Good food, good results
My work with high school students goes well beyond helping students with their college applications. Last week I was working with a small group of ninth- and tenth-graders, and we were discussing the importance of good nutrition in setting themselves up for success academically. There is a considerable body of research showing a clear relationship between students' diet and academic performance, and I have witnessed in my own experience as an educator that students perform best, and are best able to pay attention and retain knowledge, when they start with a strong foundation of a diet comprised of quality protein and plenty of vegetables and leafy greens. Conversely, students who consume a lot of sugar and processed foods throughout the day struggle with attention, learning, and sometimes behavior.
For this reason, choosing a college that provides students with great-tasting, healthy food can make a huge difference for students. One college's dining service that really stands out is Bowdoin College. (Full disclosure: Bowdoin is my undergraduate alma mater.) Bowdoin consistently ranks among the top colleges and universities for the best campus food. Bowdoin purchases local produce from local farmers to offer the freshest ingredients to their students. Bowdoin’s chefs develop menus with gourmet meals such as squash fettuccine, Mongolian beef hot pot, and jalapeno haddock. Bowdoin’s website boasts, “Even though we feed hundreds of people in our dining halls, most of our cooking is done in small batches so that we can offer a product that is as fresh and delicious for our first customer as for our last. We try hard to strike a healthy balance, including whole foods, and local and organic ingredients, while ensuring that those favorite comfort foods are still available.”
Other colleges renowned for excellent campus food include UMass Amherst, Washington University, Virginia Tech, Pitzer College, St. Olaf College, Kennesaw State University, Tufts University, and University of Dayton.
If you'd like to learn more about healthy practices, college rankings, college admissions, and more, use the contact form on my website to schedule your free one-hour consultation.
A “price-fixing cartel”?
When I advise top students who have significant financial need, two factors I encourage students to consider are (1) whether or not the college they're applying to are "need blind," and (2) the extent to which they can expect the college to meet their financial need. Some colleges promise both—that their admissions process is need blind and that they'll meet 100% of demonstrated need. If a student identifies such a college as their first choice, under the right circumstances I'll advise the student to apply early decision, under the rationale that ED may boost their chances of admission, and give them a leg up financially.
It was disappointing, then, to learn this week that a number of elite schools have settled a lawsuit accusing them of engaging in a "price-fixing cartel that is designed to reduce or eliminate financial aid as a locus of competition"—meaning that schools advertising need-based admissions and/or generous need-based financial aid weren't following through on their promise to students. Colleges agreeing to pay millions of dollars in fines include Emory, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Duke, CalTech, Johns Hopkins, UChicago, Dartmouth, Cornell, Georgetown, MIT, Northwestern, Notre Dame, UPenn, Rice, and Vanderbilt.
I'm not naming these colleges to try to tarnish their reputations. These are all highly regarded schools, they all deny any wrongdoing, and I have many close friends and former clients who are alums. That said, I track this information when advising future clients, and I believe people should be informed about which colleges really do offer need-blind admissions and which ones have practices that have been questioned.
If you're looking for schools that offer generous need-based aid packages, here's a list of prestigious schools that rate highly both from my personal experience and according to the available data: Stanford, Williams, Bowdoin, Colby, Bates, Middlebury, Amherst, Washington and Lee, Pitzer, Dickinson, Harvard, Pomona, Washington University, Wesleyan, Wellesley, and UNC Chapel Hill.
If you'd like to learn more about the complex world of college financial aid, use the contact form on my website to schedule a free consultation.
Appealing admissions decisions
Most students who apply to at least one “reach” school experience at least one rejection. Applicants who get rejected during college admissions may feel frustrated, angry, sad, or misunderstood. These feelings are to be expected, and are a natural part of the learning and maturation process.
Once an applicant sorts through these feelings and begins planning next steps, it may be natural to wonder: Is there anything I can do? Can I appeal an admissions decision?
The short answer to this question, in some cases, is yes. Most colleges do have a process by which your application can be reviewed a second time. You can contact the admissions office to find out why your application was rejected, and you can ask what their appeals process is. Normally the process involves writing a letter to the admissions committee, and including a letter of support from the college counselor at your high school that corroborates your reasons for appeal.
