College Admissions Help Blog

It’s not often I stand up and applaud anything. Heck, even when I go to Fenway to watch the Red Sox beat up on hapless opponents I remain docile; content to sit in my overpriced hard wooden seat while snacking on peanuts. At most I may offer a halfhearted, “we’re number one.”

Well today I am standing and applauding a new initiative between Intruit, Inc., makers of Quicken and Turbo Tax and Marshall University. A new on-line service, Turbo Tax FAFSA, automatically transfers information from Turbo Tax software directly onto the FAFSA form helping to make the FAFSA process more family-friendly. With Turbo Tax FAFSA, up to half the information a student needs to complete the FAFSA form is automatically transferred.

Currently the product is in early release and is only available to West Virginia residents. But the hope is that it will catch on and be expanded to other states.

I’m all for innovation, technology, and anything in general that makes my life easier. I certainly hope this gets rolled out to the Bay state by next filing season. That will be the closest I’ll ever get to a homerun.

Five most recent FAFSA form help blog posts:

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New York Times
March 30, 2009
The recession appears to have had little impact on the number of applications received by many of the nation’s most competitive colleges, or on an applicant’s overall chances of being admitted to them.
Representatives of Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown, among other highly selective institutions, said in telephone and e-mail exchanges in recent days that applications for the Class of 2013 had jumped sharply when compared to the previous year’s class. As a result, the percentage of applicants who will receive good news from the eight colleges of the Ivy League (and a few other top schools that send out decision letters this week) is expected to hover at – or near – record lows.
Bill Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard since 1986, said that the 29,112 applications Harvard received this year represented an all-time high, and a 6-percentage point increase from last year. He said the percentage of applicants admitted would be 7 percent, down from 8 percent a year ago. Dartmouth said that the 18,130 applications it received was the most in its history, too, and that the 12 percent admitted would be its lowest.
Stanford said that the 30,350 applications it received represented a 20 percent increase, and that while it estimated a 7.5-percent admission rate, which would be its lowest, it declined to specify a final figure until later in the week.
Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell and Princeton declined to release their final admission rates in advance of sending out most of their decision letters via e-mail at 5 p.m. eastern time on Tuesday. But Brown said it had received 21 percent more applications, overall, compared to a year ago; Yale was up 14 percent; Columbia was up 13 percent and Cornell was up 3 percent. Princeton said that, as of January, it had tallied a 2 percent increase in applications, but anticipated the pool had gotten even larger since then. At the University of Pennsylvania, the number of applications increased by 4 — to 22,939, from 22,935.
However, applications to highly selective colleges were not up universally. Many of the best-known liberal arts colleges had fewer applications this year.
Williams College in western Massachusetts said that applications were down 20 percent this year, with 6,024 having applied to the Class of 2013, as compared to 7,552 a year ago. Williams’s acceptance rate, in turn, is expected to be about 20 percent, which is higher than in recent years. The reason for the change was not immediately clear, though applicants outside New England who are concerned about their finances would have to take into account that Williams is not close to a major city or airport – and thus could be expensive to get in and out of.
Similarly, Middlebury College in Vermont, which is also relatively remote, had a nearly 12 percent drop in applications. Amherst, another Massachusetts college and Williams rival, said that applications were down about 1 percent – and that its admissions rate would increase slightly, to 16 percent, in part because Amherst is aiming to increase its first-year class by about 25 students. (Wesleyan University in Connecticut, which sometimes competes for students with Amherst and Williams, has drawn substantially more interest this year: its applicant pool was 22 percent larger than last year’s; its admission rate fell to 22 percent, from 27 percent.)
Amherst had a nearly 10-percent increase in early-decision applications. It enrolls about 30 percent of its first-year class through that program, and – like most schools surveyed – it said it had not lost a single one to due any change in family finances since the fall, when such applications are made.
“Given the economy, it’s very surprising to me,’’ said Tom Parker, dean of admission and financial aid, “and when I told the board, they found it hard to believe, too.’’
In a sign of how hard it is to draw broad conclusions about an admissions season that has been set against a stark economic backdrop, just over half of the nearly 350 institutions that accept the Common Application, a shared online admission form, received more applications this year than last; just under half received fewer. Bryn Mawr and Wellesley were among those that were up slightly, while overall applications to Grinnell and Pomona were down (as compared to their early applications, which were up quite a bit.)
Among the best-known public universities, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville all recorded gains in applications – a sign, surely, of some applicants’ desire to stay closer to home, and pay less than they might at an elite private college. Applications to the University of Wisconsin in Madison fell nearly 3 percent.
Of course, applying to college is one thing; being able to afford to go is another.
Harvard, which like many colleges raised its financial aid budget this year, said that between this week and May 1, when applicants’ decisions are due, it was bracing for many to make impassioned appeals of their financial aid offers, whether by phone or e-mail or in person. In response, Mr. Fitzsimmons said that the Harvard financial aid office would be open every day in April, with expanded hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“We’re going to listen,’’ he said. “We don’t have a policy of matching other schools’ awards. But we’re going to listen to what a family thinks its unusual circumstances might be. We learn a lot about our families in April.’’
By:Jacques Steinberg & Tamar Lewin

