Blogs - 32/115 - Merit Educational Consultants

Although high school counselors often recommend that students attend a community college and transfer into a 4-year university, the odds of getting into an elite or top institution are slim. Princeton hasn’t accept any transfer students for decades and selective universities like Stanford’s transfer acceptance rate is only 1% (freshman admit rate is 5%).  The story isn’t much different for Harvard.

This news comes on the heels of the college admissions scandals where wealthy students receive extra tutoring to ace the SATs or ACTS, engage in competitive sports with private training to stand out (or be photoshopped into photos to appear to stand out), and can buy buildings on campuses to ensure admission. The economic reality is that many students attend community colleges because it reduces the cost of their overall tuition by half.

Almost half of all college students start their college education as a community college, but only 5% of students who graduate from elite colleges started at a community college. According to the Jack Kent Foundation, community college students who enroll in 4-year colleges DO succeed. These students are more likely to be from underrepresented minority groups, low-income families, and/or the U.S. military.

Elite universities have a history of NOT admitting minority, low-income, or veterans in their incoming transfer student classes. Generally speaking, they admit about 86% of their students as freshmen, 9% from 4-year universities, and about 5% from community colleges. The numbers change slightly with less competitive colleges: 63% of their students as freshmen, 16% from 4-year universities, and about 21% from community colleges.

The University of California prides itself on admitting California transfer community college students before 4-year state colleges. Last year, they admitted over 28,000 transfer students and a majority of them were from California community colleges. Because these students and their families are California tax payers, the UC Regents gives Californians the advantage in transfers to their 10 UC campuses.

To be a competitive community college transfer student, consider doing a project.  This will give you the opportunity to stand out among the competition and land you one of the coveted admissions offers. 

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October 12, 2019

Community College Transfers Don’t Get Into Top Colleges

Although high school counselors often recommend that students attend a community college and transfer into a 4-year university, the odds of getting into an elite or top institution are slim. Princeton hasn’t accept any transfer students for decades and selective universities like Stanford’s transfer acceptance rate is only 1% (freshman admit rate is 5%).  The story isn’t much different for Harvard.

This news comes on the heels of the college admissions scandals where wealthy students receive extra tutoring to ace the SATs or ACTS, engage in competitive sports with private training to stand out (or be photoshopped into photos to appear to stand out), and can buy buildings on campuses to ensure admission. The economic reality is that many students attend community colleges because it reduces the cost of their overall tuition by half.

Almost half of all college students start their college education as a community college, but only 5% of students who graduate from elite colleges started at a community college. According to the Jack Kent Foundation, community college students who enroll in 4-year colleges DO succeed. These students are more likely to be from underrepresented minority groups, low-income families, and/or the U.S. military.

Elite universities have a history of NOT admitting minority, low-income, or veterans in their incoming transfer student classes. Generally speaking, they admit about 86% of their students as freshmen, 9% from 4-year universities, and about 5% from community colleges. The numbers change slightly with less competitive colleges: 63% of their students as freshmen, 16% from 4-year universities, and about 21% from community colleges.

The University of California prides itself on admitting California transfer community college students before 4-year state colleges. Last year, they admitted over 28,000 transfer students and a majority of them were from California community colleges. Because these students and their families are California tax payers, the UC Regents gives Californians the advantage in transfers to their 10 UC campuses.

To be a competitive community college transfer student, consider doing a project.  This will give you the opportunity to stand out among the competition and land you one of the coveted admissions offers. 

[Source]

October 9, 2019

Serial Rapists on College Campuses

What do frat brothers and priests have in common?  They’re both protected from prosecution for rape.

Rape is rape, and rapists should be put behind bars to protect others. Period. Just because most college rapists belong to fraternities or athletic teams does not give them a pass.  This isn’t the “good-ol’-boys club” where with a wink and a nod the administration excuses them because “boys will be boys.”

If colleges offered bystander training to fraternities and athletic teams, frat brothers and team members could stop sexual violence and potentially prevent rape from occurring in the first place. Students need to understand that we expect them to promote respect and healthy relationships.  I believe that this culture can change with more awareness about sexual violence on college campuses.

A recent study found that 46% of college rapists admitted to raping more than 10 times. In the real world, they would be serial rapists.  Because most rapes take place at the hands of a small percentage of the student body, the administration should expel them. This would send a clear message that rape is serious and that perpetrators will be prosecuted.

The Greek society has its place in the college culture but fraternities should not be allowed to harbor a few psychopaths with a history of raping women. Instead, the administration should find these bad apples and remove them so that Greek life – and student life — can prosper.

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October 8, 2019

Susan Interviewed about Project Merit Book on iHeartRadio’s “Philadelphia Community” Show!

Susan is spreading the news about ProjectMerit and the book Beat the College Admissions Game with ProjectMerit!  Her latest interview is with Loraine Ballard Morrill of the Philadelphia Community show.  The interview is an excellent way to spend a few minutes and is available here:

[Listen]

October 1, 2019

Working Together to Reduce the Impact of the Coming Climate Crisis

As California Mother of the Year, I’m creating easy and doable things that everyone can do to mitigate the acceleration of the impending climate crisis. 