Before you get too excited, though, let me offer a few words of caution. First, most appeals do not result in a reversal of the college’s original decision. Second, if you were rejected in the first place, you may find that the school is not a great fit for you—which was likely the reason your application was denied in the first place. You may struggle academically and/or socially, and you may end up not graduating from that school. Third, do you really want to set yourself up for the pain of another round of rejection?
That said, there could be good cause for appeal. Let’s say you re-took the SAT in the fall and raised your score by 80 points. That could be enough to nudge your application from “borderline” to “admitted.” The same could be true if you significantly raised your GPA during fall semester of your senior year, or if you led your cross-country team to a state championship.
I don't push students to appeal admissions decisions. I encourage them to move their #2 choice into the #1 slot if they can see their way to doing it. Students are less likely to receive a competitive merit scholarship from a "reach" school, and they are more likely to feel a sense of belonging at a college that wanted them from the beginning.
Letter of continuing interest
All of my senior clients this year decided to apply to at least one college through early decision or early action, which means that now is the time of year when many of these students are hearing back from colleges about whether they've been accepted, rejected, deferred, or possibly waitlisted.
Acceptances and rejections are pretty straightforward. You're in or you're out. Being deferred or waitlisted is a bit more complex because it means that the college is either placing you back in their regular applicant pool or they're waiting to see how many students they've offered a place in next year's freshman class actually enroll.
Students who are deferred or waitlisted often ask whether or not there's anything they should do. The answer is "it depends." In some, but not all, cases I recommend sending the college a letter of continuing interest (LOCI).
A letter of continued interest is an email you send to an admission office after you’ve been deferred or placed on their waitlist. It informs the college that you’re still interested in attending and why. When you’re deferred or placed on a waiting list, follow the directions the college provides for what they want you to do next. If they specifically ask you not to send a letter, don’t! But many colleges will invite you to update your application with a letter describing your new achievements and why you are still interested in attending—and these colleges will weigh your expressed continued interest considerably when reviewing the next round. If you’re unsure, I recommend emailing your regional admissions counselor: “Is it okay if I send a letter of continued interest?”
If you've made it through early decision or early action without being rejected outright, that means the college thinks you are qualified, and you are still in the running for one of their remaining spots for this fall's freshman class. Colleges like to boost their "yield," meaning they like to make offers to students likely to accept their offer. A well-written and well-reasoned letter of continuing interest can be what the admissions committee needs to believe you'll enroll at their college, and that you have good reasons for doing so.
Student loan debt
Last week Washington Post columnist Danielle Douglas-Gabriel published an article detailing the Biden administration's efforts to crack down on student loan servicers for failing to send timely billing statements, inaccurately reporting borrowers to credit agencies, and sending collection agents to homes of borrowers who are awaiting processing on applications to income-based repayment plans. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement Friday, “When unacceptable errors are uncovered, servicers should expect to be held accountable and borrowers should count on this administration to hold them harmless.”
I am sympathetic to the plight of student loan borrowers and have my own tales of woe to tell. But that's a story for another day.
When I advise clients on choosing colleges where they will apply, and when I am offering financial strategy to families more broadly, I always encourage students to minimize their student loan debt, especially for undergraduate education. If it's possible to take out no student loan debt at all, so much the better.
There are several ways to do this, and my advice varies according to each student's unique goals and each family's unique financial situation. For one student, the best option might be to attend a major state university to get an affordable, foundational, in-state undergraduate education and then take on some limited student loan debt to pay for a graduate degree. For another student—for example, an elite student-athlete from a middle-income family—the best and most affordable option might be an elite private college that will offer a generous need-based financial aid package covering not only the student's tuition, but also additional expenses such as room, board, and books.
Merit-based scholarships, participation in honors programs, private scholarships and grants, and paid internships are all ways to help offset the cost of higher education. Depending on the student's career goals, not attending college at all and instead enrolling in a trade school or certificate program might be the best course of action.
I'm here to help! Use the contact form on my website to schedule your free consultation today!
Trending college majors
When doing college and career counseling with high school students, I help them align their strengths with their interests; show them what majors and possible careers might develop from there; help them select colleges and universities that are the right fit for their goals, interests, and abilities; and then oversee their applications to make sure they shine.
A related conversation that my student clients often initiate has to do with anticipating which jobs will be in demand in the future. Right now the unemployment rate in the United States is low (3.7%), so the good news is that there are jobs for new college graduates. Nevertheless, students are understandably anxious about earning enough money to pay off their student loans, buy a car and a house, and live a comfortable lifestyle, while at the same time finding their work personally rewarding.
