College Admissions Counseling Blog

Tom Bottorf, of GetCollegeFunding, makes a simple but important point in a recent article on college funding. Most high school counselors do not understand the basics of college financial aid and as a result get students and parents involved in the search for the right college too late in the process. Finding the right college means the best college for a particular student's needs that does not cost more than is necessary. Unfortunately, as I have pointed out in the past, this failure to understand basic college financial aid works to the disadvantage of the student and their family in the form of paying too much for a college.

Most good private college consultants have a good working knowledge of not only how college financial aid works but also how to utilize this knowledge to help a family find a college that does not cost more for that family than necessary. This often means that a family that hires a private college consultant pays less for college in the long run than a family without such help.

College Answer has announced an update to their college scholarship website. I have certain reservations about scholarship websites but for some students such sites can provide valuable information that might help reduce the cost of college.

Students need to understand that most colleges will subtract any money received in outside scholarships from your financial aid package. Some colleges will reduce the loan burden by the amount of the scholarship, but other colleges will reduce your grant money. If the college reduces the amount of loans you have to take out that is a benefit to you. There is no benefit to you if the college reduces the grant aid. So before getting too excited about a revised scholarship website do some investigation to find out how your prospective colleges will handle any outside scholarships that you might get.

US News is reporting on a loophole in the federal financial aid rules passed last year that will provides that the government will not consider the assets of owners of small businesses with fewer than 100 employees. I understand that rational behind the law but I think that it is too broad in scope and should be narrowed. There is a difference between a small business with 5 employees and one with 95. Further to ignore the assets of the business entirely is to ignore the reality that some small businesses will use this exemption as a way to convert income into protected assets. It would make more sense to say that for small businesses, however defined, that assets below a certain level will be excluded. Of course some businesses have more need for capital investments than others but this still seems like a fairer approach.

With the limited resources that the government has to contribute to financial aid, this loophole does not seem to pass the fairness test that should be used to make sure that the neediest students receive the greatest financial aid.

Historically, in looking at admissions, private colleges looked at the whole student including the grades, test scores, activities and essays. Public colleges on the other hand relied much more on the simple numbers of grades and test scores. Recently, however, more and more public colleges are started to use the more holistic approach and considering factors beyond grades and test scores. Oklahoma State University is the latest to propose using the holistic approach to consider the applicant's talents and leadership skills. The University of Oregon, the University of California system and the University of Wisconsin are already using this more inclusive approach in admissions.

For students this means that they may need to be more concerned about factors outside the classroom even if they are considering a public college. Personally, I think this is good for admissions. Yes, college is about academics and learning, but it is also about exploring the world and learning about yourself. Students who do nothing outside the classroom often do not contribute to society as much as those who follow their interests. I would encourage more public colleges to consider using the holistic approach to admissions.

The Wall Street Journal is out with some numbers for some selective early action colleges and as expected the numbers of applicants is up. This was expected after Princeton and Harvard eliminated their early application programs earlier this year. However, the amount of increase is somewhat surprising. Yale's applications for early action are up 36%, University of Chicago early applications are up 42% and Georgetown's early applications are up 30%.

Of course the reason for the increase in early applications also includes more students applying in general and a push among many educators who urge students to apply early action since the decisions are not binding. The problem with this significant increase in applications for early action admissions is that it makes if more difficult for the colleges to determine how many students might accept the colleges offers of admissions. With increased uncertainty the colleges will most likely increase the number of students put on a wait list to try to give themselves some lee way in meeting their goals for class size.

The former dean of admissions at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania gives his thoughts on how to gain college admission in a report out at US News. There is nothing earth shaking about this advice but it is good to see the consistency among the selective colleges on what they are looking for in making admissions decisions.

As expected, Wesleyan University has announced that they will replace loans with grants for most students with family income of $40,000 or less. And Colby College, located in Maine, has announced that they will replace loans with grants for students who are from Maine. Typically, about 10 to 12 percent of incoming students are from Maine. While the action of Colby only benefits those students from Maine it is still a step in the right direction or reducing, or as some schools have done, eliminating college loans altogether.

Williams College has announced that they will be eliminating all loans from financial aid packages for all students. Williams has limited loans to its students in the past but the elimination of loans is great news. Davidson College and Amherst College announced earlier in the year that they were also eliminating loans from financial aid packages. Top private colleges like these are able to use their large endowments to do things like eliminating loans.

This action reinforces what I have often said before about financial aid. It pays to understand how college financial aid works and in particular how it works at particular colleges. If you are interested in a college like one of those that has eliminated loans you would be able to come out of college with no loans. In contrast, other schools of the same caliber, still have significant loan components to their financial aid packages. By offering a great education with no loans these colleges are presenting as great options not just for the low income students who might not otherwise consider them but also for the middle class students who would otherwise have to go significantly into debt to pay for their education.

The Dean of Admissions at Vanderbilt University, a highly selective university in Nashville, is shown in a video entitled "Getting into College: An Insider's Guide". The Dean answers questions on such topics as how to get into a good college, the importance of extracurricular activities, preparing the college essay, whether to take AP classes, how colleges evaluated different high schools, financial aid issues, the costs of private colleges, how colleges consider admissions of students, who should write letters of recommendations and how to sound your best on your college application. This video is a must view for all students but particularly those looking at selective college admissions.

Going "green" and an increased emphasis on sustainability have become major issues in society in general but on college campuses in particular. When I discuss with students what they are looking for in a college, this issue of sustainability has started being mentioned. For students interested in this issue there is an article at Inside Higher Ed talking about what some colleges are doing in the realm of buying food locally.

Each student is different in their wants and needs for the right college. Whether the sustainability issue is important for you or not in choosing a college, it is important for you to determine what your needs are and to find the right college for you. And just for the record, I think more students should be considering how a college addresses sustainability issues in their search for a college.