College Admissions Help Blog

Today I am starting something new. Every Wednesday I will be answering your most common college admissions questions.

This week we are talking about choosing the right school. Recently I had someone ask me “how do I know that I am picking the right college to attend?” This is a tough one. The truth is you can never know for sure until you get there, start taking classes and immerse yourself in the campus culture, but if you follow this advice you can come pretty close to making a flawless decision.

1: Determine a location that suites you. Some people are city people and some people are rural people. Some people like a self-contained campus and some people like a campus that is spread out. You need to figure out where you think you will be comfortable. You also need to figure out how far away from home you want to go. Maybe you cannot wait to move to the opposite coast or maybe you would prefer to be able to go home on the weekends.

2: Make sure the schools you are looking at have the academics that suite your needs. If science is your thing try not to fall in love with a business school no matter how fun it looks. Additionally, you may think you know what you want to do now, but if you change your mind and go to a school with limited options you might have to go through the hassle of transferring.

3: Do an exhausting amount of online research. There are so many websites out there that connect you with college that might fit your needs. How To get In even has its own college and university search engine that allows you to do all of you preliminary investigation.  If you are considering the online education route Edvisors.com can help you learn everything you need to know about online courses and degrees.

4: Visit the top ten schools on your list. You cannot make an educated school choice without visiting schools first. Colleges are extremely visitor friendly especially during college application season.  Colleges and Universities schedule and extensive number of tours, group information sessions, and even overnights. While you are visiting schools make sure you see what the residence halls look like, eat in the dining hall, visit the classrooms take a tour of the athletic facilities. The more information you can get the better.

5: Make sure you have safety, target and reach schools that you are interested in. If all of your favorite schools are admissions long shots and you do not end up getting into any of them, you will probably end up having to make a choice you are unhappy with. Have at least one safety school that thrills you.

6: Do not limit yourself to only looking at schools you think you can afford. Usually you will have people tell you the opposite, but I believe that if you find the perfect school there are ways to make it work. The Student Loan Network can help you determine what all of your financial aid options are.

In the end the college you choose is a decision that will stick with you for the rest of your life. If you know yourself and your own personal needs you cannot go wrong.

For many students community colleges serve as a means to an end, provided the lions share of your classes transfer without issue of course. Community colleges really are a terrific, cost effective way to pay for the first two years of higher education before moving on to a more expensive four year institution. The only question/problem that many lament over are which classes will transfer when it’s time to move on.

Now fortunately for me I transferred to a State school from my community college which excepted almost all of my classes, but for those of you who are transferring to a private school you may not be so lucky. However, the important thing to remember is that you do have some recourse if any of your classes are initially rejected. You can file an appeal.

Generally speaking you have 60 business days to file an appeal in writing from the date the transfer credit evaluation is mailed. You will most likely then meet with the director of transfer credits who will speak with the department chair and your academic adviser. If an unfavorable decision is once again reached you may be able to appeal to the Dean of the academic division which the course falls under.

So remember, while you should start by consulting the transfer credit area in the office of the registrar at your school in order to receive full credit for courses taken elsewhere and for proficiencies demonstrated on advanced placement or college level examination programs you have completed, you also have an avenue available to you where you can plead your case should your class be rejected for any reason. Heck, even if you only reverse their decision on one three credit class it is totally worth it and will save you both time and money. Stand up and fight for you!

One resource that tends to get overlooked on college campuses is the counseling center. Counseling centers are a great resource for students. They’re a place where you can go and discuss your interests and job possibilities with an adviser with no pressure from your peers or parents. Career centers also allow you to take career placement exams which highlight your strengths. I took a placement exam years ago and it unlocked job possibilities I never even knew existed both inside and outside of my chosen field. It really broadened my perspective.

Many career counseling centers also have an extensive job database designed specifically for its students. In fact, that’s where most students go to search for school internships. In addition, many campuses hold an on campus recruiting day for their seniors in the school counseling center. These recruiting days are a fantastic way to make valuable contacts and potentially land a job after graduation.

