College Guru

What To Do If Deferred in Early Admissions

2008-02-06T11:38:00.000-05:00

First, if you have been deferred from a college, here is what not to do: nothing.

This is no time to be sitting around merely worrying and hoping. This is a time for action. It is not too late. The goal of every college application should be to stand out in a positive way. That goal does not change after a deferral. If your application is just sitting in a pile somewhere, chances are that it is not going to stand out. You can do something about that. Try one or more of the following:

-- It has been several months since you sent in your application. Have you had any positive news since then? Have you won any awards, or had a poem published, or become captain or editor? Let the admissions office know.

-- If you have no news to share, make some. Sign up for an elective term course. Submit poems to newspapers, magazines, and contests. Try to get elected or appointed to a leadership position in an extra-curricular activity. Volunteer for a charitable activity outside of school – at a hospital or nursing home or Habitat for Humanity or the like. In some way, add another activity or appointment to your schedule. When you do, let the admissions office know.

-- Call the admissions office and let them know that you care enough about your candidacy to get in touch and to update your application. Tell them about what you have been doing and what good things have happened since your application was submitted. Let them know what you have to offer them and why they will be glad that they accepted you. Let them know that they are number one, that if you are accepted, you will attend. Give them a voice to attach to the name on your application, a personality, a life full of good cheer, a basketful of reasons to put you in the “admit” pile. If possible, speak with the representative who covers your area. In whatever way possible, make that rep your advocate.

Again, the goal is to stand out. The overwhelming majority of deferred candidates will do nothing. They will not call. They will not update their application. They will not show in any conspicuous manner – other than what they said in their initial application – that they care about getting admitted. You can be different…you can stand out…you can show that you really care. Start by sharing your good-news update.

What 7th Grade Students and Their Parents Must Know About College Admission

2008-02-04T20:41:00.001-05:00

Is 7th Grade too early to be thinking about getting into college? Yes and no.

Middle school students have plenty on their plates. And kids should be allowed to be kids.

Yet, one particular item on that plate should be of interest to both the students and their parents: the courses in the immediate academic future, that is, 8th and 9th Grade. In many schools, especially private schools, students may take full-credit, high school math and foreign language courses in the 8th Grade, such as Algebra and a first-year in foreign languages like Spanish, French, Latin, German, or, increasingly these days, Chinese. Parents of 7th Graders should be aware of the offerings available to their children in the following year and should determine if taking high school courses in the 8th Grade is a viable option. Are the students qualified? Is it up to the school or the family to place the child?

At stake here is getting a good jump on the curriculum so that later in high school, the student will have some flexibility to take more advanced courses, such as advanced placement offerings, “AP” courses. For example, a student interested in math who takes Algebra in the 9th Grade probably will not have an opportunity to take AP Calculus in the 12th Grade because the prerequisites generally include Geometry, Algebra II, and Pre Calculus – courses that would be slated for the 10th, 11th, and 12th Grades, thus leaving out AP Calculus. If, however, Algebra were taken in the 8th Grade instead of the 9th Grade, the sequence would permit AP Calculus in the 12th Grade. A similar scenario would play out for a foreign language.

Since college admissions officers look very carefully at the transcript of a candidate, they will notice if the student has exhausted a particular discipline – like math. One of the first questions that college admission readers ask when reviewing an applicant’s folder is: has this student challenged himself? The applicant who has a transcript full of AP courses and who has a 12th Grade schedule of high-level courses in each discipline, will stand out in a very positive way. The admissions office would likely have little doubt that the student not only has embraced an academic challenge already, but also will be able to manage college level work in the year to come.

So, 7th Grade students and their parents would be well advised to look ahead to the curriculum available in 8th and 9th Grade – and beyond. The course selections in 8th Grade, especially in math and foreign language, may affect significantly the options in high school and college.

Poor Grades. Low SATs. How Can I Get Into College?

2008-01-31T10:31:00.000-05:00

News Flash: Not everyone is an academic star. And colleges know that. If you are not happy with your grades or standardized test scores, do not despair. There is much more to an application than grades or scores.

