Right Price For the Right College
Budget cuts at the University of California and other public universities have resulted in overcrowded classrooms and mandated enrollment cuts, leading more families to consider private colleges. The good news is that tuition increases at private colleges will only average 4.5 percent for 2010-11. That still outpaces inflation but is lower than pre-recession average annual increases of 6 percent.
The better news is that despite lower endowments, which have forced all schools to look for ways to reduce expenses, many colleges are still offering substantial merit scholarships. This year, some of my students received offers of $20,000 a year, making a private college education much more affordable. In addition to having smaller classes and receiving more personal attention, students at private colleges can get the courses they need to graduate in four years. Certain colleges are known for offering generous scholarships, which they use to attract the most desirable students. Applying to schools where you are at the top of the applicant pool will enable you to maximize your scholarship offers.
You may also find good deals at public universities, particularly those in neighboring states. For example, the Western Undergraduate Exchange enables students in Western states to pay the bargain rate of 150 percent of in-state tuition at some public colleges in the region.
While cost is certainly a major factor in choosing a college, it’s not the only consideration. The cheapest college is no bargain if you would be miserable there for four years. Being in an environment where you’re happy and engaged means you’re more likely to be productive. A successful college career will lead to graduate school acceptances and job offers. It’s worth the extra effort to find colleges that are a good fit educationally, socially and financially.
June 3, 2010
Getting a Head Start on College Applications
With the school year ending in the next few weeks, juniors will need a break. Many of them have taken the SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, AP exams, and final exams, all within a few months. It is exhausting, and I encourage my students to take a little time to relax in June and not think about anything related to college admission.
But just a little time. Because your college application process will be much less stressful if you get started during the summer. You’ll be able to work on essays without trying to juggle homework and extracurricular activities at the same time. Essays take shape in the rewriting, so having time to do several drafts is important.
In recent years, ambitious students have gotten an early start on the Common Application, which would go live on July 1, enabling some students to complete their college applications before the start of the school year. But the 2010 version of the Common Application won’t be available until August 1.
Not to worry. There’s plenty you can do in the meantime. The Common App and UC essay questions won’t be changing, so there’s no need to wait until August to start working on essays. Some colleges will also make their supplemental essay questions available on their website before the Common App is online.
It really helps to get organized and make an application plan, with deadlines for each essay draft. You’ll be able to get the work done without the panic that accompanies last minute applications. Your work will also be better when you’re not rushed. And you can still find time to enjoy some fun this summer.
May 10, 2010
Despite Application Increases, Colleges Worry About Enrolling Enough Students
I recently sat down with the admissions dean at a liberal arts college who told me that she and many of her colleagues at other schools are worried about the possibility of serious summer melt this year. Summer melt occurs when students who submitted enrollment deposits decide over the summer not to attend the college. This happens because students who are admitted to another college from a waitlist cancel their enrollment at the school where they submitted a deposit. Also contributing to summer melt is the practice of sending enrollment deposits to more than one college. Despite the fact that double depositing is not allowed and can result in both colleges withdrawing an offer of admission, more families may be doing it, which means colleges will lose additional students who have promised to enroll.
Summer melt lowers a school’s yield (the number of accepted students who enroll) and adds to the challenge of meeting enrollment goals. Too many students result in overcrowded residence halls and classrooms, and too few students mean not enough tuition dollars to meet the college’s expenses. While the most elite schools will easily fill in any gaps by admitting students from their waitlists, less selective schools may have a more difficult time meeting enrollment goals.
Applications were up at many schools this year, but the number of high school students graduating high school and applying to college was not expected to be higher this year. The increase in applications was more likely a result of students worried about the competition for admission and about their ability to pay for college. These students applied to more schools so that they would be sure to have choices and could compare financial aid and scholarship offers.