Be sure to take advantage of you school counseling center. It’s there to help you succeed.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 25 percent of college graduates entering the labor market are getting jobs previously held by people without degrees. There are millions of job-seekers with degrees who can not find jobs requiring their degree types.

It’s not uncommon to find someone with an MBA in education teaching first grade, or a person with a bachelors degree waiting tables. Right now it appears the outlook for a traditional degree is somewhat bleak. However, that doesn’t mean a degree is not still needed.

People will continue to pursue degrees for the wrong reasons, and industry will continue to honor them for the wrong reasons. But sufficed to say, you still need that piece of paper if you want to walk through that door. Even if it’not the dream job you had in mind.

People think that good grades are strictly a product of study, but they’re not. Your attitude, attendance, and class participation are all important. Equally important is being respectful of your professor and your fellow classmates. Below are 5 surefire ways to land in the professors dog house; ways that can come back to bite you in the butt.

1. Don’t talk during class: The professor doesn’t want to talk over you and your friend in the corner. The only talking in class you should be doing should involve the professor. Talk with your friends before and after class.

2. Be punctual: Nothing, and I mean nothing, gets under a professors skin like a student who strolls in late. It’s disruptive to all and just plain rude. Budget your time accordingly and get your tush in that seat before class begins.

3. Cell phone OFF: The only thing worse than strolling into class late is being on time and having your phone go off. Turn off the phone people, or at least put it on vibrate if you want to avoid the evil eye! I once had a professor take 5 points of an exam if someone’s phone went off in class – ouch!

4. Attendance counts: Most professors have rules, which are outlined on their syllabus, concerning acceptable absences. It’s certainly tough to learn the material when you’re not in class. And for all you geniuses who are smarter than the rest of us and feel you can come in every third week and take an exam and do well, too bad. You still have to show up for class too. Just sit in the back and do other homework if you must, but show up. Many times attendance is even calculated in your final grade – easy points!

5. Don’t pop that bubble: The dreaded under the desk treat. If you’re gonna chew keep your mouth closed and certainly don’t go blowing bubbles in class. Along those same lines be careful with any food and beverage you bring in the classroom. Don’t take advantage of those professors that allow you to bring something small to class by bringing in movie size popcorn, a coke in a souvenir mug, and a box of junior mints that would curb Oprah’s hunger pains.

Be a good student and classmate. After all, you catch more flies with honey, though I’m not quite sure I want to be catching flies.

Your scholarshippoints code worth 10 points is: SUREFIRE.

Selecting a major right out of high school may not be the smartest move for your longterm future. Lets examine five reasons why holding off on declaring a major is wise indeed

1. Uncertainty: Most students have no idea what they really want to be for the rest of their life when they’re 18 (neither do many adults for that matter). Why put undue pressure on yourself to enter a program you’re not confident is right for you? Allow the journey of self discovery to happen naturally. You’ll gravitate toward the classes, and thus, major that interest you.

2. Save Money: It will cost you more money in the long run if you switch majors midstream. The classes you completed under your major will be wasted, although you may be able to apply some of them toward your core or general elective requirements. Still, you will be at square one with respect to your new major.

3. Save Time: You can kiss the four year plan goodbye. Many students find themselves on the five or six year plan after changing majors. While your friends will be entering the workforce, buying their first new car, and starting life you’ll still be sitting in a classroom.

4. Don’t limit yourself: Sampling as many things as possible while in school is important – both inside and outside the classroom. By remaining undeclared or in a generic liberal arts major that will allow you the freedom to take classes in many different arenas and find the career path that is right for you.

5. Follow your heart: Don’t go into business management because Dad wants you to, or take up computer science because your friends are. You’ll just be miserable. Make your own path. Be your own man. Follow your gut instinct.

Remember, school is what you make of it. Make it the best time of your life.

Code for scholarshippoints members: MAJORPAIN

Hey Gang,
We were so pleased with the turnout of your comments and enthusiasm with the 10 things you might not know about college post, we thought we’d rekindle the idea. And no, this isn’t a grab bag on what to do that will guarantee you an A on your final exams. Finals are tough. They’re especially tough if you don’t stay up to date with the material…I’m getting ahead of myself. Without further adieu:

1. Give yourself a week: Meaning, spend a whole week prepping for an exam, no matter how tedious or inefficient that sounds. It will give you the time you need to divide friends, family and school up and manage the material into smaller, more digestible portions. How well you prepare invariably affects how well you do. Don’t try and take down a textbook of information in 8 hours.