Though the transcript is important, the essay presents another wonderful opportunity to present yourself. Take advantage of this. Write an essay that knocks them off their feet from first word to last. Tell them what your passion is, how you spend your time, why that pursuit is important to you. They want to know about YOU. They want to know what makes you tick. If you are an amateur entomologist, describe how you spend most of your waking hours playing with bugs. Tell them that you plan to make a career of it. If you are a readaholic, tell them about the last six books you read this year, and why you read them, and how reading is important to you. Do not waste the essay opportunity by merely regurgitating what already appears on other parts of the application, like lists of extracurricular activities. Lists will put the readers to sleep. They might be reading your essay at two o'clock in the morning, having already read fifty essays before yours. You want to grab them by the collar with your first sentence and shake them awake. You want them to know that you are more than grades and SATs.

The interview is another part of the application process that presents an opportunity to show the college who you really are. While many colleges do not require an interview, most will arrange one if you request it. Request it. Let the admissions office attach a face and a personality to the application. As you did in the essay, let them know in person how passionate you are about something, how you spend so much time pursuing it, and why it is important. Stay positive and upbeat. Leave a good impression. You want them to remember you. You want them to refer to you in their meetings as “that sincere guy who loves to play with bugs and wants to be an entomologist down the road,” or “that passionate girl who spends most of her afternoons and evenings at the dance studio because she’s committed to joining the American Ballet Theater one of these days,” or “that earnest, articulate candidate with a good sense of humor who likes to read and who – this year alone – has read everything that Jane Austen ever wrote.”

Yet another part of the application that invites you to describe yourself is the supplemental materials section. This presents you with an opportunity to submit an extra paper or report you have written, or a tape or CD or DVD that exhibits your talent in depth. Use this chance to showcase the side of you that the admissions office will find appealing. Are you a singer or a cellist or a dancer or a football player? Send a tape of yourself performing. Have you written a great report that the teacher raved about or a great article that appeared in the newspaper? Have you had a poem published in a magazine? Send it and let the admissions officers see your accomplishments first hand. Give them something to offset the transcript. Let them know how special you are.

Yes, grades and standardized test scores are important. But, by design, applications are multi-faceted. The admissions office wants to know who you are beyond the transcript. They want to know what you can contribute to the college. Use every chance you can find to tell them what they will gain if they admit you. In particular, seize the opportunities presented by the essay, the interview, and the supplemental materials sections.

Applications Up, Seats Down at California Public Universities

2008-01-30T09:33:00.000-05:00

As the number of applications received in the public university systems of California reaches a record high this year, the number of available openings will decrease at many of its campuses. As a result, thousands of high school seniors must brace themselves for letters of rejection.

San Diego State University, for example, received 61,663 applications this year, an increase of 6 percent. At the same time, due to projected budget cuts, it expects to reduce the number of those admitted by approximately 25 percent, from 9,813 to 7,323. On a larger scale, applications to the 23 campuses of the California State University system rose by 11 percent this year, to 504,800, as approximately one third of its campuses prepare to admit fewer students.

The swell of applications stems from several factors, not the least of which is the record number of high school seniors nationwide who will graduate this year, more than 3 million. In addition, those seniors are sending applications to more colleges than seniors did in the past. A study at UCLA has found that 4 percent of college freshmen in 1976 applied to six or more colleges, while the number increased to 18 percent in 2006.

Primer on the PSAT/NMSQT

2008-01-28T19:43:00.000-05:00

Each October, the College Board offers high school students a standardized test that wears two hats. Sophomores and Juniors take the same test on the same day – for students in Grade 10, however, it is known as the PSAT, essentially a practice SAT, and for students in Grade 11, it carries an additional label, the NMSQT – the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Sophomores benefit from the test by getting to experience what they will face when they take the “real” SAT in the spring of the following year. One major difference, however, is that the PSAT does not have an essay component, while the SAT does.

Juniors benefit from the test not only by getting more practice for the SAT, but also by gaining an opportunity for a scholarship. Scores range from 20 to 80 (comparable to the SAT score range of 200 to 800). Students with the highest scores in each state become members of an exclusive club. The top 1% or so of the millions who take the test are declared National Merit Scholars - Semi-finalists and they compete for various scholarships. Below them, the top 5% or so are deemed Commended Scholars, and, though these students do not qualify to compete for scholarship funds, their achievement is indeed noteworthy and certainly deserving of mention on college applications.

