A number of colleges, some obscure such as The College of St. Rose in Albany,NY , and others very well known, such as the University of Minnesota, are now sending out direct mail packages offering “no fee” college applications. Not only are the applications without a fee, they are also nearly completely filled out with the potential applicant’s name and other relevant information. Therefore students who are interested in applying need to do little more than sign their name and mail the applications in. Colleges employing this strategy have seen a significant rise in applications.

Why are colleges doing this? And why now? Well, given the current state of the U.S. economy, many colleges are having difficulty getting enough students to apply. In addition, there is increased competition for ranking in the many college guides, including the US News and World Report’s Annual College Rankings. Colleges that have significant increases in the number of applicants can improve their rankings in these publications.

Is this a good thing for students? That is a subject of debate. The direct mail firms that colleges hire to do these types of marketing campaigns stress that this is a way for them to help make students aware of the existence of certain colleges they might not otherwise know about.  In addition, colleges report that this type of marketing campaign has helped them to increase diversity on campus across a number of dimensions, such as geography, gender,  and ethnicity. However some critics argue that this may make it too easy for students to apply to college, thereby reducing the amount of time a student actually spends comparing colleges. Ultimately this could lead to a student applying to a college because it is easy, rather than looking for the best fit.

Time will tell if this is a trend that will last beyond the current economic slump. In the meantime, happy college hunting!

Source:  The New York Times, January 25, 2010

Further Reading: College Confidential, US News and World Report, National Association of College Admissions Counselor

January 2010 A+ Newsletter

A+ Test Prep & Tutoring will be offering a free full-length SAT practice exam on Saturday March 6, 2010 at 10:00 AM.

This free session will provide students exposure to a full-length SAT I Reasoning Test in a genuine testing environment.  The exam will be proctored by A+ Tutors.  Essays will be graded by impartial SAT essay graders and a full question-by-question score analysis will be provided.

The exam is being offered at :

Penn Wynne Library

130 Overbrook Parkway

Wynnewood, PA 19096

This test is offered for free to all high school students, and does not require enrollment in any A+ Test Prep & Tutoring program.

Space is limited.  RSVP by March 1st by calling our Jenkintown office at 215-886-9188!

Coming soon in 2010: our newsletter archive will be migrated to our News Blog.  Keep an eye out for new study strategies, developments in education, findings in learning and teaching methodologies, and more.

Let us know what you want to hear about in our next newsletter!

An article that appeared in the December 15, 2009 issue of the The Chronicle of Higher Education, reports on a new study published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest. The study, conducted by four psychologists, Harold Pashler, Mark McDaniel, Doug Rohrer, and Robert Bjork, concludes that there is no evidence to support the commonly held notion that teaching students in their preferred learning styles leads to enhanced learning.

Therefore, according the study’s authors, instructors should not attempt to modify their teaching approach in order to match teaching style to a specific student’s learning style.  However, according to other researchers in the field, the evidence does show that both teaching instructors about different learning styles, and having instructors use a variety of teaching methods catering to different learning styles does contribute to more effective learning outcomes.

Source: Matching Teaching Style to Learning Style May Not Help Students. The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 15, 2009

New Year’s Day is the first day of the year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome (though other dates were also used in Rome). In all countries using the Gregorian calendar, except for Israel, it is a public holiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts. January 1 on the Julian calendar corresponds to January 14 on the Gregorian calendar, and it is on that date that followers of some of the Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the New Year.