- lesscollegestress
- Oct 16, 2022
The big news this week was the drop in ACT scores:
“This year, the average ACT score was the lowest it’s been since 1991, the organization said in a news release.
And it’s the fifth year in a row that average scores have been going down, ACT CEO Janet Godwin said in a statement.”
Approximately 1.3 million students in the U.S. high school graduating class of 2022 took the ACT test, an estimated 36 percent of graduates nationwide.
The national average Composite score for the graduating class of 2022 is 19.8, down from 20.3 for the graduating class of 2021, the lowest average score since 1991.
Thirty-five percent of the ACT-tested graduating class took the ACT more than once, as compared to 32% for the 2021 cohort.
Thirty-two percent of ACT-tested graduates in the class of 2022 met at least three out of four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks (English, reading, math, and science), while, 42% of students met none ACT College Readiness Benchmarks and 22% met all four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks.
A record number of students in this cohort took the ACT as part of state and district school-day testing—16 states tested more than 75% of their students—providing students the opportunity to earn college-reportable ACT scores by taking the test in their own classrooms during regular school hours on a weekday and allowing states to receive a more clear understanding of how their school districts are performing.
What about the SAT?
The average SAT score also declined for this year’s class, to 1050, out of a maximum 1600. The average for the previous class was 1060. The SAT takes three hours and covers two sections, math and evidence-based reading and writing. Most questions are in a multiple-choice format.
Major changes are coming to the SAT as it is scheduled to move to a shorter, digital format, ditching the paper-and-pencil version at U.S. sites by spring 2024.
The discussion of why scores have dropped is broad…I’ll share some reasons from experts in next week’s blogpost.
- lesscollegestress
- Oct 9, 2022
Hi!! I’m Tori Hoff and I graduated from the University of Miami in May 2021. I double majored in Public Relations and Media Management. I quickly found my passion for TV and entertainment through my classes and UMTV, the University of Miami TV station. I spent my summers during college interning at a public relations firm, a casting agency and doing career development programs with Endeavor and Warner Music Group.
During my final semester at UM, I interned at NBC Universal in the Ad Sales organization with the Digital Account Services department. At this internship, I was able to take on a lot of responsibilities and realized how much more there was to learn about the opportunities that existed within the entertainment industry.
Almost exactly a year ago, I moved to Manhattan and started my full time position at NBC Universal. I am a Project Coordinator with the Creative Partnerships department within Ad Sales. Project Management was not something I knew existed during college but since starting my role, I have found a true passion for it. This job is totally different than what I did during my internship but I aligned closely with the culture at NBCU and was thrilled to return in a more creative role! I work on many different projects from live events to digital ads and can truly say that I learn something new every day. I love working in an environment that thrives off creativity, shared passion and teamwork. When I’m not working, I love to explore the city, spend time with my friends and family, and try new things.
I love my job and know the experiences I had the University
of Miami had a great impact on getting me to where I am today!
- lesscollegestress
- Oct 2, 2022
I am sharing an important email I received from the Wow Writing Workshop this past week. I have completed their essay program along with several others and agree with this message wholeheartedly. Yes–it contradicts what many people believe, even some other essay specialists. However, in my experience, my students who write normal essays and stress less seem to do very well.
I advise students to forego overdone topics (how social media makes them feels inadequate, sports injuries, and how they realize their privilege while doing community service in underserved areas). However, when a student is denied by an unlikely college, the common app essay is not the reason unless it is inappropriate (too boastful or expressing prejudice). And even the above topics can be made more personal if handled in an authentic way!
Shawn Felton, Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Deputy Chief Admissions and Enrollment Officer at Cornell University, said this:
I've been working in college admissions for a few decades. In this time, I've noticed that students spend too much time searching for stories they believe will make them sound different or unique.
Please don't do that. It's a waste of your time. I don't want different. I don't want unique. I just want to know what makes you the person you are. I want to know what matters to you. I want to know what you care about. I want to know what you dream about.
If you want me or any admissions decision maker to notice you, try to worry less about standing out, and focus instead on standing up. There is a preoccupation with being different and unique among college applicants. I get it. The stakes are high, and there are so many applicants to so many schools these days.
But the reality is, most college applicants are much more alike than they are different. The search for something unique to share is a long, windy road going nowhere quickly. Instead, worry less about being unique and just be you and show admissions readers who you are.
This year, I have a few students who will not let their common app essays, and any others, go. My deadline for the main Common App essay is August 1st, which means that students have had roughly 6 weeks to perfect it. The more I can help lower the stakes at this high-stakes time, the calmer my students will be. And calm students write stronger college essays.
