TheStraighterLineGuide: 7StrategiesforGettingInto...

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The StraighterLine Guide:7 Strategies for Getting Into

The CollegeYouWantBy Barry Lenson

Table of Contents

Strategy OneHow to Get the Best Letters of Recommendation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3—5

Strategy TwoHow to Pick the Best College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6—7

Strategy ThreeUnderstanding Early Action and Early Decision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8—10

Strategy FourSix Ways to Dramatically ImproveYour SAT Scores when Time is Short . . . . . . . . . 11—13

Strategy FiveHow toWriteYour College Admissions Essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14—15

Strategy SixFour Critical Questions to Ask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16—17

Strategy SevenHandling College Alumni Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18—20

About StraighterLine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21—26

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40—44

Table of Contents

For more information, call 1-877-Str8terLine or 1-877-787-8375StraighterLine.com

How to Get the Best Letters of Recommendation

Getting into college isn’t as difficult as it seems.This guide is a collection of common-sense tips,hints and strategies that prove that point. Let’sstart by attacking this question:How can youget the best letters of recommendation?

You have to understand that there are threedifferent kinds of letters of recommendation,and you have to handle them in different ways.Let’s take a look at how you can get the mostbenefit from each of them.

Type One:A recommendation letter from your high school guidance counselor.Colleges want these letters for a very simple reason: they want a letter that places you within thecontext of your high school by offering information like this:

• You were the best actor or musician who has come through your high schoolin the last five years.

• People in your high school admire your leadership and really count on you.

• Your grades slipped a bit when you were in 10th grade because your fatherwas undergoing treatment for a serious medical condition.

• You didn’t take any AP French classes because your school doesn’t offer them.However, you did take every French class that the school offers and got A’s inall of them.

Tomake sure you get themost from this letter, tell your guidance counselor about the achievementsor explanations that youwould like the letter to explain.That’s right,simply tell your guidance counselor.After all,most high school guidance counselors today are handling a load of hundreds of studentsand if you don’t explain who you are and what you have done,your counselor might not evenknow.Plus, your guidance counselor will probably be thankful when you explain what shouldappear in the letter,because you are saving him or her the work of doing research about you.

Strategy One


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Type Two:A recommendation letter – or more than one – from your teachers.These letters are different fromType One (described on previous page) because they tellcolleges how well you did in a specific situation,or a series of them. In other words, they bringyou into focus by revealing information like this:

• When you fell behind in Algebra,you came in for extra help every day and earneda much-deserved B+.

• When another classmate fell behind in Spanish,you helped her get up to speed.

•You consistently asked great questions that elevated the level of class discussions.

•You demonstrated a level of maturity that is greater than that of most of your peers.

• When you got a so-so grade on an important paper, you turned in a rewrite,even though it was not required.

To make sure you get the most from this letter, be sure to ask the right teachers to write them.And remember that the best recommendations do not necessarily come from the teacherswho gave you the highest grades.You will often get better recommendations from teacherswho taught classes where you struggled a bit and overcame difficulties. And again,don’t beafraid to explain what you would like the letter to say – at least in general terms.You could say,for example,“Mr. Jones, I remember how much you helped me catch up with the rest of theclass last year,and I would like to ask you to write a college recommendation letter for me.”

Type Three:Recommendation letters from clergy,community leaders,coaches,or other“peripheral” individuals.These letters should explain the same things outlined above for Type One andTypeTwo,butstress your character. A letter from your soccer coach, for example,could explain both context(you played on a team that was not destined to win a state championship) and specifics (onthat team your leadership was a great motivator to all your teammates).However, this kind ofletter adds something extra: an opinion about your character,which could be revealed ininformation like this:

• You are the head of your church’s food pantry or afterschool tutoringprogram for disadvantaged children.

• During a time when both your parents were unemployed,you quit thefootball team and pumped gas to help put food on the dinner table.

