los Angeles metro area.  It used to serve mostly local students but is now seeking to attract more students from throughout California and nationwide.  Although its Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is highly ranked and quite difficult to get into, the rest of the university is only moderately selective, with an average GPA of 3.77.  You will be pleasantly surprised by the tuition, net of very large scholarships. 

Proceeding north, potential architects and engineers should take note of Cal Polytechnic (Cal Poly), also part of the CSU system.  You will find a very demanding academic environment plopped down in the middle of paradise – otherwise known as San Luis Obispo.  Of course, San Luis Obispo is in the middle of nowhere, so do not plan on quick jaunts to more urban areas. Be sure that you know what you wish to study before you apply; changing majors can be quite difficult here. 

Once in Silicon Valley, your choice of universities other than UC Berkeley is limited. San Jose State is a good, but very crowded, CSU offering a range of majors from engineering to — who knew? — a nationally ranked animation program. However, Santa Clara University is the most interesting alternative to Berkeley.  Once a solid Jesuit school which served the local community, it has transformed itself into an educational resource for the tech industry.  It has raised, and spent, hundreds of millions of dollars on buildings, programs, and talent.  If you are looking for a career in Silicon Valley and have reasonably good credentials, this may be a great fit. 

The rest of the Bay Area, and parts north, are less promising.  USF, a good Jesuit university, will position you for internships in San Francisco.  The University of the Pacific (UOP), which is in Stockton (definitely not a beach destination), is a solid choice for those with more modest academic credentials who wish to settle close to Sacramento. 

North of San Francisco, the local UC is clearly the best choice.  UC Davis is a 20-minute drive from Sacramento and an hour from the Bay Area (traffic permitting). The university, with a campus dominated by bike lanes, progressive politics, and some serious humidity (not just in the summer – look up tule fog), is the academic star of the region.  The physical sciences programs are strong, the veterinary school is superb, and its viniculture and enology program – established in 1880 – birthed the California wine industry. 

Horace Greeley had the right idea

You can absolutely still go West, even if parts of it are less welcoming than they once were.  Just broaden your horizons, and a piece of paradise may be yours. 

The University of Southern California (USC) has unveiled an “early action” admissions option for most applicants. You can read about it here:  Dates and Deadlines | USC Undergraduate Admission.

(This option is not available for students applying to majors requiring a portfolio or audition. Separate deadlines apply for those applications.)

The early action deadline is November 1, a month earlier than the previous “regular decision” deadline. The regular decision deadline is now January 15.

Important:  students seeking merit scholarships for programs not requiring an audition or portfolio must apply “early action” and meet the November 1 deadline.

Plan accordingly.

An important part of college counseling is helping students decide what they want to study in college. Students who are planning to study liberal arts subjects may not be familiar with all of their options. Those who like to write – and earned high grades in their high school English classes – may assume that the English major is their best choice. 

However, unless a student is passionate about studying literature, choosing an English major is probably a bad idea.  Consider this “routine” by comedian John Mulaney:

Yes, you heard me, an English major. I paid $120,000. How dare you clap? How dare you clap for the worst financial decision I ever made in my life? I paid $120,000 for someone to tell me to go read Jane Austen and then I didn’t. That’s the worst use of 120 grand I can possibly fathom.

. . . .

[At graduation I strolled] across a stage, the sun in my eyes . . . to receive a four-year degree in a language that I already spoke.

https://lyrics.lol/artist/454473-john-mulaney/lyrics/4199137-i-didn-t-drink-the-water-the-entire-time

He is not the only skeptic.  The trope of the English major working at Starbucks has spread so widely that college English departments have taken to posting plucky statements on their websites about the great jobs awaiting their students after graduation.

Here is one from the University of Washington:

You’re more valuable than you think. The skills you develop as an English major, such as writing, editing, problem solving, critical thinking, and analysis, are highly prized by employers in nearly every profession. In this age of information and technology, the particular skills you’ve developed while engaged in studying, analyzing, and writing about literature are in more demand in the workplace than ever before. Employers in all career pathways consistently cite writing, communication skills, the ability to work independently, and adaptability at the top of their lists of desired skills. As an English major and student in the liberal arts, you will develop these skills in abundance.

https://english.washington.edu/careers-english-majors

Encouraging statements notwithstanding, Mulaney’s point stands – the English major is mostly about reading and analyzing literature.  There are very few jobs requiring this specific skill.  Other majors, even those which appear to be removed from commerce, train students for careers.  History majors learn information and analytical skills which they can put to use as historians, journalists, and even media pundits.  Similar claims can be made for economics, psychology, and even political science.  Further, these departments all claim to impart similar skills in communication, analysis, and the ability to work independently.

The result is that one of the most well-worn career paths for English majors following college graduation is teaching English in a secondary school.  Before spending six-figure sums for an undergraduate degree, note the low salaries paid to English teachers. 

Fortunately, there is a more attractive and increasingly popular alternative to the English major – the Communications major. 

If your last college experience was over twenty years ago, your reaction might be to marvel at my ability to pick a major even less well regarded than English.  The Communications major has been considered a refuge for those looking for a singularly undemanding route through college.  See e.g., https://www.hercampus.com/school/utah/its-time-end-stigma-surrounding-communications-majors/ (“[h]istorically, a lot of women used to get humanities degrees, such as Communications or English, with no real intention of using them just so that they could find a husband in college (AKA a Mrs. Degree”).  It has even been mocked on “the Simpsons” as “a phony major.”  See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDMKXFeBNVU&ab_channel=Mclesh

However, times have changed, and some colleges are transforming the Communications major into a pathway to learning job-critical skills that help turn a liberal arts degree into a career.

What is the study of “Communications”?  There is no universal answer – most departments content themselves with vague references to studying how people communicate.  The University of Washington defines it as a collection of particular types of communication:

The Department of Communication advances the study and practice of communication across a range of contexts, including face-to-face interactions, public discourse, mass media, and digital media.

https://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/program/S/Communication-1035.html#credential-60414917f10b3ebc884f13b4

The key here is “practice.”  Although Communications departments – and the allied majors of “Media Studies” and “Digital Media” – require students to take three to five courses discussing theories about communication, many departments also offer courses which teach marketable skills.

The University of Washington major includes a few such courses: 

• Introduction to Public Speaking
• Essentials Of Argument
• Interviewing
• Writing For Mass Media
• Persuasion

However, for the most part, these are lecture courses which do not offer students opportunities to practice those skills. 

One college which addresses this issue is Ohio State.

Ranked in the top five among high impact communication programs, Ohio State’s School of Communication provides undergraduates with a rigorous and innovative curriculum; state-of-the-art multimedia classrooms; multiplatform labs and a podcasting studio; hands-on training through internships and on-campus experience through its award-winning student media group The Lantern and its student-run public relations firm The PRactice; alumni networking and mentoring opportunities; and access to internationally renowned faculty.

There is no greater tool in the world than successful communication in all forms—written, spoken and conceptual—and The Ohio State University’s School of Communication provides students with the training and skills needed to harness the power of communication.

