The Pathfinder Counseling - College Bound Direction Blog, shares up to date information related to the college search, application and selection process, transition to college and college life.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
CAMPUS VISITS - PART ONE ARTICLE FROM JEWISH LEADER FEB 25TH
Harbingers of spring, instantly recognizable, they appear yearly in groups on every college campus. Their leader is a confident young adult with the amazing skill of walking backwards. Ducks returning from lands to the south, you might ask? No, what you are witnessing is the start of the campus visit season. As a college consultant who has visited close to a hundred campuses and moreover a parent who has participated in this rite of passage with my own three offspring, I will share some tips with you to help make your campus visits productive and stress free.
Tips for Freshman/Sophomores
The most important thing I want to convey is that there is absolutely no better way to decide whether a school is the right match than to set foot on its campus. My advice is to begin visiting a few colleges as early as freshman/sophomore year of high school. The purpose of these initial visits is to get a feel for the types of schools out there. Choose a few schools close to home of different sizes from a large state university to a smaller private liberal arts college. Utilize family vacation time to informally visit colleges, in the area where you are traveling. Remember that these visits are only preliminary to assist in formulating your needs and preferences.
Tips for Juniors
Junior year is the time to hone your college choices. Try to have most visits completed well before the fall of Senior year when the application process begins in earnest. Visiting when school is in session is an ideal way to see the campus in action. Realize that spring vacation of Junior year may be one of the last times you can visit campuses when students are there.
At this stage identify what factors are important to you in selecting colleges. Some areas may have higher priority than others.. Gathering information through visits and other methods will enable you to find schools that are a good fit and also to eliminate other schools. Focus on the following factors.
1.Type: Choices include two year associates degrees or technical certificates; four year bachelors degrees; five-year programs with a co-op component and combined bachelors and master degree programs.
2.Location: Factors include the distance from home and whether the college is in an urban, rural or suburban area.
3. Size: Is the college large (greater than 10,000 undergraduates), medium (3,000 – 10,000) or small (Under 3,000)?
4. Academics: Does the college have a strong program in your area of interest? Is the college geared to the Liberal Arts offering a broad choice of majors, which may be advantageous for students still exploring their interests?
5.Students: What is the makeup of the student body? Are students mostly in state or out of state; commuters or living on campus? How diverse are the students in terms of race, religion, political, sexual orientation, socio economic, and cultural factors? What is the social atmosphere like? Most importantly can you envision yourself as part of this group living and studying together?
6.Cost: What is the cost for tuition room and board? What percentage of the students receive financial aid? Would you qualify for merit-based aid?
7. Additional Factors: Depending on your individual interests and needs, investigate the following: athletic programs both NCAA, intramural and club sports; ROTC; and resources for students who need extra support due to physical, learning or emotional disabilities.
Finalize a list of schools to visit. If you have schools that are very similar and time does not permit pick one school and chose to visit the others later once accepted. Call, email or schedule your visit online with the admissions office well in advance since many schools require a reservation to take a tour or attend an information session. If optional or mandatory interviews are offered schedule those as well.
Carefully map out a logical route covering no more than two schools in one day. I found it worked well to drive to a location the night before and take the early morning tour when well rested.
Tips for Seniors: Utilize the early fall to make any last minute visits. Once you receive your acceptances take advantage of the opportunity to revisit schools during accepted student days. Arrange an overnight stay in the dorms. Remember you are the one who will be living and studying on this campus. Review all of your options with a critical eye and get answers to any last minute questions you have.
Part II will cover additional things to consider when visiting a college campus.
Francine Schwartz is the Founder of Pathfinder Counseling LLC. As a Certified School Counselor and Educational Consultant she has guided numerous families through the college search and selection process. For assistance contact Francine at: 860-460-8829 or fschwartz@pathfindercounselingllc.com ;www.pathfindercounselingllc.com
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Antioch College will reopen its doors in Fall 2011. They will admit a select group of 25 students to be pioneers of their new student body. These 25 students will receive the Horace Mann Fellowship -- a 4-year full-tuition scholarship, including special mentorship opportunities and help with paying room & board as well.
If you think you have an appropriate student, this sounds like an amazing opportunity.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Dollars and Sense -Part II
Dollars and Sense: Demystifying College Financial Aid – Part Two
By Francine Schwartz
In this issue I will show you the steps to apply for financial aid, and how the award is determined. While the process may seem like a big mystery, it is really quite straightforward, as you will see.
How is Financial Aid Determined? The formula used to compute how much financial need a family has is derived by taking the total Cost of Attendance (COA) for the college and subtracting the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The remainder is the Financial Need. All need-based aid is figured from this bottom line.
