August 1 Launch of the Common App

On August 1st, the Common Application, also known as the Common App, becomes available for use. While many colleges have their own college applications, 456 institutions use the Common App, making it easier for students to apply to multiple colleges.


The Common Application that will be launched on August 1 is very similar to the one used last year. To see the changes for first-year applications, students can look at the highlighted sections in the preview application.

The most dreaded portion of the Common App is the writing section. Students need to write a 250 – 500 word essay on a topic of their choice or on one of the five options provided. They also need to write about an extracurricular activity or work experience in the small space provided. Many colleges have a supplement to the Common App that may require additional essays.

I recommend that students write their essays before school resumes in September and life becomes more hectic. If you don’t think you’ll get it done without some structure, try my "Common Application Boot Camp With A Friend" or my 1-on-1 services.

How Will I Afford College?

Parents worry about how much college will cost and how they will afford college. Other than purchasing a home, college is usually the largest investment a family will make. Hopefully, families have been saving for college from the time their children were small. But with four years of college costing as much as a quarter of a million dollars, family savings are typically not enough.

A common misconception that parents have is that their financial salvation will come in the form of private scholarships. Private scholarships make up only 6% of all scholarships.   

The biggest source of aid is through the colleges. Families can save thousands of dollars by selecting the right colleges. Some parents might jump to the wrong conclusion when reading this. They might think that this means their child needs to attend a college with a low sticker price. Colleges, however, are like airplanes. Different people are paying different amounts for the same service. Surprisingly, private colleges may be less expensive than a public in-state college. 

Students need to select colleges that fit them financially, as well as academically and socially. The junior year of high school is a great time to begin the college selection process. If you are a rising senior, and haven’t considered the following financial questions, try to address them now. 

On the financial side, you need to know:

1. How much money has been saved for college?
2. How much need-based aid do you qualify for?
3. Which colleges meet a high percent of need?
4. Which colleges meet the need primarily with grants, instead of loans and work/study?
5. How much merit aid do you qualify for?
6. How many years will it take to graduate? (Students will want to check the 4-year, 5-year and 6-year graduation rates at the colleges they are considering.) 
7. How much money is the most the student should borrow?
8. How much money is the most the parents should borrow?

Some families, without the money to pay the college sticker price, ignore these issues and stick their heads in the sand. I don’t recommend that since the family may run out of money before college is completed or the student/family may be saddled with incredible debt for years to come.

Other families invest significant time to research these issues. Some families hire an independent college admissions professional like me, who understands these issues and the available resources, saving the family money and preventing the family from taking on too much debt.

 

What has your experience been?  What questions do you have?

Unique Approaches to Higher Education

Are you looking for a unique approach to Higher Education? Here are three unique approaches presented at the June Higher Education Consultants Association Conference.

At St. John’s College, in Annapolis and Santa Fe, there are no majors. St. John’s College is a great books college. Students read and explore a common body of works with their classmates and teachers.

Champlain College students are career-minded. The school describes its curriculum as upside down. Students start taking classes in their major as freshmen and begin working at internships early.

Bard College at Simon’s Rock is a very small college for intellectually curious tenth and eleventh graders.  These students are academically and socially ready for college before they graduate from high school.

Is one of these colleges right for you?  What other unique approaches appeal to you?

What will I do when I graduate college?

If you are wondering whether you will get a job in your field when you graduate college, or get into the graduate school of your dreams, ask colleges for data on recent graduating classes. Lynn O’Shaughnessy, speaking at the Higher Education Consultants Association Conference, recommends that when you receive post-graduation data from colleges, you should also ask what percent of the graduating class the data was based on. Often, the reports are based on self-reporting by only 5% of the college's graduating class.

A few colleges provide a clear and complete post-graduation picture. Lynn O'Shaughnessy cited reporting by St Olaf College and Bucknell University as a best practice. St. Olaf College gathered data on 92% of their 2011 graduates and prepared this 64-page report and Bucknell University gathered data on 97% of their 2011 graduates and prepared this 58-page report.

What kind of information does your college, or the colleges you are considering, provide about their graduates? 

Twelve College Transfer Tips

If you are a college student with plans to transfer, here are twelve tips from the Higher Education Consultants Association Conference session on understanding the transfer process.

Do:

1.  Stay for at least a year at a college, before transferring.
2. Save the syllabus, not just the course description, from each class you take. This will improve the chance that the college you are transferring to will accept your credits.
3. Get involved at your current school and develop a relationship with your professors.
4. Establish a relationship with the transfer advisor. 
5. Work with your academic advisor to evaluate your level of performance relative to your current college and the college you want to transfer to.
6. Get a sense about transfer student life, by talking with other students who transferred to the colleges you are considering.
7. Become familiar with the requirements (e.g., minimum and maximum number of credits, as well as test requirements) for transfer student applicants at the colleges you are considering. They vary considerably from college to college. Make sure that you meet more than the minimum standards, because entrance may be selective. 
8. Check out http://www.njtransfer.org/, if you are transferring from a NJ community college.

Know that: 

1. Some colleges may reserve a certain number of seats for students transferring from other particular colleges.
2. Some schools don’t have merit aid for transfer students.
3. Less money, less housing and fewer seats are generally available for a mid-year transfer, than for a fall transfer.

Don’t:

1. Write, “I’m transferring because my current college stinks,” in your application essay about why you want to transfer to College X.

What are your transfer experiences? What do you wish someone told you about transferring? What tips would you add to this list?