• You spearheaded a community-wide program to clean up town parks,visit patients in nursing homes,or perform some other beneficial service.


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To make sure you get the most from this letter,make sure that your referral-giver is someone whohas genuine first-hand knowledge of something good that you have done.Resist the temptationto ask powerful people who do not know you well to write letters for you.Sure,your father couldask the president of his company to write a recommendation for you.Or maybe your ministercould get you a recommendation from a bishop or other highly placed church official.Yet aletter written by someone who genuinely knows you will go a lot further toward opening thosecollege doors.


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How to Pick the Best College

Every year, thousands of high school students scour college guides,visit countless collegewebsites,and tour dozens of colleges.Many of them are hoping to find the perfect school.

Of course everybody wants to end up at the best collegepossible.But the fact is, finding the“perfect”college is usuallynot an achievable goal. And if you have set that as yourobjective,you could be setting yourself up to feel a lot ofunnecessary pressure.

Here’s a story that illustrates the point:

Jack and his family toured dozens of collegesduring his senior hear of high school.One wasBates and another was Colgate.Jack appliedto both schools,got accepted at both,and thenmade his decision.He would go to Bates! Thefollowing September, Jack and his family droveup to Maine to get him installed in his dorm.Butwhen they got there,Jack looked out the windowand said,“I’m not going here! This is not the placeI picked!”Here’s the explanation.Colgate and Bateshad somehow gotten swapped in Jack’s mind.And on that day in September,he was locked into start college at the wrong school! But do youknow what? Jack moved into his dorm,startedgoing to classes,and absolutely loved Bates,even though it was not Colgate!

Even though the name of the student has been changed in the story above, it is 100% true! Sothe lesson is that all the best planning in the world doesn’t guarantee that you will end up at theschool of your dreams.Then there’s the fact that students are transferring at near-record numbersevery year now.Many get to schools that they thought would be ideal,but learn otherwise andmove on.

StrategyTwo


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Although many students do manage to land at schools they love on the first try, it is difficult.After all, it is virtually impossible to find a perfect college by reading about it in books,visiting itswebsite,and even going to visit. Let’s face realities.You can never know what a school will be likeuntil you move in and start classes.Trying to pick a perfect college through the standard college-search process is actually like trying to pick the best tablet computer by reading reviews inConsumer Reports. Although you might come close, the device you finally get is going to bea lot different from the one you imagined.The same thing is true for college.

And once you make your best possible choice and land on campus,you will probably makea great discovery.Even though your new college might not be just what you expected – andit might not be heaven – it will still probably be the best possible place for you to further youreducation and your career.

Congratulations,you have arrived!


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You might not find the perfect school,but you can still find a great one!

One approach is to forget perfection and follow this advice:

• Apply to“clusters”of schools that meet certain criteria and requirements.For example,you could apply to four universities that have great engineeringprograms or strong offerings in the visual arts.Or if you are an environmentalist,you can apply to a cluster of colleges that have on-campus farms.Thenwhen your acceptance letters come in,you can weigh how you did withinyour clusters,not in your acceptance to your perfect college.

• Remember,your choice is not final.Of course you want to make a goodchoice and hit it right the first time.But if you don’t find your dream schoolon your first try, you can transfer.

• Try to see college as one step in a larger process.Maybe you didn’t do wellin high school and want to go to a less competitive college for a few years,earn good grades,and then transfer out.Or maybe you think you want tostudy fine arts,but aren’t too sure.So you are attending a college with agreat fine arts program to test out that choice. If it doesn’t work out, you canmove to another school. Life is always in flux,and it is realistic to see yourcollege experience as part of that flow.

This advice is probably different from what you are hearing from your guidancecounselor, your teachers, your friends,and possibly your parents too.But whenyou come right down to it, the secret of a successful college search is to try tofulfill your own expectations,not those of all those other people, right? Anothersecret is to go through your search with an openmind,and a sense of adventureand discovery.

