What is a Superscore

What is an SAT/ACT Superscore? It is human nature to selectively showcase only our best moments while simultaneously sweeping those that are less flattering out of sight. When serious high school athletes put together highlight reels for recruitment videos, they cherry-pick touchdowns, dunks, or homeruns; not fumbles, air balls, and strikeouts. On social media, people can’t wait to post pictures of engagement rings, new material acquisitions, and flattering selfies—marital disputes, money troubles, and uncomplimentary photos rarely grace one’s newsfeed.College applicants feel much the same way as they present themselves to prospective schools and thanks to the practice of superscoring, they get just that opportunity when submitting standardized test scores.What is superscoring? Understanding the significance of superscoring is best conveyed through a simple example:Johnny takes the SAT for the first time in spring of his junior year, scoring a 610 on the critical reading section and a 550 on t he math section for a total score of 1160. He takes the test again in the fall of his senior year, scoring a 570 in critical reading and a 590 in math for an identical total score of 1160. Johnny scored no better the 2nd  time around which would qualify as a pretty big disappointment, right?Wrong. The vast majority of colleges and universities in the United States will take an applicant’s superscore—that is, their best combined critical reading and math score. This means Johnny now has a 610 reading + 590 math for a total of 1200 making him a more competitive candidate for admission/merit aid at his target schools.Why are colleges so nice?They’re not. Colleges are forever enmeshed in prestige/rankings wars with other comparable institutions. Returning to our friend Johnny, admitting an applicant with a 1200 is better for a school’s perceived selectivity than admitting an applicant with an 1160.It’s no wonder 99% of schools are eager to make their applicants’ test scores look as strong as possible. The list of big-name colleges that does not superscore is fairly short but does include some prominent state institutions such as Penn State, the University of Wisconsin, and Arizona State. Be sure to check out your prospective institutions’ admissions websites for the most up-to-date superscore policies.Is the ACT different?The higher education community was a bit late to the ACT superscore party, but things are now picking up steam. The ACT’s composite score is calculated by averaging together a student’s scores (from 1-36) on English, math, reading, and science. Roughly 100 schools will now average together a student’s highest subtest scores from any administration of the exam, the ACT equivalent of superscoring. Included on this list are elite schools like Duke, Johns Hopkins, Vassar, MIT, and UNC.Remember, the ACT will round up a composite score of 26.5 to a 27, meaning you don’t have to improve very much on any one section to have an ACT superscore potentially receive a 1 point boost.Second (or third) time is a charmStudents typically take the SAT or ACT for the first time in the spring of their junior year. Those who elect to retake the test the following fall improve their overall score by an average of 40 points on the SAT. It makes sense that students would receive a natural boost for two reasons: 1) it’s not their first rodeo, they know the routine, the timing of the test, the format, etc.; and 2) they’ve been exposed to more relevant academic material in the classroom since the last sitting. And these advantages don’t even account for the biggest difference of all—you have an entire summer to learn the secrets of the SAT/ACT backward and forward.Remember, you only have to improve one section of either exam to improve your standing as an applicant.An aid to merit aid Even if you already sport scores that put you in good shape to be granted acceptance at the schools to which you will be applying, there is still a compelling reason to sit for the ACT/SAT one more time. Standardized test scores play a huge role in determining which applicants receive offers of merit aid. Remember, the point of non-need based merit aid from an institutional standpoint is to offer enough of a discount to attract top talented students.There are two metrics that will clue you in on  your chances of scoring merit aid at a given college or university. The first is the percentage of students that receive merit aid, numbers which are readily accessible online. The second is to look at the 75th percentile of SAT/ACT scores for accepted students, also easy to track down online or in literally any college guidebook. If your score falls at or above that number and a given school is known for being relatively generous with merit aid, chances are you will get a substantial offer.Bottom LineThe superscore is your friend and an overwhelmin g percentage of schools utilize this tool for the SAT and a growing number will do so for the ACT as well. Understanding the superscore should provide inspiration to take whichever test you choose two to three times. Doing so can make you more competitive from an admissions and merit aid standpoint. After all, the more selfies you snap, the better chance you’ll stumble upon that â€Å"perfect† profile pic.

