STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

For families of students recently admitted to college, the coming weeks are critical to the final choice of a college. With a May 1 enrollment deadline looming, important decisions must be made. After months, if not years, of researching options and “shopping” for the best “fit,” it is time to determine which opportunity represents the best investment. It is also a time when the cost of attending comes more sharply into focus. You might consider the following as you engage in a cost/benefit analysis of your college options.

1. Why are you going to college? The answer may seem like a forgone conclusion at this point but articulating it again can add clarity at a time when other factors may be clouding your vision. What do you expect to get out of your college experience? Specifically, what are the three things you want to accomplish by the time you graduate from college four years from now? Use these priorities to guide you further in choosing among the colleges that accepted you. Which of them provides the best opportunity to achieve your goals?

2. Take a look at the cost/value proposition. Start by looking at the price tags. What is the comprehensive cost of attendance at each school? If you expect to be a full-time, residential student, this number will include room, board, and related fees—on top of tuition. Be sure to calculate the total for the year if that hasn’t already been done for you.

The total cost, less any scholarship or grant money you have been awarded, represents the adjusted cost that you will need to meet from your own resources (savings, loans, work study). Is the cost of attending a given institution justified by the value that is attached to achieving your educational goals? The question to ask is: “Will my experience as a student and the likely outcomes (earning potential) merit this level of financial exposure to my family?”

I recently heard from a family inquiring about the relative benefits of attending two colleges where the differential in the projected debt burden was $60,000 ($100,000 versus $40,000) over four years. My response: “Is the value of the projected education that much different to warrant the added debt?”

Please note that student debt is a choice you make—it’s not an obligation. I agree with the premise that reasonable student borrowing ($25,000-$30,000 over four years) is a healthy way of promoting accountability and responsibility on the part of the young person.

3. Be discriminating in your evaluation of financial aid award letters. Some colleges may present seemingly generous “packages” that are much less robust when you subtract the amount of self-help (loans, work study) you will need to assume. It is important that you compare the actual EFC (Expected Family Contribution) for each institution.

Ideally, each college would arrive at the same EFC and respond to you with the same financial aid. That is not likely to be the case, though, because schools work with different formulas for need analysis and pricing scenarios. For example, you may receive substantial assistance at a high-priced private college but not be eligible for much assistance at a lower priced state-supported university. Or two private institutions that appear similar might provide financial aid awards that are very different in terms of the amount your family is expected to contribute as well as the composition (scholarship, loan) of the awards themselves. Remember, each institution will direct its resources toward the students it values most.

4. If you are confused by the contents of your financial aid letter or you see dramatic discrepancies between awards received from different schools, now is the time to seek clarification. While financial aid officers are not inclined to negotiate financial aid awards, they are usually willing to hear appeals based on new information. A few will even offer to match the offer of a competitor. There are no guarantees associated with the appeal process, but you have nothing to lose by asking.

Note to Parents: Most successful appeals are driven by data, not emotions. If you initiate an appeal, remember that you are seeking clarity and fair treatment. You cannot, however, expect or even insist that your student is entitled to anything more or less.

5. Look at each college option within the context of what you are getting in exchange for your investment of time and money. Be careful not to confuse the prestige or ranking of an institution with the strength of the academic opportunity you are seeking. Your success in life beyond college will hinge much more on how you take advantage of your undergraduate experience than on the name of the institution you choose to attend.

Again, stick to your priorities. If you have been diligent about searching out a learning environment that fits you well—a program that meets your needs, style of instruction that is consistent with the way you like to learn and a degree of rigor that is commensurate with your ability and preparation—you will find the best educational investment values for you.

Additional tips for assessing value among your college options:

• If you have been offered a merit scholarship, make sure you are clear about the criteria for renewing it after your first year.
• Find out how each institution will apply the credit associated with any community-based scholarships you might receive to your cost of attendance. Some colleges will reduce the amount of scholarship they are offering; others will reduce the amount of self-help (loan, work-study) in your financial aid award.
• Ask for a review of your potential college credits (AP, IB, courses taken on college campuses) as collectively they have the potential to reduce graduation requirements and, as a result, your out-of-pocket expenses.
• Determine the likelihood that you will be able to complete your degree requirements in four years. Ask to see data on graduation rates and post-graduate placements.

