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Finding the right pre-college summer program

April 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

What comes to mind when you think of summer? Summer job? Fun in the sun? Travel? How about college preparation? And did you know that colleges will take note of how you have used your summers as an indication of your educational preparation?

Working at a summer job can certainly help you save money for college and provide adult mentors, but think about investing some time at a summer program on a college campus. Many are free or low cost, with scholarship options. The right choice can help you learn what it’s like to be in college, where your career interests can lead you, and how to connect with more people who can help you in the college process.
Find a program that fits your academic area of interest or just narrow down the list of things that seem of interest.
  • Many colleges and universities host summer programs for high school students. Finding a program on a college campus will expose you to the college experience and help orient you for college life.
  • Ask your local college or university about the programs they offer. Or, if you know what college you might want to attend after high school, look there.
  • Many programs are associated with some type of cost, so be mindful of that. If cost is a concern, ask the program if they have financial aid or fee waivers. And also be aware that there are free summer programs out there.
  • Registration deadlines are extremely important. Some programs accept every student who applies, and some are very selective. The best way to ensure your selection is to apply early. Make sure all necessary documentation is in your application so that it can be processed and so that you can be considered for the program of your choice.

What are you hoping to get out of your pre-college program?

This is a basic one, but it’s absolutely crucial to answer before you can really narrow down any of your choices from a college summer programs search. It’s important to determine if what you’re looking for is an experience of life on your own, or academic opportunities, or an experience of a new location, or anything else. You can read more about pre-college summer programs.

Answering this question is not going to mean that you shouldn’t look at the other traits or qualities of potential pre-college programs. But it does mean that in your search for college summer programs, you’ll have an idea of what the most important criterion is for you. If you want to go to a new place, a new location, somewhere you’ve never been before, then you’ll know not to pick some place to which you’ve traveled previously. If you want to know what life is like on your own, then you’ll know not to pick some place very close to home. If you want to go somewhere to further your own academic interests, then you’ll know to be certain that the program you choose is providing courses or academic opportunities in your subject.

What’s the duration of the pre-college program?

Another simple one, right? Well, maybe not. See, there are going to be all manner of pre-college programs available to you to choose from, and the duration of those programs is going to change your own experience. If you’re there for 3 weeks, that’s going to be entirely different from being there for 12 weeks. What’s more, if you’re at any one of the college summer programs that interest you for a relatively short amount of time, then it may be possible for you to attend more than one of those college summer programs to get an even more varied experience.

Chances are, this question is going to be most important in light of the prior question. If you’re looking into pre-college programs for an experience of life on your own, then you may want a longer program, to get your feet under you and really get a taste for that flavor of life. If you want to see some new places, or experience what life is like across different college campuses, then chances are you’ll want to go to a number of different college summer programs if you can. If you want academic opportunities, then a single, longer program which has excellent offerings may be right for you.

Regardless, though, the length of the pre-college programs you’re looking at is going to have a significant impact on whether or not you feel they’re right for you.

What’s the cost of these pre-college programs?

Chances are that if you’re a student, then you’re not going to be paying for your pre-college programs yourself, straight out of your own pocket. There’ll be exceptions of course, and for those students who are paying for any pre-college programs, the cost is going to be even more important. But even if your parents are willing to pay for the college summer programs you might choose to attend, or if you managed to get some kind of scholarship, the cost is still going to be very important to your overall choices.

You’re going to want to know the costs of living in the area, the costs of food, and the costs of anything else you might choose to do, be that traveling, participating in activities, or anything. Keep in mind that some cities will host college summer programs with significantly greater expenses than might others. Rural college summer programs especially should have a low cost.

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College Admissions 101: What your student needs to know

March 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

It’s not your parents’ college search. Way back in the days of yore, high school students pored over college guidebooks the size of doorstops, actually used the Post Office to communicate with admission offices, and painstakingly filled in their applications using a typewriter.

Those guidebooks can still be a big help, but students today have many more ways to research and apply to colleges. The Internet has made gathering information easy. But it can be hard to tell whether all that information is reliable. And online applications can make envelopes and stamps seem positively archaic. But electronic applications can be just as tricky as their paper counterparts. What’s a high-tech student to do?