2. Don’t repeat the course: Prepping for finals is not the time to reread a textbook, re-copy your notes, or any other extreme re-doing of coursework. If you haven’t given yourself a week (which, let’s be honest, you probably won’t!), there’s simply not the time in the day or space in your brain to put 16 weeks of information into one cram-sess. Time is crucial, so doing all of those readings you ‘forgot’ to do earlier in the semester in one sit down is probably not a good idea.

3. Beat up your notes: If you take impeccable notes, color-coded by category, time in history, or how you were feeling that day, then that’s just lovely. But now is the time to put them through hell and back. Highlight main points, draw stars and circle passages, put notes in the margins that ties the information together. Writing down what your Professor says isn’t good enough. You need to go back and mend it all together. It’s also a pretty good idea to arrange your notes in the order of the lectures.

4. Regurgitate: No, this isn’t in response to how nauseous your organic Chemistry exam will make you feel. It’s just unavoidable – you’ll have some classes that you just need to memorize a certain chunk of material. It could be dates in history, a set of equations or knowing the foundations and criticisms of German Historicism. Whatever it is, you’ll need to be able to spit back the facts. And if you have to do this for 5 courses, well, now you see why that week of studying isn’t such a bad idea. But the facts will only get you half way there…still, the better you know the grunt work, the better you’ll be able to shape your original essays.

5. Go to review sessions(!): I almost don’t even want to explain this one. Just go to them, I mean it. Professors and TA’s many times will recount huge chunks of the entire course and emphasize what you need to know for the test. Many times, a professor will drop some serious hints as to what’s happening the next morning on your final.

6. Find the dirt on last semester’s test: This doesn’t mean cheat. Don’t have your roommate steal extra exam sheets from their courses and plan on taking the same course next semester. The Professor has more than likely retooled the exam and if either of you get caught. Man. Good luck explaining your non-refundable expulsion to Mom and Dad. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t ask people questions. Your professor is hopefully nice enough to give you a study guide. First, complete it. Then find a buddy who’s willing to lend a hand in going over it (and if this buddy has already taken the course, schwing!).

7. Make your own exam: Use your study guide/sample exam, homework, notes, and questions from the books to draw up your own sample questions. The broader the questions the better. It will test your ability to remember minutia as well as key concepts.

8. Once again, go to office hours: Bring your personalized exam to your professor or TA and prepare some questions for them. In all likelihood they’ll be thrilled you’ve taken so much effort to diligently study for their exam that they won’t be able to help themselves in assisting you further. I said it before, and I’ll say it again – the professors are on your side (for the most part)!

9. Ammendment to tip #1 – Give yourself a week PLUS 8 hours: Stop cramming information down your throat at least 8 hours before the test begins. Not only will this insure you at least attempt to sleep and eat before test time, but this time period allows key concepts and facts to settle in. It’s science. People who cram until the last second enter the test under the most stressful conditions, ultimately clouding their thought process. Clear mind = clear thinking = clear grades

10. Spend each night after studying drinking heavily and vandalizing your school: Obviously a joke. I guess I really only have 9 tips. Nah, this last one qualifies too. So for the real #10: Above all, DON’T PANIC. It’s just a test. It won’t make or break your college experience (but if you have any classes where the final is 100% of your grade like I did, I officially permit you to only slightly panic)

And folks, don’t forget to check out the college admissions forum. For you high schoolers, it’s a great place to ask some questions about picking schools, applying, test prep, etc. And for you seasoned college elites – help out the youngsters (plus there’s a ton of points hiding in the forum !)

-Captain J

Your code: DONTPANIC (and kudos to whoever gets the ‘Don’t Panic’ reference)

After the joy of acceptance wears off, the daunting reality of paying for your child’s college education sets in. For those lucky students who were admitted to highly selective colleges, the euphoria of being admitted can last a lifetime. Yet, if you’re a parent or guardian of these select few students, it is hard not to spend a couple of sleepless nights considering the big financial picture.
Although the Ivy League and several other prestigious colleges have generous scholarship programs, their scholarships are awarded based only on a family’s financial need. Many students admitted to such schools would easily win merit scholarships at other colleges.