When students submit more applications, they will need to turn down a lot of admission offers, so that even though a college saw an increase in applications, it can end up with fewer incoming students. The pressure to maintain or improve their yield has led admissions staff to reach out to newly admitted students early and often to get students to make a commitment, and concern about summer melt may lead some schools to look for more ways to keep students emotionally invested in attending the school. At least one college is considering assigning roommates earlier in the summer, probably because getting incoming freshmen feeling more connected would make them less likely to change their minds about attending the college.
A number of colleges are still accepting applications. Admissions deans at these schools hope to fill their remaining slots over the coming weeks with additional freshman and transfer students. For students who were not admitted to any colleges, or who are not happy with their college choices, being able to submit additional applications means they still have options if they want to attend a four-year college this year. As of May 4th, there were 240 four-year colleges still accepting applications for the fall 2010 term. While you won’t see any Ivies on the list, there are many fine schools that have openings. Choices range from small liberal arts colleges like Lewis and Clark to huge public universities such as University of Arizona. While financial aid may be limited at some schools, 239 colleges indicated they do still have financial aid available to students. Housing is available at 236 of the colleges. Some of the schools are open to transfer but not freshman students. The initial deadline for the Space Availability Survey was May 4th, but waitlist activity has started, and as students shift from one college to another, some schools will be added to the list and others will disappear over the summer, so if you are looking for a college to attend this fall, be sure to check the list regularly at http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Research/SpaceAvailabiltySurvey/Pages/SpaceSurveyResults.aspx. Students who are interested in applying should contact colleges directly, as admissions offices will have the most up-to-date information about space availability and application procedures.
Efforts to increase yield and avoid summer melt are likely to continue next year. Some colleges are paying more attention to demonstrated interest as a way to gauge the likelihood that a student will enroll if admitted. If you haven’t visited a college or attended a local information session, and don’t put the effort into preparing an application that communicates a real understanding of what the school has to offer and why you would be a good match, you could find yourself waitlisted at colleges that will accept students who may have less impressive grades and test scores but who seem more likely to enroll.
That doesn’t mean you should feign interest in schools you really don’t care about. Instead, take time to research and choose your colleges carefully, so that you can prepare an authentic application for each school. Rather than applying to 15 or more colleges, limit your applications to those that you really know and are excited about. You will have a less stressful and more satisfying college application process.
April 23, 2010
Making the Most of College Fairs
When you go to a college fair, it can be overwhelming to walk into a huge convention center or school auditorium and see crowds of students and parents, and row after row of college booths. Many students wander from one booth to the next, picking up brochures that will end up in the trash. This is a passive approach that will leave you exhausted and frustrated by the end of the evening, and wondering why you bothered coming to the event.
But if you approach the college fair, as well as the entire college admission process, in an organized and proactive way, you’ll have a much more productive and satisfying experience. This means you start researching prospective colleges well before the college fair, so that you know which schools you want to learn more about. Check the list of schools that will be attending the fair, and come up with some questions specific to those colleges. Bring a notebook so you can write the answers, as well as your overall impressions of each school.
Each college will have a card for you to fill out so that you can be added to their mailing list. If you bring printed labels with your name, address, email, high school name and year of graduation, you can stick a label on the card instead of having to write the information over and over.
If you’re attending a big national fair, with hundreds of colleges, you will receive a map and list of attendees when you arrive. Locate the schools on your list, and plan your route. At each booth, introduce yourself to the representative. At a smaller college fair sponsored by a high school, some of the colleges may have alumni representatives, who can tell you why they love their college and how attending that school impacted their lives. At larger fairs, you may be talking with the admissions officer who will read your application. If you engage her in conversation, ask intelligent questions and show genuine interest in the college, she is likely to remember you, especially if you follow up with an e-mail.
In addition to asking about academic programs and student life on campus, you might want to ask admissions officers for their advice in planning a visit. Since they travel for college fairs and high school visits, they often have valuable travel tips, like which airline has nonstop flights to the closest airport. At the end of the conversation, thank the representative and ask for a business card. Sometime in the next few days, send an e-mail letting her know that you enjoyed your conversation and asking any additional questions you have about the college. You will have begun the process of demonstrating interest, which is a factor in admission decisions at some schools.
