June 2005
Dear Rising Senior and
Family,
We hope that this letter
finds you and your family enjoying a well-deserved break from the
pace of the academic year and that your summer plans will include
some time for personal renewal, as well as for a few visits to colleges,
of course. Enclosed in this mailing are several important pieces
of information that we hope you will find helpful as your family
prepares more fully for the formal college application process.
The first piece is a “working
list” of colleges and/or universities for your further consideration.
It includes both schools that we have previously discussed as well
as others that we believe are worthy of your consideration. The list
is just a starting point, and by no means is it an attempt to try
to define you. As the months progress, we fully expect that you may
drop some from the list and add new interests, and that’s fine.
Your goal between now and the time when applications are submitted
should be to research as many of these schools as possible to assess
their appropriateness in terms of size, type, location, program,
and admissions selectivity.
The next piece is a
statistical report of applications and acceptances by GPA ranges
for colleges and universities where at least ten or more MBA students
have chosen to apply over the last three years. On the reverse of
the page is a summary of the college choices made by this year’s
senior class. One listing shows the choices within GPA ranges, and
the other listing shows the choices by overall strength of program.
This data can be used as a guide to help build a balanced list of
colleges to which each student will ultimately apply. Your final
selections should include at least several schools where it appears
obvious that your academic record is stronger than or equal to the
majority of previously admitted students. Upon your return to school,
we will work together to finalize your choices and refine them, if
needed, to assure your prospects of gaining admission to several
schools.
Thirdly, please find
a sheet of instructions that describes for students and families
how to gain access to our new college information and application
tracking system: TCCI Naviance and The Family Connection. Among other
things this program, which is internet-based, will allow students
and parents to: 1) research colleges, 2) add or delete prospective
schools, 3) view the admissions history of a particular school, 4)
learn about upcoming college visits to our campus, and 5) see how
an individual student’s record and chances for admission may
compare with previous applicants from MBA. The program includes an
on-line tutorial to help you get started, but please know that we
would be happy to work with you on an individual basis to instruct
you on how to make the best use of this new tool.
Parents: A part of the Family Connection in the
TCCI Naviance system is an on-line questionnaire that we would like
you to complete. It’s an important information-gathering document
from which we hope to gain your personal insights and perspectives
about your son. The commentary you provide will be used
as we prepare to write the official school recommendation that will
accompany virtually every application. Should you prefer a different
format, a paper version of this form can be provided upon request. We ask that you complete the survey no
later than September 1st.
Finally, we have enclosed
two other important pieces of information. The first is an unofficial
copy of your transcript which includes your cumulative GPA. Please
review it carefully and contact us if you find any errors. The second
is a listing of the SAT and ACT testing dates and registration deadlines for
2005-2006. Our offices will be open on a reduced schedule through
June, July, and early August; we encourage you to be in touch with
us throughout the summer should questions or concerns arise, and
we invite you to contact us by phone or email for advice or to arrange
a mutually convenient time for a personal meeting.
Have a great summer!
