Scholarships are a Little Tricky

After a students starts applying to college, many also start searching for scholarships as well. It makes perfect sense to try to find ways to cut your out-of-pocket cost regardless of the school you decide to attend. This USA Today article provides excellent information about explaining particulars with financial aid packages and scholarships.

For students who successfully secure scholarships that are not related to the institution you need to understand how accepting the scholarship could affect your financial aid package. Colleges regard outside scholarship as additional 'resources' or money, so they often will not apply your outside scholarship to meet any additional need you may have. Rather than add your outside scholarship with the institutional money they are offering, they will take away institutional dollars. In other words if the school had offered you $5 in aid, and your scholarship is worth $5 the school will likely let you spend your $5 and take their money back, so in the end you are still paying the same price.

This is not to discourage you from finding outside scholarships, you just need to be very strategic on which funds you accept, as well as prepared to still have to come out of pocket even when it seems that everything should be paid for.

Visit Before You Decide

Its the time of year that seniors everywhere are making the final decision on where they want to attend. Although the brochures are nice to look at, and the phone calls from students help to answer some of your questions, the best way for students to students to make their final decision is to go visit their top choices. For some this can be an expensive or time consuming venture, however this is a major decision that requires complete attention. Other experts agree with the necessity to visit a school before you decide in the article recent Olympian Newspaper article.

Parents & Students at Odds

For many students, where they want to go and where their parents want he or she to go are two very different stories. Recently, The Princeton Review published their survey results of the Top 10 Dream Colleges of Students Applicants & of Parents.

One of the reasons families include a private admissions consultant in their admission process is that they can have an objective third party contribute to the discussion about what school really would be best for the student. In addition, a private consultant can help both side consider aspects about their choices they may not have previously considered.

Making THE Decision

I recently was contacted by a student who had been accepted to a variety of wonderful schools, making her decision very difficult. For most students, deciding where to go to college is his or her first REAL adult decision and there is a lot of pressure on how to decide which school will be best for you.

Sometimes students forget the big picture and simply focus on a college's name or particular program. These are important to consider, but more importantly it is important to figure out where do you WANT to live and learn for the next 4-5 years of your life.

It won't matter how great a program is if you are absolutely miserable the entire time you are in college. All schools are not created equal for all students. That is why it is crucial to visit your top choices and try to truly 'feel your gut' as to where you should be.

When I was an admission counselor meeting with students it was clear when I talked to students that were trying to force themselves to like the campus, and it was clear when they were actually in love with the campus. In fact, if I could tell the student just really didn't want to go there, I would start giving them advice on what they need to do to figure out where they should be.

So in short, outline your goals, and research each school until you find the one that will help you accomplish what you want to achieve in college.

Dr. Porter
www.CollegeStrategiesOnline.com

I am a Legacy

Most know the college admission process only by looking from the outside in. If they hear about someone being accepted to a college but had the thought that that student should have been denied, they begin to speculate about what could have possibly been in play so that student could be admitted.

Many people believe that being a legacy, applicants who are related to alumni, have one step up in getting accepted. Most applications ask if and how the applicant is a legacy. If the question was not important, I always ask my clients: then why did they take up application space asking the question?

Although being a legacy does not guarantee that a student will be admitted, it does give the reviewer a reason to slow down and pay a little bit more attention to the application. They more than likely may then place a call over to the alumni office and find out more about the relative the applicant is claiming. If it turns out that the alumni is still active with the school in a big way, that reviewer is now really taking their time with that application.

Like most other things, it doesn't hurt to know the right people, even in the college admissions process.

The Chicago Maroon recently wrote about this topic in an article titled: Legacy Students Don't Have an Edge. Read closely, don't let the title of the article fool you.

Dr. Porter
www.CollegeStrategiesOnline.com

NPR's The College Admissions Game

NPR has included on their web site a 7-part series discussing college admissions called The College Admissions Game. The series discusses popular topics such as competitive admissions, however they also explore a variety of topics that real students are dealing with such as whether or not to attend an HBCU, go to community college first, and not to go at all. Their is also an option for audio.

Take Control Back

I recently was contacted by the creator and president of Zinch.com, a web site specifically designed to help college applicants get some control in the college admission process. I think it is a wonderful option that college students should really check out.

Colleges generally buy information about students from clearinghouses like the SAT and ACT who collect data about students. Most, if not all the information, you fill out on your standardize test can be purchased by any college in the world. Often we you receive information from a school you have never heard of, it is because they have purchased your name and information from someone and that college thinks that you would be fit because of something related to the information they have about you.

What I like about the idea with Zinch is the fact that you can still put all the standard information: grades, test scores, major choice etc., but you also have the opportunity to put information that showcases who you really are, such as essays, links to your artwork, movies you may have produced, etc. You can help colleges begin to see the person behind the name.

There are also several other features that I think would be attractive for college applicants including e-mail that you can use specifically to communicate with colleges and universities, and a link to your information that you can include on resumes. The site is not like other social networking sites because the only individuals who can access your profile are colleges, or individuals that you chose to provide them the link.

It may be some time before the majority of colleges catch on, but I really think that Zinch is onto something that will help students empower themselves during the college admission process.

College's Don't Always Get It Right

I came across this interesting take on the how chance plays into the college admission process. College Admissions and Chance summarizes the thoughts presented by the author Barry Schwartz. Although it does not help students who were denied or deferred admissions feel any better about the situation. It does prove the point that sometimes colleges can't always make 'perfect' admission decisions. That is why I continue to stress to students I work with that it is up to you to prove to admission boards that you should be there, instead of allowing them to try to decide for you.

What Are Your Summer Plans?

I am often surprised by the number of high school and college students who do not make summer employment plans until summer is knocking at the door. One way to help yourself stand out as a undergraduate or graduate college applicant is to be able to boast that you have attempted to prepare yourself academically, and also professionally by using school breaks (summer, fall, winter, and spring) to gain experience. This is extremely important for students who have some blemishes on their academic record.

Gaining professional experience in your area of interest allows you to 'test-drive' your potential career. In addition, it demonstrates to college admission review boards that you aren't just about talking about what you want to do, you are beginning to do what you want to do. And finally, if your experiences are positive, it may provide you with the extra motivation you need to jump through the hoops and hurdles required of you to finish either high school and graduate school.

Everyone who knows me can testify that I am not a person who subscribes to having a lot of rhetoric. For myself, and for anyone asking my advice on preparing for school or their career, I believe one thing is true: don't say what you want to do, do what you want to do. So if you have not already done so, begin searching organizations or businesses in your area of interest and either apply for a formal internship program or offer to volunteer a few hours every week during the summer. Make your goals a reality by putting your foundation into place today.

College Advice...Be Selective

For some time I weighed the decision as to whether or not College Strategies would host a public forum for students to ask and answer questions about the college admission process. There are currently some really popular forums that already exist so I have decided to contribute some advice on those forums instead. Although asking general questions about college admissions in this manner is ok, and you will receive some good advice, I am a little concerned about the students who may be making major decisions that could affect them for the rest of their lives based on the advice given by absolute strangers.

If you have a variety of specific questions about selecting a major, selecting a school, how to make your applications stronger, although it is may be an expense, you really should consider hiring an educational consultant. College Strategies offers this type of service, however you can also research others companies with the list provided by the Higher Educational Consultants Association to search other companies and independent consultants.

Free advice is nice at times, but sometimes it is worth working with a professional who has experience.