63 Most Generous Colleges and Universities

Here are the schools on US News & World Report’s 2011 list of the 63 Most Generous Colleges and Universities in alphabetical order: 1. Amherst College 2. Barnard College 3. Bates College 4. Boston College 5. Bowdoin College 6. Brown University 7. Bryn Mawr College 8. California Institute of Technology 9. Carleton College 10. Claremont McKenna College 11. Colby College 12. Colgate University 13. College of the Holy Cross 14. Columbia University 15. Connecticut College 16. Cornell University 17. Dartmouth College 18. Davidson College 19. Duke University 20. Emory University 21. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering 22. Georgetown University 23. Gettysburg College 24. Grinnell College 25. Hamilton College 26. Harvard University 27. Harvey Mudd College 28. Haverford College 29. Macalester College 30. MIT 31. Middlebury College 32. Mount Holyoke College 33. Northwestern University 34. Oberlin College 35. Occidental College 36. Pitzer College 37. Pomona College 38. Princeton University 39. Reed College 40. Rice University 41. Scripps College 42. Smith College 43. St. Olaf College 44. Stanford University 45. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry 46. Swarthmore College 47. Thomas Aquinas College 48. Trinity College 49. Tufts University 50. University of Chicago 51. University of Dayton 52. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill 53. University of Northern Colorado 54. University of Pennsylvania 55. University of Richmond 56. University of Virginia 57. Vassar College 58. Washington and Lee University 59. Washington University, St. Louis 60. Wellesley College 61. Wesleyan University 62. Williams College 63. Yale University

PCACAC Financial Aid session

Do you know the meaning of the following list of acronyms? Maybe it looks like alphabet soup, but it can mean a lot of $$$ if you are on the hunt for financial aid.

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student AID)
EFC (Expected Family Contribution, based on ability to pay, not willingness to pay!)
COA (Cost of Attendance)
COA-EFC= Need (What the colleges base their offers on)
Pell (federal grant for the neediest students, $5550 max)
SEOG (Supplementary Education Opportunity Grant -- campus based, $3000 max)
Teach (Service linked federal grant, $4000 max, only for people willing to teach in high need subjects or schools for 5 years)
Stafford (Subsidized and unsubsidized loans, 6.8% interest for subsidized, from $5500 to $7500 max)
PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students 7.9% interest)
CSS (College Scholarship Service, financial aid application administered by the College Board, $25 for first school, $16 for each additional school)

And the best advice: Pay attention to deadlines, because if you miss them, the bulk of the available funds may havev already been allocated to other students!

Latest Information from the PCACAC drive-through conference

This morning, the College Lady attended a one day conference at American University sponsored by PCACAC (The Potomac-Chesapeake branch of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors). It was incredibly informative, and I wanted to jot down some of the information I received to pass along to my students, and parents out there in cyberspace.

The first presenter was the head of admissions at AU. He focussed on the latest trends that he has noticed this year. As you might expect from reading the latest news, there have been more applications than ever this year. This is a combination of increased marketing by the universities, and also because of what he called "Increased Shopping Rates." I like this term because it really reflects what is going on with students... they are shopping for colleges by sending out apps far and wide, to see what happens. A lot of this ties in with financial aid, and depending on where they get the best offer (including financials)

The other thing he mentioned was that they are noticing a geographic shift in terms of the number of applications, and general population growth/demographics. High School graduation rates in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast have been fairly stagnant, but are increasing in the Western and Southern regions. With more applications coming from those regions, it has become increasingly important to balance their acceptances geographically. Because of these changes, the applicant pool has become more diverse as well. This may mean students who are a little less college savvy, and the college is working to reach out to them earlier. I am sure that this is not unique to AU.

He also mentioned that demonstrated interest from applicants is more important than ever, as admission folks weigh whether the apps they receive are from students who are genuinely interested, or ones who are just "shopping."

All in all, lots of good information and lots to think about in terms of students who will be applying for the 2011-2012 school year.

Testing Woes

At this time of year, I get a lot of questions about testing from families of Juniors. They have just gotten their PSAT scores back, and whether they are disappointed or elated, questions remain. But the families I really worry about are the ones who are NOT asking the questions, because chances are, their kids will end up taking tests late, or not taking the ones they need until the fall.

Does it really matter when you take which test? Yes and No. But before I get into timing, here is a breakdown of what the tests are, and when they are offered:

• PSAT: This exam is offered in October to Juniors in high school. It is usually paid for by the school district and administered during the school day. It is the qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship. Most schools in the DC area give the exam to Sophomores and some Freshmen to give them some practice with standardized tests to possibly increase scores. The scores are released by the schools any time between November and January. If you have a code, you can get the scores online at www.collegeboard.com/quickstart. These scores are supposed to be predictive of the SAT. Scored out of 240.
  
• SAT: This test is offered by the College Board most months of the school year. I recommend that Juniors take the test for the first time in January of their Junior year. Depending on the scores, they can take it a second time after a prep class, or prep on their own in March. May and June are back up dates, because they may conflict with SAT2 exams. Also offered in the fall. Scored out of 2400.
  
• PLAN and ACT: These exams are alternates to the PSAT and SAT exams. The PLAN is offered more often in the Western US. Both the SAT and the ACT are accepted at almost all colleges in the US... in fact I can't think of a single school that doesn't accept both. There are, however, big differences between these tests. The SAT purportedly tests intelligence, and is a trickier exam. It also takes points off for wrong answers. The ACT is a more straightforward exam and like the SAT2, it tests what the student has learned in school. It is more of an endurance test (very long) and there are no deductions for wrong answers. The test is offered in February, April and June. I recommend that students without stellar PSATs take the ACT in February. Also offered in the fall. Scored out of 36.
  
