STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

As another year winds down, it seems only appropriate to take stock of a college going process that continues find its course amidst the news of the day. I would like to comment on a number of hot button issues that continue to drive conversations as they relate to access and choice.

1. Despite the difficult economy, there are affordable college opportunities for everyone. They just may not be where you at first want to find them. Target schools where your odds of gaining admission are at least 50:50 and put yourself in situations where you are likely to be embraced for what you have to offer. Schools will continue to give financial assistance, both need and merit-based, to the students they value most.
2. Resist the temptation to load up on “reach schools.” There is no basis in fact to support the notion that applying to more will give you a better chance of getting in.
3. Your ability to pay the full amount has never been more of a credential than it is now. Colleges everywhere are eager to take on as many qualified “full-pay” students as they can.
4. Early Decision (ED) remains a viable option if a clear first choice college has emerged for you. Many selective institutions extend ED Round II options to their applicants. If you have a clear first choice and affordability is not a factor, contact the school to find out how you can compete in the ED Round II admission process. I will discuss your various college application options, including ED Round II as well as the impact of financial need on the ED commitment in the first segment of “Web-Side Chats” for Best College Fit(tm) Members on January 12 at 7PM. (For a description of the Best College Fit(tm) Membership program click here.
5. I am hearing from a lot of students who are still stressing over their essays. If this sounds familiar, relax. Find your voice. Tell your story. One of the biggest mistakes students are making is that they are trying to anticipate the style and content that will appeal to an admission officer. Frankly, admission officers want to see you as you really are.
6. Essay editing tip #1: Make a conscious effort to reduce the word count of your final drafts by 10%. Engaging in this type of exercise will force you to examine both your word choice and the construction of each sentence. More is not always better.
7. Essay editing tip #2: Read your final draft out loud. Your mind can play tricks on you as you proofread silently and it is easy to overlook missing or misused words. Read your essay out loud, preferably to someone, so you can hear how the words sound. Do you hear yourself talking in those words or someone who is reading from a script?
8. Make sure you feel comfortable in your own skin! Don’t let the process of finding and getting in colleges change you or the way you see yourself. If a standardized test score or admission outcome doesn’t match your expectations, it’s not the end of the world. Be happy with who and what you are—and, more importantly, what you can become.

Life as a high school student can be incredibly draining, especially if you are meaningfully engaged beyond the classroom. The next six months won’t be any less chaotic. So, during this holiday season, take time to relax, de-stress and enjoy your time with family and friends.

Happy Holidays!

The middle of December is a time of important revelations for many young people as they apply to college. If you are a high school Junior, the chances are you will learn your PSAT results in the next few days. As momentous as this event (the unveiling of your scores) might seem, you need to keep it in perspective.

The results you receive are probably the first, official scores that define your opportunities as a college applicant. Despite everything you’ve done to post the highest possible score—pre-tests, test prep and practice tests—this one is real. If you like what you see, congratulations! You’re off to a good start. And if your numbers don’t measure up to you expectations, relax—your life isn’t over.

As a matter of fact, the last thing you want to do is jump to conclusions that either, “Wow! Look at that score! I’ll be able to get in wherever I want to go!” or “I might as well forget it—I’ll never get into a ‘good’ school.” I have talked with families whose students posted amazing scores that attracted a lot of unsolicited attention from colleges—and considerable advice from anyone who had an opinion about where their kids should be looking. And I have heard from families lamenting low scores and wondering, “What can we do next?”

However you feel about your scores, don’t let them change you. Big scores are no more a guarantee of admission and scholarships than modest scores are a limitation of opportunity. Use what you learn from the results to help yourself. Stay focused on your priorities. Do what you do as well as you can. And look for colleges that value you for what you do well.

And now a few words of caution for students with high PSAT results:
While some institutions will offer you the “sun and the moon” because of you are qualified for selection as a National Merit Scholar, make sure those places are good fits for you. Will they be able to offer you the kind of learning environment as well as the program of study that is important to you? Don’t make any commitments until you have visited their campuses. In addition, understand that the more selective institutions will see hundreds if not thousands of candidates with scores just like yours—and turn down most of them. A big score is not a guarantee of admission.

How to Use the PSAT Results
While I am not a fan of standardized testing as an evaluative tool in the admission process, your results can help you arrive at a short list of schools at which you should be able to compete for admission. Here is what you can do. Multiply your PSAT results by 10 and then add 60 points. This will enable you to approximate your SAT result. For example, a PSAT Critical Reading score of 57 is multiplied by 10 to become 570. The addition of 60 points to the combined Critical Reading and Math scores reflects the typical improvement shown over the course of 2-3 test administrations. Therefore, a PSAT Critical Reading and Math combination of 114 (that translates into an SAT score of 1140) could become an SAT score of 1200 down the road.

With that information in hand, look at the range of SAT Critical Reading and Math scores for enrolled students reported by the schools that interest you. Focus on the places where your projected result would put you in the top half of the scores reported. Do the same for your ACT results if you took that test. This approach to selecting schools isn’t full proof, but it will help you identify the right competitive “playing fields” for you given your credentials.

Additional Tips
Now that you have “gotten your feet wet” with testing, keep the following in mind as you proceed with additional testing.

• You have testing options. Try the SAT and the ACT to discover the style of test that fits you best. Then, focus on preparing for that test. Every college in the country accepts ACT and SAT results.
• Limit yourself to three sittings for the test you choose (ACT/SAT). There is a point of diminishing return!
• Students applying for admission next fall will have “score choice” at their disposal which means you can choose the scores you would like to forward to colleges. When you take the SAT, you will be given the opportunity to designate up to four colleges to receive your results. Don’t list any schools unless you don’t care that they see all of your scores. Instead, wait until you have taken the SAT several times to determine which scores you’d like to send.
• Speaking of options, 779 colleges universities now welcome applications without test results. Go to http://www.FairTest.org to see the list of “test optional” schools.

COMING SOON!
A dynamic new membership program, Best College Fit™, will be unveiled in the coming days. If you like the frank, insightful commentary about the college planning process provided by Peter Van Buskirk, you will love the program features (listserve discussions, webcasts, “Action Plan for College”) brought to you by Best College Fit.
Stay tuned for details!