While I'd never advise a student to select a major or a career based solely on what I think will be in demand in the future, it doesn't hurt to be aware of employment trends, especially when those might tip the scale for a student who has many academic interests or who is unsure of what to study. Here are five college majors that I think will continue to trend upward into the foreseeable future:
1. Computer Engineering
2. Biology
3. Business Administration
4. Data Science
5. Hospitality Management
Bear in mind that not every college will have these majors specifically, but most colleges will offer pathways to study these fields. So a school without a major in computer engineering may well offer a way to double major in computer science and physics, or may have a 3-2 program through which they end up with a master's degree in engineering through a reputable graduate program. Also keep in mind that some colleges will require applicants to apply directly to these programs, and because they tend to be popular, the admission requirements may be more stringent than the college or university as a whole.
For help navigating the exciting and complex world of college preparedness and admissions, please use the contact form on my website to schedule your free one-hour consultation today.
#collegeacounseling
Follow your passions?
When I was in high school, the prevailing advice I heard from teachers, guidance counselors, and other adults was to "follow your passions." While I don't necessarily think this is terrible advice, I think it has some significant flaws. First, it assumes that high school students know what their passions are. In my experience, most high school students have interests, but few have what they would call passions. Second, it assumes that passions translate into jobs, which they sometimes do and sometimes don't. Third, it fails to consider that young people today are financially savvier, more practical, and more anxious than I was when I was a teenager.
I work with clients who are all over the map in terms of their certainty about what they want to study in college. Some know exactly what they want to major in and what they want to do with it. Others know that they enjoy playing video games and watching movies, but have no idea how this translates into choosing a major.
I meet students wherever they are in their process. I help them better understand their own interests and aptitudes, and how these align with certain college majors and careers. Developing students' self-awareness also aids greatly in helping them select the right school and program.
Students wanting to study a popular and lucrative field such as petroleum engineering or nursing may discover that certain colleges and universities have stricter selection criteria for those programs than they have for their overall freshman class, and that it may be difficult to switch majors later into one of those programs. Students who are undecided about what to study may prefer attending a college that encourages them to explore early on so that they can discover academic programs they like and professors they want to continue working with. Some colleges want students to declare a major right away, whereas other colleges won't allow you to choose a major until spring semester of sophomore year. These are important aspects of a college's curriculum to understand as you decide where to apply.
For help deciding what you want to study and where, use the contact form on my website to schedule a free consultation.
Well-rounded or pointy?
A common assumption my student clients bring to our first few consulting sessions is the belief that they're not involved in enough extracurricular activities to be considered at highly selective colleges. In most cases this narrative is incorrect. Here's why:
When parents of today’s college applicants applied to college, the conventional wisdom for many students was to try to gain admission to the most selective college possible, and to do this meant becoming a "well-rounded" student. The hallmarks of a successful applicant at a highly selective college or university were things such as two varsity sports, participation in several clubs, and membership in National Honor Society.
Most colleges today will welcome well-rounded applicants of this kind. The most selective schools, however, now prefer “pointy” students: those who have pursued a particular interest deeply rather than being superficially involved in a variety of disconnected activities. Top colleges want students who are committed to projects they genuinely care about.
High school is a perfect time to explore and try new things, but if you already have a deep interest, I say pursue it with gusto. Let's suppose you're passionate about skateboarding, and you're trying to decide between, on the one hand, joining the Latin Club to make yourself appear well-rounded, and on the other hand, spending multiple hours each week learning how to build your own custom skateboard. In this scenario, I lean heavily toward the latter. Not only will it not harm your prospects of being accepted to a highly selective college, but it likely will enhance those prospects. That will be especially true if you have something to show for it—a personal statement reflecting on the experience, for example, or a YouTube channel dedicated to the sport, or a short video chronicling your experience. More good news is that this type of deep involvement in a single activity or subject promotes healthy brain development.
To learn more about planning for, and applying to, the college or university of your dreams, use the contact form on my website to schedule a free one-hour consultation.
Which colleges are happiest?
In my consulting practice, I rarely focus on college and university rankings of the kind published annually by U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review. These rankings are well-intentioned, but they have some inherent problems. First, they try to crunch a lot of data into a single ranking system. Second, they tend to produce predictable results, with Ivy League and NESCAC schools consistently dominating their lists. Third, and most important, they fail to take into account the unique needs of individual students. I much prefer to recommend schools to my clients based on "fit" as opposed to rankings.
