{"557291":{"#nid":"557291","#data":{"type":"news","title":"What\u2019s Next for College Admissions?","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhile there\u2019s never a slow time for college admissions, the cycle is about to pick up as a new crop of high school seniors work on their applications and think about where they\u2019ll be next fall.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERick Clark, director of undergraduate admission at Georgia Tech, said there are several changes that will affect the class of 2021 and beyond. Here are a few trends he\u2019s keeping a close eye on:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPrior-Prior Year\u003C\/strong\u003E. Starting this fall the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be available earlier, now in October as opposed to January. And the forms will now use tax information from two years ago, known as Prior-Prior Year, as opposed to just the previous year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhy does this matter? The change will enable students and families to file FAFSA earlier and receive federal aid eligibility information sooner in the college application process. Currently, financial aid information doesn\u2019t become available until students and their families are nearing college decision deadline dates. While the schedule for Georgia Tech\u2019s financial packages will not alter this year, the new rules will allow families applying to many schools nationally to receive their financial aid information earlier in the process, which Clark said will allow for more thorough and informed discussions about where to attend college. While the changes start this year, Clark said it will take a couple of years before we see the full impact across the higher education landscape.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEvery individual family handles things differently, but I think that for the majority of people this is a very good thing,\u201d Clark said. \u201cYou will have more complete information on the table earlier and be able to rule in and rule out some places. I\u2019m for anything we can do to eliminate some of the stress and anxiety over deciding where to go to college.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EContinued conversations concerning Turning the Tide\u003C\/strong\u003E. This report, released by Harvard University, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/pwp.gatech.edu\/admission-blog\/2016\/04\/24\/ice-cream-is-the-answer\/\u0022\u003Ecalls on colleges\u003C\/a\u003E to attempt to reduce application angst by not putting as much emphasis on test scores, redefining achievement and promoting meaningful contributions to the public good.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt is forcing people in admission to think differently and strongly consider what\u2019s on their applications and how they are training their staff to review applications,\u201d Clark said. \u201cThese outside reports put colleges in the healthy position where we are asking good questions about how we can refine and improve the process.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, Georgia Tech changed one of its supplemental questions on the Common Application to line up with the Institute\u2019s motto of progress and service as it relates to how applicants are within their families.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new prompt is: \u003Cem\u003ETech\u2019s motto is Progress and Service. We find that students who ultimately have a broad impact first had a significant one at home. What is your role in your immediate or extended family? And have you seen evidence of your impact on them?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe idea is to communicate to students that impact is not only achieved through playing sports or involvement in clubs, etc.,\u201d Clark said. \u201cWe care about your relationships, character, and who you are in your family. These are indicators of your fit for Georgia Tech.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChanges to the ACT and SAT\u003C\/strong\u003E. The two major college entrance exams \u2013 the ACT and SAT \u2013 have both gone through major changes, and students who are the first to take the revamped exams are stressed over how these new tests will impact admission decisions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudents, and their families, need to remember that colleges aren\u2019t changing how they use these scores, Clark said. The scores are just one of many factors considered during the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Id8ruqd470o\u0022\u003Eholistic review of applications\u003C\/a\u003E, he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI know people don\u2019t like change, and being the first to do something is scary,\u201d Clark said. \u201cBut I\u2019m looking forward to getting an admission cycle under our belt with these changes so students will see they are being admitted and that this is not something they have to be worried about.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce colleges start releasing admission decisions in December, the tension and anxiety surrounding both entrance exams will begin to subside, Clark said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStatewide tour\u003C\/strong\u003E. Part of Georgia Tech\u2019s mission as a public university is to serve the state and help produce a more educated workforce and a stronger economy. Later this month, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University and University of Georgia will kick off the annual \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.peachstatetour.org\u0022\u003EPeach State Tour\u003C\/a\u003E information sessions to meet with high school counselors, students and parents.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u2019s program is bigger than ever. Georgia State was added to the tour, and the three colleges will hold information sessions in 23 different towns and cities, nearly double what was done last year. This means Georgia Tech\u2019s admission team will be within 50 miles of every Georgian.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019m excited to travel across the state and meet with counselors, principals, students and families in communities to develop relationships that will last years,\u201d Clark said. \u201cWe want the best students in our state to strongly consider some of Georgia\u2019s research institutions. We will not only talk about the opportunities at our three premier universities, but we will also answer questions in general about the college admission process.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn Tuesday, Aug. 2, Clark and admission directors from five other colleges across the country will share their thoughts about these issues and other changes and challenges in the admission process.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs Georgia Tech prepares for another admissions cycle, Director of Undergraduate Admission Rick Clark shares what trends and changes are on the horizon. On Tuesday, Aug. 2, Clark and admission directors from five other colleges across the country will share their thoughts about changes and challenges in the admission process.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"As Georgia Tech prepares for another admissions cycle, Director of Undergraduate Admission Rick Clark shares what trends and changes are on the horizon."}],"uid":"27918","created_gmt":"2016-08-01 13:13:10","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:22:12","author":"Laura Diamond","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-08-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"557321":{"id":"557321","type":"image","title":"Rick Clark","body":null,"created":"1470071850","gmt_created":"2016-08-01 17:17:30","changed":"1475895358","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:58","alt":"Rick Clark","file":{"fid":"206676","name":"rick_clark.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rick_clark.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rick_clark.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":21325,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/rick_clark.jpg?itok=4qQwyKr0"}}},"media_ids":["557321"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/pwp.gatech.edu\/admission-blog\/","title":"Georgia Tech Admission Blog"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1572","name":"FAFSA"},{"id":"14031","name":"Freshman Class"},{"id":"170545","name":"media roundtable"},{"id":"27271","name":"Rick Clark"},{"id":"172221","name":"SAT"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura Diamond\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E@LauraRDiamond\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.diamond@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}