Undergraduate | School of Communication (osu.edu)

That same page notes that like other colleges, Ohio State students can choose from groups (“clusters”) of courses directed toward specific careers:

• Communication Competencies for Leadership
• Communication For Advocacy, Politics & Citizenship
• Health, Environment, Risk & Science Communication
• Strategic Communication

Most interesting is Ohio State’s emphasis on clinical work.  Consider a recent course offering:  Business & Professional Speaking.  Only 15% of a student’s grade is based on exams.  The rest depends upon the student’s performance in presenting six speeches and in two interview exercises typical of communications in the workplace.  Note:  if you want to know what matters in a course, check what counts most toward the final grade. 

Although a few large colleges like Ohio State provide some skills-based training, many still concentrate on theory.  You can usually identify them by reading the department website and scrutinizing the courses offered. Examine syllabi for those courses if available.  

The Communications major at NYU is an example of a typical department focusing more on theory than practice.

The Department of Media, Culture, and Communication’s academically rigorous bachelor of science degree is grounded in the liberal arts, providing you with the necessary tools to analyze the sociological, political, and cultural dimensions of our media landscape. The program’s diverse faculty encourage MCC majors to think broadly and deeply about topics at the intersection of media and culture.

BS, Media, Culture, and Communication | NYU Steinhardt

Note the emphasis on analyzing the “sociological, political, and cultural dimensions,” and the absence of any language suggesting skill development. Boston College is another example:

The Boston College Department of Communication is committed to the intellectual and ethical development of analytical and creative communication skills in our students, with particular emphasis on the effective functioning of circuits of communication, the impact of technological innovation on human beings and institutions, and the power relationships that develop through this interaction.

Major Electives – Communication – Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences – Boston College (bc.edu)

Students seeking clinical training should not overlook smaller colleges.  Consider the University of San Diego: 

The communication studies major offers students flexibility and choice. Students can select courses that relate to their interest and post-graduate plans, and our faculty have made course recommendations based on themes. Choose from the following cluster of courses for specific interests: law and advocacy, global communication, strategic communication, journalism, entertainment industry and graduate School.

https://www.sandiego.edu/cas/communication-studies/curriculum/#tabs-major–scroll-to

USD offers a more ambitious menu of courses – and skills – than most colleges: 

• Interviewing and Negotiating
• Public Speaking (two courses)
• Introduction to Media Writing
• Global Team Development (including an exercise in providing diversity training)
• Video Production
• Writing for Magazines
• Strategic Communication (Public Relations)
• Writing for Screen Media (including screenplays)

Id.

At Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, the major is bundled with the fine arts in the College of Communication and Fine Arts.  See https://cfa.lmu.edu/.  Its students are offered courses where the final product is a podcast or a 150-panel graphic novel.  Another class on Communications and Consulting provides a case study where students take on various consulting roles. 

At its best, the Communications major is an English major for the modern era, designed to graduate students trained to communicate in the various forms and media used in commerce and society. 

A practical consideration is the different internships offered to students majoring in English and Communications. Consider the English and Communications departments at my local university, the University of Arizona. 

Each department lists internships from organizations seeking its students.  Here is the link for internships advertised by the English department:  Internship Opportunities | English (arizona.edu).  There are seventeen current openings.  Ten of them are internal, i.e., working for organizations operated by the University.  None of those ten opportunities pay for the intern’s work.  In fact, none of the internships listed there pay a dime except for a few that offer a “needs-based stipend.” 

Here is the link for the Communications department:  The Digest (google.com).  There are fifty-one openings.  Many of them are paid.  Some are outside the Tucson area.  Indeed, the sheer variety of organizations marks a sharp contrast with those advertised by the English department.

English majors are recruited to write and edit, mostly for college departments and community organizations.  Communications majors are invited to consider interning for various foundations, local businesses, a nationwide sports league plus a local sports podcast, environmental organizations, and more.  Many of those are paid internships. The skill sets to be used in these jobs are more diverse, including not just writing, but marketing, journalism, graphic design, and photography. 

Communications is a path into the world of commerce.  English majors are at a disadvantage because they have not had the opportunity to master a range of skills that Communications majors can choose to learn as part of their major.  Of course, English majors can fill the gap by taking courses outside their major, but that reduces their options in planning a path through college and into the workplace. 

It is telling that the web page for the English Department at the University of Arizona contains this legend: “Follow Your Passion.”  If studying literature is your passion, then consider the English major (but perhaps as a minor).  However, if you excel in writing but lack that passion, consider majoring in Communications.

Studying liberal arts is a challenging path.  All students on that path should seek out opportunities to learn skills that broaden their appeal to employers.  Courses on social media, graphic design, and digital media will be helpful.  Some of these may even fulfill general education requirements.  At the right college, majoring in Communications will give you a head start in obtaining those skills. 

This post on the importance of rigor in choosing high school classes is one of the few on this blog directed to all high school students, from freshmen to seniors – and their parents. 

Many students choose their class schedules on autopilot. They pencil in the next courses in their Math, English, and Foreign Language sequences, add in a Science and a History course, and, perhaps, choose an elective which looks interesting (or at least tolerable). 

The entire exercise may not take very much time, but it can have huge repercussions for college admissions. College admissions officers will take a very close look at your schedule. Many will be looking for what courses you took before they even consider the grades you received in them. 

The term “rigor” describes the difficulty of your course schedule; it is a critical part of your college admissions strategy. 

Colleges Use Rigor to Place Your GPA in Context

In the old days, a 4.0 GPA in high school was a rarity. It is now commonplace, with 40-50% of college applicants sporting a (weighted) A average. How are colleges to determine which students are most likely to excel in college?  Although standardized test scores can provide confirmation of potential, they are falling out of favor as many colleges adopt “test optional” policies. 

The best predictor of success in college is performance in difficult high school courses. “Difficult” is shorthand for AP courses, some courses designated by the school as “Honors,” and dual enrollment courses at a community college. (An international baccalaureate – “IB” – diploma also counts.) 

The most common coin of the realm in measuring rigor is the number of AP courses on a transcript. However, not all AP courses are considered equal. 

We start with the “apex predator” of AP courses:  Calculus (either AB or BC, but with a marked preference for the latter for STEM students.)  I can hear you scream now:  “[b]ut I am going to major in English!  I will never need Calculus.”  Alas, it matters not – for reasons that are hard for this onetime history major to fathom, an increasing number of colleges appear to be using Calculus as a proxy for ability to succeed in any college program. A recent book includes an astonishing statistic: 

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses are one way top colleges measure the quality of a high school. AP Calculus, in particular, has become the strongest signal of preparedness for an elite college. Eight in 10 college students who completed AP Calculus did so because they thought it would look good on their college application. In 2019, 67 percent of freshmen at Harvard reported they took AP Calculus in high school, and another 30 percent took some kind of calculus class. That’s all first-year students at Harvard, no matter their major.

Selingo, Jeffrey J., Who Gets in and Why:  A Year Inside College Admissions, Scribner, 2020 (Kindle Edition), at 168 (emphasis in bold).

Of course, most students are not planning to attend Harvard. And, as we will discuss below, the selectivity of a college will usually determine the degree of rigor necessary for admission. Similarly, flinging yourself into Calculus and emerging with a “D” will have the opposite effect you desire – in order to obtain credit for a rigorous course, you need to do well in it. 