Understanding Early Action and Early Decision

How Do Early Decision and Early Action Plans Work?Both allow you to apply in November and get an admission decision from the college in Decemberor early January.That’s a lot earlier than the usual April notification date.

StrategyThree


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The good reasons?

If you are completely convinced that a particular college is the rightschool for you,applying early gives you a statistical advantage in gettingaccepted.Because you have committed to attend the school if you getin, it is more likely to admit you.

The bad reasons?

There are a lot of them.One is to apply early because you“just wantto get your college applications out of the way.”By applying early andgetting (hopefully) accepted in December,you can kick back andrelax and party while all your friends are still sweating out their collegeapplications. Another not-so-good reason is to get admitted to a schoolthat is miles beyond your reach. Although applying early gives you astatistical advantage in getting accepted, it will not alter your chancesthat dramatically.

“Should I apply to college early decision,early action,orjust file regular old applications?” is a question that guidancecounselors hear from students almost daily.No mistake aboutit,early decision and early action are confusing. Let’s take acloser look.

Why Apply Early via Early Decisionor Early Action?There are good and bad reasons for applying to colleges via early decisionor early action.

But consider the following information before you make a decision to apply early or not:

• Early decision applications are binding.When you apply early to a college,you arepromising to enroll there if you are accepted.That’s why you can only apply to onecollege early decision. If you are rejected by that college,you are then free to applyanywhere you want by filing regular applications.But things can get complicated.Often colleges place early applicants on waiting lists and inform them in April ofwhether or not they got in.But if you are placed on a waiting list by a college towhich you applied early decision,your application becomes non-binding andyou can apply anywhere and accept any offers of admissions.

• Early action plans work pretty much like early decision plans,but are non-binding.If you apply early action,you find out in December or early January whether or notyou have been accepted.Because your acceptance is non-binding,you can eithermake a commitment to enroll in the college then,or you can wait until you hear fromother colleges before you decide. And by the way,you can apply early action to asmany schools as you want.

How Is Financial Aid Impacted?What happens to you if you apply early decision and get admitted to a college that doesn’toffer you enough financial aid to attend? Are you then required to attend a college that youcan’t afford? The answer is no.Safeguards are usually built into the early admissions processand colleges let students opt out of the application if they did not receive enough financialaid.But play it safe and be sure to understand your commitments. If you are filing an earlyapplication and applying for financial aid too,call the admissions office at the college whereyou are applying and talk everything through.

But despite the safeguards, situations do arise that can cause anxiety and uncertainty forstudents.We know one student, for example,who got admitted to the college of her choicevia non-binding early action in December.However, that school did not reveal her financialaid package at that time.While her parents were badgering the college to find out how muchmoney their daughter would get, she had to wade in and file regular applications to othercolleges, just in case her #1 pick didn’t come through with the dough. In the end,she attendeda different school that offered her a good financial aid package,even though that schoolwas not her top pick.


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AndWhat the Heck Is Rolling Admissions?Okay,here’s another way to apply.With rolling admissions,you can apply to college just aboutany time you want – even as early as the fall of your senior year. In addition, rolling admissions areusually open late,even into the summer after your senior year. And to make rolling admissionseven more attractive, students are usually told promptly about whether they got admitted or not –often only a few weeks after they applied.

Why do colleges accept rolling applications? It is often because they want to fill their incomingclasses – in some cases by serving as fallback schools for students who got rejected by otherschools.

Schools that accept rolling admissions are often less competitive colleges.To use Peterson’sCollege Search to find colleges that accept rolling applications,visithttp://www.petersons.com/college-search/SearchResults.aspx?q=rolling+admissions&c=UG


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Six Ways to Dramatically ImproveYour SAT Scoreswhen Time Is ShortGetting into college isn’t as difficult as it seems.This chapter,we’llattack this question:How can you significantly increase your SATscores when time is short?