Increasing Population of Students Essay - 275 Words

Increasing Population of Students (Dissertation Introduction Sample) Content: 1.1 Background To The Study .In the advent of increasing population of students in tertiary education around the globe student accommodation has become one otf the serious problems faced by tertiary institutions in developing countries context (Sharma, 2012), (Centre for Global Education, 2002). In many countries, especially in developing countries, the governments have been the main provider of student accommodation for public tertiary institutions. As a result of limited government resources, governments in developing countries are unable to sufficiently meet the accommodation demand for all public higher institutions.In Kenya Higher education enrolments have been rising by around 40% annually for the past five years, while real subsidies have increased by 4% to 5% over the period. According to government figures, the number of students in public universities was 143,000 last year, up from 101,000 the previous year .Educationists have warned that absorbing a much larger number of students would backfire if not accompanied by a commensurate rise in funding to enable institutions to expand educational and boarding infrastructure and hire extra tutors. Numerous studies have attempted to study the impact of high population on academic performance however studies on the impact of high population on quality of accommodation are unknown.Numerous scientific papers have already attempted to define quality, and most of the authors agree that it is not possible to arrive at a correct and unambiguous definition (Macukow, 2000). However, following are number of common quality definitions: "the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements (ISO 9000: 2005); "Conformance to requirements" (Crosby, 1979); "Fitness for Useà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , (Juran and Gryna, 1988); "the total composite product and service characteristics of marketing" (Feigenbaum); "a predictability degree of uniformity and dependability at low cost and suited to the market" (Deming, 1986); Value to some person (Weinberg, 1994). "the characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , American Society of Quality; "Products and services that meet or exceed customers' expectations", (Kano, 1884). Japanese companies find the old suggestion of quality, "the degree of conformance to a standardà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , too narrow and, consequently, have started to use a new definition of quality of "customer satisfaction" (Wayne, 1983). Basic parameters of quality were grouped into three areas: quality of design; quality of conformance; and quality of performance (Wildrick et al, 2002). Quality is multi-dimensional concept and different definitions are appropriate under different circumstances (Viswanadhan, 2006). Harvey and Knight (1996) stated that Quality can be viewedas exceptional, as perfection (or consistency), as fitness for purpose, asvalue for money and as transformative.1.1.1 The concep t of populationThe negative (Malthusian) perception of population growth is well represented in the literature, see Meadows et al (1972) and Ehrlich (1990). Similarly in neoclassical growth and capital resource models, population growth is not favorable for development. The Malthusian theory categorically states that population grows at a geometrical rate while resources grow at an arithmetical rates see Thomas Malthus (1798).1.1.2 Maseno UniversityMaseno University is a university based in Maseno , near Kisumu , It is a fully government accredited university, enacted by an Act of Parliament in 1991. In 2000 Maseno University was enacted to be a fully fledged university. It is one of the seven public universities in KenyaIt has over ten thousand students pursuing various programs offered in the University's campuses. The university is in Maseno Township along Kisumu-Busia road, some 25 km from Kisumu City and 400 km west of Nairobi. It has two campuses: the Kisumu and the main camp us. The main campus is along Kisumu-Busia road, while the Kisumu campus is located in Kisumu City.The quantity and distribution of population of students in maseno university affects the demand for quality services. Thus, in order to respond to and plan for future populations of students, the general plan, including the framework and accommodation elements carried out by maseno university include forecasts of the s... Increasing Population of Students Essay - 275 Words Increasing Population of Students (Dissertation Introduction Sample) Content: 1.1 Background To The Study .In the advent of increasing population of students in tertiary education around the globe student accommodation has become one otf the serious problems faced by tertiary institutions in developing countries context (Sharma, 2012), (Centre for Global Education, 2002). In many countries, especially in developing countries, the governments have been the main provider of student accommodation for public tertiary institutions. As a result of limited government resources, governments in developing countries are unable to sufficiently meet the accommodation demand for all public higher institutions.In Kenya Higher education enrolments have been rising by around 40% annually for the past five years, while real subsidies have increased by 4% to 5% over the period. According to government figures, the number of students in public universities was 143,000 last year, up from 101,000 the previous year .Educationists have warned that absorbing a much larger number of students would backfire if not accompanied by a commensurate rise in funding to enable institutions to expand educational and boarding infrastructure and hire extra tutors. Numerous studies have attempted to study the impact of high population on academic performance however studies on the impact of high population on quality of accommodation are unknown.Numerous scientific papers have already attempted to define quality, and most of the authors agree that it is not possible to arrive at a correct and unambiguous definition (Macukow, 2000). However, following are number of common quality definitions: "the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements (ISO 9000: 2005); "Conformance to requirements" (Crosby, 1979); "Fitness for Useà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , (Juran and Gryna, 1988); "the total composite product and service characteristics of marketing" (Feigenbaum); "a predictability degree of uniformity and dependability at low cost and suited to the market" (Deming, 1986); Value to some person (Weinberg, 1994). "the characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , American Society of Quality; "Products and services that meet or exceed customers' expectations", (Kano, 1884). Japanese companies find the old suggestion of quality, "the degree of conformance to a standardà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , too narrow and, consequently, have started to use a new definition of quality of "customer satisfaction" (Wayne, 1983). Basic parameters of quality were grouped into three areas: quality of design; quality of conformance; and quality of performance (Wildrick et al, 2002). Quality is multi-dimensional concept and different definitions are appropriate under different circumstances (Viswanadhan, 2006). Harvey and Knight (1996) stated that Quality can be viewedas exceptional, as perfection (or consistency), as fitness for purpose, asvalue for money and as transformative.1.1.1 The concep t of populationThe negative (Malthusian) perception of population growth is well represented in the literature, see Meadows et al (1972) and Ehrlich (1990). Similarly in neoclassical growth and capital resource models, population growth is not favorable for development. The Malthusian theory categorically states that population grows at a geometrical rate while resources grow at an arithmetical rates see Thomas Malthus (1798).1.1.2 Maseno UniversityMaseno University is a university based in Maseno , near Kisumu , It is a fully government accredited university, enacted by an Act of Parliament in 1991. In 2000 Maseno University was enacted to be a fully fledged university. It is one of the seven public universities in KenyaIt has over ten thousand students pursuing various programs offered in the University's campuses. The university is in Maseno Township along Kisumu-Busia road, some 25 km from Kisumu City and 400 km west of Nairobi. It has two campuses: the Kisumu and the main camp us. The main campus is along Kisumu-Busia road, while the Kisumu campus is located in Kisumu City.The quantity and distribution of population of students in maseno university affects the demand for quality services. Thus, in order to respond to and plan for future populations of students, the general plan, including the framework and accommodation elements carried out by maseno university include forecasts of the s...