Nevertheless, if you are reasonably sure that you can swing a “B” in either Calculus AB or BC, no matter your future plans, you should take it. The alternative, AP Statistics, is considered an also-ran. It is widely labeled as much less rigorous, despite the fact that far more professionals – at least outside engineering and mathematics – will use Statistics than Calculus. Even so, AP Statistics is better than no AP math course.

The remainder of the hierarchy is less settled, but here is mine, in order of descending rigor:  for English, AP English Literature and Composition, followed by AP English Language and Composition. For Social Sciences, U.S. History and European History, with AP U.S. Government, AP Comparative Government, and Macroeconomics/Microeconomics considered worthy. For Science, any of the trinity of AP courses – Biology, Chemistry, and Physics C (either of the two exams), will do the job. 

There are niche APs that matter, such as Foreign Languages (particularly if your name does not indicate that you are a heritage speaker) and Fine Arts.

The next tier of courses are Honors courses, followed by regular courses. 

Your Transcript Tells a Story

When evaluating your transcript, colleges look for:

• An increase in difficulty from freshman to senior year. 
• A commitment to learning in many areas. Colleges want you to keep taking those Big 5 (English, History, Math, Science, Foreign Language) for all four years.
• An absence of “weak spots.”  Did you terminate a sequence (i.e., stop taking a subject)?

There are certain groups of courses, call them “sequences,” which colleges expect students to complete. Many of these are obvious – if your school offers English 1, 2, 3, and 4, colleges will be put off if you do not take all four. Similarly, if there is a math sequence (e.g., Algebra, Geometry, Precalculus, Calculus), then colleges will notice if you stop early. A quick rule of thumb is that you should continue taking all sequences for your freshman, sophomore, and junior years; seniors who are not aiming for top colleges may have some leeway to “step down” from a sequence.

The More Selective the College, the More Important Your Story

As you look at more selective colleges, their expectations increase.

Colleges tend to be up front about what they are looking for. Visit their websites, click on admissions, and you will find an announcement similar to this statement from the University of Colorado, Boulder: 

Academic Rigor

The primary factor in admission decisions is your academic achievement. CU Boulder focuses on your classroom performance in core academic courses, the rigor of your course selection and your GPA.

https://www.colorado.edu/admissions/first-year/selection

You will notice a glancing mention of rigor. Indeed, on the same page you will see that CU Boulder ranks GPA above rigor in its admissions decisions. Id.

More selective colleges tend to emphasize rigor and GPA equally. Consider this excerpt from Emory University’s website:

Academic Preparation

The classes you take and the grades you receive in them matter. We typically look for students who’ve taken more challenging classes (which can vary from high school to high school, and we take that into account, too) and have done well in them.

https://apply.emory.edu/apply/first-year/index.html

Other colleges are more explicit – and demanding – in their expectations of rigor. Here is Barnard’s exhortation:

To be well-prepared for Barnard, it is important to think about the academic community you are hoping to join. Barnard’s general education requirements cover a wide range of subjects: literature, the social sciences, language and the arts, lab sciences, and quantitative areas. For this reason, you should acquire a strong foundation in high school, taking courses from the core academic subjects: math, science, English, history, and foreign language. Do your best to take the most rigorous classes available to you in which you can do your best work. If an area is a relative weakness, continue taking that subject while pursuing advanced coursework in areas of relative strength. Remember, we hope to see how you might contribute to our intellectual community, and your choices tell us what kind of a student you will be.

https://barnard.edu/admissions/application-review-philosophy (emphasis added in bold).

The bolded sentence represents another expectation shared by many colleges – that students will continue taking courses in their weak subjects. 

Finally, there is the massive edifice of higher education known as the University of California, right on the edge of the top-25 group of colleges. It publishes a daunting list of factors it considers in making admission decisions:

Paragraph 5 is a criterion which other colleges rarely state, at least explicitly:  the rigor of the student’s senior year schedule.

In sum, rigor means different things to colleges, depending upon their selectivity. You have more leeway to make compromises on rigor if your colleges are less, well, rigorous in their admissions decisions.

Let’s start with the freshman year. 

Freshmen

Start with a realistic self-assessment of your academic strengths and weaknesses, largely based on your performance in middle school. However, given that many colleges give less weight to your freshman grades in high school, consider attempting a tough course in a subject at the outset to determine whether you can handle harder courses in that same subject during your next three years. 

Math is where you have the most flexibility; it is also the subject where choosing where you start your sequence will probably dictate whether you are in a position to take Calculus in your senior year. Study your school’s Math sequence. Some schools have a five-course math sequence (Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Precalculus/Trig, and Calculus AB); you will only be able to take Calculus AB, much less Calculus BC, by taking part of the sequence in summer school or online. 

Work backwards from your expected terminus – usually Calculus (AB or BC), Statistics, or Precalculus. If you are not going to take Calculus, note that ending your senior year with AP Statistics is more impressive than taking the non-AP version; if you can hold your own with a “B,” colleges will never see your AP test score before making their admissions decision. 

Choosing rigor often comes down to choosing between a regular and an Honors course. Again, you may wish to take a calculated risk. Math and Science are the riskiest subjects in which to attempt a harder course – but also the area of greatest reward. 

Evaluate your entire schedule when making these decisions. You may be able to handle one or two Honors courses, but not five. 

If you start off the semester struggling in a course, consider transferring to a lower track in the next semester if your efforts do not yield at least a “B.” 

The College Board does not recommend that 9^th graders take AP exams, but a few do, typically corresponding with a course they are taking ahead of schedule (e.g., AP Biology), or a Social Science (AP Psychology, AP World History, or AP Human Geography). There is no penalty for taking one, as you can decide not to report that exam result. However, if you are the kind of student who is traumatized by a bad exam result, then you might want to wait until 10^th grade.

Sophomores

This is the first year that the College Board recommends that students attempt AP courses and exams. The usual candidates are the courses listed above. Some students may self-study and take AP Computer Science. Try to take at least one AP course, if only to become familiar with the format, and identify whether you are suited for this sort of exam. 

Caution:  never risk your GPA to take an extra AP course. Colleges want to see high grades more than another couple of AP exams. 

While there is no minimum number of APs, expect to see diminishing returns after 6-8 exams for the most selective schools (unless you are consistently scoring 5s on them); less selective schools will be sufficiently impressed by you taking (and passing) 2-4 of them. An exception may be the largest public universities. Note that the University of California appears to be counting:

Number of and performance in UC-approved honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate Higher Level and transferable college courses.

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-freshman/how-applications-are-reviewed.html (Paragraph 3).

Even so, you have your junior and senior years available to take some of these APs. 

Finally, remember that academics is not the only thing colleges will look at. Reserve time for extra-curricular activities. 

Juniors

Assuming your course sequences are working out, stick with them. If you still have extra time,  look into dual enrollment courses (where you take courses at a community college), or even self-studying online. Or you can work on your extra-curricular activities. If you have a talent for the fine arts, definitely participate in an extracurricular activity which improves that skill. 

This is the year to take AP classes. Try for 2-4 of them this year; a dual enrollment course counts as an AP exam (and in some cases is actually a bit better, as it is direct evidence of how well you will perform in a college class).  