For some helpful hints on using the latest technology in your college search, read on!

Lesson One: Just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t make it true. Okay, so that seems really basic for a tech-savvy person like yourself. But it’s important to keep in mind for everyone that ever received an email about a nonexistent virus. (Quick! Forward this to 200 of your closest friends or the world will end!)

This lesson holds true for college-search sites, too. You probably won’t find listings for nonexistent colleges. But you could end up with out-of-date application deadlines or lists of majors. Also, most college search sites include only the colleges that paid the site to list them. That’s why you’ll get different college lists from different sites (even if you plug in the same preferences).

“Use comparative Web sites only for a general feel and opinions,” advises a representative from the University of Southern California. “Even the best can be only as good as the information they’re given.”

In other words, use the college-search sites as a starting point. Don’t depend on just one site—get lists from several of them. Then go to the Web sites of individual colleges to get the real scoop.

Lesson Two: Don’t judge a college by its Web site. You can learn a lot about a college from its Web site. Many colleges have extensive sites that include faculty and student Web pages, detailed information about majors and programs, and even virtual campus tours.

Other colleges have more basic Web sites: They may have good information, but they’re definitely not high on the “wow!” meter.

Don’t be fooled by the quality (or lack of quality) of a college Web site. A poor Web site tells you only that the college has not yet invested a lot in its Web presence. It says next to nothing about the quality of the college itself.

“The college with the best Web site—just like the one with the best publication—is not always the best college for a particular student,” says a representative at Alfred University (NY).

The one exception to this principle may be students interested in a high-tech major. A well-done Web site may indicate a greater commitment to keeping up with the latest technology. That may not matter much to a history major, but a potential Web designer or software programmer may need a college on the cutting edge.

Lesson Three: Go undercover. Of course, you need to know a college’s majors, activities, and application requirements. But don’t stop with the admission office’s home page.

“First, look for the student newspaper online, and second, look for links to students’ Web pages,” says a director of admission at an Oregon institution. “You can find good ‘unofficial’ or ‘undercover’ information on the institution.” Plus, you can e-mail students and ask them questions about the school.

Undercover information can give you a more in-depth view of the college. It can tell you what the hot issues on campus are (fraternities? politics? bad cafeteria food?) and what students are interested in.

Other pages that can give you good information:

Faculty home pages—some post detailed syllabuses of their classes.
Department home pages—get information about majors from the people who teach them.
Student organizations—check out the schedule for clubs and teams or see what resolutions were passed by the Student Senate.
Alumni association pages—what are alumni of the college doing now? What is the college doing for its alumni?

Lesson Four: An application is an application. Most colleges accept both paper and electronic applications. Many colleges prefer electronic applications because they make it easier to track student data. However, the type of application submitted won’t make a difference in the admission decision.

Tech-savvy students may find applying electronically to be easier and more efficient. But there are some pitfalls to electronic applications.

Some paper applications can be difficult to read due to poor handwriting and some online applications are hard to read because students slip into their poor e-mail writing patterns.

It’s easy to click a button and send an application to a college. But make sure that you take an online application just as seriously as a paper one.

Lesson Five: Sometimes old ways are best. One of the best resources in the college search and application process is still your guidance or college counselor. He or she has firsthand information on colleges, has helped hundreds of students through the process, and can get to know you face to face. Even the most technologically advanced Web site can’t top that!

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Chyten’s Spring and Summer reading list, for parents of college-bound students

March 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Parent who want to keep up with college admissions, and what they can do to guide themselves and their children through the college admissions process, might find any one of the following books helpful:

College Unranked: Ending the College Admissions Frenzy by Lloyd Thacker

In this book, the presidents and admission officers of leading colleges and universities – like Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Harvard – remind readers that college choice and admission are a matter of fit, not of winning a prize, and that many colleges are “good” in different ways.

The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College by Jacques Steinberg

Among the book’s surprises are that supplementary material, no matter how impressive, carries no weight in deciding who gets in — while honesty about a mistake, in one instance drug-related, can influence an admissions officer to admit.

Harvard Schmarvard: Getting Beyond the Ivy League to the College That is Best for You by Jay Mathews

Written by, yes, a Harvard grad, Harvard Schmarvard rebuts the perception that image is everything when it comes to college and emphasizes this simple fact: What you will be measured by in life is your talent and energy, not your college’s name.

