ASCRIBE Educational Consulting

Wondering how to pursue your future dreams and goals?  Debating whether to attend college, prepare for a specific trade/career or enter the world of work?  Confused about what to look for when choosing the college or university that is right for you?  What do you look for…small, liberal arts, urban, suburban, or major university?  What does it take to be admitted?  What do admissions committees look for?  What test scores are needed?  What do I major in?  ASCRIBE Educational Consulting can provide assistance and direction to students and their parents where the student will thrive, be happy, and succeed, regardless of the path they choose.

The village of WE, must concern ourselves with securing successful futures for our youth; because it affects the future of our own well-being.  More importantly, it is essential that we close the educational and employment gaps for minority groups, especially for Hispanics, African Americans and Native Americans.  Thus, it is imperative that we change our thinking and invest in those things that will benefit generations to come.  The investment is priceless and we must embrace the value in all of our kids.

Consider the Following Facts:

•   The baby boomers' babies are creating a boom of their own and there will be over 1,000,000 more students applying for 2009 than did in 1999 with a few additional college spots. That same boom has overburdened high school counselors trying to service classes of seniors - say nothing about juniors, sophomores, or freshman.

• "Students applied to more and more colleges, and many schools received a record number of applications. At the same time, many high-achieving students zeroed in on the same selective institutions. The result: admissions deans and their staffs made hair-splitting decisions and left many students and high school counselors stunned." College News 11/7/2006

•  The college admissions process has significantly changed over the past 20 years, and the level of competition to be admitted into a university has increased over 200% since 1990. Times have changed. Even getting into a smaller, less competitive school can be challenging. The entrance requirements are constantly changing and the number of students applying with top grades is increasing, making it challenging for High School counselors to keep up with the current trends.

•  Outside of purchasing a home, your child’s college education will be the second biggest investment you will make. Applying to and selecting the “right” college can be difficult. Keeping up with the current demands of the application process, the changes in requirements, the additional “recommended” or “suggested” coursework, extra-curricular activities, and exams can make this process very stressful.

• "...the highest black student graduation rate at a historically black college belongs to Spelman College...of At-lanta...78 percent is higher than the black student graduation rate at 12 of the nation’s 53 high-ranking predominantly white colleges and universities referred to earlier. Spelman’s unusual strength shows in the fact that it has a higher black student graduation rate than do such prestigious and primarily white colleges as Bates, Colby, Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Bowdoin, Chapel Hill, and Carnegie Mellon." according to The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.

•   Outside of purchasing a home, your child’s college education will be the second biggest investment you will make. Applying to and selecting the “right” college can be difficult. Keeping up with the current demands of the application process, the changes in requirements, the additional “recommended” or “suggested” coursework, extra-curricular activities, and exams can make this process very stressful.

• "So what's the secret to getting in off the waitlist? Most colleges require students to decide where they want to go by May 1, after which they will re-evaluate the kids they've kept on hold. Given the odds, those who choose to remain on a waitlist should still accept an offer from--and, yes, probably pay a nonrefundable deposit to--another school, lest they have nowhere to attend in the fall." Time, by Jeninne Lee-St. John, April 24, 2008.

• According to Diverse Magazine and authors Borden, Brown, and Pullmann, minority graduation numbers are up for male and female students; as well as, hispanic, native american, and african american students.

• Nationwide, the black student college graduation rate remains at a dismally low 44 percent. But the college completion rate has improved by five percentage points over the past four years. As ever, the overall black-white gap in college graduation rates remains very large at 19 percentage points. But there is improvement in black student college completion rates at many of the nation’s highest-ranked colleges and universities, at state-operated flagship universities, and at a large number of historically black colleges and universities.