Study Says Students Like Their Helicopter Parents

2008-01-24T13:44:00.000-05:00

Teachers and administrators at schools and colleges across the country use the term “helicopter parents” every day to refer to those moms and dads who “hover” over their children, especially during the college application process, prodding them, reminding them of deadlines, reviewing their essays, and taking a front-seat role. And, of course, the term is not meant to be complimentary.

But what do the students, themselves, think of this kind of hovering. Before now, it has been assumed that they, too, were annoyed.

Wrong.

A new study at UCLA, which surveyed a whopping 270,000 college freshmen, concludes that an overwhelming number of them think their parents’ hovering is just fine, thank you. Seventy-four percent of them said that the involvement in their affairs was “just right.” Eleven percent said the involvement was “too much” and fifteen percent said “too little.”

The Best College Directory

2008-01-23T17:04:00.000-05:00

So, you are about to start considering colleges and building a list of schools where you might apply. A good place to begin your research is a college directory.

Of the numerous directories filling the book shelves these days, one stands out conspicuously as the best of the bunch. The Best 366 Colleges, 2008 Edition, by Princeton Review, separates itself from the pack not simply because it provides the essential information necessary for any college search – admissions info, tuition, academic life, classroom experience, professors, social life, food, diversity, and so on – but because the source for much of that information is the student body itself. And not that this is the only “Insider Guide” on the market – by no means. Many directories get the inside scoop about a college from the students who attend, but this Princeton Review directory surveys more than 120,000 students each year to get the skinny. Its 832 pages are crammed with valuable insights.

Each college gets a 2-page spread and students talk about the nitty-gritty details that often don’t make it into other books. When the smoke clears, these are the 366 colleges deemed the best in the country. Though, of course, most lists of “best colleges” will vary slightly from each other, there is little doubt that you will find here a substantial number of highly regarded institutions that seem a good fit for you. And that would be a good start for your list. Click the live link that follows to take a closer look.

The Best 366 Colleges, 2008 Edition (College Admissions Guides)

Attention, Juniors – Time to Take the SAT and Subject Tests

2008-01-22T19:54:00.000-05:00

If you are in the 11th Grade, you should be taking the SAT soon. If you are thinking about applying to colleges that require Subject Tests, you should consider taking them this year also. Here are the dates and the tests offered:

Test Date: January 26, 2008 (SAT and Subject Tests)
Registration Deadline: Passed

(January 26 is this Saturday and the deadlines for registration have passed – if you are not registered and you really want to take it, you can try to take it as a “stand-by”. Test centers usually order extra copies of the test. Report to a test center near you and hope that there is an extra test booklet. Tip: Before Saturday, call the test center and tell them what you want. They will advise you.)

Test Date: March 1, 2008 (SAT only)
Registration Deadline: January 29, 2008
Late Registration Deadline: February 7, 2008

Test Date: May 3, 2008 (SAT and Subject Tests)
Registration Deadline: April 1, 2008
Late Registration Deadline: April 10, 2008

Test Date: June 7, 2008 (SAT and Subject Tests)
Registration Deadline: May 6, 2008
Late Registration Deadline: May 15, 2008

About Subject Tests

Many colleges – especially the Ivy League – require applicants to take two or more Subject Tests. These are given in various subjects, like English, Math, US History, Chemistry, etc., to measure your knowledge. Scores range from 200 to 800. You may take one, two, or three Subject Tests on a test date, but you may not take the SAT and Subject Tests on the same date. Tip: Take a Subject Test at the end of the same academic year in which you have studied the subject in school. For example, if you are doing well in Chemistry this year, consider taking the Chemistry Subject Test this May or June.

Harvard, Princeton, UVA Applications Rise

2008-01-19T14:05:00.000-05:00

Applications to Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Virginia increased this year, with Harvard showing the most dramatic rise.

Applications for admission to Harvard rose by nineteen percent to 27,278, and, according to Dean of Admissions William R. Fitzsimmons, the college will accept 2,100 of them – 7.7 percent – to fill the Class of 2012. Last year, with fewer applications but the same number of admitted students, the acceptance rate was 9.1 percent.

Applications to Princeton rose 6.2 percent to 20,118, and applications to UVA increased 4.5 percent to 18,900.