Less Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen Through College Admission and Beyond by Marilee Jones and Kenneth Ginsburg

This first-of-its-kind book delivers strategies for surviving the admissions process while strengthening parent-child relationships, managing the stress of applying to college, and building resilience to meet challenges today and in the future.

Letting Go: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding the College Years by Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger

Based on real-life experience and recommended by colleges and universities around the country, this indispensable book has been updated and revised, offering even more compassionate, practical, and up-to-the-minute information.

Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College That’s Right for You by Loren Pope

Looking Beyond the Ivy League offers a step-by-step guide to selecting the right institution, a checklist of specific questions to ask when visiting a college, the secrets to creating good applications and good applicants, and much more.

Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools You Should Know About Even If You’re Not a Straight-A Student by Loren Pope

The landmark college guide that introduces forty of the best colleges you’ve never heard of—now completely revised and updated!

The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins

A compelling mix of fast-paced storytelling and engrossing investigative journalism, The Overachievers aims both to calm the admissions frenzy and to expose its escalating dangers.

The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton by Jerome Karabel

“Millions of Americans think of the Ivy League as a training ground for the best and brightest. But for most of the twentieth century Harvard, Yale, and Princeton were more interested in sustaining the aristocracy than in shaping the nation’s intellectual elite. An utterly absorbing account of politics and privilege on America’s most revered campuses.” — Kevin Boyle, National Book Award-winning author of Arc of Justice

The Shape of the River by William G. Bowen

The Shape of the River brings a wealth of empirical evidence to bear on how race-sensitive admissions policies actually work and clearly defines the effects they have had on over 45,000 students of different races. Its conclusions mark a turning point in national discussions of affirmative action.

The College Admissions Mystique by Bill Mayher

In this fresh and plainspoken book, admissions professional Bill Mayher demystifies the college application process, guiding students and parents through this too often anxiety-filled ritual. He covers practical issues, including discovering colleges, narrowing down the search, finding financial aid, and using college counselors to the best advantage.

Creating a Class: College Admissions and the Education of Elites by Mitchell L. Stevens

With novelistic flair, sensitivity to history, and a keen eye for telling detail, Stevens explains how elite colleges and universities have assumed their central role in the production of the nation’s most privileged classes. Creating a Class makes clear that, for better or worse, these schools now define the standards of youthful accomplishment in American culture more generally.

The Financial Aid Handbook by Carol Stack and Ruth Vedvik

The Financial Aid Handbook is the definitive, one-stop guide to the college selection and payment process, covering everything from basic timelines and tuition costs to predicting your scholarship award from colleges and taking ownership of student debt after graduation.

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Chyten announces summer ACT and SAT ‘Boot Camp’ dates for 2013

March 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Chyten is offering special, one-week Summer Boot Camps to prepare students for the SAT and ACT. Twenty-five hours of instruction, a full-length practice test and diagnostic report, and all books and materials are included in this special summer offering.

Boot Camps are perfect for busy students and athletes, delivering all of Chyten’s key strategies in a short, intense timeframe, and offering a highly effective method for students to prepare for their fall exams:

CLASS TYPE DATES TIME
SAT CLASS July 15 – 19 9:00 – 2:00
SAT CLASS July 22 – 26 9:00 – 2:00
SAT CLASS July 29 – August 2 9:00 – 2:00
SAT CLASS August 5 – 9 9:00 – 2:00
SAT CLASS August 12 – 16 9:00 – 2:00

 

CLASS TYPE DATES TIME
ACT CLASS July 22 – 26 2:30 – 7:30
ACT CLASS August 5 – 9 2:30 – 7:30
Students who attend our boot camps will be exposed to all of Chyten’s revolutionary strategies, including the Zig-Zag Method for Critical Reading; the Grammar Simplification Strategy; the Adaptable Essay; and Chyten’s Mathematics Strategies, including numerical and visual approximation and backwards solving!

A complete listing of Chyten’s upcoming SAT and ACT classes is located here! Call 505-2495 to register.

 

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How important are college rankings?