I saw this problem arise a lot when I was working as an SAT tutor.With only a month until an SAT test date, for example,a studentwould suddenly realize that he or she needed to add 100 pointsor more to each of the three SAT sections in order to get into aparticular college. And I have to tell you, it’s tough to boost scoresthat much in just a short period of time.But here are three strategiesthan can often get the job done:

Strategy One:Answer all the easy questions in a test section first,and then go back toanswer the medium-hard ones, then answer the really tough questionsonly if you have enough time left over.The fact is that you are going to earn the same number of raw points for answering an easyquestion that you will get for answering an absolute killer. So gallop through each section firstand answer the easy“low-hanging fruit”questions first.When you come to a question thatcauses you to pause for more than about two seconds,mark it with an“M”(for medium difficulty)and skip it.When you come to a question that you can see is going to take tons of time andmaybe be impossible to answer,draw a line through it. After completing all the easy questionsin a section,go back to the questions you marked with an“M”and answer them.Then – andonly then – attack the ones that you crossed out.

Note: Someone who reads this is going to criticize this strategy by pointing out that the statementabove (“you are going to get the same number of raw points for answering an easy questionthat you will get for answering an absolute killer”) is not 100% correct because Educational TestingService awards more points for more difficult questions. I am aware of that,but the fact is thatETS only weights harder questions a little higher than easier ones,and you are still going to scorehigher by delaying the harder questions and answering all the easy and medium-difficulty onesin any section.

Strategy Four


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Strategy Two:Spend a lot of time adding new“SAT words”to your working vocabulary.The fact is that a weak vocabulary can knock lots of points off your score in both the ReadingandWriting sections of the test. It makes sense,because a weak vocabulary can cost you pointsin three different ways:

• If you don’t understand a word that appears in a reading selection,that can cost you points.

• If you don’t understand a word that appears in a question on the test,it can make that question unanswerable.

• If you don’t understand a word that appears in one of the answers to aquestion, it can increase the chances of making an incorrect choice.

Those are just a few of the reasons why unfamiliar words can knock up to several hundred pointsoff your combined SAT score.For that reason,buy an SAT vocabulary workbook likeWordSmart,abook of SAT vocabulary published by The Princeton Review,and add at least 10 new words a dayto your working SAT vocabulary.

Strategy Three:Tone up your reading skills for passage-based reading sections.You know what these sections look like.They contain a reading selection, followed by questionsthat you need to answer,based on that reading selection.This is where a lot students “slam onthemental brakes”during the test and can’t keep concentrating long enough to finish a passage.Yet there are some strategies that can break the“reader’s block”and boost your score:

• Read the questions first, so you know what you are looking for when youread the passage.

• You will notice that many questions contain line-number references. (“Inline 26, the word ‘colloquy’most closely means...”) So read the questionsfirst and when you see a question with a line reference,write the numberof that question in the margin next to the line it references.Then as youread the selection,you can jump right to the question and answer it.

• Practice reading difficult material in the weeks leading up to the test.You can find good practice selections in books like The Official SATStudy Guide,which contains actual tests and reading selections.


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Strategy Four:Practice by taking complete sample tests in one sitting.Taking the SAT is a lot like running a marathon. In order to get through the test and still be freshmentally at the end,you have to train for it.One effective approach is to take one SAT sampletest on the three Saturday mornings that precede your test date.

Strategy Five:If you can eliminate two incorrect answers to a question,guess from the remaining answers.This has been statistically shown to boost overall scores.

Strategy Six:Answer math questions backwards.If you stop to think about it, you will realize that one of the answers to any math question hasto be the correct one, right? So it follows that you can plug the answers into any equation oneat a time,until you find the correct one.You will also notice that it is almost always possible toeliminate one or even two of the answers,because they are so obviously incorrect. Eliminatethose answers,use the others to back into your answer as noted above,and you can answera lot more questions correctly in a lot less time.