It’s getting close to acceptance season! Did you get in? I sure hope so. But in any regard, I’d like to offer congrats to any and all students applying, accepted, or thinking about applying to college. It’s a big step, but first, there’s some stuff you should know (but might not)

1. It’s all up to you: For most of us, bridging that gap between high school and college has more than a few hiccups. And by far the biggest of those challenges, weirdly enough, is that no one is there to tell you what to do! You’d think this could be the best part about going away to school. But it’s ALL on your plate to pick classes (and attend them!), do your homework, figure out the idiosyncrasies of your professors, make friends, stay physically and mentally healthy…the list goes on and on. And if you’re attending a cold weather school (like I did), it’ll take an extra dose of motivation to trudge out to those 8 AM classes.

2. Go to class:You’d think this was a given, right? But man, you’d be surprised how many kids skip out on the classes that are easy to go unnoticed in — big lectures. But let’s just think about this concept of skipping class for a moment. Say, you go to a private institution that costs $30,000 a year. Let’s say $23,000 goes directly to tuition (meaning not housing or food). That’s $11,500 a semester, or $2300 per course, and let’s say a class only meets once a week…in a 16 week semester that translates to over $140 per class!! Your education and your home are the two biggest investments of your life. Doesn’t it make sense to get what you pay for?

3. Most of the work is outside the classroom: Really? Really. Don’t get too wrapped up into just the lectures (but for gosh sake’s, GO to them!). But this isn’t high school. You’re expected to be prepared BEFORE each class, not just take what the teacher tells you and go about your business. You’re expected to continually review material and spend lots of time on papers, tests, research, etc. I know I scoffed at my freshman orienation when I was told I should be spending about 5 hours a day outside of class doing the readings, preparing, reviewing notes, and more. And to be honest, this is a great rule of thumb. As you make your way through your college career, you’ll undoubtedly get “better” at it. But when you’re first learning how to be a college student, you’re only hurting yourself by not putting the time in.

4. No A’s for Effort: It’s all about the finished product people. If you spend 3 weeks writing the perfect essay but fail to follow one of your professor’s strict requirements, don’t go crying to him/her when you don’t get the grade you planned on. If high school is the minors, you’re getting in the big leagues now – and performance matters (and pays!)

5. While we’re talking grades, don’t get C’s: Things happen in life. You break up with your significant other, your cat dies, someone posts embarassing photos of you on Facebook…but don’t let your grades suffer! If you’re having a real emergency, alert your professors and they’ll understand. You clearly have the capacity to get into college which means you have the ability to do well there. A C (or worse) isn’t the end of the world. But just know that at many schools, the average GPA is a little better than a 3.0 or B average. And I know you’re not just average!

6. Understanding is not the same thing as memorizing: Put it this way, professors like to be challenged. And while many of your mass lecture intro courses will have a good deal of memorization involved, this stuff is going to be assumed that you know it come test time — and what matters is how you apply that information to your essays (trust me, there will be LOTS of essays) in a unique way. Regurgitating raw data of what you learned may get you a B, but don’t expect nearly as many ‘gimmies’ in the college as you had in high school.

