Question of the Week

"What is The Academic Common Market?"



The Academic Common Market (ACM) is a tuition-savings program that operates on the premise that if public institutions (private institutions can’t participate) in a student’s home state do not offer a degree program (undergraduate or graduate) that a student intends on pursuing, then he/she may attend a participating out-of-state institution offering the degree of interest through the ACM and be granted a waiver of out-of-state tuition charges. This serves as a cost-saving measure for both parents and students as in-state tuition rates are lower than out-of-state rates. It is also a savings for the state, as these programs do not have to be duplicated here in Maryland. The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and the state higher education agencies of the sixteen (16) participating states administer the Academic Common Market (ACM) and ACM/Electronic Campus (EC) programs. 

Associate degree programs and non-degree programs are not eligible for ACM benefits. First professional degree programs, such as law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and optometry are also not eligible for ACM benefits.                                             

The ACM program is not competitive, merit-based, or need-based, but applicants must meet state residency and college program requirements. Some institutions may impose additional acceptance requirements. Students are strongly advised to contact the institution directly for this information. It is the student’s responsibility to remain informed about and abide by the ACM Policies of Maryland AND of the Institution they plan to attend. 

Note:  The ACM is not a financial aid program and it is not affiliated in any manner with scholarships, award money or financial aid packages that students receive.  The ACM program represents a cooperative agreement among 16 states.  The State of Maryland also reciprocates with partnering states.  No funds are involved, reimbursed or exchanged.  

Please see ACM Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and ACM Policies and Procedures (PDF) for additional information. 

Which States Participate in the ACM?:  Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. These states participate at the graduate level only:  Florida, North Carolina and Texas. 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Effective for the 2012-2013 academic year, as a result of the “General Assembly of North Carolina's Appropriations Act of 2011”, the State of North Carolina will no longer participate in the Academic Common Market program. This policy will remain in effect until further notice. Academic Common Market students who are enrolled in the program and begin study prior to July 1, 2012 in the University of North Carolina System may continue to pay in-state tuition as long as the student (1) remains continuously enrolled full-time in their approved ACM graduate program (defined by institution), (2) remains in good academic standing (defined by institution), (3) maintains home state residency and (4) makes satisfactory progress toward the degree.  

What Program/Majors are available through the ACM for Maryland Residents?:  Numerous undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available to Maryland residents through the ACM. See the links below for a complete list: 

• Undergraduate ACM Programs for Maryland Residents

*** Maryland residents may submit applications ONLY for programs listed in the current ACM inventory.  

Who may apply:  Current Maryland high school seniors and full-time, degree-seeking   undergraduate and graduate students who have been fully accepted or are already enrolled in an eligible program of study that has been selected for the ACM by a participating public college/university.                               

Question of the Week

"Can you describe the timing of

College Admission testing?"

Two companies in the United States sponsor college admission tests. The College Board offers the PSAT, SAT-I and the SAT-II Subject Tests. American College Testing provides the ACT.

The SAT-I is a three-hour and 45-minute exam designed to measure critical reading, math, and writing skills. The PSAT is the practice test. Severn will automatically register Sophomores and Juniors to take the PSAT on campus. This year's PSAT is October 12.

The ACT is three hours long and measures skills in English, math, reading, and science. A 30-minute Writing Test is an optional component of the ACT. Most colleges require the writing section.

Students are penalized for entering a wrong answer on the SAT-I. Students are not similarly penalized on the ACT; therefore, it is to the student's advantage to answer every question on the ACT.
SAT vs. ACT: Almost all colleges and universities will accept either the SAT or the ACT. Some state their preference. Still others will accept the ACT as a substitute for their SAT Subject Tests requirement. Testing policies will vary from college to college.

Revolution Prep offers test preparation courses at Severn, and some juniors may choose this option for this winter or spring (for more information, please see their website: www.revolutionprep.com).  Financial aid is available to those who qualify.  Other students will find success by reading on their own and by using one of many available books to prepare for and practice taking the SAT.  For the first time this year, Revolution Prep will offer a free mock ACT test to Severn juniors on Saturday, November 12th.   More information will follow in the Binnacle.