That said, these annual lists can be fun and interesting to read, and they can lead to interesting discussion with my clients and with other people who strive to be up on the latest developments in higher education. One of my favorite lists to puruse is Princeton Review's list of "Colleges with the Happiest Students." This list is generated solely by asking students to self-report how strongly they agree or disagree with the statement, "I am happy at my school." It's not necessarily the most scientific approach, but it does have a certain directness and transparency that I appreciate. The top ten schools for Happiest Students for 2024 are as follows:
1. Texas Christian University
2. Kansas State University
3. Thomas Aquinas College (CA)
4. Washington State University
5. Emory University
6. Auburn University
7. Angelo State University
8. Wheaton College (IL)
9. University of Dallas
10. University of Richmond
Princeton Review evaluates a total of 389 colleges in its most recent edition, but it only ranks the top 10 in any particular category. If you're curious to hear of schools that score low on student happiness, here are a few that stand out from a variety of sources:
- Duquesne University
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Queens College
- Truman State University
- United States Naval Academy
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Which of these colleges were you surprised, or not surprised, to see on these lists? Which college did you attend, and how happy were you? Share your thoughts in the comments!
#ieca #iec
Procrastination blues
We're now well into college admissions season, with regular decision deadlines coming due at many colleges and universities within the next month or so. If you have a high school senior who has not completed their college applications, you may be feeling stressed, frantic, or perhaps a bit helpless because you have done everything you can think of to light a fire under them, and it hasn't worked.
Your senior is likely experiencing the same emotions as you. Most procrastinators feel anxious and stressed. Unfortunately, these feelings may not be enough to motivate them into action. Seniors sometimes drag their feet on college applications because they are afraid they will make mistakes on the application, or the task feels large and overwhelming, or they underestimate the amount of time the applications will take to complete, or they are discouraged because they don't believe they will be accepted at any of their top choices.
If you find yourself in this situation, talk with your senior to find out why they are having trouble working on their applications. Avoid letting your frustration cause you to interject. Just let them talk out why they are procrastinating and what they think they need to have happen to change their situation.
Some solutions that might help break this pattern of inaction: split the task into manageable chunks and decide when each section will be completed, put all commitments between now and application deadlines on a calendar so they can see how much time they actually have available to work on college applications, have someone sit with them to get started, and possibly re-evaluate their college list and add or substitute colleges that the student is likely to be accepted to.
If you'd like assistance getting this process moving, Confluence College Admissions Consulting is one of very few college admissions consulting firms that takes new seniors at this time of year. Use the contact form on my website to schedule a free one-hour consultation, and we can immediately get started on a four- or six-session package to get college applications completed, polished, and submitted ahead of the January or February deadline.
The need for autonomy
A parent of a high school student recently asked me a question I hear often from parents: why is my child so tight-lipped about her college and career plans? Why does everything I hear come to me secondhand through siblings, family friends, and teachers?
Each student is unique, of course, and every relationship between parents and their children has its own particular dynamic. That said, there are some common developmental needs that young people have as they begin to consider life after high school. Probably what you're encountering is their push for autonomy, control, and self determination.
When it comes to college admissions specifically, I believe it can be very helpful for parents, before they begin any discussion with their student about college, to examine their own assumptions, hopes, fears, and pressures. Growing up, did you feel pressure to attend a highly selective college? Where did that pressure come from? Is it your belief that there is one narrow path to success in one's career and in life? Do you believe that you must push your child in order for them to become more accomplished and more successful adults? When you socialize with other parents, does their behavior sometimes make you feel that your own parenting efforts have fallen short in some way?
Answering these questions honestly for yourself can be an important step toward liberating yourself from limiting beliefs that may be impeding your communication with your child. Once they know they're not being judged while they're exploring different possibilities for their future, they may start to open up.
That said, no matter how open-minded and supportive you are, your high school student might continue to be less than forthcoming with you. Try not to take this personally. It's possible they are feeling a little embarrassed, or uncertain, or that their ideas for the future are only half baked.
Helping students to clarify their own interests, strengths, and values, while at the same time respecting their sense of autonomy, is a huge part of my consulting work with clients. If you'd like to learn more, please use the contact form on my website to schedule a free one-hour consultation.