March 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

As the days of winter fade, many students will dig out one or more of the college rankings publications they acquired last autumn and pore over them again looking for “the revelation.” This reliably consistent tradition was the topic of a recent commentary called, “College Rankings Fail”, that appeared in the University of Maryland’s independent student newspaper. The student author, Marc Priester, took direct aim at college rankings as a whole. As he pointed out,

“Our current obsessions with prestige and rankings border on fetishism…. There is a sad waltz between college rankings and how we value education. It compels individuals to irrationally worship universities, leading to the foolish economic decision to attend exorbitantly priced colleges because of the ‘promise’ [: the promise of the upper middle class, the pipe-dream future we’ve been fed since before we could even spell ‘Harvard’].”

Mr. Priester further attributes blame to the media, with whom students and parents have become willing partners. While I would not use the term “fetishism”, I do credit Mr. Priester for his astute recognition of college rankings as authoritative. And, although the remainder of Mr. Priester’s quote is consistent with the spirit of his message, I feel it does divert attention from the overarching point he was making; i.e., that college rankings are inherently misleading and as such can lead to poor decision making.

A case in point is the media frenzy initiated each year by the various college rankings publication releases, with the U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges issue being the most recognizable. College administrators and admissions officers criticize and debate U.S. News for attempting to do the impossible: determine unequivocally who is Number One, or Number Ten, or Number 75. Unfortunately, some students and parents miss these criticisms.

Kiplinger recently released Best Values in Public Colleges for 2013, and the corresponding, Best Values in Private Colleges for 2013. The rankings publication claims that its methodology measures “value,” but that term is just as subjective as the term “best” used by US News. Each student has a unique system of values, which cannot be standardized.

There is one factor in Kiplinger’s ranking formula that could easily be misinterpreted. In acknowledging that an institution that graduates its students within the traditional 4-year timeframe saves them tuition dollars, the reality is that there are numerous legitimate factors that delay graduation for many students beyond the four years after which they began their studies. Georgia Tech, for instance, has a 4-year graduation rate of only 31 percent. What Kiplinger fails to note is that a significant portion of the Georgia Tech student body is enrolled in the co-op program where full-time study and full-time placement at a paying internship occur in alternating semesters. The end result is graduation delayed into a fifth or even a sixth year, but with considerably more real-life experience than most programs offer. In this context, Georgia Tech’s 4-year graduation rate clearly misrepresents the quality of its overall academic experience.

The all-encompassing point being made here is that “value,” in economic terms, is just one of the many dimensions of the college selection process. Where students choose to prepare for their future and how much their family is willing to pay for it is a complex, at times an intensely emotional, and let us not forget, singularly courageous decision.

Joseph Prieto, National Association for College Admissions Counseling

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What is RANDD?

January 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

RANDD is a reading and study skills program for students in middle school. It provides all the resources that students need to prepare them for success at the high school level and beyond.

 

Chyten’s Reading and Development program (RANDD) significantly improves student confidence and performance. Based on 20 years of experience and recent learning research, this revolutionary study skills program is extremely successful and is in high demand. Now, you can find it in Asheville.

Specifically developed for elementary and middle school students, RANDD is the most comprehensive Reading and Study Skills program ever created. This 14-session tutorial program is everything your child will ever need for a lifetime of learning.

Review-Integrated Notetaking

Chyten’s RANDD Program teaches students a method of classroom note-taking that transforms student notes into a handy review page. No more wasting time rewriting notes! RANDD students are taught to recognize verbal and non-verbal clues used by their teachers, to code their notes using Chyten’s customized coding system, to differentiate notes into the three levels of information and to compartmentalize information for recall on tests and quizzes. Utilizing the powerful technique called “association” students memorize large amounts of information easily and without undo time or effort.

Classroom Management

Chyten’s RANDD Program teaches student what to say to teachers to make the teachers want to help them earn top grades. This is a long way from bringing the teacher an apple! Training the teacher? Absolutely. What could be more important than letting a teacher know you are serious about doing well in his/her class? Classroom management for students is innovative, creative and very effective.

Information Organization Utilization (IOU)

Never reread a chapter again. Utilizing an innovative strategy called IOU, RANDD students learn to create single-page chapter summaries that contain all the information they need to ace tests and quizzes.

