CTCL E-News July 2011

NUMBER OF TEST OPTIONAL COLLEGES CONTINUES TO GROW

Questions persist about the validity of the SAT and ACT tests to predict success in college, resulting in a growing number of colleges moving away from required tests as part of the admission process.

The National Bureau of Economic Research released a new report in June which concluded that that two of the four main parts of the ACT—science and reading—have "little or no" ability to help colleges predict whether applicants will succeed. College bound students searching for colleges with test-optional or no-test policies can find a current listing at The National Center for Fair and Open Testing.

5 CTCL COLLEGES HELP FORM NEW ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Birmingham Southern, Centre, Hendrix, Millsaps and Rhodes Colleges are among seven members of the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) breaking away to form a new athletic conference beginning in July 2012.

The new conference is being formed to foster athletic competition and cooperation among academically selective, residential liberal arts colleges located in the southeastern region of the United States.

The geographic focus will result in reduced travel time and costs, while still allowing for a strong conference of like-minded institutions, all of which integrate competitive athletics into the whole of the student’s educational experience.

NEW VOICE FOR ASIAN STUDENTS

The  Asian Pacific Islander American Association of Colleges and Universities (APIACU), is a newly formed organization that hopes to change misconceptions about those minority students and support institutions that enroll the most Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students.

The rationale behind the organization if that this specialized population is growing faster than any other (the population in the United States is expected to reach almost 40 million by 2050) and yet lacks institutional support; how Asian students’ geographic region of origin can be a significant predictor of what type of college they’ll attend and whether they’ll succeed; and how the general public continues to wrongly believe that Asian students—the “model minority”—excel in all aspects in college.

IF IT'S AUGUST, IT MUST BE CTCL!

Since 1998, the Colleges That Change Lives have been travelling together to meet directly with students and families around the country. The 2011 series of events kicked off in late May and hit record attendance in DC and New York City with over 1000 students and their families in attendance at each of these locations.

Three more tours, in 20 cities in the West, South and Midwest are scheduled for August, including a return, after several years’ absence, to Raleigh, NC and Kansas City, MO.

Each program begins with a 30 minute presentation on how to approach the college search to find the right fit, followed by a 90 minute college fair featuring the CTCL colleges. Please visit the link above for more a full listing of dates and locations. We hope you will join us to find out “How to Choose a College That’s Right for You!”

JOIN CTCL ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

We hope you will follow CTCL on Twitter and Facebook for news and updated information on programs and events.