#ieca #iec
Calling Bullshit
I read recently about a journalism course at the University of Montana with the provocative title "Calling Bullshit." The course examines why it’s so easy to spread misinformation and untruths and why it’s so hard to combat it, while exploring what citizens can do to become better producers and consumers of factual information. It's hard for me to imagine a more practical, and more timely, course for college students to take.
Political science major Lauren Van Cleaf, who is considering going to law school after graduation, says of the course, “The one big thing we learned is not to inherently trust the media, but also not to be paranoid about the media. You have to analyze what you read. Is the evidence being presented reliable? Are sources being named?”
Reflecting on the valuable skills students are learning in this course, I was reminded that an important aspect of the work I do with my clients is to help them find schools that are responsive both to their individual needs and to developments in society as a whole. This means being attentive to how the job market is evolving in a wide variety of career fields, identifying the knowledge and skills that students need to be successful in their careers and in life, and delivering that material in a way that is compelling and accessible.
This is why I dedicate a significant portion of each year to visiting colleges and universities. I visit colleges to see their fancy new residence halls and state-of-the-art engineering buildings, of course, but I also want to understand how their classes, field experiences, internship opportunities, and student projects help to prepare students to be contributing citizens and successful in their careers. I am interested in seeing how colleges activate students' innate curiosity and channel it into productive intellectual inquiry and valuable research.
If you'd like to learn more about colleges that are the right fit for your interests, needs, and future goals, use the contact form on my website to schedule your free one-hour consultation. There you can learn how I tailor consulting packages to meet each client's unique needs.
Changes to the FAFSA
Whether you’re an incoming first-year student or already have a few years of college behind you, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the best way to see if you qualify for need-based financial aid. Most years, the FAFSA becomes available on October 1. While the FAFSA for 2024-25 was originally planned to be on schedule, it won’t be available until December 2023. (The exact date hasn’t yet been announced.) The new FAFSA will include some significant changes.
Ultimately, the purpose behind these changes is to encourage more students to apply and to provide better access to financial aid for people of all backgrounds. Keeping up with recent updates is one key to a smooth application process. Here’s what’s different this year:
Its length. The application will be much shorter and will rely almost entirely on parents’ tax returns from two years prior. This means a more straightforward financial aid application overall.
Previously, student eligibility was determined using the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), an estimate of how much a student and their family can afford to pay for college. This number is calculated based on several factors, including family size, income, taxes, and assets. Starting this year, the EFC will become the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI will largely be calculated in the same way as the EFC, but the shift in terminology communicates that this number doesn’t necessarily reflect the amount the family is expected to contribute. Where the minimum amount under the EFC model was $0, the SAI model will allow for a negative amount of $1,500. This may help students qualify for more assistance and better identify those with greater need.
Eligibility will change for families who have multiple students in college or who run family businesses or farms that generate income.
Qualification for the federal Pell Grant will now largely be based on family size and income with fewer influencing factors. This means families may be able to get an idea of how much they qualify for before even filing for financial aid.
There will be a higher income threshold to consider assets for families receiving means-tested benefits, like federal and state welfare programs. In short, more students will have the opportunity to qualify for the Pell Grant (including those who are already in college).
New regulations dictate which parent’s income will be included on the FAFSA application in families where parents are divorced or separated. Under the FAFSA 2023-25 changes, the custodial parent (i.e., the parent who has guardianship for the majority of the year) should fill out the FAFSA. In cases where parents share equal custody, the responsibility will default to the parent or household with the highest adjusted gross income (AGI).
In previous years, families were required to report any financial gifts provided to students for college expenses. So, if a relative provided financial support for a student’s education, it impacted their family’s income—and in turn, their EFC. Under the FAFSA 2023-25 changes, this is no longer a requirement. This means students who receive outside support to pay for college don’t have to worry about jeopardizing their financial aid eligibility.
For more information about how to fill out the FAFSA, how to estimate costs at a particular college, how to interpret college financial aid offers, and how to pay for college, use the contact form on my website to schedule a free one-hour consultation.