Differentiated Reading

Novels have characters, plot settings and protagonists. Textbooks have headings, subheadings and graphics. Yet, many students read a textbook the same way they read a novel – or a magazine. It is imperative that students learn to differentiate their reading technique to fit the purpose and nature of the reading assignment.

Mid-Range Reading (Read 300 – 700 words per minute)

Amazing! The way we were all taught to read is both tedious and ineffective. Our brain works so much faster than our eyes – no wonder the brain goes to sleep and we experience “the blank page syndrome.” Chyten’s RANDD Program literally reprograms students’ eye-movements, thus speeding up the mechanics of reading while increasing comprehension. THIS IS NOT SPEED READING! It is EFFECTIVE READING.

Active Reading Strategies

Passive reading is far too common among students, contributing to poor comprehension and memorization. Becoming an active reader is essential to effective reading. Chyten’s instructors are experts at helping students become more involved in their reading – and the results can be amazing.

Time-Management and Organization

Should I study math first, or English? Evening or morning? Last minute scrambling to finish a project is not the way to earn high grades. Chyten teaches students to acknowledge their short and long term schedules and to plan their study times for maximum efficiency.

Test-Taking Strategies

From standardized tests to essays, test-taking strategies are essential to a student’s success. Chyten has long been considered a premier test-preparation service and shares its knowledge with students in a way that is clear, simple and easy to apply to tests and quizzes.

Study Environment

Where a student studies, what kind of lighting is there, background noise, music, telephone, TV or I-Pods, on a bed, at the kitchen table or at a desk – these are all factors in effective studying. Chyten helps students create an environment conducive to effective learning.

Chyten’s proprietary RANDD 14-session reading and study skills program transforms struggling students into star students by teaching them a series of proprietary study techniques and advanced reading techniques.

Chyten’s RANDD Reading and Study Skills Program may be the most important investment you’ll ever make in your child’s academic future.

Call (828) 505-2495 to discuss how RANDD can change your student’s life, with amazingly effective skills and strategies that will last a lifetime!

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Does Your Child Need Tutoring?

November 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As a parent, it can be difficult to know when you should intervene when a child is struggling with a subject. Especially if your child is on a college track, though, it pays to make sure that grades stay high throughout a student’s school career.

Low Grades

Were grades this semester not up to par? Do not wait until they get worse. Help your student by taking action early when you first see signs of slipping ; a professional Chyten tutor with personalized attention might make the difference in the second half of the school year.

Your Student Works Hard, But Struggles

Some students may be working very hard, but ineffectively. A professional Chyten tutor may be the key to making the material more understandable, relevant, and even fun. Remember, Chyten tutors are experts in their field of expertise, and are often able to relate the work that students are doing to real-life examples.

Discouragement, or Low Self Confidence

Does your student give up easily, find it difficult to finish homework, or make excuses to not turn in assignments on time? Personalized attention from an expert at Chyten can help turn results around, while building confidence.

Your Student Is Simply Capable of Better Grades

This is a situation that many parents find their children in. They are getting a B, when they have A ability. A Chyten tutor can provide the extra boost that a student needs, clarifying concepts and making the difference between a ‘good’ grade and an ‘outstanding’ grade. Many parents, as a matter of fact, choose to supplement the instruction that their children receive in school with year-round enrichment at Chyten. This ensures that they are grasping the material, fully understanding that framework that they will build onto with more difficult work later on in their school careers.

Test Results Do Not Reflect True Ability

Standardized testing can be a major source of anxiety among students.  Learning to effectively take a standardized test is important, since standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT are a key part of the college application process. Confidence is a key! Taking practice exams, under simulated test conditions, with the proven techniques offered by Chyten can calm test anxiety.

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AP Classes…Can There Be Too Much of a Good Thing?

October 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Do stacked schedules and a half-dozen exams offer an easy road to the elite institutions, or is that a recipe for student stress?

If you read the Boston Globe, then chances are you’ve heard the story of Claire Huang, the Lexington High senior who could graduate next spring with perfect scores on 10 advanced placement exams. The plan, Huang told the Globe, is for her AP classes to provide an edge when it comes to earning admittance in an elite college or university.

And if you live in Lexington, or Concord, or any of a number of leafy suburbs outside Boston, then chances are that if you don’t know Claire, you know probably know six students like her.

