B-school application volume continues to rise along with employers' demand for MBAs. We expect 2009-2010 to be at least as competitive as 2008-2009 was.

College admissions will be as least as competitive as they were last year, and probably just as confusing and frustrating. One trend that seems to have continued from last year was the rise in application volume and the drop in acceptance rates at many large public universities. This increasing selectivity makes it advisable to re-think 'safety school' application strategies. Even strong students would be wise to assume that admission to their state school is not a given any more.

Medical and law school admissions are just as competitive as ever. It now seems that the biggest challenge many lawyers or doctors may ever face is just getting their foot in the door of law or medical school. We respect the tenacity of people who are dedicated enough to these fields to run the gauntlet of the application process, and are committed to providing them with the insight and advice that can make a difference in their admissions success.

It's difficult to name any overall trends in graduate school admissions because grad school admissions depend so much on individual applicants' backgrounds and goals. Our graduate school consultants will continue to work closely with our clients to devise the application strategies that best serve their unique situations.

The changes we've seen in admissions over the past year leave us more convinced than ever that the key to successful applications lies in understanding what schools and programs are the best match for your ambitions, abilities, and preferences, and understanding what your 'wow' factors are and how to present those to admission committees effectively. We're looking forward to putting that philosophy to work for our clients over the coming months – and are confident that this time next year we'll again be able to say we're very pleased with our results!

Our consultants can help you understand these and other aspects of college and graduate school admissions. They have served on admissions committees themselves, making accept/reject/waitlist decisions at highly selective colleges, b-schools, and law, grad, and medical schools. Their understanding of the admission process can give you the edge you need to prepare effective applications and maximize your admissions chances at your top-choice schools. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn about our consultants' various fields of expertise and how they can help you position yourself for admissions next fall.

Having Trouble Getting Started on Your Essays? Our consultants can help you understand why admissions committees ask the essay questions they do and guide you through the process of identifying and developing your best essay topics and strategies. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more.

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We asked former Harvard admissions committee member Aileen Kelly what advice she had for high school students who are beginning the college search process.

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A recent article in USA Today highlighted a report by the American Enterprise Institute that revealed that "nationally, four-year colleges graduated an average of just 53 percent of entering students within six years." The data cited in the report was based on figures from the Education Department from nearly 1,400 schools regarding full-time first-time students who matriculated in fall 2001.

Some schools with the highest admissions standards graduated students with the highest rates. Harvard University for example, reported a rate of 97 percent. Other schools with similar admissions criteria such as Amherst College and Reed College reported very different percentages. Amherst reported a rate of 96 percent while Reed reported a lower rate of 76 percent. These numbers give educational leaders key insight into the ability of the students to keep up with the curriculum. Geri Malandra of the Council on Education is quoted in the article stating, "We can learn from universities who are beating the odds."

Co-author of the report Mark Schneider is also quoted into the article stating, "We are emphasizing transparency" and urges students to factor graduation rates into decision-making. "It's one of these little secrets that everybody in the industry knows. We're just trying to highlight it."

Are You Unsure About What Lies Ahead of You in College Admissions This Year? We can help. Our consultants can explain what to expect, when, and give you an informed and candid assessment of your strengths and weaknesses as an applicant to your targeted schools. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more about our services.

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Are You Ready to Get The Most From Your Grad School Interviews? Our Mock Interview service may be just what you need to do your best on your interview day! A consultant who has previous experience interviewing MBA applicants on behalf of a top b-school admissions committee will conduct a mock interview with you to ensure that you are ready for the "real thing." Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to learn more about our graduate school admissions consulting services.

In early June, the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges will launch the 2010 VMCAS application. VMCAS is the main processing service for applications to all the 28 veterinary medical colleges.

As you look to start to examine your list of target schools, there will be some things you will definitely want to keep in mind. Senior Admissions Consultant Barbara Coats advises you to consider a few key items when creating your final list of schools.

1. Know the course requirements for admission to each school. Take time to verify with the schools that you have, indeed, met all course requirements.
2. Know the focus and strengths of the schools that interest you. For example, if your background and plans for the future are in exotic animal medicine, you are best served attending a school with an exotics program. For personal opinions, go online and find students at that school and ask them some specifics about the program.
3. Know what your education at each school is going to cost and how you will pay for it. There is limited grant money for professional education. Federal (inexpensive) loans do not cover the full cost of out-of-state tuition and fees, not to mention living expenses. For a veterinary student paying in-state tuition and fees, typically federal loans do cover the cost of tuition and fees, as well as some living expenses. Ninety percent of veterinary students use loans to cover the cost of their education, and much of that money is borrowed in private loans. Average indebtedness for veterinary school graduates has passed $120,000, so this debt needs to be taken seriously.
4. Ask each school about its curriculum. If you are a person who works best with structure, for example, a problem-based curriculum might be more difficult and a less ideal fit for you. If you are a person who likes to dig for information and whose thought processes are more conceptual, lecture-style classroom learning is less than ideal.
5. Visit the schools that interest you! Make an appointment beforehand, and do your homework so that your time with the school is well spent. Know the questions you want to ask. If you want a companion with you, a parent or spouse is a good choice, but a girlfriend/boyfriend could be more of a distraction. Make the most of your visit and enjoy what the school has to offer.

- Barbara is a Senior Admissions Consultant and former Student Affairs Coordinator for the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University .