College applicants seeking to make an impression in the admission process have a new means of expression at their disposal. According to recent news reports, a growing number of colleges and universities are inviting applicants to include YouTube submissions with their credentials. This follows the rapid growth of social media as a popular meeting place for prospective students and representatives at the colleges that interest them.

The move to include social media as an active component in the admission process has drawn mixed reviews among college access professionals. Many see the logic in reaching out to young people in the media where they spend much of their time. They also acknowledge the potential value to some students of having alternate means of expressing themselves as candidates. Students have been submitting non-performance related CDs, DVDs and videos with their applications for years. Now, with YouTube, any student can record and submit a personal statement at no cost.

On the other side of the argument, counselors urge caution for reasons both practical and philosophical. They question the use of YouTube submissions by those in the decision-making process and fear that encouraging such submissions simply opens the door to senseless voyeurism. They warn that visual presentations may reveal physical characteristics that play to the inherent biases of viewers and detract from the objective assessment of the student’s credentials. Moreover, they see privacy threats and the potential for professional coaching and editing that could tilt the playing field in favor of those with means.

Here are a few thoughts for those of you who are tempted to engage in social media as you apply to college.

1. Submit directly to the school, not to/through an open forum. When you apply for admission, you are engaging in a confidential process. No one outside of the admission committee needs to or should see the information you submit. Just as your grades, essays and letters of recommendation are confidential, your video submission should remain private as well. If you can’t figure out how to submit confidentially through YouTube, then don’t use that medium.
2. Don’t let your video/YouTube submission detract from who you are. Cameras can have a funny effect on people—they tend not to be themselves. When you hit the “record” button, be yourself. Give the viewer a sense of who you are. Tell your story. You will be most successful when the details of your physical presentation are secondary to the quality of the content.
3. Be sincere. By that, I mean you should consider the person who will be viewing your submission. If you throw something together that is frivolous or doesn’t make sense to someone who is not in the room with you, the viewer will lose interest immediately. Think about the message you want to convey. Just remember—when you hit the “send” button you can’t take it back.
4. Don’t allow yourself to be held hostage. I have yet to see that YouTube or video submissions are mandatory anywhere. You don’t have to submit them. If you are not comfortable in front of a camera, then this is not the medium for you. If the medium is a natural for you and you feel creative impulses that can be articulated well this way, then go for it.� Otherwise, don’t submit yourself to the angst and worry (and potential cost) associated with putting something together in a manner that is uncomfortable for you. It’s certainly not worth the expense that comes with coaching and production time. Focus instead on the elements of the application with which you are most comfortable.

On a related note, social networking sites have become hot locations for students (and many parents) who want to stay on top of the latest in the college application process. Such sites are the source of the latest insights (gossip) about who is getting in where and they frequently are sources of erroneous information about how the selection process works at different schools. If you frequent such sites, just remember that the sources of information are typically other applicants and/or their parents! Call me a cynic, but this is where urban legends originate around the college-going process.

Emerging technologies are rapidly changing every aspect of our lives including the college-going process. While much of the change is healthy and positive, you need to remain focused on who you are, what you want to accomplish educationally and how you can best convey these messages to the colleges of your choice.

Do you know you have rights as a college applicant?

Well, you do. As you apply to colleges, you have the right to certain information about them including information about how much it will cost you to attend. According to the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), a member organization that includes more than 11,000 college access professionals, you have the right to:

• “Receive factual and comprehensive information from colleges and universities about their admission, financial costs, aid opportunities, practices and packaging policies, and housing policies. If you consider applying under an early admission plan, you have the right to complete information from the college about its process and policies.”

• “Be free from high-pressure sales tactics.”

• “Wait until May 1 to respond to an offer of admission or financial aid.”

In order to make good decisions, you need good information and, quite often, a reasonable amount of time in which to consider your options. Toward that end, NACAC further stipulates that:

• “Colleges that request commitments to offers of admission and/or financial assistance prior to May 1 must clearly offer you the opportunity to request (in writing) an extension until May 1. They must grant you the extension and your request may not jeopardize your status for admission and/or financial aid.”