If you have time and aren’t exhausted after visiting all the schools on your list, you can stop at other booths. That’s a good way to learn about college you might have overlooked in your preliminary research.
April 9, 2010
Making Your Final Decision
The hoping, praying and waiting are over. Colleges have made their admission decisions, and it is time for students to evaluate their college options. If you have a clear first choice, you can send an enrollment deposit and enjoy the last few months of high school. If you have been admitted to a lot of appealing colleges, you now have the enviable problem of needing to decide which school you want to attend.
After years of doing everything they could to impress colleges, students can now let the colleges try to impress them. From now until the May 1 notification deadline, admissions officers will be pursuing newly admitted students. There will be flattering letters, e-mails and phone calls, as well as invitations to special programs for admitted students.
These local receptions and on-campus programs are designed to get prospective freshmen excited about the college. You can get a lot of information about a school at an admitted student day. There may be presentations by professors and students, as well as an activity fair, where you can learn about campus clubs and community service opportunities. You get to meet some of your future classmates. But it is important to remember that the colleges are selling themselves at these events. You are meeting the most enthusiastic students and seeing the school at its best.
Some students prefer to visit on a typical day, without all the hoopla, so that they can have a more realistic experience of life at the college. You can ask the admissions office to set up a visit where you attend classes, eat with students in a dining hall, and perhaps spend the night in a residence hall.
Even if you visited the college before you applied, it’s worth making another trip. You see a school differently after you’ve been admitted. It’s more real. You notice different things as you walk across the campus and picture yourself living there next year.
Whether you go to a special event or visit the school on your own, be sure to spend some time talking with students about the college. It is better to find out now how hard it is to get into popular classes, or that everyone goes home on weekends, or that you’ll have no social life if you don’t join a fraternity. This is also the time to talk to students in your major. How do they feel about their professors? Are they getting the advising they need? What are students in that major doing after graduation?
If any students from your high school are currently attending the colleges you’re considering, arrange to meet them on campus and ask about their experiences. Why did they choose that college and has it met their expectations? What do wish they had known when they were making the decision about which college to attend? Would they make the same choice today? Getting as much information as possible will help you make an informed decision.
Preferences can change during senior year. Look at these schools with fresh eyes. This is the time to review your personal priority list and consider what tradeoffs you are willing to make. If one school has big sports and school spirit, and another is located in a major city with access to internships but no sense of community on campus, which kind of college experience do you really want?
Students who start their college application process thinking they want to try living in another part of the country sometimes realize that they want to be able to come home for a weekend. This is the time to be honest with yourself, and if you know you are not ready to be a plane ride away from home, there is nothing wrong with choosing a school that is within driving distance. One of my students had grown up in California and always wanted to go to college in New York, but after he was admitted to Columbia, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to be all the way across the country. He ultimately chose Stanford for his undergraduate education, and plans to attend law school in New York.
Cost is another major factor in making your final decision. If your third choice college has offered a $15,000 a year scholarship, so that you would save $60,000 over four years, that college might move up to first choice. Financial considerations could be especially important if you’re planning to go on to law, medical or graduate school.
It may seem like an agonizing decision, but if you applied to colleges that are good matches, all of your choices should be good ones. There are no wrong decisions. You can be happy at any of these colleges. Once you make your decision, you will invest emotionally in that school, and it becomes the right choice.
For high school juniors who are thinking about where to apply, the key to having good college options at this time next year is to engage in a thoughtful process of self-assessment. If you focus on applying to your best matches rather than the most prestigious colleges, you should be happy with all your choices when it’s time to make your final decision.
April 5, 2010
College Admission Update – Another Competitive Year
At the end of spring break, many high school juniors and their families come home exhausted after visiting colleges. In addition to an often punishing schedule of two or even three college tours a day, the reality that they are beginning the high-stakes college admission process can put students and parents on edge.
Then there are the reports of this year’s admission decisions, which only add to the stress. Applications were up at many selective colleges, pushing acceptance rates at some schools to record lows.
