Our Cause Fall 2015

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The College Admissions Process: Straight No Chaser As an enrollment professional with over a decade of college admissions experience, I’m an advocate Bro. K evin M. Holmes of higher education. I believe education provides all people who are persistent, dedicated, and passionate the platform to learn how to appreciate diversity, think critically, and solve the problems of today’s society. Whether a student has interest in attending a public flagship, elite private, regionally focused, minority serving, affordable community, or accessible corporate institution, it will be the student’s commitment and excellence that earns the degree. Since I’m writing this article for my Sigma brothers, our Sigma Beta Club members and their families, I also want to give you the facts straight with no chaser! There is no such thing as a perfect school, and because the perfect school doesn’t exist, I want you all to understand that

the college admissions system in the United States is even far less perfect. There are thousands of schools in the United States, all of them are equally special, and provide special experiences for the students they serve. I

more options you will have in the college admissions process. All scholarships awarded at four year institutions will require you to be competitive; the competition will involve most importantly your academic performance and at times your extra-curricular

The present state of the economic climate of higher education forces schools to maximize potential revenue earnings in a volatile declining consumer market for traditional age college students. don’t care where you decide to attend, just have a plan on how to gain admission, understand the experience you want to have, accept the cost you are willing to pay (financially and socially), and most importantly define your path to graduation. The admissions process is different for every school. Some schools have open access; an example may be a community college or for-profit institution. Other schools are moderately selective to selective, and many are highly selective. Is there a secret formula you ask? Absolutely not! The better your grades, the better your test scores, the more talent you have, the

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excellence. The process requires the student to be disciplined and work hard. A 3.0 grade point average will gain you admission to some schools, yet other schools will want a 4.0 grade point average. SAT and ACT exams will be required for most schools, and each school has specific requirements that may require scores in Math and Critical Reading, others will strongly consider the Writing component. The college essay is equally important, write an essay that conveys passion, addresses the topic, utilizes appropriate syntax, and is free from grammatical errors. Finally, choose your letters


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