• Candidates admitted under early decision programs are a recognized exception to the May 1 deadline.”

It is important to note that May 1 is regarded as the “Candidate’s Reply Date”—the date by which admitted applicants must make their final college choices. That date was established years ago to allow students a reasonable amount of time to consider their college options and to give colleges a date by which they could begin the registration process (course selections and housing) for the coming year. If you are not an Early Decision candidate, then, you should be afforded time to process admission decisions and financial aid awards that you receive from various colleges and universities.

That said it is easy to fall prey to pressures to make enrollment commitments before you are ready. For example, you may have already encountered enticements such as early or “priority” application deadlines associated with scholarships or housing preferences. Some colleges may offer you scholarships that you can only claim by enrolling well ahead of May 1. And, if you applied to schools that offer “Rolling Admission,” you may be offered admission with the expectation that you will submit a non-refundable enrollment deposit—as soon as possible!

If you feel uncomfortable about the conditions that seem to be placed on your admission status, there is probably a good reason to proceed with caution. Listen to your instincts. And recognize the circumstances for what they are. The colleges in question are attempting to secure as many enrolled students as early in the process as possible.

If you don’t feel you are in possession of the information necessary to allow you to move forward comfortably with a particular college, ask for an extension. It’s not likely that your enrollment opportunity will be withdrawn if you miss a deadline (May 1 is the possible exception). And communicate your concerns with your college advisor as well. If the college remains insistent, ask yourself whether this is the sort of place with which you want to be associated for the next four years.

NACAC has produced a number of important documents that help to define ethical behavior for everyone involved in the admission process. To learn more about your rights and responsibilities as an applicant, go to the Policies and Statements page of the NACAC website. Click on Student Rights and Responsibilities in the College Admission Process to download a pdf brochure. In addition, you may find the Statement of Principles of Good Practice (for the enrollment cycle of 2009 and 2010 academic year), a document that guides the actions of colleges and universities, to be instructive as well.

It’s back! The U.S. News & World Report guide to America’s Best Colleges hit the newsstands like clockwork yesterday, August 20. And with it comes the media activity that has helped propel the guide to best-seller status.

Frankly, the rankings phenomenon is growing wearisome. The notion that all of America’s best colleges can be rank ordered-that the mythical pecking order can actually be quantified-is foolhardy. It makes too many wandering assumptions about people and places, cultures and values, quality and-believe it or not-fit.

There is a lot wrong with both the concept of rankings and the methodology employed to achieve them. For example, the variable given the greatest weight (institutional reputation) is measured by a survey of educational leaders, fewer than half of which chose to participate. One can only imagine the root of such disinterest. Be it apathy or an act of civil disobedience, the result remains flawed.

My point, however, is not to draw attention to the lack of science in this project or the motives for perpetuating it. Rather, it is important that, as consumers, advisers and advocates, we not allow ourselves to become distracted from the order of the day and that is to help young people find and get into colleges and universities that fit them best.

Among other things, rankings promote a destination orientation or an obsessive approach to getting into highly ranked colleges. Where the student is headed becomes more important than what is to be accomplished, why that goal might be important or how the institution might best serve the student. When distracted by the blinding power and prestige that rankings bestow upon a few institutions, it is easy to lose sight of one-s values and priorities as well as the full range of opportunities that exist.

If you are a student, then, keep rankings in perspective as you proceed with college planning. Resist the temptation to obsess on a set of numbers. Instead, focus on developing a list of colleges based who you are, why you want to go to college and what you want to accomplish during your undergraduate years. And don-t lose sight of how you like to learn. Stay student-centered and you will discover the colleges that are best for you.

I will address this topic in greater detail during the August 25 Web-Side Chat webcast, Making Sense of College Rankings (7:00 PM ET). To join the conversation, sign up through Best College Fit.

In addition, you can hear me discuss “Tips for Interpreting College Rankings” on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIugnI-TQmo

On July 18, Jacques Steinberg published an expose in the New York Times entitled, “Before College, Costly Advice Just on Getting In.” The article focused on the growing field of high-priced college planning consultants.