However, AP courses may be the least of your problems. You may feel it necessary to keep your GPA up by no longer pursuing a tough sequence you have been following until now. If you detest Science, you may be tempted to avoid the third course in your Biology/Chemistry/Physics sequence in favor of a science course which looks impressive in the course catalog. (Colleges are wise to this – none of those are considered as highly as the Bio/Chem/Physics sequence.)  Students struggling with math may decide that it is time to avoid Precalculus, and plan on taking Statistics in senior year instead.

Colleges will always notice if you break a sequence, and it will always count against you. However, the penalty will vary depending upon the selectivity of your target schools. Again, it is always worth taking the penalty if the alternative is earning less than a “B.”

As we will discuss shortly, the penalty will be lower if you wait until senior year to step down from a sequence.  

Seniors

This is the most difficult time to choose a schedule. You are devoting hours to your college search — reviewing guidebooks, visiting campuses, and composing essays. You may have just finished an exhausting junior year, and are less motivated to sign up for more of the same. 

Seniors are often confronted with the most difficult courses in the sequences they have been taking. Calculus is a huge step up from Pre-Calculus. The fourth year of a foreign language requires greater speaking skills, as classes are often conducted in that language.   

Fears that continuing on these uphill climbs will have implications for your GPA are reasonable. Of course, your peers have not transformed into geniuses over summer break – if you held your own last year, you can probably do it again.

In any event, colleges expect you to take difficult courses in your senior year. Remember the criterion from the University of California discussion of rigor quoted above: 

5.  Quality of your senior-year program as measured by the type and number of academic courses in progress or planned.

This includes AP courses. One piece of good news is that your score on the AP exam will not be considered – colleges announce admission decisions before you sit for those exams.

Colleges are likely to consider your seventh semester grades. Yes, you can apply Early Decision or Early Action, and hope that an early decision date mean that the admissions decision will be made before your seventh semester grades are available. However, this may not work – colleges are increasingly deferring those students into the regular decision pool for further consideration. Colleges will then demand your seventh-semester grades.

More important purposes of this discussion, colleges will see your senior year schedule – most college applications require you to disclose it. 

This is usually the year where you must decide what tier of colleges you are aiming for. The top-50 ranked colleges will expect you to keep taking the most rigorous courses available. But the others will be more forgiving. Here are some ideas of what liberties you can take with those less selective colleges without sustaining a fatal blow to your admissions chances. 

Remember Barnard’s injunction? 

If an area is a relative weakness, continue taking that subject while pursuing advanced coursework in areas of relative strength.

Note that Barnard only asks that you continue taking each subject, not that you keep taking the hardest sequence available. And, for this discussion, you are not applying to Barnard or any other top-50 colleges, are you? 

If you are going to step off a sequence during your senior year, sacrifice those harder courses in roughly this order:

Fine Arts.  One year is enough. However, if you are applying to the University of California from out-of-state, make sure that you study the rules on what high school courses satisfy their (“f”) requirement. The most obvious oddity is that two semesters of fine arts only count if they are both in the same subject. See https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/freshman-requirements/subject-requirement-a-g.html; see also https://admissions.blog/university-of-california-application-10-rules-about-the-visual-and-performing-arts-requirement-out-of-state-students-dont-know/ (a more detailed and useful guide, but do check with the UC to verify).

Indeed, unless you have a plain vanilla transcript, such as Painting 1 and Painting 2, consider calling the UC school of your choice and asking before you finalize your schedule. Even the best private school counselors can get this wrong (I’ve seen it), so go to the source. 

Foreign Language.  Three years is usually enough. However, if you are a strong foreign language student, then you should consider doubling down by taking an AP level course in the language and the culture within which it is spoken (e.g., AP Spanish Language and Culture). You can then pitch yourself to colleges as a potential foreign language major. (You can step down elsewhere in your schedule.) 

At least the University of California will give you credit for your foreign language skills:

10. Special talents, achievements and awards in a particular field, such as visual and performing arts, communication or athletic endeavors; special skills, such as demonstrated written and oral proficiency in other languages; special interests, such as intensive study and exploration of other cultures; experiences that demonstrate unusual promise for leadership, such as significant community service or significant participation in student government; or other significant experiences or achievements that demonstrate the student’s promise for contributing to the intellectual vitality of a campus.

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/applying-as-a-freshman/how-applications-are-reviewed.html. (Emphasis in bold.)

Another bonus:  if you do well on the AP exam, you will likely fulfill the 2-4 semester foreign language requirement imposed by many liberal arts colleges.

Math.  If it is obvious from your transcript that you are not a STEM student and that you do poorly in math, consider conceding gracefully by taking an easy math course. Note:  do the work and get an “A” or “B” in the course. 

Science.  Yes, you can take one of those fine-sounding science courses (astronomy, earth sciences, environmental science) instead of AP Bio, AP Chem, or AP Physics. This assumes, of course, that you are not applying as a STEM student.

Social Studies.  There is not really a “sequence” here, but you should take a fourth year in this subject. Note that Economics is far from a “step down” course, and may appeal to those who are more interested in STEM. 

English.  You must take four years of English. If you are “stepping down,” best to take a writing course – colleges are always looking for writers.

You will suffer a significant penalty if you take a lot of electives in your senior year. If you must do so, make the case that those electives will prepare you for your intended college major and future career. 

Courses in communicative media such as Film Production and Photography can prepare you for majors in Communication and careers in the movie business and advertising/public relations. Creative Writing is a lot more useful to would-be journalists and marketing executives than analyzing British literature. Your essays should celebrate your choices, which will be evident to colleges in any event. 

Be rigorous – but not too rigorous

Remember that you are looking for the “best fit” college. Self-assessment of your academic strengths and weaknesses is your path to arriving at a college where you will thrive. Take the hardest courses you can handle, but make smart compromises when necessary to save your GPA. 

Decades ago, students planning business careers would major in economics, with the goal of eventually obtaining a Master’s of Business Administration (“MBA”) degree. Although some students still choose this path, an increasing number are opting instead to major in business as undergraduates and embark on their careers immediately after graduating. This post will discuss how to choose colleges offering undergraduate degrees in business.

You Gotta Know the Territory!

There are more than one thousand graduate college business programs in the United States. Responding to demand, many of those business schools have created undergraduate programs. These programs are also thick on the ground:  U.S. News and World Report ranks 511 undergraduate programs.

One interesting nugget from the U.S. News list:  the best-ranked undergraduate business schools tend to be relatively large, with enrollments of over 4,000 students. However, even “liberal arts colleges” are conscious of an ever-increasing demand for marketable degrees, and are creating their own business departments and/or majors.

Undergraduate business programs mostly offer the same core curriculum – courses in accounting, management, marketing, information systems, and finance – mirroring the graduate MBA curriculum. Some also branch out to include sub-specialties such as entrepreneurship, actuarial science (the calculation of risk, an essential function for every insurance company), and supply chain management (e.g., managing the process by which an iPad starts with a design in Cupertino and ends up manufactured in – and shipped from – China). Many business schools are also investing heavily in courses teaching students how to use “Big Data” to analyze business information (“business analytics”) – some schools combine this with information systems to denote specialists in using computers to run the enterprise.

The common feature is that these schools are designed to equip students for a job in corporate America upon graduation. Where does this leave two-year MBA programs, you ask?  Although they are more rigorous and highly valued, many of the most prestigious MBA programs require a hiatus between college and graduate school – candidates are expected to have several years of work experience. And MBAs are becoming somewhat less popular as graduate business schools offer one-year master’s degrees in some of the core disciplines.