Having eliminated their early action programs this year, which called for candidates to submit applications by November 1 for a determination in mid-December, the admissions offices at all three universities had more time available in the fall to recruit in the field rather than to devote their hours to thousands of early decisions.

This year’s increase in applications at Harvard also may have been influenced by the university’s recent announcement outlining an overhaul of its financial aid commitment, which ostensibly makes the prestigious institution more accessible to low- and middle-income families.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

2008-01-10T12:22:00.000-05:00

Princeton Selects New Director of Admission
News @ Princeton – January 10, 2008

Top Universities Shake-Up Financial Aid Policies
Stanford Daily – January 9, 2008

Getting Into Oxford and Cambridge
Bloomberg – January 7

SAT Writing Score Ignored; NCAA Progress; NACAC to Study “Admissions Creep”
Orange County Register - January 6, 2008

TODAY'S HEADLINES

2008-01-09T11:14:00.000-05:00

TODAY'S HEADLINES

Hiding the Truth – Some Schools May Withhold Disciplinary Records
Harvard Crimson – January 9, 2008

Grades and Course Selection May Mean Cash for College in Utah
Salt Lake Tribune - January 9, 2008

Financial Aid Help in North Carolina on Saturday, February 9
Focus on FAFSA
Reuters – January 8, 2008

Colleges Using Web Tools to Recruit – Social Sites, Podcasts, Blogs, etc.
Boston Globe – January 7, 2008

TECHNORATI PROFILE

2007-12-19T11:55:00.000-05:00

Technorati Profile

STANFORD ADMITS 738 EARLY

2007-12-19T10:58:00.000-05:00

Out of the 4,551 early action applications that Stanford received for the Class of 2012, 16 percent have been admitted – 738 candidates. They have until May 1 to decide whether or not to enroll.

Another round of acceptances will be sent out in the beginning of April. Last year, Stanford received approximately 24,000 applications for about 1675 spots.

YALE ADMITS 885 EARLY

2007-12-19T10:54:00.000-05:00

Yale admitted 885 students to the Class of 2012 in the early action round that has candidates submitting applications by November 1 and decisions made by mid-December. With Harvard and Princeton bowing out of the early admissions picture this year, Yale’s early pool swelled to 4,888 applications, an increase of 36% over last year’s early pool. By all accounts, early pools contain the strongest students. As a result, this has been considered by many to be the most difficult time ever to be accepted at Yale. Understandably, many students with Harvard or Princeton as first-choice, who normally would have applied early to those colleges if they had retained their early admission programs, may have chosen to apply to Yale early, since the decision is non-binding. Accepted students do not have to respond until May 1.

DUKE ADMITS 472 EARLY

2007-12-19T10:47:00.000-05:00

Duke’s early decision program fielded 1,247 applications to the Class of 2012 this year, and accepted 472 of them, 233 women and 239 men, an acceptance rate of 37.9 percent.

Duke’s program is binding, with candidates agreeing when applying that they would attend if accepted.

WHAT COLLEGES LOOK FOR: NOT A WELL-ROUNDED STUDENT

2007-12-04T16:49:00.000-05:00

The best colleges these days are not looking for a well-rounded student. They are looking for a well-rounded student body. There’s a big difference.

A well-rounded student body requires a variety of students with individual strengths, as opposed to individual students with a variety of strengths. A student with depth of talent or commitment in one or two areas may be much more appealing than a student with a bit of talent or a scattered commitment in many areas.

For example, in any particular year a college may be seeking students with passion and achievement in writing to fill anticipated openings in the school’s newspaper and literary journals. Or they may need soccer players – a goalie, in particular – since graduation will claim half of the starting team. Or they may seek students who have shown a passion for politics to fill spots in student government. Students with a passion a mile deep in one particular area will be much more desirable than students with a passion an inch deep in 10 different areas.

How does this play out in admissions? For candidates, the advice is simple: in your application, present as much of a singular profile as possible. It’s fine if you were involved in 10 extracurricular activities in the past few years, but choose the one or two that have interested you the most and every chance you get, emphasize their importance in your life.

If, for example, playing the oboe is your true love, talk about it, describe that passion in one of the essays in the Common Application, describe how you feel when you play it, explain how you got to perform with the local symphony orchestra, mention your oboe-playing idols and say why you like them. By letting the admissions office see the depth of your love for the instrument, you will stand out in the crowd, and with such intense competition these days in college admissions, standing out in the crowd is a path to the thick envelope.