Unrelated, a job posting was circulated a week later by one of the featured firms for a senior level manager. The position description read more like a sales/marketing position involving human chattel than an educationally based enterprise.

It strikes me that the phenomenon of the overpriced-priced college consultant or, should I say, placement agent is further evidence of a process gone awry in some quarters. Families that buy in are clearly subscribing to the notion that destination matters-and at all costs. When that happens, young lives become the currency for a handful of opportunistic individuals who seek to parlay degrees from elite institutions, or brief encounters with college admission at those places, into mega-bucks consulting operations. The inference, of course, is that one’s prior association with a particular institution will make the difference in leveraging the desired outcomes. Lost in the scramble for name-brand destinations, however, is a perspective that is centered on helping young people discover their own direction while making good decisions about their educational futures.

Fortunately, this scenario only touches a small percentage of the college-going population. If you feel left out because you are unable to afford such opportunities (ranging up to $40,000)-or you simply were not aware of them-don’t despair. Your students are not at a disadvantage. These people don’t get kids into selective colleges. Kids compete on their own merit. In fact, college admission officers consistently rate the “authenticity” of the applicant as a valued quality in the selection process.

I mention this because I believe there is a role for private counseling in the college planning process. It is a role, however, that eschews the clamor for fancy destinations and focuses on what is best for the developing young person. And it should be accessible at a fraction of the cost cited by the folks who specialize in packaging kids for college.

Each of us follows a distinctive learning path during our formative academic years and in life. It would seem, then, that a reasonable objective of college counseling would be to help advance young people along their respective paths. This is best accomplished by helping the student develop greater self-awareness within the context of the college admission process. The fundamental questions of “Who am I?” “Why do I want to go college?” “What do I want to achieve?” “Under what conditions do I function best academically?” need to be asked over and over again until the student begins to internalize responses that become his priorities and, ultimately, the filters through which he can process all of the information he receives about colleges.

This is the essence of effective college counseling-helping students become self-aware and more confident as decision-makers. Young people need to be supported in pursuing learning paths that make sense for them and in finding colleges that value them for what they have to offer. They benefit from the personal validation that comes with honest reflection and will often surprise us with the solutions they discover on their own.

I often cite the parable of the hungry man to illustrate this point. If you encounter a hungry man, you can satisfy his hunger for the moment by giving him a fish. Or, you can help make sure he will never have to be hungry by teaching him how to fish.

It is easy to lose track of young people and their learning paths amidst the noise and posturing associated with “getting into the best colleges.” In doing so, we tend to overlook the importance of the student’s own discovery of what is best for himself in favor of our own assumptions about what the “best” must be. We stop teaching and start handing out solutions. In the process, the opportunity to make choices consistent with aptitude and learning style gives way to the obsession for placement in academic environments defined less by good fit and more by brand recognition.

As an author and speaker, I value the opportunity to teach young people “how to fish” so they can be self-reliant in the college-going process. And I know there are scores of private counselors around the country who do the same. You will know them by their broad knowledge of the admission process, their humility (a tacit understanding that they are not bigger than the process), and a personal integrity that is manifest in a genuine interest in helping young people follow their respective learning paths.

“But I don’t want to go there!” Such is the all too frequent response of a despondent high school senior as s/he is reminded of the colleges that have admitted him/her. Despite the best of plans, when outcomes don’t match expectations in the college admission process you may be left feeling like your life has gone into a hopeless tailspin.

All is not lost, though. Before you allow despair to overwhelm you, take stock of your opportunities. The reality is that things are rarely as bad as they seem. So, in deference to an old and worn cliché—“when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”

In the interest of finding the best “lemonade mix,” I would like to discuss two scenarios you may be encountering now that all of your admission decisions are in hand.

Scenario #1: While you have been admitted to a number of very interesting schools, your absolute first choice college has offered you a place on its Wait List. Now, you find yourself in an awkward position. Do you hold out hope that you will be moved from the Wait List or do you begin to invest emotionally in the options that are real?

As I have been preaching all winter, Wait Lists are likely to be active at most institutions this spring. The only questions, then, are when and for how many students. The key to getting in rests on the decisiveness of your response. If you want to compete for a place in the class from the Wait List, you must get on the “radar screen” of the admission committee at that school. We talked about steps you can take to accomplish this during the March 25 Best College Fit™ Web-Side Chat webcast, “Admission Decision Letter Preview.”

