Making Your Final Decision
Just one more week till the May 1 deadline for making your final decision about college. Some of my students have been agonizing all month about which school to choose, and they don’t always appreciate it when I point out that this is a good problem to have. But if you’re having trouble deciding between two colleges, that means you really like both of them, and you can be happy at either school. Once you make a decision, you’ll invest emotionally in that school and you’ll start to feel excited about going to college.
Some students decide to double deposit in order to keep their options open, but this is considered unethical, and if colleges find out, your admission can be revoked at both schools. If you’re on a wait list, you do need to submit an enrollment deposit at another college so that you have a place to go in the fall. If you are admitted from the wait list at your preferred school, you just forfeit the deposit at the first college.
April 2, 2009
Getting A Better Financial Offer
In recent weeks, I’ve received phone calls and emails from lots of happy students who have been admitted to their favorite colleges. Many have also been awarded generous merit scholarships or financial aid packages.
That’s important, because getting into a school you can’t afford to attend is painfully frustrating. If your financial aid package is not what you expected, it is possible to appeal. If there are special circumstances, such as a job loss or death of a parent, contact the financial aid office. They may be able to improve the package. If another school has offered a financial aid package that has more grants and fewer loans, you can send a copy of the better offer and the financial aid office may match the other school’s offer. Some colleges engage in preferential packaging, where the best aid packages go to the students they want the most.
In addition to providing more need-based aid, some liberal arts colleges are increasing merit scholarships in order to make their school financially attractive. Students are in the strongest position if other, similar colleges have made better offers. You can send copies of those offers to your favorite college, which may be more likely to increase its offer this year, rather than lose a desirable student.
For students who will be applying to college in the fall, it’s more important than ever to do your research and apply to a number of similar colleges that are likely to award good financial packages, so that you can then take those offers to the school you prefer. If that school matches the offer, you have the school you want at a more affordable cost. If your preferred school does not match the offer, you can decide whether the school would provide a significantly better college experience that is worth the extra money, or whether you would be just as happy at one of the schools that will cost less.
March 11, 2009
More Waitlist Activity Likely This Year
I received an email yesterday from the admissions director at the the University of Washington in Seattle saying that the waitlist will be very important this year. That is likely to be the case at many colleges. Because of the state of the economy, it is much more difficult to predict who will accept an offer of admission. I think we’ll also see waitlist activity continue later this year, because if families find their financial circumstances deteriorating over the summer, students who sent in a deposit might cancel their enrollment and attend their local community college. The good news is that if you are waitlisted at your favorite college, and can afford it, your chances of being admitted could be much better than in recent years.
March 2, 2009
Don’t Let Senioritis Bring You Down
Last month, I received an e-mail from one of my students, who was worried because she got a B+ in AP Calculus. She had received an acceptance letter from Stanford in December, and as is the case with all colleges, the offer of admission is conditional on the student maintaining her academic performance through senior year. As I explained to my very conscientious student, a single B grade on her transcript, especially in a challenging AP class, would not threaten her admission to Stanford. Now if she had ended the semester with straight C grades, there would be cause for concern.
Unlike my anxious senior, many students think that because they have worked so hard throughout high school, they have earned the right to slack off senior year, especially in the last few months. By now, their mid-year grades have been submitted to colleges, and some students have already been accepted at their favorite school. Why not kick back and enjoy life?
Do you really want to risk everything you’ve worked so hard for these last three and a half years? Every year, colleges around the country rescind admission offers. You are admitted to a college based on the information in your application, and if there are any changes, you need to let the college know. If you have dropped a class that was listed on the transcript you submitted to colleges, your application has changed. Colleges receive your final transcript during the summer, and you don’t want to find out in July that you no longer have a place in the freshman class.
There’s another reason to keep working hard in school. It makes the transition to college level work easier. If you start procrastinating during senior year, it’s difficult to get back to good study habits when you arrive at college, where there will be lots of distractions and no parents reminding you to finish your history paper before you go out for pizza with your friends.
If you’re waiting to hear from your favorite college, you may be feeling especially anxious during this next month. Some students deal with the anxiety and uncertainty about where they will be next year by distracting themselves in unhealthy ways. This is a good time to learn how to manage stress by eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep.
While you do need to keep your grades up, making sure you have some fun throughout high school will help you avoid burnout. Just don’t go overboard quite yet. Summer is only three months away, and you will have plenty of time to play before you go off to college.
February 13, 2009
Most Popular Colleges?
US News & World Report has come out with another college list. The magazine used yield, which is the number of accepted students who end up enrolling at a college, to come up with a list of the most popular schools. It’s probably not a surprise that Harvard had the highest yield, with 79 percent of admitted students deciding to attend the school. Schools with a strong religious affiliation, like Brigham Young University and Yeshiva University, also had high yields, because the students who apply to these schools are usually very motivated to attend. Some public universities have high yields because they provide great value. As with all magazine rankings, don’t give them too much weight. Yield doesn’t indicate the quality of education. A high or low yield can be impacted by tuition, early decision applications and other factors.
Even though US News no longer uses yield in their annual rankings, colleges still care about keeping that number up, because a high yield makes them seem desirable, and that can bring more applications and more donations from alumni. This year, it will probably be more difficult for enrollment managers to predict yield, because many students have applied to a lot of schools and plan to wait and see where they get in and what their families can afford. That could mean more students being admitted from the wait list as colleges attempt to meet their enrollment goals.
January 24, 2009
UC Applications Increase
It’s official. The University of California received a record number of applications for fall 2009. Almost 127,000 students applied, an increase of nearly 5 percent over last year. Freshman applications are up 3 percent and transfer applications are up 11 percent.
