Sharing the Wealth

The following is an interesting article that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer (Public colleges giving more aid to the wealthiest) on how more public colleges are providing more financial aid to wealthy families. As all types of schools become more competitive and want to be perceived as prestigious, this will continue to be the trend.

For students who are almost totally reliant on financial aid, you must educate yourself about the process well before your senior year to maximize your possibilities. In addition to having more time to prepare scholarship applications and write essays, you will likely have the opportunity to earn more money for yourself as well. Securing financial aid is something that shouldn't be taken lightly and requires a great deal of time and effort.

Money for College

Even if you get admitted to college, will you be able to afford it? Many students make the mistake to wait until their senior year to investigate scholarship opportunities, but then find out several things including:

1. They could have applied for a variety of scholarships earlier in their academic career.

2. They are too pressed for time to apply for college, remain involved in their academics and extracurricular activities, and then apply and meet the criteria for scholarships they find.

3. They don't know where to go to find the information about scholarships.

My advice: It is never to early to start searching for money. Begin your freshmen year, and if you can apply go ahead and give it your best. Also, you have got to make the time to apply even with all that is going on.

Some students are finding that even though they were able to get admitted to their college of choice, they are not able to afford it and are then forced to attend another school. Check out this article on this exact subject called Studies Show Most States Fail in Financial Aid.

Choosing College

The College Strategies blog is back! Looking for a reason or two or three about whether or no college is worth all the struggle? Check out: Why College Is the Intelligent Choice

Saving for College

Death, taxes, and increasing college tuition are some of the things we are all guaranteed. This article highlights some of the growing alternatives that parents and students are investigating to help with rising college cost. http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/business/personal_finance/15589061.htm

Admission Anxiety

Going through the admission process can be overwhelming for most. Both parents and students know that the slightest mistake could either place you on a waitlist or even worse, cause you to be declined. Educational consultants, like my firm College Strategies, were created to help families helps feel more confident about the admission process, by providing professional guidance, however the stress students are feeling is real and unfortunate.


This CNN article talks about the pressures many are facing as they go through the process, and one woman’s call for change. http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/09/18/admissions.game.ap/index.html

College Planning Starts Early

My company College Strategies constantly stresses that families should start even as early as elementary school to prepare themselves for getting their children ready for college. The experience has a huge impact on the family financially and child personally, this article also stresses the importance of starting early. http://www.robesonian.com/articles/2006/01/05/news/news/story07.txt

Cordially,
Chrystal

Letter of recommendation

Letters of recommendation are crucial for college applications that require them. Even for the applications that don’t, I would still advise you to include at least one. The following article has excellent information about the role high school teachers play with letters of recommendation. http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-optre054877859sep05,0,2194849.story?coll=ny-viewpoints-headlines
Cordially,
Chrystal

College Fairs Part II

This next tip may seem simplistic, but it is a necessary part of making the most of a college fair. The tip is to carry a small notebook and pen with you. The notebook can not only be the place you can reference questions that you determined before hand, but you can also write down important information shared to you by the different representatives you meet with, such as application deadlines.

To many times, students think they will remember what they heard someone say, or think that they will be able to find the information later. However I would advise you to be on top of your game and compile in one place all the information you received during your visit. Doing so helps you recall conversations, as well helps you remain organized.

Until next time,
Chrystal

College Fair Season- Tip #1

The Labor Day holiday is not only the unofficial end of summer, but it is the unofficial start of the college fair season. For the next few post I am going to offer you tips and suggestions on how to make the most of your time at any fairs you decide to visit.

Aside from collecting information from colleges, they are interested in collecting information about you. To create more time for you to actually talk to the college representatives I would advise you to invest in creating labels either yourself or professionally that contain your information. You will want to include things like: your full name, mailing address, your high school name, your GPA, class rank, SAT/ACT scores, academic areas of interest, and any activities you would be interested in participating in while at college (like the student paper, student government, etc.).

You can then just stick the labels on each information card and save yourself more time than you can ever believe. You will also appear prepared to the representatives, and when they are going through their cards at the end of the fair, they will likely remember your conversation with them since they were likely impressed by you being so prepared.

Until next time,
Chrystal

The Power of the College Essay

Your college admission essay is a critical part of applying to any school that request one. Often, this is the only part of the application process that you have total control in regards to the message you want to send about yourself.

My company, College Strategies LLC, is one of many other companies that assist students in communicating the messages they want to relay to the person reading their essay. Check out this Wall Street Journal article that highlights the lengths that students are going to prepare the perfect college essay.

Cordially,
Chrystal

The Price of College

The Price of College

Last night I watched a really interesting show on Fox News about the rising cost of financial aid and if it is worth it. The Fox News website has some excellent information regarding college tuition, paying for college, and dealing with the college financial aid offices.

Cordially,
Chrystal

Think Outside the High School Box

For high school students who are doing well academically but would not mind a challenge, consider taking general education college classes at your local community college or with an accredited online institution. The benefits are two-fold. First, you get exposed early to what college will be like. Second, you will earn credit that can be applied when you really do start college.

When I look back, I often credit taking college classes early as the main reason I was able to experience as much academic success in college as I did. The commitment is a big one, but if you want to get ahead go for it!