Score Choice: The ACT has always given students the option of reporting their best ACT scores by test date. Now this same option is offered by the College Board. Beginning with the class of 2010, students may choose to send SAT scores by test date and SAT Subject Test scores by individual tests. The College Board ruled out allowing students to mix and match their best math, critical reading, and writing scores from the different test dates. However, most colleges will continue to follow this practice if they receive more than one set of scores.

Score Choice is optional. If students do not use it, all scores will be sent to colleges automatically. All scores will still appear on reports sent to students and counselors.

Keep in mind that, regardless of the policy of the College Board, colleges may set their own test requirements. All the more reason for students to follow college application instructions carefully.

Reporting Scores: Severn students are responsible for having their scores sent directly to colleges from the appropriate testing agency. Admission test scores do not appear on a student's transcript.

 Typical SAT/ACT Testing Sequence

Grade	Date	Test
Tenth Grade	October	PSAT
Eleventh Grade	October January+May June	PSAT SAT-I SAT-II Subject Tests ACT (optional)
Twelfth Grade	October November	SAT-I ACT (optional) SAT-I

Question of the Week

"Can I miss school to visit a college?"



Severn recognizes that seniors and juniors may need to visit college campuses during the school year.  When planning for these anticipated absences, please complete the following procedures at least three days before your absence.

Directions:

1.  Complete College Visit Permission slip. Have your parents read and sign it.

2.  Inform your teachers of your anticipated absence.

3.  Get all assignments so that you can return to school prepared for your classes.

4.  Avoid, if you can, missing days of tests or when papers/projects are due.

5.  Return the form, initialed by each of your teachers, to the College Counseling Office.

**Consider writing a review of your visit to be posted on our blog to help create a library of college reviews.

Question of the Week

"Will I need a recommendation from a teacher? If so, does it make any difference who and when I ask?"

Most colleges will base their admission decisions exclusively on an applicant’s academic program, grade point average, and admission test scores. The highly selective institutions will require additional criteria. They may ask for an admission essay (or two), possibly an interview, and recommendations from a guidance counselor and a teacher – usually two. The more selective the institution, the more significance they will assigned to criteria that are less measureable but no less valuable.

Colleges that require teacher recommendations are hoping to learn more about an applicant than can be found from grades, courses, and test scores. They want to hear from teachers who have taught a student recently and who know the student well enough to write about his or her academic ability, habits, motivation, values, and personality. The scope of a teacher recommendation need not go beyond the classroom experience. Usually colleges will leave the choice of the teacher up to the applicant; sometimes they will stipulate an English teacher, for example, and ask to hear from one other teacher who represents a field the student intends to pursue at college.

This year, we are advising juniors to identify, with the help of their college counselor, two teachers whom they would consider asking for a letter of recommendation. Juniors are being urged to make their requests this month before school closes for the summer. As a consequence of this early notification, teachers will have ample time to prepare their thoughts, and students will be less inclined to wait until the last minute to make their request in the fall. And to help teachers with their “assignment,” we have provided students with an online Request Form, available on Family Connection.  By answering the eight questions on the Form, students will be providing teachers useful anecdotes and examples to include in their letters. Essentially, by helping their teacher, they will be helping themselves.

Question of the Week



"Now that I know the significance of the SAT Subject Tests, how have Severn students done in the last five years?"

Answer:
SAT Subject Test Scores: Class of 2007 - 2011

Section              Middle 50%     Mean    Students Tested
Bio--Ecology      640-710            681             9
Bio--Molecular   590-680            635             64
Chemistry           560-660            605            35
Eng Lit                580-710            640            58
French                580-680            650            4
Math Level I        570-690            631            90
Math Level II       640-730            685            107
Physics               530-670            624             8
Spanish               540-700            635            11
US History          590-720            655            131

Question of the Week

    "How important is course selection for next year?"         

An applicant’s academic program is always the most significant factor in the college admission process. Therefore, students are well advised to take stock of the range of courses available to them and select the most challenging courses possible for their level of ability and degree of interest.

For the most part, colleges will evaluate an applicant’s academic record within the context of his or her high school. In other words, colleges will evaluate students according to the choices available to them. If a school offers AP English, for example, and an applicant has chosen not to take it, some colleges will want to know why. There may be a perfectly good reason, but it had better be a good one if the college is highly selective.