The increase in applications comes at the same time that UC plans to reduce freshman enrollment by 6 percent. The good news is that Berkeley and Merced will actually admit more students. UCLA will see less than a 1 percent reduction in the freshman class, and the number of applications held steady this year, so things shouldn’t change dramatically. But since the number of applications increased at Irvine and Davis, both of which are targeted for substantial decreases in freshmen, those campuses are likely to be more competitive this year. Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and San Diego received fewer applications this year, but San Diego is likely to remain quite competitive since the school will be reducing the freshman class by 12 percent.
At least the rate of growth in applications seems to be slowing, since this year’s 5 percent increase is smaller than last year’s 9 percent.
January 17, 2009
Reducing SAT Anxiety
There are many ways to prepare for standardized tests, but the first step is to lower the anxiety level. Before taking the SAT, find some colleges you like where the average scores are close to your PSAT scores. The worst way to go into the SAT is thinking “If I don’t get these scores up 300 points, I’ll never get into a good college.” In addition to creating needless suffering, that kind of pressure can sabotage months of SAT preparation.
Setting up a schedule of test dates also reduces anxiety. Most students take the SAT two or three times. Knowing there is another chance reduces the “now or never” pressure that can cause you to miss questions you could otherwise answer.
Juniors usually take the SAT for the first time in March or May. In general, I encourage students to start preparing for the SAT about two months before their first test date. Many students take the test again in October or November of senior year, and can spend time over the summer, if necessary, doing additional preparation.
Register for the ACT so you can tell yourself if the SAT doesn’t go well, there’s a different test that you might find easier. I often have students take each test once to see which is better for them, and then they can concentrate on that test.
And remember that many very successful people had less than stellar SAT scores in high school. While you may need to take standardized tests, you don’t need to let them determine your self-esteem.
November 21, 2008
More Economic Challenges for Colleges
The fallout from the economic crisis continues to impact colleges. It looks like Cal State University will deny admission to 10,000 eligible students this year. Students should complete their applications before November 30, since many campuses that in previous years accepted applications after the priority filing period will no longer do so.
The University of California may also cap enrollment. Funding cuts mean that reductions in programs and services have already begun and it will probably become more difficult to get into classes. Research opportunities and student support services will also be impacted.
It’s not just California schools that are dealing with funding cuts. Arizona State University is reorganizing academic programs and eliminating faculty positions. Even wealthy, elite schools like Stanford and Harvard have suffered losses in their endowments and are putting construction projects on hold and looking at other ways to cut costs.
A lot of gloomy news in recent weeks. But while this is a challenging time, there are still many college options and students who are open to possibilities will have lots of good choices.
November 17, 2008
The Economy’s Impact on College Admission
This year, the state of the economy is a real concern for students, parents and colleges. Public schools in many states are dealing with the double whammy of funding cuts and increasing numbers of students seeking admission. This year’s admissions process could be the most unpredictable we’ve ever seen.
University of California campuses could be facing midyear budget cuts and will certainly have less funding next year, while applications will surely increase. Students who would have easily been admitted to UC Santa Barbara or UC Davis in previous years may need to apply to less selective UC campuses. Cal State University campuses are likely to become more competitive as families seek lower-cost options. Even Cal states that have accepted all eligible students in past years will be turning away students this year. We will also see more students starting at community colleges, which offer a low-cost path to a UC or Cal State degree, if those schools have the funding to accommodate them.
Since private colleges can cost over $50,000 a year, you might expect applications to be down at these schools. But early action applications are up over 10 percent at Yale. Northwestern University has received 15 percent more early decision applications this year. Many of the most selective schools announced more generous financial aid policies in the past year, and that may be part of the reason that more students are applying to these very expensive colleges.
But even New York University’s early decision applications are up two percent over last year, despite the fact that the school does not promise to meet full financial need. At George Washington University, early decision applications are up 30 percent. Students have made the commitment to attend these schools if they are accepted, without knowing what financial aid package they will receive.
This is supposed to be the peak year for students graduating high school and applying to college, and perhaps that’s why application numbers are rising at a number of private as well as public schools. Many students who are not committing to early decision will apply to both private and public colleges and wait to see financial aid packages, as well as the condition of the family finances, in the spring.
Students who are applying to private colleges and don’t need financial aid could benefit from the state of the economy. College endowments are down, donations from alumni are going to be more difficult to come by, and admissions officers at some colleges that have been need-blind in the past may be forced to consider financial need in admissions decisions.
For years, I’ve advised students to apply to at least one “safety” school, where we can be sure they will be admitted. In this economy, it’s also important to apply to at least one “financial safety” school.
October 31, 2008
Preparing Your Best Application
The best college applications weave together a student’s values, goals, interests and experiences. It may sound intimidating, but start by looking for common threads in the activities you’ve pursued.
For example, my student who loves theater has a lot of experience in school plays and community theater, as well as many acting classes. But in her college applications, she is also discussing her college coursework in psychology, which enhances her understanding of characters.
Even someone who has diverse interests can find ways to integrate them in an essay. Another student, who loves both science and politics, discussed the relationship between public policy and scientific developments. His experience as a leader in his school’s science and debate clubs supported his stated passion for these subjects.
The application is your chance to come alive as a person and to communicate your best qualities. Admissions officers love to see intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm, self-confidence, and initiative. Likeability helps too, as they will be thinking about how you might interact with other students. One admissions officer said he reads an application and then asks himself whether he would want to eat pizza with this person at midnight in the dorm. Readers are human and they get excited when they feel a bond with a student. Part of it is luck. If you write about the experience of growing up as an identical twin, and the admissions officer who reads your application is also a twin, there’s an instant connection. But there are ways to tap into universal feelings, and once you win over an admissions officer, you have an advocate, which is especially important at schools where decisions may be made by committee.