Except for the most prestigious programs, MBAs may well become the province of regional colleges where nearby middle managers enroll part-time to earn credentials to open paths to upper management. And even these may eventually be supplanted by on-line programs. “Executive MBAs,” often offered online, are marketed heavily to mid-career professionals.

We are already seeing colleges shuttering their traditional MBA programs altogether. See “Why Business Schools Are Shutting Down Their MBA Programs,” Forbes, May 26, 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/poetsandquants/2019/05/26/why-business-schools-are-shutting-down-their-mba-programs/?sh=2a636ba03685 (the writer is also editor in chief of “Poets and Quants,” discussed below).

Thus, this article focuses on undergraduate programs.

Where Do You Want to Live and Work After Graduation?

Geography can be destiny, at least for your first job. All things being equal (which they never are), you are more likely to find a job in the area near your college. Attend an East Coast college, and most of your opportunities will be on the East Coast. Matriculate in the Midwest, and you may have some difficulty landing a job in California. The more prestigious the school, the less difficulty you will have.

For example, here are the regions in which most graduates of three well-known Midwest undergraduate business schools found their first jobs after graduation in 2019 (the names of their business schools are in parentheses):

Ohio State (Fisher):  71% of destinations for Fisher graduates are in the Midwest, with almost 50% in Ohio.  

Penn State (Smeal):  50% in New York and Pennsylvania.

University of Minnesota (Carlson):  80% in Minnesota.

University of Wisconsin (still looking for that big donor, or brashly going with the “no name” look used by, say, its Chemistry Department?):  72% in the Midwest, 12% in the East.

The same phenomenon exists elsewhere:

Georgetown University (McDonough):  60% in Northeast; 20% in Mid-Atlantic.

University of Denver (Daniels):  67% in Colorado; 10% in the West.

University of Texas (McCombs):  of respondents reporting initial salary, 75% were reporting from Texas.

Arizona State University (Carey) (no data for undergrads, so these are for just graduated MBAs):  78% in Arizona and the West.

University of Washington (Foster) (no data for undergrads – MBA statistics):  69% in the state of Washington.

University of Georgia (Terry) (again, MBAs):  49% in the South.

Boston University (Questrom) (again, just MBAs):  75% in the Northeast; the next region, at 12%, is the West, which suggests a more national reach).

Once you get settled, moving between regions is less difficult, except for finding a job “on the Street” (Wall Street).

Beware the Barriers to Entry

It may surprise you to learn that some undergraduate business schools impose barriers which students must overcome while at the college to:  1) get into the business school; and/or 2) stay in.

These barriers are mostly a consequence of the increasing popularity of business programs. As with engineering, a growing number of students are seeing business as a professional degree with excellent employment prospects. Some, lacking the ability or interest in STEM, see it as the best pathway left for employment without attending graduate school.

A majority of students in many colleges major in business. These programs are inundated with demand. As we see in other areas of college admission, restricting access – and selectivity – can produce financial gains for colleges.

The interesting development here is how programs go about limiting access. One common approach is to raise the bar for freshmen admissions, but directly admit those freshmen to the business school. Those programs are referred to as – surprise – “direct admit.”  Other programs take half measures – they admit their strongest applicants to the business school program and require the rest to compete their way into the major. For these schools, understanding the percentage of students admitted as “direct admit” is important.

Then there are schools which admit nobody into the major until their sophomore or junior years. I call these the “hardcore schools.”

Penn State gives warning of its “hard core” approach in several places on its website, including this notice at https://ugstudents.smeal.psu.edu/academics-advising/get-into-a-smeal-major:

In recent years, The Smeal College of Business has experienced enrollment demand that has exceeded the college’s physical capacity to serve all desired applicants without compromising the quality of a Smeal College education. As a part of the plan to manage the high demand, it was determined that there would be no early entry into a Smeal major due to our administrative enrollment controls. In addition, capacity for each course for all Smeal College academic majors has been calculated to ensure each student will have the opportunity to graduate on-time. To honor the commitments made to our students, pre-major students may not enroll in upper division courses designated for Smeal College majors. Exceptions will not be granted for pre-major students to be exempted from this policy.

In other words, an offer to matriculate at Penn State does not include entry into the business school. Rather, students must take the introductory courses in the business program and achieve at least a certain GPA to be accepted into advanced courses required to earn the undergraduate business degree. In addition, students must earn a minimum overall GPA during this two year “pre-major” period.

Some of the courses in this pre-major program present unexpected challenges. In addition to taking calculus, pre-majors must comply with a foreign language requirement.

If you are wondering whether you need a lawyer to proceed further, the answer is “it couldn’t hurt.”  In its defense, Penn State has plenty of advisers to help you through the process. Further, the university has traditionally imposed barriers for all its majors.

However, the problem for those considering Smeal is that the devil is in the details. For instance, how high is the GPA requirement to get into the business school program?  For some business schools, it can be as low as 2.0 in core courses such as Accounting. This is less capacity control than redirecting students who are not succeeding in business (with or without really trying). Those undergraduate business schools which are “direct admit” but require a minimum GPA are doing much the same thing.

At Penn State, the overall GPAs required to gain full-blown admission to Smeal vary by the internal major selected – a 3.1 GPA allows entry into Management, while the door only opens to the Finance major for students sporting a 3.5 GPA. Without a good knowledge of grade inflation at each college, it is impossible to tell what those numbers really mean.

Discovering those details can be a time-consuming, and even impossible, task for someone not attending the school. If anyone can tell me the percentage of students who fail to make it into majors at Smeal because of these capacity controls, I would be much obliged. I am not alone – a parent complained online that at Admissions Day in 2018, the Smeal representative did not have that information. Fortunately, other schools with such barriers are more forthcoming. See e.g., https://wsb.wisc.edu/programs-degrees/undergraduate-bba/admissions/uw-madison-students

Choose Wisely

Unlike law and medicine – both “terminal degrees,” (i.e., the last degree before entry into the job market for a profession) – the prestige of undergraduate business programs may not be critical to your career. Obviously, if you have the chance to go to Stanford, Harvard, or similar top-10 undergraduate business programs, you probably should. However, most students do not ascend to those lofty heights.

If you are one of the vast majority who are aiming lower, do not fret. As noted above, the role of education in business is changing rapidly. Instead of a single degree, more businesspeople are going to repeatedly obtain new credentials. Some will pursue MBAs, either shortly after graduation or much later in their careers (the latter are marketed as “Executive MBAs”). Others will seek one-year master’s degrees in specialties as their career path moves in different directions. If at some point you perceive that your credential is not serving you well, you will be able to pursue another – possibly at your employer’s expense.

What should you look for in choosing among different programs?

The college itself

Start by ignoring those programs and concentrate on the colleges offering them. Your undergraduate college experience will matter far more to your growth and enjoyment than the ranking of the business school. You will thrive – and earn better grades – at a college where you “fit.”  This includes small colleges with excellent programs. Find your colleges first, and then examine their business programs.

Where do you want to live and work?

Next, as discussed above, decide where you want to live and work after graduation, and concentrate on programs whose graduates find jobs in those places. If the undergraduate business degree is going to be the last one you seek for many years (i.e., your “terminal degree”), this analysis is important. If you know already that you will seek an MBA shortly after graduation, then you can skip this discussion.