Cordially,
Chrystal

Time Management

Another great skill students should attempt to perfect as high school students is time management. Time management is the one area I have witnessed all types of students struggle with and then suffer from the repercussions when managing their time poorly.

If possible while still in high school, devise a system that works for you. Your system could include carrying a daily planner, creating electronic entries into a PDA, or using some type of online calendar.

Determine how you will allot time for studying, relaxing, working, sports, travel, even sleeping, and anything else you are involved. Once you find the method that works best for you, stick with it! You will find out in college that you have perfected the one tool that can help you handle your new demands and life.

Cordially,
Chrystal

What are your goals?

Many high school students assume they are going to attend college once they complete high school. However many of the same students are hard pressed to articulately communicate the goals they want to achieve while in college or after they complete their degree.

Although your plans may continuously change, try to write down the goals you truly want to set for yourself. Clarifying to yourself what you want to accomplish will not only help you find direction in your life, but it allows you to appreciate all that you are accomplishing.

It is never too early, and you are never to young to identify who you want to be, and understand what it is going to take to get you where you want to go.

Essay Help

As the school year approaches we are busy getting set for the college admission season here at College Strategies. One area we get asked a ton of questions is related to college essays. Many students are looking for something that can help them find those exact words that express exactly what they want to say. White Smoke is an excellent resource you may want to investigate.

White Smoke is a program that can be used with a variety of computer programs, like Microsoft Word. Check it out, it may provide you the help you have been looking for. There is a link on my sidebar.

Cordially,
Chrystal

Essay Tips

As the college application season approaches I think it is important for seniors to give a lot of thought about how they will approach writing admission and scholarship application essays. The essays should be personal and should help the reader discover exactly who you are, so I would highly discourage finding someone who will write the essay for you, especially if you will have to interview. The application process is not to fool anyone, it is a process that allows you to show a school who you are and allow them to decide if you would be an asset to their school. You can’t force a fit.

If you still think you need some type of help to write your essay, there are a variety of companies, like College Strategies, that can help guide you in your writing and make sure that your essay is communicating the message that you want to get across. It doesn’t hurt to have as many qualified people as possible to provide you a little constructive criticism.

There is an excellent resource about writing college essay’s on the Santa Ana College web site. The site provides a variety of tips, as well as some links to other sites that could help.

Until next time,
Chrystal

Standardize Test

Regardless of what grade you are in, it is never to early to start preparing for the standardize test. Check out the ACT and SAT websites and find out now what you need to prepare for.

Cordially,
Chrystal

Make the Right Decision the First Time

The college search process can at times be overwhelming, even for the most prepared or academically sound students. Unfortunately too many people wait until their junior, and even sometimes their senior year in high school to begin their college search and selection process.

Even if you kind of have an idea about where you would like to attend and what you would like to major in, I would still encourage you to explore multiple options. If you know you did everything possible in your school search and financial aid process you can remain confident in your decision once you are a student. Too many students select their college without performing a true college search; and when enrolled spend much of their time complaining about their experience and then begin to devote their attention to transferring because they are convinced the grass is greener on the other side.

In my opinion college is too large an investment to not do the proper prep work. I know it is time consuming, but you have to devote time and attention to your search process to ensure you will have the results you want.

Cordially,
Chrystal

The Phones Will Be Ringing

Telemarketing, or as some in education like to call their calls, telecounseling, has become a vital component in the college recruitment process. I previously worked in an institution that placed a heavy emphasis on the fact that admission counselors and student callers should call the students we were recruiting on a regular basis.

I do not think it is possible for students who receive average grades and scores on their preliminary or standardize test make it through their college search without being contacted by at least one institution over the phone. But as many of you will find out, your phone may not stop ringing because so many institutions are calling you.

When many students start receiving calls they are flattered by the attention. I think it is a wonderful opportunity for student’s to talk to admission and student representatives. The conversations can be very informative, as well as allow you the opportunity to “hear” what a college has to offer.

As a means to make the most of the phone calls that you will most likely receive from different schools, I would strongly advise you to prepare questions ahead of time. Having general questions you would like to know from any school can help you have more control over the conversation. With you taking a more participatory role in the conversation requires the other person to concentrate on communicating the information that would be important to you, rather than you relying on them telling you what they think is important or having a short conversation because you can’t think of any questions off the top of your head.

Also, having questions readily available when schools call will make the caller believe that you are serious about your college search, which will hopefully improve the impression the school is forming about you. Just so you know, most institutions require their callers, both admission representative and student callers, to keep notes about the conversation, and the notes are likely added to the information the college is maintaining about you. (Yes, schools have information about you even if you have not officially applied, how else do you think they had your phone number and knew your name?) The information also may come into play if you do decide to apply to the institution.

By asking the questions that are important to you, you may end up considering a school you had never heard of or one you may not have initially. Take ownership of your admission search process by preparing for those phone calls that are likely coming your way.

Until next time,
Chrystal

Grade Recalculation

Grades, by all means are important in the college admission process. However, many students may be surprised the variety of ways college admission offices incorporate grades into their admission decision. Grade recalculation is a common practice in many admission offices.

The link below is to an excellent article that discusses some of the different ways that admission offices review their applicant applications.

Why Grades May Not Matter.

Enjoy!
Chrystal