Study in New Zealand
Yesterday I participated in a webinar through the IECA focusing on university study for international students in New Zealand. New Zealand has one of the best university systems in the world, with each of its eight public universities (there are no private universities in New Zealand) ranked among the top 3% internationally. Here are some things I like about New Zealand as an option for American students:
1. The quality of education is high. Because New Zealand universities are all part of the same system, they don't compete with one another in the same way American universities do. Schools tend to specialize, knowing they don't have to offer every academic program out there. When you reach out to one New Zealand university for information, they can help steer you to the one that has the right programs to meet your academic and career goals. The University of Auckland and the University of Otago stand out as especially excellent.
2. The student population is international. New Zealand attracts students not only from all over Oceania, but all over the world. You'll meet students from a wide range of national, ethnic, and geographical backgrounds.
3. It's safe. New Zealand is one of the safest countries in the world. You can travel all over the country with confidence, even if you're an inexperienced international traveler.
4. It's less expensive than you think. A flight to New Zealand isn't cheap, but once you're there, living expenses, including room and board, are very affordable when compared with many American college towns. Tuition costs are very reasonable, and scholarship opportunities are abundant.
5. New Zealand's cities, where the universities are located, tend to be compact and pedestrian-friendly. All of New Zealand's universities are close to beautiful natural areas with "tramping" (hiking), biking, and numerous options for experiential and field-based learning.
For personalized assistance with building a list of colleges that are the right fit for you, reach out using the contact form on my website to schedule your free one-hour consultation.
#iec #ieca #pnacac #collegecounselor #collegecounseling #collegeadmissionsconsulting
How do I find scholarships?
A great way to bring down the cost of a college education is to supplement your family college fund, financial aid package, and/or student loans with scholarships. Scholarships (sometimes called grants) are free money—so you never have to pay them back! How do you get scholarship money to help pay for your college education? Well, there are several ways:
First, there’s need-based financial aid. This is an amount of money that a college or university might give once you’ve filled out your FAFSA and/or CSS forms to determine your Student Aid Index. If you don’t qualify for significant financial aid, another pathway to an affordable college education is merit-based aid. See my post on merit-based aid for advice on how to find schools that are generous with this type of financial support.
Scholarships are another way. There are lots of different kinds of scholarships out there, so let’s review a few of these:
College-based scholarships. Once you have applied to a college, they may automatically consider you for scholarships you are eligible for. Other colleges may have a separate application process to be considered for scholarships. Normally, once your application is received, they’ll send a link to a portal where you can create an account. Do this, and follow the steps to make yourself eligible for any scholarships that may apply.
Local scholarships. Talk with your local college or guidance counselor about these, visit municipal and Chamber of Commerce websites, and do a Google search. Local businesses, nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, and athletic clubs often award scholarships. These scholarships can be small (often $500 to $2000), but they add up (five $500 scholarships is $2500). Depending on the scholarship, you may find there is less competition for these than there is for one you find through an Internet database.
National and regional scholarships. These are usually given to students with particular strength in, and aptitude for, a particular interest, academic subject area, or career path. Often the application involves either a short essay or a letter of recommendation, or both. Two resources I like for finding these are the Ultimate Scholarship Book, which has a new edition each year, and Going Merry, a free online database of scholarship resources that has a student-friendly user interface.
Drawings. I’m thinking, for example, of those offered by College Board. You fill out your name and information, use their system for planning for college, and you may be selected at random for a scholarship of $500 to $40,000. It’s a bit like winning the lottery, but it’s free to apply and a nice-sized chunk of money that you don’t have to work very hard for.
Deadlines can be anytime, but January and February are common months for scholarship applications to be due.
If you know of a great scholarship opportunity, especially for students in the greater Gallatin Valley region, I’d love to know about it! And if you’d like to work one-on-one with an admissions counselor to find scholarships for yourself or your student, schedule a free consultation with me today!
Is it okay to write my child’s college essays?
For many high school seniors, this coming week is an important milestone: the first round of early decision and early action deadlines is November 1. These students are busy completing their Common Apps and polishing their personal statements and supplemental essays. This is the moment when some parents feel tempted to step in and write (or rewrite) portions of their student applicants' essays. Do not give in to this temptation. Here's why:
1. It's cheating. Passing off someone else's work as one's own is unethical.
2. You're almost certainly hurting your son or daughter's chances of being accepted at their dream college. College admissions committees read thousands of student essays each year. They know how teenagers write. They know how parents write. They know the difference between a lightly edited essay that is in the student's voice and a polished essay that is in the parent's voice. You won't receive a letter of rebuke from the admissions committee, just a rejection.