Applications increased at all UC campuses. UCLA received 57, 578 freshman applications, and Berkeley had a record 50,312 freshman applications this year. Harvard and Stanford saw applications increase by roughly five percent. Both Princeton and University of Pennsylvania received over 4,000 additional applications this year, close to a 20 percent increase at each school. Brown and University of Chicago each had increases of more than 5,000 applications. Even a relatively modest 3 percent increase at Columbia means 750 additional students competing for admission.
You can blame California for some of the increases. The state’s ongoing budget crisis and severe funding cuts at California’s public universities have led more California students to apply to out of state schools. Anxiety about the competition for admission and the desire to compare financial aid packages and scholarship offers may also be leading students around the country to apply to more colleges.
When applications increase, acceptance rates decrease. At Penn, the admit rate dropped from 17.1 percent last year to 14.2 percent this year. Stanford admitted 7.2 percent of applicants, while Harvard’s acceptance rate dropped just under 7 percent, a record low for the school. Georgetown had a 19 percent admit rate. University of Virginia admitted 24 percent of out-of-state applicants. Duke’s admit rate dropped from last year’s 17 percent to a new low of 15 percent. One of the most dramatic decreases in acceptances was at University of Chicago, where 27 percent of students were admitted last year and only 18 percent this year.
The cycle seems poised to continue, as this year’s low acceptance rates will raise anxiety to even higher levels, and students will think they need to apply to more schools next year. While colleges may be able to boast of increasing selectivity, this situation really is not good for anyone. Families are more stressed, and when students apply to more colleges each year, admissions officers have a harder time predicting which students will accept an offer of admission.
Admissions officers at schools that are just below the super-selective level can find it especially difficult to distinguish serious applicants from the students who just want a “safety” school. This can lead some colleges to waitlist “stealth” applicants, those who have not had any contact with the school other than submitting an application. Admissions officers want to protect their yield, which is the number of students accepting an offer of admission. Stronger students may be waitlisted, while others with lower grades or test scores are admitted. The seeming arbitrariness of admission decisions raises anxiety for the next year’s applicants, who then think they need to apply to more colleges because they have heard stories of students with stellar academic records not being admitted to colleges they thought were safe bets.
So we have admissions officers and families worrying about numbers and taking actions that can raise anxiety levels on both sides. For students, one of the problems with applying to too many schools is that you are more likely to submit the kind of generic application that will get you waitlisted. Even if you are applying to schools that use the Common Application, you will need to write additional essays for many of the colleges. Preparing a strong application requires research, so that you can write very specifically about why you and that college are a match. Students who apply to 15 colleges rarely put that kind of effort into each application. You might believe you can do a really great job on all your applications, but most students start to feel burned out by the time they are working on their eighth or ninth application.
This process doesn’t need to be so stressful. Juniors who have visited colleges in recent weeks should think about what they liked at each school. Beyond prestige, what is it that appealed to you at the school? If you identify the characteristics you want in a college, you can find schools of varying selectivity that have those features. Then you are ready to create a balanced list, with several highly likely, match and reach schools. The exact distribution may depend on your tolerance for rejection. Some students want to have a lot of acceptances, in part because their preferences may change by next year and they want to have options. It may also be important to compare financial aid and scholarship offers from different schools. Others only need one or two schools where they know they’ll be accepted and then they want to try for a lot of reach schools. If you choose carefully and plan on applying to somewhere between six and ten schools, you should be able to put your best effort into each application and have a successful college admission process.
March 23, 2010
More Colleges Will Use Common Application
Columbia University has just become the last Ivy League school to join the Common Application. Columbia is one of 25 new members, including two popular public universities, the University of Michigan and University of Connecticut. These additions mean that 414 colleges will be using the Common Application this fall. A few prominent universities, including Georgetown, MIT and USC are resisting the trend and keeping their own applications. In addition to saving students a lot of unnecessary work, the Common Application is easier for teachers and counselors, who only need to submit a recommendation one time.
