Mr. K's College Knowledge

Key Stats: ·           Location : Santa Clara, California (about an hour from San Francisco, and right next to San Jose) ·           Type : Private, Catholic Jesuit University, in a defined campus with a suburban surrounding ·           Size : Just about 5,500 total undergraduates ·           The total  cost of attendance  is just over $64,000 per year, but SCU does offer a good amount of financial aid and merit based scholarships .  Admissions Stats: Santa Clara University is a top ranked university in the country, and is a fairly selective school to get into. Last year, SCU had almost 16,000 applications and accepted about 7,600 students for an acceptance rate of 48%. Their average SAT score range for accepted students is: 1270-1450 and the average ACT score range for accepted ...

As I look out my window at the snow, sleet, and freezing rain pummeling my sidewalk, I am wishing I was back in sunny California, on the top of a hill, looking at the city of San Francisco go on and on towards the ocean. The sky is a vibrant blue, with a slight chill in the breeze. Surrounded by eager college students on the move, I could definitely picture myself here as an undergraduate student at the University of San Francisco. USF has a beautiful and manageable campus with epic views of the Bay Area...with restaurants, shops, museums, and not to mention the countless tech industry companies within walking distance, University of San Francisco seems like an ideal place to study, grow, and prepare for a successful career. Here’s everything you need to know about University of San Francisco , plus my personal perspective below. Key Figures: University of San Francisco was opened in 1855, and was the first university in San Francisco. USF is one of the 28 Jesuit universiti...

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Northern California with about 50 other Jesuit High School, college counselors. We had a wonderful conference, talking about all of the updates in college admissions, and then we visited six colleges and universities (U of Pacific, U of San Francisco, Cal-Berkeley, St. Mary's College, Stanford U, and Santa Clara U). They varied in size, environment, program offerings, and rigor. Usually on big trips like these there are one or two schools that I am not a fan of...not on this trip though, as they were all awesome. I could honestly see many students from the east coast taking the 5 1/2 hour plane ride to either San Francisco or San Jose to any of the six schools I visited. Over the next few weeks, I will try to write about each college and give my feedback...and of course, add some of my pictures! The first school I want to discuss is probably the least well known of the six, University of Pacific, located in Stockton, California. He...

Hey Everyone, I had the pleasure of speaking with a representative from the University of East Anglia yesterday, and it sounds like a great opportunity for students potentially looking to study abroad. University of East Anglia is a medium sized university in the relatively small city of Norwich, England. For many, it can be tough to imagine going to college anywhere but in the United States, but it is important to have an open mind, and consider options outside of the states. For one, it can be CONSIDERABLY cheaper to study abroad, and it is a great opportunity to be immersed in a completely different culture and environment, and students can get some of the best education in countries outside the U.S. Below you will find a few highlights of the University of East Anglia and their website, so take a look, give it some thought, and truly imagine yourself completing your undergraduate years in another part of the world! UEA is located in a quintessential English city, very cozy,...

Hey Everyone, Visiting colleges is the single most important part of the college decision process. It is so important for students (and parents) to get on campus, walk around, see the people, and experience the environment...both physical and social. Whether you are a senior trying to figure out which college is best for you to attend from the ones you were accepted, a junior beginning to visit colleges on your list, or a sophomore/freshmen just beginning to get a taste for college, visiting schools is a must. Almost all colleges allow for visits throughout the school year and summer. When scheduling a college visit, you will want to try to attend an information session and a campus tour. This can be done by going to the college website, and to their admissions page. Most of the time you can select from a set of dates and times that work best for you. Then all you have to do is show-up on time and let the college take care of the rest. You can learn a lot about a school from thei...

For the first time in recent memory, College Board is changing the months that they offer the SATs. Through this year, they have always held the SAT during the months of October, November, December, January, March, May, and June. However, starting this summer, there will be an August 26th SAT for students to take. They will continue offering 7 SAT dates, and will be discontinuing the January SAT . I think this is a great decision by College Board for a couple of reasons. For one, it gives seniors another opportunity at the beginning of the school year to take the SAT before college applications. Also, more importantly, the August date will give seniors more time , and will eliminate the rushed feeling and the anxiety that comes with the fall test dates. Many early application deadlines for colleges are November 1st. For many students, this only leaves them with the early October SAT. While this test date is usually fine for early application deadlines, there is always the worry that...

We are quickly heading towards February, and the college application season has been long, and draining. You most likely have put hours upon hours of your life researching, visiting, contemplating, and applying to colleges. This is a huge decision, and all the hard work will pay off. However, if you are not satisfied with your college list, you do not just have to settle with what you have now. There is still time to search for and apply to colleges across the country. Yes, January 15th was a big day for regular decision deadlines, but there are still hundreds of great colleges and universities that are still accepting applications. If you are not satisfied with your college list, or you have been accepted into a few colleges, but the the financial aid award letter doesn't offer as much as you like, keep looking. There are still a ton of schools that have deadlines in February, March, April, and even some that are rolling admissions and go into the summer. Below I will list a s...