The key to success in any Wait List situation is to maintain a balanced perspective. While you want to do everything possible to enhance your chances of admission from the Wait List, be careful not to under-value the other options you do have in the process. After all, you are holding offers from places that are presumably good “fits” for you. Make sure you invest the requisite time and energy in preparing to choose from among them if the Wait List situation doesn’t pan out.

Scenario #2: You didn’t get into any of your top choice colleges, but you have been admitted at a couple of your “safety” schools. Unfortunately, they don’t hold the same luster that is associated with the places that turned you down. As “back-ups,” they we were fine—perhaps because you didn’t think you would ever really have to consider them. Besides, now that your friends have been admitted to some of the places that turned you down, the schools that are left may not seem nearly so exciting. You feel stuck. If this is the case, what can you do?

If you find yourself in such a situation, re-assess the options you do have. They weren’t so bad when you decided to apply. Rediscover them. Find out why they made it to your list in the first place. They may not carry the same cachet as the places that turned you down, but the academic opportunities they present are probably every bit as good as those you would have found at the other schools.

An alternative is to apply somewhere else as a late applicant. This is easier said than done, though, as most schools are reluctant to entertain late applications from students with whom they have little or no history. Your best chance in this instance is to find a college or university with an active Wait List and hope it will see your credentials as competitive with the students it is considering from its Wait List. This is not likely to be the case, though, at places that are as selective as those that turned you down earlier.

The conversation about admission decisions and enrollment options continues for Best College Fit Members on April 13 with the Web-Side Chat Series and “Evaluating Financial Aid Options.” At 7PM (ET), I will talk about the concept of the “expected family contribution” (EFC) and how colleges across the spectrum can interpret it differently. Then, I will review actual financial aid awards. In the process, I will guide you through a comparison of award letters and answer your questions.

NB: All Web-Side Chats are recorded and available for review in the Webcast Archives. In addition, I am offering a limited number of short-term private consultations to help families sort out college options including those relating to Wait Lists and/or financial aid. Please contact me directly at Peter@TheAdmissionGame.com to make arrangements.

The middle of March is a time of year when admission decision-making comes into focus at many levels—when the finest distinctions are made with regard to who gets in and how financial assistance will be administered. It is also a time of countless huddles involving enrollment strategists as they seek to refine their calculations of yield. In other words, “What is the right number of students to admit in order to secure the desired enrollments?”

For enrollment strategists (a.k.a. senior admission officers) predicting yield can seem like “booking” a horse race. It’s all about calculating the odds. In this realm, however, getting it right has real implications for any institution that is even marginally tuition driven.

Part science and part instinct, yield forecasts are largely influenced by an institutions’ enrollment experience over time. In fact, actual yield rates are remarkably constant—they fluctuate very little from year to year.

Therefore enrollment strategists are guided by their own histories. If, for example, one out of four admitted students have enrolled at a given institution in the past, it stands to reason that four students must be admitted to get one in the present.

Historically based yield models are wonderfully accurate and highly cherished by enrollment strategists. While they don’t determine, “who gets in,” they provide answers with regard to how many students should be admitted. Such models work very well as long as the schools’ enrollment climate remains constant. However, throw in an event that changes the institutional equilibrium—a national championship, a natural disaster or scandal of major proportions—and the certainty disappears from the yield models.

The current state of the national economy ranks as such an event and enrollment strategists are scrambling to understand how it will affect the yield for their respective institutions. In a thoughtful report in the New York Times this past weekend, Kate Zerniky (“Uncertain Colleges Worry about Who Will Accept Them”) revealed the plausible angst that is felt by those responsible for predicting enrollment yields at their institutions. Perhaps Jennifer Delahunty, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Kenyon College, summed it up best when she said, “Trying to hit those numbers is like trying to hit a hot tub when you’re sky-diving from 30,000 feet.”

So what is going on in those huddles and what can you expect as admission decisions are revealed in the coming weeks?