Understandably, you may now be asking yourself if it’s a wise idea to have your child turn down a merit scholarship from another institution and, instead, enroll at his or her top choice school. If you do not qualify for financial aid, you will be expected to invest up to $200,000 in your child’s college education. This daunting figure seems impossibly high, especially when considered alongside the thirty years it usually takes to pay off a mortgage of a comparable amount. Indeed, the price tag of a private, selective college education is equivalent to the national median price of a single-family home.

In 1998, Princeton based researchers Alan Krueger and Stacy Berg Dale concluded that attending an elite college does not always pay off in higher earnings. Focusing on students who decided not to attend an Ivy League school, they found that one’s future earnings correlated most with personal traits like tenacity, networking abilities and intelligence, rather than whether or not one attended an Ivy League institution. Still, Ronald Ehrenberg, Director of the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute, disagrees. He argues that there is a significant economic return in attending an Ivy League institution, a return that only increases over time. With this in mind, here are two questions I ask parents to consider when they cannot decide if paying $50,000 annually for a prestigious college education is really worth it.

1. What will your child’s earning potential be?
If you are considering a selective college only because you believe your child will earn lots of money in the future, I hope you’ll expand your viewpoint. In this tight labor market, having a degree from a prestigious institution may lead to networking opportunities and name recognition that could open doors and lead to increased employment opportunities. On the other hand, there are certain professions where starting salaries and future income potential are controlled by the labor market, unions or government policies.

2. Does your child plan to pursue graduate/professional school?
In this case, you need to expand your timeline to better finance your child’s entire education. Graduate and professional schools rarely give students significant sums of scholarship. With the exception of a lucky few who win fellowships, a student largely pays for their own graduate/professional school education out of pocket or with loans. If you intend to help your child with these expenses, it might be helpful to plan accordingly.

If your child was admitted to a highly selective college, take time to celebrate! When the euphoria wears off and anxiety sets in, take a minute to ask your children these personal questions about their futures and be honest with them about your short and long-term financial plans. Although this conversation may be sobering, it will bring clarity to their college selection. Then, speak with your child’s financial aid officer. This professional can guide you on how to make an investment in the four transformative years your child will spend at college. Without a crystal ball to predict the future, it is hard to assess how your child will grow and change in the next few years—and you cannot put a dollar figure on their intellectual, social and emotional development. Good luck!

Also Read: How To Appeal for more Financial Aid at our Financial Aid Forum, under General Questions:
http://www.financialaidforum.com/financial-aid-discussions/general-questions/

© Apply wise LLC 2008. Rod M. Bugarin, Jr., former admissions & financial aid officer at Brown and Columbia Universities, advisor at IvyWise, LLC

In case anyone is interested, the most popular colleges based on visitor traffic on HowToGetIn.com are:

http://www.howtogetin.com/colleges/ohio-state-university-columbus/
http://www.howtogetin.com/colleges/university-of-florida-gainesville/
http://www.howtogetin.com/colleges/university-of-texas-at-austin/
http://www.howtogetin.com/colleges/george-washington-university
http://www.howtogetin.com/colleges/penn-state-university/

To search for colleges that you are looking at, you can visit:

http://www.howtogetin.com/colleges/search/

See our list of the Top 10 Colleges and Universities

So my boss came up to me today and asked if I would write a blog that discussed how online classes are for everyone and not just for adult students going back to school. I said people know that already, don’t they? Apparently not.

So here I am telling you that you don’t need to be 35 or 45 years old to take online classes. Yes, they have whole degree programs out there if you so choose designed for those who work full-time in mind, but they also have single classes you can take and transfer to your school. It’s a great way to pick off your core requirements. Just check with your adviser to be certain it’s transferable (just as you would for any ground university).

Green Acres used to be the place to be, now online is!

If you are interested in online classes or information (click here).