Look for statistics on the college’s website of where graduates find employment. Search for “[college name] undergraduate business employment statistics upon graduation.”  You may have to use some variations on this search to find what you are looking for. Some schools do not post geographic data – for smaller schools this may be a warning that your employment prospects for your first job may diminish dramatically outside the college’s home area. For larger and prestigious schools, it may simply reflect a reality that its graduates can find jobs everywhere.

Look at the alumni networks for each college, and better, for their undergraduate business schools. Again, a search like “[college name] undergraduate business alumni” should yield useful information. The University of Wisconsin devotes several pages to its network. See https://wsb.wisc.edu/alumni. Even small schools can have robust alumni programs with members offering to mentor students. See  https://business.lehigh.edu/alumni. Consider the number of alumni, their engagement with the school, and the location of any of their events. This is most important at smaller schools, where name recognition may be lacking outside their local area.

Closely related are the internship opportunities at each school. Two search techniques may be helpful. First, use these search terms in your browser:  [your college name], “undergraduate business school internship.”  Second, on the web page for the college’s undergraduate business school, search (click the magnifying glass icon) for “internship” or “intern.”  Again, using the University of Wisconsin as an example, the second method yields several informative pages. See  https://wsb.wisc.edu/search?q=internship#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=internship&gsc.page=1. Some schools require you to log-in to access internship listings by companies. Happily, Penn State is not one of them. See https://careerconnections.smeal.psu.edu/search/?s=internship.

You are looking for internship job listings and opportunities to earn college credit by participating in an internship. The number of internships available may correlate with your job prospects upon graduation.

Mind the gap between admission and entry into the business program

Examine barriers to entry for each undergraduate business program. Some students thrive on competition; others do not. There is no right answer here, but remember that at some schools, about 50% of students “admitted” to these schools will never move beyond “pre-major status.”  If you are comfortable with the risk that if you fall short you will have to choose another major, then proceed.

Rankings

Check the “rankings” of your candidate programs, particularly after you have completed the admissions process and received offers. Unfortunately, every ranking touted by the media has its flaws, as discussed in a previous post. See This Blog is Ranked #1.

I suggest two sources. First, consult the U.S. News and World Report rankings. See https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/business-overall (you may have to purchase a Compass subscription). Ignore differences in rankings which do not exceed ten places.

Second, peruse “Poets and Quants.” This website is a widely read Internet resource covering both undergraduate and graduate business schools. You will spend most of your time on its sister site: “Poets and Quants for Undergrads.”  See https://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/.

Poets and Quants is subjective; be especially careful when reading the profiles of programs – ne’er a discouraging word is likely to be heard. Still, it provides valuable context to this corner of the educational world.

The best financial option

Finally, to quote Jerry Maguire: “Show Me the Money!”  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Maguire.

You are planning a career in business, correct?  Consider tuition your first major investment. The curriculum offered by these programs is mostly the same. Yes, some professors will make a difference, and every school touts its experiential learning opportunities. But the differences are mostly minor. One possible exception is that smaller programs have more of an incentive to stand out and greater ability to provide individual attention.

If you start out your business career too far in debt, you will lack flexibility to move from one job – and city – to another, which is standard issue for many business career tracks. Sometimes you get what you pay for, but with the unpredictability in college financial aid (both merit and need-based), you may just find yourself a deal.

The exclusion of BASIS from the latest list of “Best High Schools” published by U.S. News and World Report is a local story with national implications.

Tucson readers will immediately understand part of the title. BASIS is a charter school founded in Tucson in 1998. It gradually expanded within Arizona to Oro Valley, Phoenix (multiple locations, most notably its Scottsdale school), and Flagstaff. It has also opened schools in California (Silicon Valley), Louisiana, and Washington. 

Some BASIS schools start in elementary grades; many begin with grades 4 or 5 and end at grade 12. BASIS is free and open to all.  If necessary, a lottery is used to select enrollees. 

[Full disclosure:  I have worked with students attending BASIS schools, but it has been a small part of my practice.  I do not receive referrals from any school, including BASIS.  In addition, this article is not about the efficacy or social utility of charter schools.]

Charter schools are common in Arizona.  However, BASIS stands out because it claims to operate some of the finest schools in the country.  From a BASIS web site:

Our schools are among the nation’s best schools by any measure: national rankings, OECD Test for Schools (based on PISA) exams, Advanced Placement® results, National Merit Scholarship Program® honors, earned college merit aid, and college admissions, among many other highly respected standards and honors. We hire bright, passionate people to teach the acclaimed BASIS Curriculum at all 27 BASIS Charter Schools, and provide nearly 17,000 students with an excellent education.

https://www.basised.com/who-we-are/our-schools/

Another interesting feature is that BASIS students finish their studies – and all state required curricula – in 11^th grade.  Their senior year consists of “capstone courses” which venture into college curricula and often involve internships.

Of course, many high schools claim to accelerate learning and place their elite graduates in fine universities.  And many high schools in Tucson do exactly that, including – but very much not limited to – BASIS. 

But part of what made BASIS unique was its recognition by U.S. News and World Report.  You may associate USNWR with college rankings, but it also ranks high schools. 

There are other high school rankings in addition to USNWR’s list (see e.g., https://thebestschools.org/rankings/best-public-high-schools-us/; https://www.greatschools.org/gk/summary-rating/), but they are not directed toward college admissions officers. 

Here was USNWR’s list of the top ten high schools for 2018.

1. BASIS Scottsdale, Ariz.
2. BASIS Chandler, Ariz.
3. BASIS Oro Valley, Ariz.
4. BASIS Tucson North, Ariz.
5. BASIS Flagstaff, Ariz.
6. Meridian School, Round Rock, Tex.
7. International Academy of Macomb, Clinton Township, Mich.
8. BASIS Peoria, Ariz.
9. Baccalaureate School for Global Education, New York
10. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Fairfax County, Va.

Yes, BASIS schools, including two in Tucson, occupied the first five spots out of approximately 5,948 schools ranked that year by USNWR!  See https://www.usnews.com/info/blogs/press-room/articles/2018-05-09/us-news-reveals-rankings-of-2018-best-high-schools.  BASIS schools also dominated the 2017 and 2016 rankings. 

But no more, and therein lies a tale, provided courtesy of the Washington Post.  See https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/06/01/us-news-makes-major-changes-high-school-rankings-how-it-dramatically-changes-results/?utm_term=.93114ffa4b62.

Here are the top ten schools listed by USNWR for 2019:

1. Academic Magnet High School (SC)
2. Maine School of Science and Mathematics
3. BASIS Scottsdale (AZ)
4. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (VA)
5. Central Magnet School (TN)
6. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology (GA)
7. Haas Hall Academy (AR)
8. International Academy of Macomb (MI)
9. Payton College Preparatory High School (IL)
10. Signature School (IN)

BASIS no longer dominates the list.  Without coming across as too much of a Tucson “homer,” I was surprised.  But the article in the Washington Post, and a review of USNWR’s website, proved revelatory.   

With malice toward none, I have concluded that USNWR’s Best High School List is no longer a useful indicator for college admissions. 