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How to Write Your College Admissions EssayStrategy Five


Are you nervous about writing your college admissions essay?Don’t be. It is actually simpler than you expect, if you follow this advice:

Step One:Understand the purpose of the essay.Colleges want them because they are trying to decide whetheror not you would be a good member of their college communityif they accept you.Period.

Step Two:Pick a topic that supports Step One above.In other words,pick a subject that shows that you are a good fit forthe college. If you are applying to an activist kind of college,writesomething about the environment or about social values. If you areapplying to a notorious party school,write something about whata good friend you are. If you are an athletic recruit to a sports-intensiveschool,write about something you learned when you were on a team.Picking your topic is notrocket science – just consider what the college in question wants to hear from you.

Step Three:Dig a few layers down into your topic.If you are writing about sports,don’t write about how excited you were when your team wonthe state championship,or about your inspiring coach. Instead,write about what you learnedabout trusting others when you were injured,or about how you learned to play better from ateammate whowas benched for the entire season.Or if you are writing about your environmentalism,don’t write about how evil it is to eat animals. Instead,write about how you struggled to stopeating meat and learned something important about making changes in your life. Again, thepoint is to reveal something about yourself and your personal journey toward becoming whoyou are.

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Step Four:Avoid the classic blunders.Certain topics are off-limits.Don’t write, for example,about something you learned while you weredrunk or high.Don’t write about how stupid a course or a teacher was.Don’t write about how oursolar system is just like an atom and we are living in it – the admissions people have seen thatessay before. Also,avoid the topic of death,unless you have something astonishingly unusual towrite about the death of a grandparent,parent,or pet.

Step Five:Have a teacher or guidance counselor proofread your essayand make suggestions – but NOT rewrite it.Admissions officers have gotten very good at spotting essays that have been made“squeaky-clean”by a parent or college essay advisor.You are a student applying to college, right? Not afamous author.So an essay that is a little rough around the edges will work harder to show thosecolleges who you really are.

Four Critical Questions to AskStrategy Six


Going to the wrong college can be more than disappointing.It can cost you a fortune too.

Here are some comments that prove that point fromStudentsReview.com,a website where students reviewhundreds of American colleges:

“Do not go here! My one friend here just graduatedin the top ten and cannot get a job! [Employers]always say they are sorry but they don’t trust theschool’s credentials.”

“Tens of thousands of dollars in debt and I doubtmy professors read my [papers].”

“This place is definitely not worth your parents’45K/year...The resources here areaverage at best.The labs are small and clearly cannot accommodate the growingnumber of science students each year...The dorms are pitiful: small,dark,and poorlykept...Our medical center doesn’t have a doctor on staff.”

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If you want to avoid problems like those,it can help to ask questions like these beforeyou select colleges or decide to attend them:

• Am I comfortable at the place?When students are unhappy at school,it’s often because their personalities are different from those of the studentsaround them.That’s why it is critically important to visit classes, talk to studentson campus,or sleep in a dormitory overnight if you are accepted. If youdon’t feel at home,you probably won’t be happy at the school – even if ithas the biggest name or the strongest reputation.

• Does the college have the facilities I need?Generally, the buildings thatcolleges show you during campus tours are the newest and flashiest,orthe oldest and most historic.But if you think you might be a majoring in, say,computer game design,be sure to take a close look at the computer facilities.The time to learn about so-so facilities is before you enter a school,not after.

Remember that online college courses let you test out college courses and majors before youarrive on campus.That’s why more students today are using them to reduce the cost of pickingthe wrong college or major.


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• Can I transfer if things don’t work out? Even though U.S.News compilesstatistics about college transfers,definitive figures are hard to come by.(You can find them here at:http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-transfers )If you’re thinking of attending the University of Michigan, for example,howhard is it to transfer out? To find out,post queries on campus blogs or askstudents during your campus tours.Sobering: Some colleges,we hear,actually try to keep students’grades low during their freshman year sothat it will be more difficult for them to transfer to other institutions.