My clients are doing incredible projects that will reduce CO2, increase oxygen, clean water, reduce plastic waste, and more. I am also pulling together brilliant people who want to work with us to guide my students and layout step-by-step solutions to change the trajectory of this crisis.

Want to join us? It’s exhilarating and rewarding – I find it’s the best way to personally deal with the onslaught of corruption, deception, and lies that have caused this hot mess we’re in.  Please get in touch with me and let’s do this!

October 1, 2019

Susan Interviewed about Project Merit Book on KFRU’s “Columbia Morning”!

Susan is spreading the news about ProjectMerit and the book Beat the College Admissions Game with ProjectMerit!  Her latest interview is with David Lile of KFRU!  The interview is an excellent way to spend a few minutes and is available here:



September 27, 2019

Changing the Date for Trick or Treating

Back in 2000, Jaclyn campaigned to move trick or treating to the Saturday before Halloween (Oct 31st). She wanted to be able to spend the day getting her costume ready, carving pumpkins, and then trick or treating with her friends until she reached the last house with lights on! Knowing that she had school the next day bothered her because she wanted to sort and trade candies with her sister and friends after trick or treating, and then sleep in the following day. 

Jaclyn reached out to local dentists, doctors, and assemblymen to get their endorsements.  She has a scrapbook full of these letters. After hearing that Halloween is not a national holiday but instead a social holiday so there are no laws to pass, Jaclyn rallied her friends to join her on the Saturday before October 31st.

At 12 years old, Jaclyn made fliers and posted them in her favorite neighborhoods so everyone would be prepared to pass out candy before Halloween. She was surprised how receptive people were to her idea and they indeed were there to pass out candy when she trick or treated on the Saturday before.

Almost 20 years later, Jaclyn’s idea is gaining traction.  The Halloween and Costume Association has started a petition and has almost 100,000 signatures so far. They claim that the date change to the Saturday before Halloween will be safer and stress free. Over 60% of children don’t carry a flashlight, which makes them twice as likely to be hit by car on Halloween night.

[Source]

September 27, 2019

Anti-Vaxer Ignorance: Video

When we face end-of-civilization (as we know it) hurdles that we need to solve, it baffles me that anti-vaxers are actively destroying herd ammunity and bringing back deadly diseases that we have irradicated! Really? We don’t have time, money, or stamina to deal with unnecessary outbreaks of measles, mumps, and other diseases.

Anti-vaxers’ ignorance (inability to read scientific proof and evidence) is fueled in social media with claims from misinformed people (and even professionals) with unethical motives.

My daughter (an ER doctor) and many of her colleagues get comic relief from ZDoggMD… (also a doctor) whose hysterical videos state the facts. Watch this:

September 24, 2019

New Podcast: TEDx Reflections

In this short podcast, Rob and I reflect on the recently concluded TEDxMeritAcademy on Sunday 9/15. 

You can check out bios of the speakers and see photos (up soon) of the event at tedxmeritacademy.com!

September 20, 2019

Dog Personalities Match Their Owners

One of my favorite parts of “101 Dalmatians” is the scene with dog owners walking their dogs – illustrating how common it is that pet owners choose pets who look like them. I’ve mused about that and have been known to snap photos when I see people with their “twin” dogs.

According to William Chopik, a social psychologist at Michigan State, dog owners and their pets actually share personalities, too. A highly agreeable person is twice as likely to have an agreeable dog – one that is more active and excitable — than an aggressive person. So conscientious people have well behaved dogs, neurotic owners have fearful dogs, and relaxed people have chill dogs?

This makes sense because first you choose and then train your dog. Naturally, your dog is going to pick up on your personality traits. So now I’m going to look at both physical and personality similarities when I see dogs and their owners. 

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September 20, 2019

Endowment = Bribery

Let’s face it, when donors endow coaches, their children get into highly selective colleges. Endowment=Bribery. The recent college admissions scandal just exposed the sloppy and desperate parents who went overboard to cheat and bribe coaches and admissions officers. But we need to stop looking away and deal with the elephant in the room. College admissions officers collude with coaches as they consider which students to admit every year.

According to Michael Dannenberg at the think tank Education Reform Now, wrote:

“Yale should recognize just how complicit it is in a corrupt admissions system. Yale and other elite schools implicated in the national college admission scandal want to portray themselves as victims, but really they’re co-conspirators. These implicit quid pro quo arrangements and tilted playing field admissions policies like the legacy preference and early decision don’t reward achievement, don’t promote diversity and are profoundly unfair. If just one member of Congress would force a vote on this issue, we could clean up a lot of the underlying corruption in elite college admissions.”

Student athletes need to have academic skills that are comparable to other students. When student athletes take precious seats that other students could have filled, it’s not fair. I remember one of my students commenting on how she could take classes with the Stanford jocks to get an easy A because they had tutors and took their exams in hotels while traveling for games. Let’s make college about learning with peers who all got in based on their own merits.

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