3 SIMPLE STEPS TO AN ESSAY THAT WILL GET YOU IN

2007-11-08T13:23:00.000-05:00

The essay is an opportunity for you to provide information about yourself that does not appear elsewhere in the application. Follow these steps and your essay will help you get admitted:

1. Write about YOU.

Colleges want to know about YOU. No matter what prompt they give you for the essay, the underlying question they are asking is "Who are you?" If, for example, the prompt asks you to name people -- living or dead -- whom you would like to go to dinner with and explain why you would choose them, or asks you to describe the profound influence that certain people have had on you, the admissions office really wants you to focus on the YOU part of the question. They don't want to know about the dinner guest or the one who has influenced you as much they do want to know about why you would choose that particular person, or what impact the person has had on your life. Similarly, if the prompt invites you to write about a world event or an historical figure, they seek to know the impact the event or the figure has had on YOU. Remember this as you write so that you do not get carried away and spend too much time on the event or the figure or the dinner guest. Write about YOU.

2. Separate yourself from the pack.

These days, selective colleges receive close to 20,000 applications, but can admit only a fraction of the candidates. If even 2,000 get in, that means that 18,000 good students get turned away. If your application merely blends in with all the others, your chances of getting admitted are not good. Your goal is to make the admissions office notice you -- not with some crazy gimmick -- but with a great essay that jumps out of the pile. There is something special about you -- there is. You may not be able to identify it right now, but if you think hard enough and review your accomplishments and views of the world, it will come to you. What makes you special may not be one single characteristic or talent or experience -- it may be a combination of characteristics or talents or experiences. If, for example, you play the sax, that may separate you a bit, but not as much as it would if you played the sax one special night with the Bruce Springsteen band. Or perhaps you get great grades -- that certainly does not separate you much in the competitive applicant pools these days. But if you are also a National Merit Scholar and an accomplished writer who has won a national writing contest and had your poetry published, then you are in a much smaller pool. It is not necessary to have high academic awards if, for example, you can cite some other major accomplishments -- say, all-star athlete in the state, or first violin in the local symphony, or newspaper intern at the hometown newspaper, or the like. You do not have to be a star as much as you have to be different -- separate yourself from the pack. And write about it in your essay.

3. Grab the reader's attention with a startling opening.

Here's the deal -- it's 2 a.m. and the admissions officer has just read about 150 application essays. He's ready to pass out from reading the same old stuff -- "I was the editor of the newspaper," "I was the captain of the cheerleading team," "I really learned a lot from band camp," and so on. Now he reaches out and takes your essay from the pile. What is the first sentence going to say? If it's anything like the others, you're sunk. You have failed to make a significant impression. You are just like the other 150 ho-hum writers. But if you say something that startles him, something that reaches out from the paper and grabs him by the throat, now you've got a very good chance to find yourself in the "admit" pile.

TOP 12 WOMEN'S COLLEGES IN AMERICA

2007-11-05T11:14:00.000-05:00

Some of the most highly regarded colleges in the country -- many with a simply breathtaking campus -- are for women only. Visit them online or in person. The following institutions top the list:

Wellesley -- MA www.wellesley.edu

Smith -- MA www.smith.edu

Mount Holyoke -- MA www.mtholyoke.edu

Barnard -- NY www.barnard.edu

Bryn Mawr -- PA www.brynmawr.edu

Hollins -- VA www.hollins.edu

Mills -- CA www.mills.edu

Scripps -- CA www.scrippscollege.edu

Sweet Briar -- VA www.sbc.edu

Randolph-Macon -- VA www.rmc.edu

Spelman -- GA www.spelman.edu

Converse -- SC www.converse.edu

THE PUBLIC IVIES

2007-11-01T13:32:00.000-04:00

Visit online these highly regarded public universities that are often compared in quality to the colleges of the Ivy League:

College of William and Mary www.wm.edu

University of California, Berkeley www.berkeley.edu

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) www.ucla.edu

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill www.unc.edu

University of Virginia www.virginia.edu

6 OUTSTANDING "BEST BUY" COLLEGES

2007-10-18T10:15:00.000-04:00

1. California Institute of Technology -- Pasadena, CA. Smaller than MIT, but no less selective in admissions or demanding of its enrolled students. Techies galore, with Top SAT scores and decidedly tech-speak vocabulary. Total enrollment (approximate): 2100; Undergraduate enrollment: 930. If you love science and discovery and you have the credentials for admission, this may be the place for you. www.caltech.edu