•What are my fallback options if my major doesn’t work out?We knowone student who went to a small college that had a world-class danceprogram.But when she decided not to major in dance during hersophomore year, there was not much else that the school could offerher, so she had to transfer out.That is one reason why it can be wiseto gravitate toward larger institutions if you are not certain of your major.

Handling College Alumni InterviewsStrategy Seven


If you’re applying to a college that offers you a chanceto have an interview with an alumnus or alumna whoattended the school, should you schedule one?

The answer is, yes. Alumni interviews can only improveyour chances of getting into a college.They representan opportunity that is all upside,with no downside.

Do be aware,however, that different colleges placedifferent levels of importance on these interviews.Some colleges apparently value them a great deal,others do not. For example, I was part of a group ofalumni who did interviews for the Ivy League institutionwhere I got my master’s degree,and I can report withsome certainty that the post-interview feedbackprovided by alumni interviewers of that school is barelyconsidered at all during the admissions process. (Arethese interviews simply a mechanism that the school employs to make alums feel involved in thelife of the school? I cannot say for sure,but it looks that way to me.) But other colleges apparentlyplace more weight on alumni interviews. In general, such schools seem to be smaller collegesthat have enthusiastic alumni who are very committed to the schools they attended.

Geography comes into play, too. If you are applying to a college that is located far away orin an out-of-the-way location that is hard to visit, that school might offer alumni interviews asa convenience to students who find it difficult to make campus visits.Remember,however, thatmany schools send actual admissions officers to interview students in cities that are distantfrom campus. And those remote interviews,which are not conducted by alumni,count justas much as interviews that are scheduled on campus.

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If you do decide to schedule an alumni interview,what is the best wayto handle it?Here are some steps to take,based on my own experience and that of two other alumniinterviewers I know:


Take the lead in arranging the interview.If the college provides you the name of an alum in your area,don’t sit backand wait for that individual to contact you.Take the initiative and be the firstto email or call.You’ll show that you are eager to attend the school,and thatwill work in your favor.

Handle the details.I once interviewed a terrific student in his own high school,where he scheduleda room,had coffee waiting,and introduced me to his guidance counselor.That left me with a very positive impression of him and his maturity. (I notedthose observations on the post-interview feedback form that I sent to theadmissions office at the school,but the student got rejected anyway.)

Come prepared to ask specific questions about currentissues and activities on campus.A question like“What is life like at Wabash State?”doesn’t show that youhave invested too much time thinking about going to college there.Butasking,“Have you toured the new performing arts center?”shows that youhave more than a passing interest in the school. Informed questions alsohelp you determine whether your interviewer is really involved in the life ofthe school or is only doing interviews to pass the time.

Don’t spend too much time discussing the other collegeswhere you are applying.Doing so will make the interviewer think that you are not really committedto attending his or her alma mater. If your interviewer asks about the otherschools where you are applying,go ahead and name them,but add acomment at the end like,“...but your college is really my first choice.”

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Ask the interviewer to introduce you to people on campuswho can increase your chances of getting in.You can ask, for example,whether you can email the soccer coach and saythat your interviewer suggested that you do so.Or you can ask the interviewerwhether he or she knows the head of the political science department andwhether you can email that person and say that your interviewer encouragedyou to do so. Alumni interviewers are likely to be happy to help you make thesecontacts; doing so makes them feel more involved with their former schools.

Avoid discussing college costs or financial aid.It would be highly unusual for an alumni interviewer to be well-informed onthese topics.So save any questions about finance and direct them to thefinancial aid or admissions office of the school where you are applying.

Ask the interviewer a few questions about him or herself.You can ask what his or her experience was like at the college. And don’thesitate to ask about your interviewer’s work or career. If he or she likes you,you might get an offer of a summer job or internship out of the interview too.So don’t be shy.