The most selective colleges in the nation are accustomed to seeing the most rigorous courses. And here’s the kicker: they expect the best grades, too. Not always—not for every applicant—but for most.

Like most independent schools, Severn enrolls students with a range of interests, preferences, and abilities. To meet these levels and degrees of differences, Severn offers students various curricular and co-curricular options. There are, for example, more course offerings at Severn than any one student could possibly take. Furthermore, not every course is the appropriate course for every student.  Students are urged, therefore, to choose the courses that are the most challenging for them and, one would hope, the most personally rewarding.

A special note to juniors: Colleges will ask for a transcript that includes the courses you have selected for the entire senior year. They will be keenly interested in the courses you have selected for your final year of high school. Often they will ask for 1^st quarter grades, and almost always they will ask for a mid-year transcript, with courses and grades. Your senior year counts, from beginning to end. Plan to make the best of it academically, and give those who will be supporting your college applications—your counselor and your teachers—the best evidence possible to advocate in your behalf.

So, choose wisely and chose well. But keep in mind that the goal is not to prepare for one college; it’s to prepare for any college, and for a life of learning. Become, in other words, an educated person. Your teachers and advisor, and others familiar with your academic ability and preferences, will help direct you to a path that leads to this worthy goal.

Question of the Week

        "What are the SAT Subject Tests
        and why should I take them?"

The Subject Tests (also known as SAT-II tests) are content-based tests, required or recommended by approximately 30 colleges or universities, usually the most selective in the nation. These highly selective institutions use the scores as another means of evaluating an applicant’s level of academic achievement.  The scores serve as a yardstick, of sorts, against which an admissions officer can measure grades awarded in an imperfect system. An A at one school, for example, may not mean the same as an A at another. The score on a national standardized test helps level the playing field.

The best results on these tests are earned, generally speaking, when the material is most fresh in a student’s mind, which is why students should consider taking the Subject Tests in terminal courses at the completion of the course, usually in May or June.   We think that the best candidates for the Subject Tests are those earning an A-range grade in an honors course, but there are exceptions to this general rule.

Students can “bank” the test scores and use them if/when they need them by exercising an option known as Score Choice.  As a consequence, students can take a Subject Test multiple times, and they needn’t report the scores to colleges, unless, of course, the college requires them.   For instance, a handful of colleges will not permit their applicants to withhold their test results. They insist on seeing all the scores. And just to keep matters interesting, there are some colleges that will accept the ACT with Writing in lieu of the Subject Test requirement. With all of these variations in policy, it is important for students to consult the testing guidelines published on each college’s Web site.

Before electing to take a Subject Test, students should seek the advice of their respective teacher and review the complete test, copies of which can be ordered online from the College Board or purchased at a local bookstore.   

For more information and for free online practice exercises, follow this link to the College Board:

http://sat.collegeboard.com/about-tests/sat-subject-tests

For test dates and deadlines go to:

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-subject/register/test-dates

Question of the Week

"What’s the deal with all the mailings I’m getting about joining honor societies and  leadership groups? Are they scams or legitimate?"

 Honor Societies and Leadership Programs:  About this time of year, high school students will receive information in the mail from various honor societies and youth leadership organizations, inviting them to join or  participate in a summer program. The programs usually run for about ten days and are located throughout the United States, including Washington, D.C. People to People, the National Youth Leadership Forum, and the Congressional Youth Leadership Council are just a few of the organizations that conduct summer programs. All charge a fee, usually between $2,000 to $3,000. The honor societies are also usually fee based.

     It is possible that Severn students may find their names on an organization’s mailing list either because they have been nominated by a teacher or because they have been identified through a search of data collected and sold by a national testing agency, such as the College Board. Severn students in the past have participated in one or more of these summer programs, and their experiences have usually been very positive. Nonetheless, because these organizations are run for a profit and charge a fee, Severn cannot endorse any one of them. For the same reason, colleges and universities do not consider mere participation in these programs as anything special. They view them as a “paid-for” experience, which is not to say that participation may not be worthwhile.