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• Saturday, September 26, 2009 (or Tuesday, September 29, for Saturday Sabbath observers)
• Saturday, December 5, 2009 (or Monday, December 7, for Saturday Sabbath observers)
• Saturday, February 6, 2010 (or Monday, February 8, for Saturday Sabbath observers)

Whenever you plan to take the test, make sure you give yourself enough time for test preparation "Proper preparation is the key to success on the LSAT," says Jeff Glazer, president of Griffon Preparation Services.

He advises against using non-LSAC practice tests. "Study books published by companies that use fake questions should be avoided at all costs," he says. "Such questions rarely mimic the real thing and can cause confusion on test day."

If you choose to prepare for the exam on your own, some of the best self-study material available for the LSAT is distributed by LSAC themselves, says Glazer. "They have multiple publications that include real LSAT questions from previous test administrations. In particular, LSAC's SuperPrep contains three exams plus wonderful explanations of correct answers from the test writers."

He also encourages law school applicants to begin their test preparation well ahead of time. "Since the LSAT is weighted so heavily in the law school admissions process, it is crucial to spend as much time studying for the LSAT as possible," he says.

Focused preparation is the key to doing well on the LSAT, says Jeff. "The LSAT isn't like other tests," he says. "The exam is designed to test a pattern of critical reading and thinking. That means that studying for the LSAT must be approached differently than other tests. Simply taking many timed tests will not usually improve one's score. You'll need to sit down with a few real LSAT tests and work out how to derive the correct answer from the information you are given."

Recently, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) joined together to form a committee to assess the "the most important scientific competencies in the natural sciences required of students graduating from college prior to matriculating into medical school, as well as those which should be required of medical school graduates." Those who participated in the committee made up a very diverse group. Physicians, scientists, and medical school professors all joined to provide their expert opinion on the subject. Representatives from such schools as Yale and Stanford also partook in the review. Their findings were released late last week in the study entitled, "Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians," which can be found on the AAMC website.

One general issue was made quite evident, "Most agree that advancing scientific knowledge and medical practice require a different set of scientific competencies than is currently taught; the current medical curriculum generally lacks sufficient emphasis on the fundamental scientific principles key to lifelong learning and biomedical scientific literacy."

Findings within the report also underlined 11 principles that premedical and medical students should acquire upon the completion of their undergraduate and medical school coursework. Furthermore, the committee recommended that "medical and premedical learning shift from required courses to competencies. A competency-based approach will give both learners and educators more flexibility in the premedical curriculum and allow the development of more interdisciplinary and integrative courses that maintain scientific rigor, while providing a broad education. The committee does not propose increasing the number of requirements; instead, it recommends substituting more relevant requirements for others that are less relevant to the practice of medicine."

Along with these recommendations is a "rough blueprint" that can be used by both undergraduate and medical school administrators to help revamp and restructure current course work to assist in creating the recommendations outlined within the study.

Are you unsure of how to proceed with your applications? We can help. Call us at 703.242.5885, email us, or visit our website to find out more about our services. An initial one-hour consultation with one of our consultants will help you understand your situation and lay out a plan that will maximize your admissions chances.

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On Friday Campus Executive Officer of the Georgia campus for the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), John Fleischmann, gave an insightful presentation at the OldPreMeds 2009 Conference and Workshop in Washington, D.C. titled, "Professionalism and Admissions: A viewpoint from the other side." During his presentation he provided some key tips and information regarding PCOM admissions.

Fleischman began his presentation with some facts regarding PCOM. He stated that the school receives 3,000 applications per year, invites 350 of those applicants to interview, and accepts a total of 86 students. He emphasized that it was important for applicants to to understand the Osteopathic philosophy and differing approach to holistic medicine. Fleischman emphasized the importance of individuality in the application process by stating, "What's going to separate you from the crowd?"

He also advised applicants to interact with student ambassadors when visiting potential schools of interest. He stated that these ambassadors could potentially advise the admissions committee of negative behavior. He also provided some insight to the interview process stating, "Faculty interviewers will ask questions that you will not be able to answer. They want to see how you react to this."

During the final portion of the presentation, Fleischman answered the non-traditional applicants' questions and provided some interesting facts regarding PCOM. Fleischman stated that the first class of the school had a 52-year old student who was previously in a government position. He also stated that the school had students who were previously lawyers and MD's as examples that non-traditional students are becoming more prevalent in osteopathic medical schools.

He also notified participants of the school's growth. Fleischman announced that PCOM Georgia will be offering a D.O./MBA program, a P.A. program in conjunction with Brown University, and is currently in the process of acquiring accreditation for a school of pharmacy. These joint degree programs address the growing interest in a diversified and thorough higher education plan and will most likely be catching on throughout medical school programs.

This annual guide is an excellent starting point for research on school selection, application procedures, and class profiles. This edition has information on newly accredited schools such as San Juan Bautista School of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Florida International University College of Medicine, and Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at El Paso.

One of the main pieces of information that applicants look up in the MSAR is data on the MCAT scores for admitted students – and for good reason: standardized test scores play an exceptionally important role in medical school admission decisions.

Dr. Brett Ferdinand, Chief Instructor for MCAT-prep.com, urges future applicants to start thinking about how they will prepare for the MCAT now. "Make sure you schedule adequate time to plan and prepare for the MCAT," he says. "Conduct a focused MCAT review that covers what you personally need to improve in order to do well on the test. And be sure you take realistic practice tests. Use one of the full-length practice MCAT tests available from the AAMC, and take it under realistic test conditions."