March 13, 2010
California Students Applying Out of State
While the number of students graduating high school and going to college has peaked in many parts of the country, California is expected to see a 16 percent increase in the number of high school graduates heading for college by 2019. That means an additional 387,000 students. With the University of California and California State University suffering drastic funding cuts that have forced them to reduce enrollment, increase class sizes and cut programs, it’s not surprising that colleges around the country are successfully recruiting California students. As families worry about the increasing competition for admission as well as the decreasing educational quality at California’s public institutions, students are applying to out of state schools in record numbers.
Applications from California students are up 22 percent this year at University of Washington and 24 percent at Arizona State University. University of Virginia is reporting a 24 percent increase. My alma mater, University of Pennsylvania, saw a 22 percent increase in applications from California students. Nearby Swathmore received 16 percent more California applications this year, and at Colgate, applications from California students are up 15 percent.
I’m seeing this trend with my students, who have applied to more schools around the country than in previous years. Tuition may be higher than you would pay at UC or CSU, but some schools are offering generous scholarship and financial aid to lure students, and if you can be assured of graduating in four years, attending college outside of California can be a smart move.
February 5, 2010
Application Update
The number of students graduating from high school and applying to college was supposed to peak last year, but you wouldn’t know it from the reports of record-breaking numbers of college applications at schools around the country.
While Yale’s applications are down (by less than one percent), applications are up 20 percent at Brown, 19 percent at Princeton, 17 percent at University of Pennsylvania, five percent at Harvard and Cornell, and four percent at Dartmouth. Stanford reports a four to five percent increase in applications. Applications are up a whopping 42 percent at University of Chicago, probably the result of more intensive recruiting as well as Chicago’s switch to the Common Application. Applications are up 15 percent at Middlebury, 10 percent at Connecticut College, six percent at Wesleyan and three percent at Williams College and George Washington University. Many public universities, including Penn State, University of Virginia and the University of California system are also seeing increases in applications.
More applications will mean lower acceptance rates. Duke’s applications are up 11 percent this year, and its acceptance rate will likely fall from 18 percent last year to 15 percent this year. Johns Hopkins has received 13 percent more applications and since the University was overenrolled last year and will be more cautious this year, the acceptance rate will probably fall from last year’s 27 percent to 17 or 18 percent. George Washington University also had a higher than expected yield last year, and with a three percent increase in applications this year, the acceptance rate is likely to fall there as well.
There are a number of explanations for the increases in applications. Students who are anxious about admission prospects or want to compare financial aid and scholarship offers are applying to more colleges. Concern about the budget cuts at California’s public universities is contributing to the rise in applications around the country. UC is currently overenrolled by 15,000 students, meaning the system gets no funding for those students. Last year, UC reduced freshman admission by 2,300 across all campuses and another 1,500 slots will be cut this year. The CSU system is reducing enrollment by 40,000 over two years. Private colleges and many public universities in other states have received more applications from California students this year.
Some of the increase in applications can be attributed to more aggressive recruiting, as college enrollment managers worry about filling seats in a still struggling economy. Public universities that are getting less state funding are seeking more out of state students, who pay much higher tuition. All schools are recruiting more international students, who do not qualify for federal financial aid and generally pay full fare.
Applications from out of state students are up at many University of California campuses, so despite the severe budget problems, the perception of a quality education and the allure of warm, sunny weather is still drawing students to the West Coast. Students from New Jersey may have a better chance of being admitted to Berkeley this year, but getting admitted is only the first hurdle. Cuts in course offerings have made it difficult for students at California’s public institutions to get the classes they need, and staff furloughs are impacting student services.
It’s not just public institutions that are suffering a loss of revenue in this economy. Charitable contributions to colleges were down 12 percent in 2009. Alumni giving rates fell to 10 percent. All colleges have been affected, and have had to find ways to cut expenses. Even wealthy institutions have put plans for new buildings on hold, cut programs and laid off staff. Financial aid is the last thing anyone wants to cut, and many schools are increasing their financial aid budgets. But last week, Williams College, one of the elite schools that had implemented a no-loan financial aid policy several years ago, announced it will go back to including loans in financial aid packages beginning with students applying next year. I would not be surprised to hear similar news from other colleges.