7. Don’t bring your fancy new laptop to class: It’s more than likely that your new college laptop has joined the ranks of your bestest friends. But keep it safe and sound and locked up at home in the dorms during class. If you really, truly, honestly think you can take terrific notes, pay attention to your professor and be an active participant in class while buying stuff on eBay, playing online games or poking people on Facebook, then more power to you. But don’t say you weren’t warned…

8. Major Shmajor: There’s no shame in the term, “undecided.” Your institution may pressure you into a major early on over something like a shortage of class space, but don’t give in! Talk to 10 of your parent’s friends and ask them what they do for a living. Then ask them what they studied in college. If they’re all accountants and they studied accounting in school, well…then this example doesn’t quite work! But I guarantee you’ll find some English major who runs her own business or a History major who works as a medical doctor. The key to picking a major is to find something you find interesting, challenging, and won’t pigeon-hole you into something you may be having second thoughts about. If you decide you’re not quite “passionate” about any particular subject when you first start taking classes, that’s okay! You’ll be taking anywhere from 10-15 courses on your major subject, so make your decision(s) count! Oh, and be prepared to change that decision at least once

9. The professors are on your side: Lectures can be boring, readings painful, and exams unreasonable. Despite this, I swear, your professors want to see you do well. They’re there to challenge and guide you. This is what they signed up for. Take advantage of their office hours (your professors will appreciate your extra effort, these office hours usually go unutilized), e-mail them, and make sure they know your name even in a class of 100 students. It will only work to your advantage.

10. College is awesome (in case you didn’t already know): You’re getting the chance to learn about things in the world from some very smart people. You’re getting the chance to learn about personal responsibility on a very real level. You’ll make good decisions and terrible ones; you’ll get to figure out who it is you want to be and what you want to do with your education. And dagnabbit, it’s going to go FAST. So enjoy it!

(and if you think you’ve got something major I didn’t cover or got totally wrong, by all means leave me a comment!!)

-Captain J

Your code: GOTOCLASS

Did you know that many colleges do not have application deadlines? These schools admit students on a regular basis throughout the year. However, that does not mean you should wait until August to apply. Once they reach their maximum class size that’s it, game over.

Still, you can use the rolling admissions to your benefit as leverage.

• If you’ve got your eye on a certain school, you can probably find out early if you’ve been accepted and adjust your application strategy accordingly with plenty of time.
• Rolling admission policies offer you some flexibility if you applied to just one choice school and didn’t get in, or if you want to add an extra safety school to your list. Think of it as your wild card or get out of jail free card.
• There may also be less competition to get into the school, but this depends on you. If you apply in December, the school won’t wait until March to compare you with all the other applicants and you could actually improve your chances of being accepted. Remember though, the reverse also holds true: the later you apply, the more competition there may be for fewer spots.

Did you know there are five types of federal student aid grants you may qualify for, which may help get you into college? Grants are the best type of financial aid; the type which does not require repayment. The five types of federal grants are as follows;

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
• Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)
• National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant)
• Teacher Education Assitance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant

The amount of your Federal Pell Grant depends on your cost of attendance, enrollment status, and EFC from completeing your FAFSA. To receive the FSEOG, ACG, or National SMART Grant you must first be eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant. The TEACH Grant Program, provides up to $4,000 a year in grant assistance to students who are completing or who plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching.

After you complete your fafsa, and maximize all federal aid and scholarships, the next thing you want to do is look into private loan options.

The problem, however, is there is less money available this year for students. Tim Ranzetta from Student Lending Analytics estimates the supply of loan capital from private lenders has declined by around one-third, or between about $6 billion and $7 billion.

Another hurdle students are facing is the rigid qualification standards. Mandatory co-signer requirements and FICO scores north of seven hundred are leaving many students out in the lurch. As I discussed in a recent blog, Students to Schools: “Thanks, but no thanks,” many students are rejecting pricey colleges and enrolling in more affordable community colleges and state schools.

The irony behind the spiraling economy is that it will benefit students in the long run by forcing families to be more judicious with money and school selection. Being a penny pincher in today’s world isn’t only wise, but a necessity.