The “old” list – “you have ONE job”

Before 2019, USNWR used a single criterion for ranking high schools:  its College Readiness Index, which in turn was based solely on “performance on and participation in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.”

USNWR’s use of this one criterion explains BASIS’s prominence on its list.  BASIS requires its students to take AP exams – students’ test results factor into their grades for those AP courses.  The average BASIS student takes 11.9 exams, with an average score of 3.8.  BASIS notes that “many BASIS Curriculum School graduates choose to take as many as 20 AP Exams.” https://www.basised.com/achievements/college-acceptances-/.

How did USNWR obtain the AP participation and performance data to report those scores?  From the College Board, of course, after obtaining permission from every state other than South Dakota – did you really think that your scores were private?  See https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/how-us-news-calculated-the-rankings.

For years, BASIS schools had a lock on the rankings simply by virtue of its policy and the hard-working and talented students who stuck to a grueling regimen to graduate.   It takes a certain type of bright student to achieve under these circumstances, and high schools that can turn out those students are certainly some of the best of breed.  (Again, whether the BASIS model is the best method for educating students is outside the scope of this article.)

The USNWR criterion was intelligible and – in its way – useful to colleges looking for the hardest-working, highest achieving, students in the country. 

However, BASIS schools are quite small.  At the high school level, they do not provide the same opportunities as much larger high schools for extracurricular activities, such as science and math competitions, varsity sports, or other activities which require teams of students supported by advisers.  Students who are interested in the performing arts will find better opportunities elsewhere because BASIS schools do not have the critical mass of students necessary to support orchestras, theater productions, and the like.  BASIS misses out on plenty of outstanding students as a result.  They also lose a substantial number of their students to attrition.

Rating BASIS high schools the best in the country provided an incomplete picture of what makes a high school outstanding, and its graduates competitive for college admissions.  Nonetheless, colleges could understand what the rankings meant, and give them whatever weight they chose. 

The new list – you had ONE job, and you did what?!

This year, USNWR expanded its project to rate over 17,000 public schools.  It also replaced the single criterion test with a weighting of six criteria: 

The 2019 Best High Schools rankings take a holistic approach to evaluating schools, looking at six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates. Specifically, college readiness measures participation and performance on AP and IB exams.

https://www.usnews.com/info/blogs/press-room/articles/2019-04-30/us-news-announces-expanded-2019-best-high-schools-rankings

Here are the six criteria, and the contribution of each to the final score used for ranking:

1. The school’s absolute performance in math and reading (i.e., performance index or PI) on state assessments (20%).
2. The school’s relative math and reading performance, defined as the difference between the school’s PI and its expected PI given its population of historically underserved students (20%).
3. The school’s equity gap, or the degree to which the performance of a school’s historically underserved groups differs from the performance, on average, of non-underserved students in the state (a difference sometimes referred to as an “external performance gap”) (10%).
4. The school’s graduation rate (10%);
5. The school’s college readiness index based on Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate participation and performance (30%);
6. The school’s college curriculum breadth index, based on the breadth of AP and/or IB participation (10%).

And here is the explanation by UNSWR’s consultant about why it created a new – and more complex – methodology:

Factoring state assessments and graduation in rank order provides a more balanced result than relying only on the rank order of college-level exam data. Using multiple indicators to contribute to a single score ensures that rank order is less affected by the idiosyncrasies of measuring heterogeneous student cohorts on the single metric of college-readiness exams. In the revamped methodology, a school’s ranking incorporates data from multiple measures of academic quality, producing a more thorough and non-idiosyncratic assessment of its relative performance.

https://media.beam.usnews.com/36/47/5c3cc8424eb38375290ed8d9571c/190429-bhs2019technicalappendix.pdf (the entire methodology explained).

This explanation is interesting, but irrelevant.  To start, schools are not ranked separately on each criterion on the one list that is displayed, although that data is included for each high school if you “click through” its name on the ranking list.  Separate lists ranking high schools by graduation rate, or by the performance of underserved children, would be relevant in determining the relative performance of an underserved or “at risk” student.  But the ranking of the school in the list itself is based on the “composite” score alone.

There are also additional issues associated with four of the six criteria. One is obviously flawed, and three others are not useful to colleges.

The flawed measure is the fourth criterion, which relies on the “graduation rate” of each school. Given that students move with their parents, trying to decipher excellence by merely stating the percentage of 9^th graders who ultimately graduated from a particular school is a fool’s errand.  Yet, that is the methodology used:  https://media.beam.usnews.com/36/47/5c3cc8424eb38375290ed8d9571c/190429-bhs2019technicalappendix.pdf (page 11).  Speaking as a local, I am pretty sure that University High in Tucson does not have a graduation rate that ranks merely #1,232nd in the United States. 

Moving from the flawed to the merely unhelpful, the first criterion relies on the results of state assessment tests. Yet, assessment tests vary in content and difficulty from state to state. Further, most of the top students applying to college are studying material that is far more difficult, and in some cases just different, from that tested on state assessment tests. (A similar problem arises with the SAT/ACT, as the math tested on those exams does not include calculus.)

Finally, the second and third criteria add adjustments to the achievement scores of the students to reflect how well the school should have performed based on USNWR’s assessment of: 1) the percentage of underserved students in the student body; and 2) the performance of those underserved students as compared to that of underserved students elsewhere in the state. 

This means that a high school which does a better job of educating its underserved students than its peers will receive a higher rating.  Yet most college applicants are not among the underserved at most schools. Here is a clue that the new ratings are not about helping colleges assess the strength of college applicants at different high schools.  Rather, they are about recognizing how well schools are fulfilling certain educational goals. 

Because a substantial percentage of the USNWR ratings for these schools do not directly measure the academic abilities of students, those ratings cannot be used to compare college applicants from different schools.  This is potentially confusing to parents, students, and even college admissions officers because the USNWR college rankings are designed, and advertised, as a measure of the academic quality of the colleges ranked.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with an organization choosing to rate “the best high schools” to identify outstanding efforts by a school’s administration and faculty. School districts and policymakers will no doubt use the USNWR list as a measure of how well high schools are serving their communities, along with areas for improvement. 

What this list should not be used for? College admissions.

College consultants may wish to explain this conclusion to their clients.  One hopes that colleges already understand it.

Oh, and what about those BASIS schools left off the Top Ten list?  You can still find them in a quiet corner of the USNWR web empire, under “Best Charter Schools.”  See https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/national-rankings/charter-school-rankings.  In any event, I doubt that many colleges will be looking there.

If you are a parent or student living in Tucson, please note that I am one of a handful of independent consultants who live and work here.  Please see The Tucson Advantage for why that matters. 

Why do I mention that I am an Associate Member of IECA, the Independent Educational Consultants Association?

IECA is the gold standard of college consultants organizations. Members are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards; those who do not are not allowed as members.

This brings us to the college admissions scandal currently in the news, a tale of avarice and cunning that will shake up some corners of the college admissions world. I think that there a few points worth noting.

First, the consultant at the center of the scheme was not a member of IECA. This is not surprising – IECA does not look kindly on consultants charging outrageous fees for college admissions. Frankly, the amount of work involved for a reputable consultant (in my view, 100-200 hours), does not justify tens of thousands of dollars in fees. (And the much smaller fee I charge is not enough to bribe a school mascot, never mind a college coach.  For information about my fees, see Why Hire Me?.