In order to determine the EFC, the student and family must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). It is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov starting on January 1 for the next school year. Since each college has their own deadlines, complete the FAFSA as soon as possible even if you have not yet filed your income taxes. It is easy to go back to update and make corrections online. There is help available on the website. Families can also attend a free help session on College Goal Sunday, January 30th, 2011. Check www.collegegoalsundayusa.org for times and locations.
Once the application is reviewed the student will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR), which lists the Expected Family Contribution and whether the student is eligible to receive a Pell Grant. Each college the student has listed on the FAFSA will receive an Institutional Aid Report. Some private colleges require an additional application such as the CSS/Financial Aid Profile. It is available online as early as October 1st, at www.collegeboard.com. There is a fee for this application with charges for each college that it is sent to.
The Financial Aid Award Letter: Most college award letters will list the type and amount of financial aid the student is eligible to receive. Students can accept or decline all or part of the award. Not all colleges are able to meet a student’s full financial need. There may be a gap between the amount of aid awarded and the EFC.
The EFC itself may be higher than what you feel you are able to pay. That is because needs analysis is based on the principles that parents and students have the primary responsibility to provide for a college education. The FAFSA is income driven in order to be fair and equitable to all students and does not take into account the family’s level of debt. Be sure to find out if private scholarships affect the schools aid package and the requirements to keep the award from year to year.
Negotiating with a college: College financial aid officers may have some discretion in how they award financial aid. Therefore it is important to make a contact with a real person in the financial aid office as early in the process as possible. Special family circumstances such as a parent’s illness or job loss are often taken into consideration. Once a student has been admitted to colleges in the spring you may be able to tell one college about a better financial aid package offered at another school. The college just might be able to match the better offer.
The Bottom Line: Take heart. There is money available to go to almost any college. Don’t rule out a college based on its sticker price alone. Sometimes the school with the higher cost of attendance will actually provide a better financial aid package than one with a lower cost. Remember to start early, complete all forms as soon as possible and look for scholarship opportunities. Always have a financial safety school: one the student can afford to attend should they not receive sufficient financial aid or if family financial circumstances change. Get to know the financial aid officer at the colleges you are considering for additional help and advice.
Yale Adds New Essay Question for Engineering Applicants
App adds essay for engineers
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Applicants to Yale College interested in engineering were required to write an additional essay for the first time this year.
Students who stated an intent to major in the department had to complete the essay in addition to completing the Common Application and the University’s supplemental essay, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeffrey Brenzel said in an e-mail Sunday. In addition to helping admissions officers better understand the students’ interest, Brenzel said, the essay will help the University assess its recent efforts to promote its science and engineering offerings and continue its project of recruiting promising engineers.
“In many instances students were indicating an interest in engineering on their applications, but not writing about that interest specifically,” Brenzel said in an e-mail. “We thought that this route would be the best for us [to encourage the applicants to tell us more] … and we will evaluate after the cycle is over whether we wish to continue with it going forward.”
The essay asks prospective engineers to describe their experiences in engineering and to explain what appeal Yale’s engineering program holds for them, and is the latest in a string of projects designed to recruit top science and engineering students. These initiatives include a separate science and engineering viewbook in addition to the University’s general viewbook, three science and engineering forums for prospective students spanning the East Coast this fall and Yale Engineering and Science Weekend (YES-W), a program that brings 60 to 80 top science and engineering recruits from the regular-decision pool for tours of the University’s facilities, presentations of Yale’s science and engineering offerings, and discussions with professors and students.
Brenzel said Yale joins several other institutions in requiring an engineering essay, including Princeton University. Though some require engineering applicants to complete a different application than other students, both Yale and Princeton still allow prospective engineers to use the generic application.
Two engineering majors, Keila Fong ’13 and Alex Beltes ’12, said they support the addition of the essay. Fong, who is majoring in mechanical engineering and computer science, said she thinks the essay is a positive addition to Yale’s efforts to attract the top candidates for its engineering program. But Fong said she knows that some students may not share her view.
“Some people feel like rather than trying to recruit more heavily, [the University] should do more to improve the program and let it speak for itself,” Fong said. “[To these students] this is a more superficial way to address the problem rather than improving the standard of life for science and engineering majors.”
Vincent Wilczynski, deputy dean of the School of Engineering and Science, and Roman Kuc, associate dean of educational affairs at the School of Engineering and Applied Science, deferred comment to admissions officers.
Applications for regular admission were due Jan. 1. Decisions will be available online by April 1.
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