Click here for more information on federal Stafford loans

Click here for more information on private student loans

Click here to sign-up for the big $10,000 scholarship giveaway on 3/31

I learned the value of a dollar when I was 18-years old working in a warehouse (I elected not to go to college directly after High School). I worked for a frozen food company and made my existence in a bone chilling freezer, which was 12-degrees below zero. My job was to pick orders for supermarkets. Ego waffles, Celeste pizzas, and Green Giant mixed vegetables were a fixture of my daily life. It was an awful job, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

That job allowed me to put things in perspective. I witnessed what my future would behold if I didn’t go to college and earn a degree. I looked around the break room and saw men double my age that looked 50. It was a sad existence for all.

Personally the year away re-focused me and recharged my batteries. Taking a step back and earning some real world perspective was invaluable to me.

When you enter college, whether it is directly out of school or after an extended hiatus, just make sure you are mentally prepared. The last thing you want to do is put forth a second rate effort and waste your time and money.

Sure, I can play the do as I say, not as I do card and tell you that you should go directly to college from High School, but sometimes you need to experience things for yourself. And when you are ready we’ll be here to help you with the process; from filing your FAFSA to getting a Stafford loan. We can also aid with your scholarship search and any private loan needs. From soup to nuts we’ve got you covered.

Boston Globe
March 15, 2009

Like wary suitors, colleges are searching for signs of commitment from applicants before they extend admissions offers, hoping to find out whether their affection is mutual.
In the increasingly tense courtship of college admissions, more selective schools are smiling upon high school students who show sincere interest in attending, closely tracking such things as whether they visited campus, responded to recruiting messages, or even joined an online chat with an admissions officer.
“You’re going to want those students who also want you,” said Gil Villanueva, dean of admissions at Brandeis University. “Everything else being equal, between a student you know and a student you don’t, you will go with the known commodity.”
Villanueva, like many admissions officers, said keen enthusiasm for a school is no guarantee but can sometimes tip the balance in students’ favor.
The growing importance of “demonstrated interest” is the product of a number of overlapping factors. High school students are applying to a greater number of colleges to better their odds of acceptance, which has made it harder for colleges to estimate how many actually plan to come. This year, the financial downturn and the credit crunch have further complicated the process, with families expected to base their decisions more on cost.
Amid such unpredictability, students who seem excited at the prospect of arriving on campus in the fall are in high demand, admissions officers say. In an ironic twist, the volatile nature of admissions has given students a measure of control over the process.
In its annual survey of admissions trends, the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that 22 percent of colleges gave interest “considerable importance” in admissions, up from 7 percent in 2003. Another 30 percent of schools rated it as moderately important.
In terms of influence, it outranked such admissions standbys as counselor and teacher recommendations, interviews, and extracurriculars, and was narrowly behind class rank and personal essays.
“We track every single contact we have with students,” said Kelly Walter, executive director of the admissions office at Boston University.
Parents and applicants take note: Walter and other college officials said they do not hold it against students who cannot afford to visit campus, particularly in the slumping economy. There are many other ways students can let colleges know they are among their top choices, including attending a college fair or reception in their hometown. Even better, they said, is introducing themselves to an admissions officer and striking up a conversation.
“I remember,” Walter said, speaking of such chats.
Admitting more students who truly want to be there, college officials say, creates an energetic and close-knit culture on campus. And by producing loyal alumni with soft spots for their colleges, it also pays long-range dividends in fund-raising.Continued…
Giving preference to students whose interest seems genuine also helps colleges boost their image. By targeting students who are more likely to attend, they can admit a smaller percentage and still fill out their freshman class, making them appear more selective and more desirable.
Families have caught on to the new approach. John Mahoney, director of undergraduate admissions at Boston College, said parents who visit the campus often scan the premises for the sign-up sheet that will let them make their presence known.
“We tell them we’re not tracking that,” he said. “But they want to make sure they let us know they were there.”
Mahoney said BC does not consider student interest and said he suspects some students feign interest to boost their odds.
“Students are being conditioned to express interest, but if they are doing so at 16 Northeastern schools, how good of a barometer is it?”
But some say that students who cultivate relationships with schools – through the delicate art of admissions flirting – gain a much better chance of winning their hearts.
“It’s almost like a dating game,” said Phil Meisner, founder of CAPS, the College Application Processing Service, in Washington. “No one wants to commit, but everyone’s looking for a signal. Why shouldn’t students be able to let colleges know they want to go?”
College officials say students rarely go overboard in their self-marketing campaigns, although they fear more will as the practice becomes more prevalent. Others worry that judging students by expressions of interest could unfairly help wealthier students whose parents and counselors know the system’s subtleties and how to exploit them.
“We don’t want to penalize students who don’t know that 14,000 contacts with an admissions officer could tip the balance,” said Gail Berson, dean of admission at Wheaton College in Norton.
This spring, a student whom Berson met at a New York City high school has become a “steady pen pal,” even sending her copies of his latest short stories. His persistence convinced Berson he would attend, and his writing ability convinced her he should be admitted, despite a so-so academic record.
Alex Michel, a senior from Weston, said she knew that Wheaton was her top choice as soon as she visited the campus, and she immediately made her intentions known. She visited campus several times, including an overnight stay with students, and e-mailed admissions officers with questions. In December, she was accepted, and now she chats on Facebook with her eventual classmates.
“I know colleges are looking for students who are enthusiastic,” she said. “When I visited campus, I always made sure the admissions office knew I was there.”
By Peter Schworm