3. Suppose you succeed in fooling the admissions committee. Are you now planning to do their assignments for them at a college that's more academically rigorous than they're prepared for?
4. Consider the harm you're doing to your child. You’re teaching your child that when the stakes are high enough, it’s okay to be unethical. You're also teaching them that their own work in their own authentic voice isn't good enough. Maybe they would have been accepted at their dream school without your intervention. They'll never know.
5. Consider a shift in your mindset. Send the message to your children that you trust them, that you value and respect their independence, and that you believe they are capable of making their own decisions, managing their own lives, and taking responsibility for their own success. Allow them to make mistakes during this process and learn from them.
When you sign up for a package at Confluence College Admissions Consulting, you'll have peace of mind knowing that an expert is overseeing your college applicant's progress, while at the same time being mindful of their ethics, autonomy, and self determination.
Falling in “like” with colleges
When students are in the midst of researching and visiting colleges, it’s always nice to hear them report that they’ve fallen in love with a particular school. Visiting a college, you can get a good feel for the personality and atmosphere at that school, and as a visiting prospective student you may immediately feel welcome and at home there.
While it’s great when this happens, I caution students about developing tunnel vision and focusing on a single school. If it’s a selective school, there’s always the chance you’ll get rejected there—even if your application materials are strong. There’s also the possibility the school will offer less financial aid than you were expecting, or none at all. For these reasons, I encourage my clients to “fall in like” with multiple schools.
A few thoughts along these lines:
While it is true that a great personal statement or letter of recommendation can make a difference on a college application, unless something really stands out on your list of awards and activities, most colleges and universities will default to “measurables” such as GPA and test scores. If these are well below the average of the school’s most recent freshman class, your likelihood of being accepted is low.
Being rejected or waitlisted is part of the process. Most students who apply to at least one “reach” school experience this. Do not attach your sense of self-worth to the outcome of a college application.
It’s okay to fall in love with a “reach” school or two, so long as you “fall in like” with some schools where you are more likely to be accepted. As the process unfolds, you may discover that a school you thought was a “backup” or “safety” turns out to be the one that’s the best fit. If that happens, celebrate!
Try to maintain a flexible mindset. Trust the process. This will serve you well not only during the college application process, but in life.
If your high school grades are low, your options will be more limited. But don’t worry. Consider attending a less selective college, community college, trade school, or a gap year program. Or do an internship. Or apply for a job. Once you demonstrate you can perform well in this setting, you can potentially reapply or transfer later to one of the schools that was originally higher on your list. But you might not want to, once you’ve started building relationships with faculty and peers.
Finally, working with an independent college admissions consultant isn’t something that’s only beneficial to students applying to Ivy League schools. Even if you weren’t a star athlete or an academic wizard in high school, there’s probably a great school out there for you—and I’d love to help you find it. To learn more, schedule your free consultation today!
Merit-based scholarships
Most of the clients I work with come from families whose incomes are too high to qualify them for federal need-based financial aid. At the same, most of these families do not have incomes high enough to comfortably pay the full cost of tuition and fees at, say, Franklin & Marshall College, where one year of college can cost over $80,000. Because of this financial landscape, our conversations inevitably turn toward affordability, and how to pay for college education.
Scholarships are one way to help defray the cost—and they are great because they are free money! Students with particular strength in an academic subject area or intercollegiate sport may qualify for some great scholarships. Another way is federal loans, which are not so great because they have to be repaid. Worst of all are private loans, which can have high interest rates and limited options for deferral or forgiveness.
If you’re looking for a way to save not just thousands, but tens of thousands of dollars on college education, consider schools that offer generous merit aid awards to incoming freshmen. Alas, most of the best known and most prestigious schools offer little to no merit-based aid. Why? Because these schools don’t need to offer merit-based financial aid in order to attract top students. As a result, even if you are accepted to Princeton, Brown, or Williams, they’re not going to offer merit-based financial aid (although these colleges do tend to be quite generous with need-based aid).
If you’re curious about schools that offer generous merit-based financial aid, you’re not alone! This data can be difficult to track down, and some schools are reluctant to make data about their merit aid practices public. As a member of IECA, however, I have access to databases compiled by independent educational consultants that can help to demystify this process for students and their families.
