The Carnival of College Admissions NEVER CEASES to AMAZE

Sure, that headline might sound a little PT Barnum, but...well, it is a carnival, so...

Where else can you find out about the following:

Mark Montgomery is an independent college consultant (or "college coach") in Colorado, but his global experience will take him to Hong Kong next month (where he once lived) to speak on admissions. We like Mark a lot and he hosts this edition of the carnival, so here's a link to his blog. We've already asked him to send photos and even video from his HK trip.

In a post from an expert on finding a college from a Middle Eastern perspective, Wassan Hamadi argues that it’s time for students to make better informed financial decisions about their education. Options abound - 4-year schools that aren't common names, or community colleges that deliver phenomenal dollar values and serve as bridges to 4-year schools. Here's the link to the Al Jamiat blog.

U Sphere is fast becoming friends with the folks at the University of New Haven and their admissions guru is Gil Rogers. He's got a great post entitled PLEASE READ THIS and there's some really good stuff about FAFSA codes and filling out forms. The minutiae that, well, is part of getting in.

Test Prep? There's some info about that, too. From the SAT and ACT guru, Elizabeth, whose elizabethonline won't let you down. Spell check be darned! (She explains.)

It's chock full -- students, parents, kids who don't know where they're going yet, guidance counselors and more. You'll like.

Highlights from Sunday Night Stickam Web Chat (1/25)

Hey gang,

If you missed it last night, here are some highlights -- first, what the University of New Haven has to say about the modern college admissions and college search process:

usphere: okay, here's a question about using the internet and recruiting students -- how have new tools (like Twitter, for instance) changed your job? and changed perceptions that kids have about colleges?
unewhaven: I will answer that in two chunks ... first about new tools

Tools like Twitter, amongst other social networking sites and programs have made my job a constant (in a good way). I am constantly connected to students and available to communiate with them throughout their entire admission process.

That makes the process more personal, which is great

This has broken down the perception of "the scary admissions office" and made it easier for prospective students to meet us, connect with us, and interact with us.

usphere: let's shift gears - give us a feel for the kind of student you're looking for?

unewhaven: We have a holistic approach to when we review an application ... we are NOT just looking for the 4.0 GPA with a perfect SAT score ... but we are also very interested in students who are well rounded, involved, and want to make a difference.

So when we review an application, we don't just look at the transcript ... but we look at the content of that transcript

we look at the trends of the scores in courses

we read the letters of recommendation for cues from instructors about a students effort and ability

usphere: by trends, you mean if a student started out as a freshman getting b's then started getting a's later on, that's good?

and of course, we offer students the opportunity to interview and speak with an admissions officer

What does this mean for students? Well, for starters, there's probably a University of New Haven near you -- a school you may not have thought of but one that's out there looking for great kids. And they're doing it electronically, too. Get your stuff together and start searching. The right college for you may be out there. Or in here (take a look at our College Finder).

Another Edition of Sunday Night Stickam - January 25 at 9pm Eastern

uSphere is pleased to announce another edition of Sunday Night Stickam - this week, Sunday, January 25, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time (in the US).

This week, we've confirmed the University of New Haven joining us for a web chat; last week we had a guest from Millikin University in Decatur, IL.

We're working on more folks, too -- college admissions consultants and recruiters are welcome to contact us to get on board.

(For Sunday, February 1, we will switch the time -- so that it's Sunday Night in another part of the world. Since that is the day of Super Bowl XLIII, which is sortof a big deal.)

The great thing about the event -- no more than one hour total, and you can come and go as you please...

Hope to chat with you then!