Use good interviewing practices.Arrive early,be well dressed,walk confidently into the interviewing room,shakehands, sit up straight,make eye contact,and use all the other basic skills thatmake a good impression in interviews. Another winning strategy is to learn theinterviewer’s name and use it at the start of the interview (“I am very pleased tomeet you,Ms.Brown”),during the interview (“Ms.Brown,can you tell me aboutsocial life on weekends?”),and as the interview ends (“Ms.Brown, I really wantto thank you for taking the time to talk with me today.”).Doing so offers a verysimple strategy to stand out from other applicants and be the candidate thatyour interviewer remembers the best.

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Save Time and Money with StraighterLineOnline AP Courses

Going to College?


Over 90% of 4-year colleges in the US give students credit or advanced placement (or both) onthe basis of AP Exam scores.You can save time and money by getting these required courses outof the way in advance,and StraighterLine makes it easier to do both.

StraighterLine has 5 courses that have received approval by the College Board to be listed asAP courses:

College Board AP Course Title StraighterLine Course Equivalent

AP Macroeconomics Economics I:Macroeconomics

AP Microeconomics Economics II:Microeconomics

AP English Language and Composition English Composition

AP Calculus AB General Calculus I

AP Psychology Introduction to Psychology

StraighterLine Online AP courses are right for you if:•You didn’t get into an AP course in time to be ready for the next College Board AP test in May.

•You can’t get into an AP class next next year because your grades aren’t high enough.

• You’re going back to school and would like to save as much money as possible on yourrequired courses.

2Ways to Save Time• AP tests are given once a year in May. If you’re not ready,you’ve got to wait a whole year.But what if you can’t wait because you’re graduating?With StraighterLine,you can takeyour AP course online any time – and in time – for the next test.

• On average,college students take 12-18 credits per semester. All five StraighterLine APcourses are required at most schools, so that’s 12 credits,most if not all of an entiresemester that you can skip if you place out of them on the AP tests.

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2Ways to Save Money• A single 3-credit StraighterLine course costs $399 or less.Compared to the averagecost of a 3-credit course at a 4-year college,you can save hundreds of dollars!*

• But you can save evenmore.Just take all 5 required onlineAP classes we offer onour Monthly Subscription Plan of $99 amonth,plus $39 per course. If you completeall 5 AP online courses online in 28 days each,which is about average,you’d payjust $554.Compared to the cost of an entire semester,you could save thousands!*

StraighterLineAP online classes are among the least expensiveAP classes you’ll find anywhereoutside of high school.So if you need to take anAP class,you’ll save more if you take themwithStraighterLine.

*According to the College Board,one year tuition and fees for 2011 for a 4-year college average between $8,244for a public 4-year college and $28,500 for a private 4-year college. Assuming 2 semesters per year with 6,3-creditcourses per semester, the average cost per 3-credit class is between $633 and $2,274 per course.

Consider TakingYour Required Coursesfrom StraighterLine

Going to College?


When you enroll at StraighterLine,you take our online, self-paced college courses in the comfortof your own home. If you pass those courses, they automatically transfer for full credit when youenroll in one of our accredited partner colleges.

Your Degree Comes FromThem.The Savings Comes From Us.Why pay more for the same degree? For just $99 a month plus a $39 per course registration fee,you can take as many 3- and 4-credit college courses as you want.Courses include:

MathematicsCollege AlgebraPrecalculusGeneral Calculus IGeneral Calculus IIBusiness Statistics

BusinessAccounting IAccounting IIManagerial AccountingEconomics I:MacroeconomicsEconomics II:MicroeconomicsIntroduction to Business

EnglishEnglish Composition IEnglish Composition IIBusiness Communication

HumanitiesUnited States History IWestern Civilization IIntroduction to Criminal JusticeIntroduction to SociologyPersonal FinanceIntroduction to Nutrition