President Obama delivered remarks on his proposals for education this morning at the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s annual Legislative Conference. As reported by the Washington Post, President Obama offered some additional information on the education budget for the 2010 fiscal year. He touched on the five “pillars” of reform for the nation’s education system and on the importance of increasing high school retention rates and attaining a college degree. President Obama underscored the need to invest in education as “The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens.”

Regarding higher education proposals, President Obama stated. “Now, the fifth part of America’s education strategy is providing every American with a quality higher education whether it’s college or technical training. Never has a college degree been more important. Never has it been more expensive. And at a time when so many of our families are bearing enormous economic burdens, the rising cost of tuition threatens to shatter dreams. And that’s why we will simplify federal college assistance forms so it doesn’t take a Ph.D to apply for financial aid.”

President Obama further discussed the Pell Grant increases contained in his budget proposal to Congress that call for an annual increase to adjust for inflation and a plan to provide a $2,500-a-year tuition tax credit for students from working families. “To help pay for all of this, we’re putting students ahead of lenders by eliminating wasteful student loan subsidies that cost taxpayers billions each year,” he stated.

In advance of the speech, the Administration issued a fact sheet on the President’s education policy proposals entitled, “Expanding the Promise of Education in America.” It includes talking points on the ideas for early education, K-12, higher education and proposals for driving innovation and expanding excellence. On higher education, the fact sheet touches on increasing college access, expanding federal aid and simplifying the financial aid process. It also mentions providing additional funding for Pell Grants and providing an annual increase to account for inflation and the proposal to end student loan subsidies to private student loan companies.

A copy of the fact sheet is available in the expanded version of today’s Daily Briefing. Additional articles from The Washington Post and USA Today are included in the expanded version of today’s Daily Briefing. A transcript of his speech is also attached, along with a press release from Education and Labor Ranking Member Howard “Buck” McKeon.

Who wants free money? ME ME ME. I want free money, although I’m no longer in school so I don’t qualify…unless I win the lottery! Though, technically that wouldn’t actually be free. Anyway, you want free money for school, and want to know how to find it and what to look for, right? Well, your search is over. Read my award winning tips below (award winning in my mind anyway).

1. Schedule an appointment with your financial aid office. The largest amount of financial aid comes from federal, state, and institutional grants and tuition discounts.

2. If you already know what your major is speak to that academic department. They will have a better handle on scholarships given in your particular field.

3. Free scholarship search engines can help like the one at studentscholarshipsearch.com. You can locate scholarships by your field of study and state. The scholarship database is updated daily.

4. Tip: Don’t overlook the small scholarships out there ranging from $250 to $500, and don’t discount scholarships which require an essay. Both of these are often overlooked due to the low purse or the effort devoted to writing an essay. Basically, it is power in numbers. In this case the fewer the applicants the better your chances.

5. On March 31 scholarshippoints.com will be drawing a 10K winner. It’s free to sign-up and exciting to win. Just ask Victoria Fiorentino who is attending George Washington and won the last 10K giveaway in October. Will you be the next 10K winner? Good luck!