College Admission Reviewed on StudentAdvisor
Posted on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 23:13Thank you to Taylor Cotter and StudentAdvisor.com for today's review of College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step. StudentAdvisor.com is a Washington Post company website that is an "all things college" resource for students. You can read their review here.
What Do Students Pay for College?
Posted on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 19:34
Jon Boeckenstedt, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at DePaul University, brought to our attention the latest report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) -- "What Do Students Pay for College?" A summary of average net prices at colleges and universities across the country, it can be a useful tool for parents, students and counselors.
Boeckenstedt notes that while it's not institution-specific, it may provide helpful information especially at the start of a student's admission process as it rolls up averages by characteristics such as control (public or private) and region. The report is available at: http://1.usa.gov/vZXWXY .
And for more from Boeckenstedt, visit his blog, Admitting Things, or see what he's thinking about on Twitter @TenSecondCynic.
Help with Filling Out the FAFSA
Posted on Mon, 01/30/2012 - 04:43
The FAFSA is required for any student seeking federal and state financial aid, including grants and loans at all colleges in the country. And the single biggest mistake students and families make in the college application process is failing to apply for financial aid by filing the FAFSA. It can seem complicated, but there is help available -- and it's free. One of the best resources is College Goal Sunday, an information program that brings together financial aid professionals from colleges and universities along with other volunteers to assist college-bound students and their families complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Calendars for their national programs, as well as state-by-state events can be found at their website here.
College Admission on India Ink at The New York Times
Posted on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 19:15Our primer on standardized testing for international students applying from India is up on the New York Times' blog India Ink. Thank you to Jacques Steinberg, education writer and author of The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, who helms the New York Times' blog The Choice, for inviting us to explain the role testing plays in the admission decisions of American colleges and universities. And thank you to the experts who contributed to the feature: Jarrid Whitney, executive director of admissions and financial aid at the California Institute of Technology; Katharine Harrington, vice president for admissions and planning at the University of Southern California; Jenny Rickard, chief enrollment officer at Bryn Mawr College; Jim Montoya, vice president for higher education at the College Board; and Amin Gonzalez, associate director of admissions at Yale University and his colleagues Rebekah Westphal and Jean Lee.
If I Knew Then What I Know Now...
Posted on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 20:53
For the next few weeks, we'll be posting advice from current college juniors and seniors, as well as recent graduates, about creating a list of schools where you will apply. We've had some terrific responses from those who know best about this step in applying, including the choices -- and mistakes -- they made, the things they wish they had thought about, and their recommendations for today's high school juniors. Take advantage of the 20/20 hindsight of these students and recent grads about what they learned after they arrived on campus.
Valerie Kuznik from Cleveland, Ohio, now attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, looks at the characteristic that many students often start with -- the size of a college -- and provides some insight into what that meant for her:
College Admission on Family Goes Strong
Posted on Fri, 01/20/2012 - 19:22Our interview with NBC's Family Goes Strong columnist Karen Springen. We talk about application inflation, rankings, testing, gap years... Actually, we can't believe how much she covered here. Check it out.
Myth-busting on Tests, Grades, APs, and more...
Posted on Fri, 01/20/2012 - 19:12One of our favorite writers on higher education, Jay Matthews at the Washington Post, has a great feature on 5 ideas about college admission that persist despite being so wrong. Check it out here.
The College Guide, Main Line Today
Posted on Thu, 01/19/2012 - 02:31Main Line Today features an excerpt from the book and an interview with Robin Mamlet and Christine VanDeVelde. You can read it here.
Who should file the FAFSA?
Posted on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 19:43
One of our readers posted a great question in response to a recent blog item, If You Applied Early.. Or not...
Bill wrote:
My son, a high school senior, applied to an out-of-state public college this fall (rolling admission) and has been accepted for Fall, 2012. In addition, he recently received from them a merit based scholarship that will make up a lot of the difference between in-state vs. out-of-state tuition. We see no reason to apply for financial aid through FAFSA, as the EFC calculations show us contributing more than it costs per year. I don’t see it worth going through the hassle. Do you agree?
Bill, first and foremost, check with the financial aid office at the college to which your son has been accepted. While some colleges will tell you there is no need to file the FAFSA, other colleges will want -- or may require -- you to file the FAFSA so that they have it on record. You will want to be sure to fulfill all the requirements at the college where your son has been awarded the scholarship so that his award remains in good standing.
Lycee Francais La Perouse
Posted on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 18:51Christine VanDeVelde will speak to the parents and students of Lycee Francais La Perouse, San Francisco, about College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step by Step on Thursday evening, January 19th. The Lycee Francais Director of College Counseling was one of the contributors to our book! Looking forward to it!