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SciencesIntroductory Biology for NonmajorsIntroductory Biology for Nonmajors & LabGeneral Chemistry IGeneral Chemistry I & LabAnatomy & Physiology IAnatomy & Physiology I with LabAnatomy & Physiology IIAnatomy & Physiology II With LabMedical TerminologyIntroduction to PsychologyPharmacology IPharmacology IIGeneral Physics IGeneral Physics I with Lab

College PrepIntroductory AlgebraDevelopmental WritingPrior Learning Assessment (PLA)Student Success

http://www.straighterline.com/freetrial/?utm_campaign=Free%20Get%20Into%20College%20%20e-Guide%20PDF&utm_medium=PDF%20Download&utm_source=GIC%20PDF&utm_content=Get%20Into%20College%20e-Guide%20PDF


Don’t Take Our Word for It. Listen to Our Students…

“I’ve had 10 courses transferred so far…without any issue,and it’s usuallybeen very prompt in comparison to most schools I’ve dealt with.”

– Adam Ditillo,12/12/11

“I saved quite a bit of money, time,and frustration by taking this courseat StraighterLine.The credit transfer process took about a week fromstart to finish.”

– Jamie Pole 10/31/11

“It was by far the best and most smooth experience in credit transferfor me ever. It took less than 3 days for it to show on my CCSU transcripts.”

– Ahmed Behery 5/1/11

“…transferred my credit… with ease.The staff was helpful at both ends of thetransaction… and eventually I transferred that credit again to the Universityof Missouri where I’m working to finish my degree...”

–Joe Scheinkopf,8/31/10

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Why StraighterLine?We’re New. We’re Different.Why ShouldYou Trust Us?In the short time we've been around,we've been recognized as a revolutionizing force in educationby major news organizations and the U.S.Chamber of Commerce and have forged partnershipswith the leading accredited online colleges and universities.

Our courses are evaluated and recommended by the AmericanCouncil on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service(ACE CREDIT). In addition to the institutions with which StraighterLinehas a direct relationship,more than 200 other schools are reportedto have accepted StraighterLine coursework for transfer credit.


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Our Students Grade Us!To better understand how our courses are meeting students’needs,we commissioned awell-regarded higher education research firm to conduct a survey of our alumni.

StraighterLine Students Earn Real College CreditOver 90% of the students who sought credit for completed StraighterLinecoursework were successful.This includes nearly 80% of those who soughtcredit at colleges and universities outside the StraighterLine partner collegenetwork (ie, institutions with which StraighterLine does not have a formalarticulation-like arrangement).

StraighterLine’s Programs Are EffectiveNearly 90% of StraighterLine alums are either currently enrolled in a degreeprogram or have completed a college degree since taking their StraighterLinecourse.Over 70% who completed a StraighterLine course felt it made themmore likely to complete a college degree.Nearly half felt better prepared fortraditional college courses as a result of having taken a StraighterLine course.

Students Are Overwhelmingly Satisfiedwith StraighterLine’s CoursesAmong those who completed a StraighterLine course,well over 90% wouldrecommend the program to a friend.Satisfaction was remarkably high evenamong those who did not successfully complete,where 70% would stillrecommend StraighterLine to a friend.

StraighterLine vs.Online Courses Offeredby Traditional Colleges and UniversitiesRespondents who had also earned college credit through an online courseoffered by a college or university were asked to compare that experience withStraighterLine on a number of measures.StraighterLine courses were found to be:

Equally or more rigorous

79% indicated StraighterLineequally or more academicallyrigorous

Continues…


About the study:Hezel Associates invited to participate in the survey all students who had either successfullyor unsuccessfully completed a StraighterLine course during the period from the company’sinception to June 6, 2011.There was an 11.5% response rate during the data collection period.You can download a PDF of the final results at:http://www.straighterline.com/media/pdf/hezelreport-straighterline-final20110815.pdf

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More convenient72% indicated StraighterLinemore convenient

More affordable73% indicated StraighterLinelower cost

Greater overall satisfaction90% indicatedmore or equallysatisfied with Straighterline

Date post:	05-Jul-2020
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