The uncertainty regarding college funding is affecting both families and institutions. Just as families are more inclined than usual to proceed cautiously with enrollment commitments, colleges and universities are trying to stretch their financial aid dollars as far as possible. As a result don’t be surprised to see:

• Colleges admitting more students than usual as a hedge against lower yields this spring.
• More students than usual will be placed on Wait Lists—again, as insurance against lower than anticipated enrollments through Regular Decision offers of admission.
• Active Wait Lists. Colleges have become adapt at managing Wait Lists to achieve high yields. That experience will be put to the test this spring.
• “Gapped” financial aid awards. In other words, students, especially those on the competitive “margin,” will be admitted and offered financial aid that falls short of meeting their respective needs.
• Aggressive merit scholarship offers to students who do not otherwise need financial aid.
• The enrollment process to linger well past the May 1 Candidates’ Reply Date as families continue to explore viable funding options and institutions continue to work their Wait Lists to reach enrollment goals.

The activity surrounding the final choice of a college this spring will be unprecedented in terms of its volatility and, frankly, the opportunities it will present to families that are patient and well-informed about the process.

The next two Web-Side Chats will provide further interpretation of this activity and give strategic advice to families as they sort through their enrollment options. The webcast dates are:

• March 25, 7:00PM (ET)—Admission Decision Letter Preview
• April 13, 7:00PM (ET)—Evaluating Financial Aid Offers

Families with seniors in the throes of making final decisions will find the time spent well worth their while. I look forward to receiving your questions, comments and concerns.

Note for families with younger students in the college planning process: Click here to download a pdf copy of one of my articles, “The Importance of Finding a Good College Fit in a Tough Economy,” from the latest edition of Central PA Magazine. In it I provide a framework for understanding your college search in light of today’s economic climate including six steps to help you manage your expectations and lead you to discover the best college fit for you.

A critical element to college access for most families is financial aid. This was true long before the current economic crisis took over our collective consciousness. Now, however, families of all means find themselves in search of assistance as college costs mount and personal liquidity diminishes.

The good news for families of college-bound students is there is institutionally awarded money to be found. It just might not be where you would expect to find it. You see colleges and universities are not doling out financial aid indiscriminately. Rather, they are directing aid, both need and merit-based, to the students whom they value most.

As a result, the questions of “who gets how much” and “why” loom large on the horizon as families make enrollment decisions.

Historically, the concept of “expected family contribution” was at the heart of the financial aid process. To receive assistance from a college, a student needed to demonstrate that his/her family was not able to cover the full costs of attending. Financial aid was intended to make up the difference—to bridge the gap.

While the basic process for “demonstrating need” remains in place, it is an increasingly bureaucratic exercise that does little more than determine a student’s eligibility for funding from the state and federal governments. The degree to which an institution elects to extend itself financially to a young person is increasingly a function of the latter’s desirability regardless of “demonstrated need.” As a result, many financial aid programs feature hybrid award programs (need and merit-based) that reflect the agendas of the awarding institution.

The upshot of all this for families is that it is harder to anticipate actual college costs. Unless you are able to receive an estimate of your expected family contribution (EFC) directly from the financial aid office of the schools to which you are applying, anticipating college costs will be a guessing game. And, even with such an estimate, you can’t proceed with certainty.

In the final analysis, your EFC is what a college or university wants it to be. The distinction between need-based and merit-based aid is sufficiently blurred at many schools so that it is often difficult to measure the true impact of the EFC in the awarding of financial aid.

I mention this because a lot of families are turning to online tools, including estimators provided by colleges themselves, to begin calibrating their EFC’s. These estimators are constructed with generic qualifiers that don’t reflect the various agendas that come into play as colleges decide whom they want to target with offers of admission and financial aid.

As you begin to develop strategies for anticipating and managing college costs, do so with your eyes wide open. The decision to admit and support a student with financial aid is a calculated decision that is often driven by the student’s desirability to the institution.

In my next “Web-Side Chat” with Best College Fit Members on Monday, February 16 at 7:00 PM (ET) I will take an inside look at the Estimated Family Contribution and provide insight as to how you can position yourself to compete for the best financial aid award possible. You can join the conversation by becoming a BCF Member.