Angel B. Perez Says Apply To A College Early Decision Only If You Are Absolutely Sure

At Pitzer, we grapple with how many students to admit early every year.  While we want to leave enough room for students who find Pitzer through the Regular Decision process, we do find that there are significant benefits to admitting students through Early Decision.

Take An Expert's Advice

Originally Published in The Hindustan Times Education Supplement

As parents and students begin to ponder the future, many families wonder whether they should hire a private counselor or take guidance from a third party to help plan their education. The answer to this question varies for applicants in different situations. For example, most MBA or graduate students applicants seek outside advising to substitute as a mentor through the application process – someone who can weigh-in on recommender choices or program selection and overall congruity between career goals and educational plans. For undergraduate applicants, however, families often require guidance on both the big picutre as well as the nitty gritty of applying, financing and lifestyle considerations.

Learn the Lingo

Originally Published in The Hindustan Times Education Supplement

A lot of lucky students are about to embark on their adventure to study abroad. The next few months will be full of new experiences and friendships, as well as cultural faux pas. For those headed to the US for studies, I’ve solicited a list of unique word usage from a couple of students who have been studying there for the past two years. Below is a primer on some of America’s campus-related idiosyncratic language usages, which can be quite different and confusing to an Indian student. This should provide some guidance for students and a trip down memory lane for any parents who have ever lived or studied in the US.

Colleges Information

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

I often repeat that there are thousands of colleges to choose from across the world. And there is a ‘right’ place for every student. Furthermore, there are multiple modes of discovering which college is right for you. Thankfully the internet now offers incredibly helpful information at our fingertips. But the rich and replete information offered online also sometimes has the effect of flattening out the differences between various colleges, especially for a student who has never visited a college campus.

Get Started On The Essays Now

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

Previously I wrote about how MBA applicants need to focus on balancing their commitments at the office with the work required for applications. The same is true for undergraduate applicants, but the scheduling process is slightly different.

Campus Safety Abroad

Originally published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement.

Recent news about the tragic mass killing at The University of California at Santa Barbara unsettled those with an eye on higher education abroad. As an alumna of this notoriously scenic university, with its freewheeling, peace-loving ethos I have been especially rattled. We are all asking, how a young student, who is at one moment exploring new ideas and environments, making friends and living it up in the prime of his or her life, can suddenly be shot down in cold blood by a deranged, bitter maniac? There has of course been much said about the state of gun control and mental healthcare in the US since the incident. And of course there is a great need to address both of these serious issues, but on the minds of many students (and their families) who are heading abroad for studies after the summer is the question of campus safety.

Application Agents

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

There have been a few stories in the news recently about the rampant cheating and forgery of international college applications by Chinese students. According to reports, China’s single child system produces highly competitve, anxious parents with rising incomes, who are preyed upon by aggressive agents that promise to take care of all the requirements for the college application. These agents practically guarantee success and all the parents have to do is pay the fee for service. Furthermore, it is argued, that while the US percieves the falsification of credentials an egregious violation of the honor system, Chinese families see nothing wrong with it because it has always been culturally acceptable/required to cheat. Of course all of these explanations reduce the problem to simple cause and effect and misaligned cultural value systems, which if eliminated, would make the problem go away. 

Back to Basics

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

Sometimes I find myself so caught up with helping students through the study abroad application process, that I forget to address a basic question – why should an Indian student study abroad in the first place?

Each student has his/her own reasons for wanting to study abroad. Let me go through some of those in brief.

Interview Prep Part 2

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education section

A few weeks ago I wrote a column about preparing for interviews. After talking to a few people who have gone through the process, I realize that my advice needs some more detail. Here are some specific questions that you might expect in college, MBA or scholarship interviews.

What to do after 10th?

Previously Published in the Hindustan Times Education Supplement

I realize September is not normally the time students think about plans after class 10 exams, but if you are considering studying abroad either in 11^th or after 12^th, there are some things you may need to plan for now. Once your 10^th exam results start to come in around next April, you will have a wide range of choices ahead of you. 

Extracurricular Activities

Previously Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

The application season is officially upon us. As students prepare – some late, some far ahead – most seem to worry about the extracurricular component of the application.