But the news isn’t all bad. While public institutions are forced to cut enrollment when they have budget cuts, private colleges that don’t have big endowments depend on tuition, and must maintain their enrollment or add students to ensure sufficient revenue to fund their budgets. At colleges that are not super-selective, enrollment managers are concerned about filling seats, and that means students who would not have been admitted two years ago have much better prospects this year, especially if they don’t qualify for financial aid.
The other good news for students who don’t need financial aid is that merit scholarships are still going strong. Two of my students have already been awarded $25,000 a year, and many others have received awards in the $10,000 to $15,000 a year range. Private schools need to be competitive with public institutions, and by offering scholarships to students who will still pay more tuition than students with huge financial need, they draw students whose families are able to pay a little more for the benefits of a private college experience. In a still shaky economy, merit scholarships are more appealing than ever. Even California parents who attended public institutions and thought their children were headed for UC or CSU are now worried about the quality of education at our public universities, and the ability of students to graduate from these schools in four years, and many of them are now see merit scholarships as a way to make a private college education affordable.
Of course, a scholarship isn’t a reason to choose a school that doesn’t meet your needs, but with careful planning, students can find schools that are both good matches and affordable.
January 13, 2010
Juniors Should Start Planning Now
High school juniors who have just watched older classmates go through the stress of applying to college might want to avoid even thinking about college right now, but that will only make things more difficult later. Some of my seniors finished their college applications by Thanksgiving and were able to enjoy their recent winter vacation, while others waited until the last minute and had a miserable winter break rushing to get their applications done by January 1.
If you will be applying to college next year, getting started now can make the process less stressful and more rewarding. Knowing what you need to do is the first step in taking control. Then you can make a plan, which further reduces anxiety.
Most students take the SAT and/or ACT this semester. If you haven’t decided on a testing schedule, this is the time to choose test dates and register. If you plan to take a March or April exam, you’ll want to give yourself two months to prepare, which means you should be starting soon.
Talk to older friends or relatives who are currently in college. They can give you great information about their school. But they also have wisdom to share about the college admission process. Ask them how they approached the college search and what they wish they had done differently when they were applying to college.
Start putting together a list of colleges that appeal to you. Read guidebooks and research colleges online. Go to each school’s website, where you can learn about academic programs and student life. You can also access most college newspapers online. This is a great way to learn about activities on campus, as well as what issues students are discussing. You can read about concerts or lectures on campus this weekend, budget cuts that will impact course offerings next year, or a recent crime wave in the surrounding neighborhood.
You get better at visiting colleges once you’ve done it a few times. So start with local colleges, even if you’re sure you want to go farther away. By visiting a small liberal arts college and a big university, you’ll get a sense of which environment feels right for you.
If you can travel during spring break, that’s the perfect time to visit colleges that are farther away. Once you have decided which colleges you most want to see, check the tour and information session schedules, which should be available on each school’s website, and make reservations where they are required. Some admissions offices will arrange for prospective students to attend a class and have lunch with a student, or even stay overnight, and this can help you get a better sense of what it would be like to be a student at the college.
Check the admissions requirements for each college you like. If you find that you need SAT Subject Tests, better to know now so you can take those exams in May or June, rather than finding out in September that you should have taken the Chemistry Subject Test when you were finishing the course in June. Researching admissions requirements in the spring also gives you time to find a summer college course or enrichment program and choose senior year courses that will enhance your application.
Learning about financial aid now will enable you to choose schools that are realistic financially as well as academically. You can also start researching scholarship opportunities by registering with a scholarship search engine.
While these suggestions are aimed at juniors, ambitious sophomores can also start researching prospective colleges and learning about admission requirements, which can help them make good choices about courses, extracurricular activities and summer plans.