So let me just give you a little data on a college I happen to like. (There are many others, which we can discuss in more depth when you sign up for one of my packages.) Let’s take Kalamazoo College in Michigan as one example. Total cost of attendance is estimated at about $69,000. But 97% of their students not qualifying for need-based financial aid receive merit-based aid of some sort, with those students receiving an average of $33,000. This can bring the cost of attending Kalamazoo College into the affordability range for many families.
The amount of merit-based aid you’re offered by a particular school may boil down to how you compare academically to their overall student population, or how you might contribute to their student culture, or how you may add to their geographical diversity, or all of the above. For this reason it can be advantageous to apply to one or more schools where you might be a “big fish in a small pond,” so you can see how your finances there might stack up, for example, against in-state tuition at a public university. Sometimes small liberal arts colleges will surprise you. Sometimes they might even offer a full-ride scholarship. And once you’re there, you’ll have a great chance at being successful academically.
The financial picture in the college admissions process is complex, and I am constantly learning more. I am eager to share with you what I know to help you make the most informed possible decision about where to attend college, and how to pay for it. Schedule a free consultation today!
Help with the Common App
Each year, over 800,000 students in the United States start the Common App to apply to colleges and wind up never completing their applications. The process can be quite confusing to students, especially those who don’t have a college counselor or admissions consultant to walk them through the steps.
The AXS Companion is a free, open online resource designed by professional consultants to be used side-by-side with the Common App as you work through your application. Each section includes explanatory videos, helpful tips, a glossary of application terms, and links to resources mentioned in the videos. It’s pitched to all students, but it is especially valuable for students at under-resourced schools and those who cannot afford to work with an independent consultant. It covers everything from FERPA waivers to financial aid, and everything in between.
As you complete your Common App application, a good approach is to have the AXS Companion open on another device and move through each step of your application in a linear, step-by-step manner. You will find that for each section of Common App, there is a corresponding section with explanatory videos in the AXS Companion. If you cannot complete a section of your Common App application in one sitting, it can be saved and completed at a later time. You can choose to navigate the AXS Companion in any order that is most helpful to you. If you have a question about a specific section, it is possible to skip ahead within Common App and the AXS Companion. You can search for key words by clicking on the “Search in book” link at the top right of the AXS Companion.
Many thanks to the folks at IECA and Oregon State University for putting together this helpful resource.
Check it out here!
Should I take the SAT or ACT?
If you are a sophomore or a junior in high school (or maybe if you're a senior), you are probably deciding whether or not you’ll take a standardized test such as the PSAT, SAT, or ACT for college applications. A lot has changed in the past few years, so let me take you through some of the basics.
Let’s get one thing out of the way: I don’t like standardized tests. I think they put students through a lot of unnecessary stress, and I am not persuaded that they are a good measure of a student’s intellectual ability or college readiness. They give an advantage to students who are good test takers to begin with, as well as students with the financial resources to make use of test prep courses and private tutors.
After decades of research, and in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities have been moving away from placing heavy weight on standardized test scores in their admissions process. Most schools appear to have settled on a test-optional or test-blind admissions policy. Of all the colleges and universities my clients are applying to this year, only Georgetown University and Georgia Tech require either the ACT or SAT.
What does this mean? It means that if taking standardized tests is unduly stressful for a student, or if it seems like a waste of time and/or money, there are plenty of schools that are test optional, and thus lots of great options for every student. That said, if you have your heart set on MIT or another school that requires standardized tests, you’ll need to take the SAT or ACT at least once.
What’s my advice? For most students, especially those who are undecided about where they want to attend college or at least want to keep their options open, I suggest taking the PSAT in the spring of sophomore year, and then either the SAT or ACT (or both) in fall of junior year. If you want to improve your score(s), you can retake the test in spring of junior year and/or fall of senior year. Since most schools are test optional, test scores in most cases will only help your applications. And they can help you qualify for scholarships and honors programs at colleges and universities that don't otherwise require them.
Should you submit your score? It depends. With test optional schools, I recommend submitting test scores if your score is at or above the average test scores of students the school admits. So if you’re applying to DePauw University, where the average composite SAT score among first-year students is 1260, and your composite score is 1280, I recommend submitting.
There’s plenty to consider here—and lots more to discuss when it comes to actual test-taking strategy and preparation. If you’d like assistance from a professional college counselor at any stage of the college readiness process, starting with freshman year, that’s what I’m here for! Schedule your free one-hour consultation today.