IECA also demands that college consultants not “guarantee” admissions, simply because there is no honest way to do that. In addition, college consulting is about finding the right school for each client. It is hard to accomplish this goal when your clients are fixated on doing whatever it takes to get into a “prestige school.”

Second, there has been no evidence presented that college admissions staff were bribed. I suspect that this is because admissions officers generally make decisions in groups – bribery would be cumbersome, more expensive, and risky (it would take only one admissions officer to talk to end the scheme). White-collar criminals generally find the “soft spot” in the victim organization; in this case, altering the records on which the admissions officers rely was simpler and cheaper. (Ask me how I know –  see About Me.)  Whatever the reason, I find the absence of admissions officers as defendants reassuring.

Third, and most important, the victims in this scandal are not really the universities, however they spin it. Yes, their employees accepted bribes, and some undeserving students were admitted. Some colleges – most notably USC – may suffer undeserved reputational damage.

But the number of students involved are a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands of students enrolled in those colleges legitimately. More important, there remain other, legal, ways for those with money to oil the gears of the admissions process. Legacy admits (students whose parents attended the college) have a huge advantage in Ivy League admissions. And then there are contributions – for the reported $6.5 million one parent invested in bribery, that parent probably could have achieved the same result by simply donating to the university.

College counselors will be largely unaffected.  Perhaps those who are charging outrageous fees might garner suspicion as to exactly what services they are offering to justify same, but consultants belonging to reputable associations (e.g., IECA, HECA, NACAC) may even benefit from all of the discussion about what reputable counselors do.

The victims are students. To be precise, they are high school students with learning disabilities. If your student falls into this category, then you and that student are potential victims. This is because one of the tentacles of this scandal may be particularly far-reaching:  the college consultant claimed that he was able to bribe therapists to provide false documentation of a disability to be used to obtain accommodations on the ACT or SAT.

From the New York Times, March 13, 2019:

The conspiracy relied on the parents getting medical documentation that would entitle their children to extra time on the test, an accommodation normally made for students with disabilities. Students who need extra time generally take the test alone, supervised only by a proctor — providing the opportunity for the bribed proctor to rig the outcome. Mr. Singer advised parents on how to get the medical documentation needed to qualify.

According to court filings, in a conversation with one of the parents, Gordon Caplan, Mr. Singer explained that for $4,000 or $5,000, a psychologist he worked with would write a report saying Mr. Caplan’s daughter had disabilities and required special accommodations. He assured Mr. Caplan that many parents did this for their children.

“What happened is, all the wealthy families that figured out that if I get my kid tested and they get extended time, they can do better on the test,” Mr. Singer said in the conversation. “So most of these kids don’t even have issues, but they’re getting time. The playing field is not fair.”

This is a potential disaster for many of you. It can be tough for students with learning disabilities to obtain accommodations. Now we can expect the ACT and the College Board (the SAT) to make the process even more difficult. If psychologists (possibly a neuropsychologist, but the story does not say) can be bought, then how will the testing companies identify students who really do need these accommodations?

The initial reaction from the College Board was encouraging and helpful:

The College Board considers all reasonable requests for accommodations — such as large print, Braille, or extended time — needed by students with documented disabilities.

The board asks for documentation in some cases, Mr. Goldberg said, but in the “vast majority” of cases, the modifications are granted through the schools that students attend, where they are evaluated and given an individualized education program.

It appears that the best defense is to have a history of accommodations. Parents should be prepared to show current and past IEPs and 504 Plans. A long history of documentation is likely to allay suspicions. However, for those students whose diagnosis is too recent to have obtained an IEP or 504 Plan, or whose need for minor accommodations does not justify the hassle and expense of obtaining same, this scandal may prove troublesome.

This is another reason for parents of students with learning disabilities to consider paying for an assessment by a neuropsychologist and, if appropriate, obtaining an IEP or 504 Plan.

For some intensely motivated families, the college hunt started a long time ago.  For some high school juniors, the student has not – and does not – want to think about college yet.  But there are steps juniors should be taking right now to prepare for college admissions applications season later this year.

 

Summer plans

A few very selective universities (e.g. Stanford, Princeton) ask students how they spent the summer after their junior year.  (Stanford asks about the last two summers.)  Many more ask about extra-curricular activities or work experiences – summer is prime-time for both.  For the record, the summer after my junior year, I slept 12 hours a night and “hung out” with friends doing nothing important whatsoever.  Alas, this is no longer a viable college strategy for juniors.

The “rules” about what constitutes a worthy summer experience are in flux.  The accepted wisdom has been that travel, internships, and summer courses on college campuses are the best ways for juniors to show that they have used their time to learn more about the world and themselves.

However, stung by charges of elitism, colleges admissions officers are proclaiming that local volunteer work or even “merely” having a job will suffice.  And as I have written about previously in Mission Accomplished?  Maybe Not Anymore, overseas service trips are losing their luster because they are perceived as available only to the wealthy.

Each student’s circumstances will determine their best “summer strategy.”  Exploring a potential medical career by “shadowing” in a hospital, or a science career by working in a lab as a research assistant, or any career by working in a related internship, is a common activity.  Students leaning more toward humanities and the social sciences often participate in writing workshops, fine arts experiences, and travel.  Students may also study college-level material in a formal academic program.

Of course, plenty of students needing to support their families or save for tuition have only one choice:  work all summer.  As noted above, colleges are slowly accepting this reality, and many fine essays come out of the most mundane of work experiences.  Families unwilling or unable to pay for summer experiences will favor this option, along with encouraging their student to read for enrichment; Wake Forest currently asks for the student’s five favorite books.

The only rule that matters for now is that families should start working on summer plans while it is still cold out.

 

Recommendations

Most colleges will accept one to two teacher recommendations; some colleges will also accept a recommendation from a non-teacher.

Stay tuned for a post about how to secure the best recommendations.  For now, note that most recommendations come from teachers who are currently teaching your student.  Teachers in your student’s senior year will have too little time in which to learn about the student before applications are due; sophomore teachers may not remember much about the student when it comes time to write recommendations two years later.  Much the same is true about non-teachers, such as employers, coaches, and the like.

Juniors who have impressed teachers should redouble efforts in those classes.  They should  keep notes of their achievements (best papers, projects, and tests) for later use when asking for a recommendation.  Note:  doing so may be essential because a few colleges are now requiring students to submit a graded paper with their application – this may well become a trend.

Juniors should also increase their participation in class, review their teacher’s comments on papers and projects with them after class, and generally gain their teacher’s regard.  Some may call this “sucking up.”  Why yes, that is exactly right.  Welcome to the world of college admissions – and life.

Finally, all colleges require a letter from students’ “guidance counselor.”  This can be the most important recommendation of all.  We will take up the reasoning supporting this assertion in a subsequent post; suffice to say at this juncture that juniors should get to know their guidance counselors.  In large schools, the guidance counselors serving as college advisers have huge caseloads – even identifying them and introducing yourself can be a challenge. Nonetheless, juniors should begin planning to make an appointment with their guidance counselors to discuss college plans.

If you are a parent or student living in Tucson, please note that I am one of a handful of independent consultants who live and work here.  Please see The Tucson Advantage for why that matters.