While many high performing school districts like Lexington have opted out of the Race to the Top federal education initiative, many students in towns like this are stacking their schedules in their own race to the top – of their class and, they hope, of the applicant pool for choice colleges and universities.

In recent years, however, the spotlight has shifted to student stress and there has been a bit of pushback against kids overloading schedules and taking as many AP exams as they think they can ace.

Last spring in Lexington, parents, students and educators held a facilitated community conversation about student stress, which followed screenings of the film ”Race to Nowhere.”

“We’re in a dangerous place and we all have a part in that,” said Laura Lasa, who is now the principal at Lexington High School, but who acted as moderator that night last May. “And it’s time to keep the discussions going, but it’s also time to start doing.”

It’s not just a public school thing. Concord Academy has eliminated all AP courses, replacing them with “Advanced Curriculum” courses that are more project-based, according to the Globe. Concord Academy does still offer AP exams, which can in some cases alleviate a student’s requirements once he or she gets into college.

“Taking eight AP classes your senior year instead of taking six AP classes is not going to make a difference to an admissions officer,” Peter Jennings, the director of college counseling at Concord Academy and a former Tufts admissions officer, told the Globe. “They’re much more interested in the life of the mind and the quality of the work that students are doing. I think that message gets distorted, and that creates the AP mania.”

By Patrick Ball, Patch.com

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Three Common Myths About the SAT

October 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Here are some of the biggest myths about the SAT, debunked!

Myth 1: Colleges prefer the SAT over the ACT

All four-year colleges in the U.S. now accept the ACT, and it is highly regarded. Some admissions professionals will even tell you that they prefer it over the SAT because it is based more on coursework and better reflects how a student will perform in college. From a student’s perspective, the ACT will fulfill the need for SAT Subject Tests at many colleges. Is your student interested in the ACT? They can take a free ACT vs SAT Comparison Test at Chyten to determine which is their best match.

Myth 2: Colleges only see the scores I send them

This is often accompanied by rumors like “it doesn’t matter how many times I take the SAT because colleges won’t see it,” or “I will just focus on one section of the SAT at a time because colleges will take my highest score for each section.”

Score Choice was implemented by the College Board in 2008, but colleges are allowed to set their own rules on what scores they require. A few of the more popular colleges that require all test scores include: Colgate, Cornell, Columbia, GW, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Stanford, Tufts, Maryland, Penn, and Wesleyan. While many of these colleges state that they will still “superscore” (use the highest section across multiple test dates), the jury is still out on why they want all the scores. Some believe that they want to see how many times a student took the test. Most think it is simply in the interest of making certain that they have all the correct data to select the highest scores.

Myth 3: I don’t need to take SAT Subject Tests

First of all, you will need them if you are applying to the Ivy League, many small competitive liberal arts colleges (Amherst, Haverford, Williams, Vassar, etc.) or some popular universities like BC, BU, Duke, Georgetown, Tufts or UVA. Second, there is a large group of colleges that “recommend” SAT Subject Tests, let’s just say it’s a strong recommendation — they really like to see them. These institutions include: American University, George Washington, NYU, Northwestern, UNC-Chapel Hill and USC. Finally, some colleges that don’t require SAT Subject Tests in general, do require them for certain programs like engineering or nursing. A few even specify which subjects they require (Bio, Chem, Math Level II, etc.). The bottom line is that junior year is too early to cut off any options as to where you will be applying. And the best time to take them is at the end of sophomore or junior year for subjects you have just completed (i.e. if you just took U.S. History and Chemistry, take those tests); that way the material is fresh in your mind. To read more about SAT Subject tests, go here.

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Changes to the Common App for 2013 Announced

October 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The Common Application,which is a universal form that allows students to apply to multiple colleges and universities, will be implementing some surprising new changes to the essay rules. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the Common App will be going web-only in 2013, and also will eliminate the “topic of your choice” essay option. Students will be forced to choose a prompt from the ones presented on the form, and these four or five topics will change from year to year.

The new form will debut on Aug. 1, 2013.

The new Common App will also be a stickler for essay lengths. The 250-word minimum word count will be enforced, and students who exceed the 500-word maximum will receive an error message.

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