In my experience, extracurriculars are not something you can easily fabricate or embellish. And extracurriculars are not something that can overcome flaws in your academic or testing record. The only exception is if you are a recruitable athlete or musician, a rare situation for most Indian applicants. But even in the case of the amazing squash player who is recruited on an athletic scholarship to a top ranked college, his or her marks will also be very competitive.

Protecting Your Downside

Previously Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement 

At the end of one of my earlier columns (May 15^th) I advised students to ‘select realistic back-up options.’  As I start preparing students for the upcoming application cycle, I find that this advice needs more detail. First of all the list of realistic options students have is almost always the same and secondly, it is rarely ever ‘realistic’. It seems like the colleges people choose as back-ups are the colleges where they have heard of other Indian students getting admission. I beseech all students who are applying this year to dig deeper into what is really important to you and apply only to colleges you want to attend. There are plenty of options.

Starting Early

Previously published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

Lately I am seeing a lot more people tuning into the foreign undergraduate college admissions process early. This is a good trend! Preparing early is the best way to help you feel in control of the process and reduce stress at the last minute. If you plan early, you have the confidence that no matter what the outcome, you did the best you can. 

Test Optional Colleges

Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

Very soon students who took the SAT on June 1^st will get their results. For students who have scored well, this will open a new chapter and give clarity on U.S. colleges within the dream, target, and safety range. For students who did not score well, it can be an extremely discouraging moment in the college application process. But don’t despair – while the U.S. has traditionally been the leader in the pesky standardized test requirement, lately several colleges have revised their policy and introduced ‘test optional’ applications for very good reasons. 

Singing your Praises - Recommendations

Originally published in the Hindustan Times Education Supplement

Whether you are applying for undergraduate, graduate or MBA, most foreign universities require at least 1 letter of recommendation (LOR) in order to get  an objective perspective on you beyond grades and test scores. Unfortunately many students treat the process of requesting LOR’s as an afterthought. This is a mistake because colleges often use recommendations to tip an already good application into the admit pile. Looking at it this way, LOR’s are as important as essays, but students rarely spend the same amount of time thinking about LOR’s as they do essays.

Is It Worth It?

Originally Published in Hindustan Times, Education Supplement

Over the last few weeks the US college admissions press has been buzzing about claims made by former US Education Secretary, William Bennett, that there are only 150 colleges worth attending in the US. Mr. Bennet has a number of reasons for making this claim, but Indian applicants tend to approach the equation over the value of a US education slightly differently. 

It's Not Too Late

Originally published in Hindustan Times, Education Supplement

It’s not too late! If you don’t have a plan for college either for June in India or for August abroad there are still options. Despite the promise of what the future holds, many students reach this time of year with a feeling of dread or disappointment. Due to poor planning, overconfidence or simple bad luck some students do not have an inspired plan for their first year of college. If this is you, there is still hope for study abroad options. 

Chance Me

Originally published in Hindustan Times, Education Supplement

“What are my chances?” Is a question I hear often. Unfortunately, I do not have a crystal ball. It is difficult to answer these kinds of questions, especially for US colleges and MBA programs, because so much goes into the admissions process on the part of the applicant and on the part of the evaluators. I hate to discredit any of the applicant’s hard work, nor does anyone ever really know exactly what a particular admissions committee wants at any given college, in any given year. With Indian applicants who are used to a ‘cut off’ system of college placement, the idea that you could get perfect scores and still not be admitted is confusing. 

Test Time! How to Prepare for Standardized Tests

Originally published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement

With free time at hand over the summer vacations, many students are planning to buckle down and study for their standardized tests. Whether you are planning to take the SAT, SAT2, GMAT or GRE, you need to make the most of the summer break to study and crack these exams.

The Value of College Fairs

Originally published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement
 
I just love college fairs! Recently (April 20th) I attended a US college fair in Mumbai with admissions representatives from Case Western University, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia, Emory and New York University. What I love about these fairs is that the reps are so friendly, approachable and eager to help. They have been sent to India by the colleges they represent, specifically to share information about their programs, answer your questions and cultivate relationships with schools and individual students who can help them attract the student body they seek. Their only agenda here is to be helpful!