Hott off the Press

A blog about college insights and more.


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Syracuse “embraces concept of disabilities as diversity”

By Karen Hott, February 2022
Syracuse University has a strong support system for students with learning differences. Staff point out that students transitioning from high school to college should expect to find differences in student responsibilities, parent roles, types of accommodations, and teacher engagement. However, landing at Syracuse might be softer than landing at a school that provides only what the law requires. If you’re
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Harvey Mudd combines liberal arts, STEM

By Karen Hott, December 2021
Harvey Mudd College is the STEM school of the five undergraduates schools within the Claremont Colleges, joining Pitzer, Scripps, Claremont McKenna, and Pomona. These schools, plus two graduate institutes, lie within a square mile 35 miles east of Los Angeles. With about 6,000 undergraduates among them, the Claremont Colleges share 2,000 courses for cross-registration and run the same schedule. In
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Test-Optional at Emory, Rhodes, and UNC

By Karen Hott, December 2021
The bottom lines:  1. Be careful about the conclusions you draw from numbers showing that a greater percentage of admitted students submitted test scores. Test scores often correlate to achievement in the classroom, so those with high scores most often have high GPAs in rigorous classes. 2. Test scores don’t drive admissions decisions.  3. Private schools have more latitude in
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Guide to Paying for College

By Karen Hott, December 2021
College Essay Guy The College Essay Guy, Ethan Sawyer, collaborated with financial aid expert Jeff Levy and others to put together this simple guide to paying for college. Check it out at the link below: https://www.collegeessayguy.com/paying-for-college/home
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: collaborative, interdisciplinary

By Karen Hott, November 2021
The RPI Open House Nov. 14 conveyed the strength and flexibility of its programs. Rensselaer, in Troy, New York, comprises six schools: Engineering; Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences; the Lally School of Management; the School of Science; and Information Technology and Web Sciences. Apply by December 1 to receive $5,000 added to your financial aid package if you’re admitted.  Rensselaer
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Is this a good school?

By Karen Hott, October 2021
Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions for the highly selective Georgia Tech, always writes an engaging blog, but this one is a gem! I love the photo of his daughter. On Sunday after lunch, I was watching college football highlights, when the back-and-forth battle in Happy Valley between the University of Illinois and Penn State came on. At the time,
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SAT/ACT dealt blows from UC, NCAA

By Karen Hott, October 2021
From The Chronicle of Higher Education Reporter’s Notebook: The weakening grip of standardized tests. From our Eric Hoover: Since March 2020, I’ve written more articles about standardized testing than about anything else in the admissions realm. After all, the pandemic forced many colleges to rethink their longstanding reliance on the ACT and SAT — and the human toll of requiring high-stakes exams. No, college-entrance
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Bryant U. combines business with liberal arts

By Karen Hott, September 2021
Transcript from PCACAC StriveScan college fair, Sept. 20, 2021 Bryant University has a long history dating all the way back to 1863. Our original campus was in downtown Providence, right where the campus of Brown University sits today, and then the early 1970s we moved our campus right up the road to Smithfield, Rhode Island. Earl Tupper, who was the
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Salve Regina: working toward harmony

By Karen Hott, September 2021
Transcript from PCACAC StriveScan Sept. 19, 2021 My name is Christina Bertie and I am the Senior Associate Dean of Admissions at Salve Regina University. This is a picture of our campus. We are located in Newport, Rhode Island. So literally on an island surrounded by water, in an incredible historic district of the city. Salve has a very unique
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RIT combines STEM and arts

By Karen Hott, September 2021
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) (NY) mamadm@rit.edu Mariah Giardino Transcript from PCACAC StriveScan Sept. 19, 2021 My name is Maria McLean Guardino. I’m Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Rochester Institute of Technology. Alrighty, so we are located in upstate New York, just outside the city of Rochester. I am the admissions counselor for all students in the Mid Atlantic