2. Cooper Union -- NYC, NY. Looking for a top notch college at a barain price? How about FREE. Get yourself admitted to Cooper Union and you won't pay for your education. Geared toward art, architecture, and engineering. Total enrollment (approximate): 900; Undergraduate enrollment: 870. www.cooper.edu

3. UC, Berkeley -- Berkeley, CA.

4. Georgia Tech -- GA.

5. UNC, Chapel Hill -- Chapel Hill, NC.

6. University of St. Andrews -- Scotland. Highly rated education across the pond. Established in 1413 -- oldest in Scotland, third oldest in UK, and way older than Harvard (1636). Total enrollment (approximate): 6500; Undergraduate enrollment: 5500. "High standards, picturesque, historic." www.st-andrews.ac.uk/

THE 10 BEST COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES

2007-10-17T11:56:00.000-04:00

With the understanding that "best," like "beauty," is in the mind of the beholder, and that the most important element in college selection is to find not the most prestigious but the best "fit," here are the 10 colleges that rise to the top in terms of faculty resources, class size, student-faculty ratio, financial resources, and selectivity. Yes, they are all highly selective -- for good reason. Also weighed in here is feedback from current and former students, which accounts for some highly-touted schools being conspicuously absent, and others slipping in under the radar.

1. Yale

2. Princeton

3. Harvard

4. Stanford

5. MIT and Cal Tech*

6. Wellesley

7. Dartmouth

8. University of Virginia

9. Notre Dame

10. Williams

* MIT and Cal Tech: Twins. So much the same brand of students and similar environment, except, of course, that one is on the Atlantic and the other on the Pacific.

SAT and ACT TESTING SCHEDULE

2007-10-16T12:59:00.000-04:00

The SAT and ACT SCHEDULES, INCLUDING REGISTRATION DEADLINES (Late registrations may be made for additional fee.):

SAT and Subject Tests
(NOTE: 3-1-08 is SAT only. All other dates offer SAT or Subject Tests.)

Test Date (Registration Deadline)

10-6-07 (9-10-07)

11-03-07 (10-2-07)

12-1-07 (10-30-07)

1-26-08 (12-26-07)

3-1-08 SAT ONLY (1-29-08)

5-3-08 (4-1-08)

6-7-08 (5-6-08)

ACT Tests

Test Date (Registration Deadline)

9-15-07 (8-10-07)

10-27-07 (9-21-07)

12-8-07 (11-2-07)

2-9-08 (1-4-08)

4-12-08 (3-7-08)

6-14-08 (5-9-08)

EARLY ACTION/EARLY DECISION DEADLINE

2007-10-16T10:28:00.000-04:00

REMINDER: November 1 is the early action/early decision application deadline for many colleges. Check your college's Website to be sure.

College Guru

What To Do If Deferred in Early Admissions

What 7th Grade Students and Their Parents Must Know About College Admission

Poor Grades. Low SATs. How Can I Get Into College?

Applications Up, Seats Down at California Public Universities

Primer on the PSAT/NMSQT

Study Says Students Like Their Helicopter Parents

The Best College Directory

Attention, Juniors – Time to Take the SAT and Subject Tests

Harvard, Princeton, UVA Applications Rise

Top Stories This Week

TODAY'S HEADLINES

TODAY'S HEADLINES

TECHNORATI PROFILE

STANFORD ADMITS 738 EARLY

YALE ADMITS 885 EARLY

DUKE ADMITS 472 EARLY

WHAT COLLEGES LOOK FOR: NOT A WELL-ROUNDED STUDENT

3 SIMPLE STEPS TO AN ESSAY THAT WILL GET YOU IN

TOP 12 WOMEN'S COLLEGES IN AMERICA

THE PUBLIC IVIES

6 OUTSTANDING "BEST BUY" COLLEGES

THE 10 BEST COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES

SAT and ACT TESTING SCHEDULE

EARLY ACTION/EARLY DECISION DEADLINE