• SAT2: These tests used to be called the Achievement tests, and are now called Subject Tests. Most selective schools require at least one, but can ask for up to 3 of these tests, which last one hour each. You can take all 3 in one morning, usually in May or June, as your yearlong class is ending. I recommend that students taking AP exams take the SAT2 exams in the same subjects in May. If that date is a problem, then June is fine. It doesn't hurt you to take these exams, because you don't have to send the scores. Also offered in the fall. Each test is scored out of 800.
  
• AP and IB exams: These exams are offered during the week through the high school, and can be paid for, or can cost up to $80 per exam. They are for advanced placement, and the scores from Junior year or early can bolster admission. APs are scored out of 5, IBs are scored out of 7.

So, does it matter when you take them? I think that taking the exams early in the Spring of Junior year is the best time. It gives you a baseline on which to build your college list, and can indicate whether a student might benefit from test prep. Not every student needs to take a prep class, but some prep is always a good idea. Don't wait until May or the fall to take the exams for the first time. The stress of prepping for finals as well as the standardized tests can be too much. Also, if you want to take it again, waiting until the fall is just too late, and in the fall, students should be focused on finishing up their applications, not trying to raise their scores.

On the other hand, the SAT2 exams don't need much if any prep, and should absolutely be taken in May or June when the information is fresh in the student's mind.

To lower stress and maximize preparation time, consider starting early and spreading out the exams...

Is Going to an Elite College Worth the Cost? - NYTimes.com

This article in the New York Times is the latest in a series about whether college is worth the price. In monitoring the latest news, I have seen hundreds of these articles, and they seem to proliferate based on how negatively the economy is perceived. The bottom line is that yes, college in general is worth it, but whether or not to attend a specific college over another one may be dependent on the amount of debt you have to accrue. Because money and finances are such individual and personal topics, I am not going to address whether college is important for your child in particular... maybe your child is another Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg, and doesn't need that particular piece of sheepskin. But in general, on a macro level, college is very important. It is trains our teens to contribute to society, even if they are studying a traditional liberal arts education. College opens doors to jobs and ideas that are closed to most high school only graduates. But the most important thing that college does is it teaches you how to think, and opens students up to the possibility of careers that didn't exist 10 minutes ago. Take Zuckerberg for example. As a computer programmer, he expanded on an idea that has spawned an industry, and has created new jobs and possibilities for many college graduates. Maybe Mark didn't need the degree, but I am willing to bet that most of his employees have one. Have you every watched the credits after a Pixar movie? The array of jobs listed that require training and special skills is incredible. 20 years ago, many of those jobs didn't exist. Students who break the mold can stay on the cutting edge by constantly learning new skills, and applying them to new technologies. Another point about college, especially going away to college, that is undervalued is that when students leave home, they usually make a huge leap forward in maturity and the ability to navigate the world without help from their parents. You can't put a price on independence, and much of it is learned through trial and error on college campuses. Yes, college is expensive. Yes, it is 4 years of your life, that can be incredible or stultifying. But the learning that happens on a personal, intellectual and professional level cannot be measures. To paraphrase Mastercard: Exploring to find out who you are, having to take responsibility for yourself, and learning how to learn: Priceless. Is Going to an Elite College Worth the Cost? - NYTimes.com - http://nyti.ms/fb9UxB

College Admissions and Match.com

The college admissions process is very much like dating. Don't believe me? Think about cycle of your typical Hollywood romantic comedy: They meet, they fall in love, they break up and then get together again.

College admissions is not so different, except that the cycles are defined and repeat annually. In the spring on Junior year, the colleges do their best to woo as many students as they can. They send out beautiful "gifts"— flyers full of glossy pictures and promises of the perfect college experience. They catch your interest, and convince you to fall in love with them. "My world will be over if I can't go to ________ college!" you think. And so it goes. Every year, more and more students fall in love, or at least serious "like" with one or more schools. But because students know that colleges are dating around, and not ready to commit, they keep a few or more waiting in the wings, hoping for a relationship.

The next step in this mating dance is the application process, and the response cycle. This is just like plucking petals off the daisy: They love me, they love me not, maybe they love me? It is a time of great insecurity on both sides, although students feel it more keenly as the suitors, rather than the one who is being wooed.

And finally, the commitment phase, when the colleges again try to to woo the accepted students and beg them to come. The shoe is on the other foot, and colleges want to make sure that their yield (the number of students who actually attend) is as high as possible. Accepted student weekends are full of fun event designed to get prospective freshman to say "YES!"

So as your mailbox fills with those glossy brochures, an your email is clogged with info from schools, look at it with a cynical eye... this is a dance, and not all who are wooed are won, and the one you think is your one and only, may end up not being your final choice.

Click Three Times for the Common App

I was thinking about mentioning this in a blog post when it happened: One of my students thought he had submitted his application after paying the fee, and didn't take the final step of sending off the main portion of the application.

It happens. It happens so often that the Common App sent an email to college counselors last week with this reminder:

• Submit App, Supp, & Payment Separately
  The application, supplement, and payment submissions are three distinct processes.  Despite instructions and reminders, some students mistakenly believe that the application automatically follows a supplement and/or payment.  Please remind your students to confirm the status of their submissions within My Colleges.

College counselors and admissions officers have a lot of complaints about the CommonApp, and this is one of them. It can simplify applying to many colleges,  but it is complicated and students can make mistakes if they are not careful. That is one of the reasons that some schools are thinking about also accepting the Universal App, which Harvard announced this week.

If you or someone you know forgot the head to the signature page for that final step, remember that all is not lost. Submit it as soon as you can, and write a note to the admissions department at the university.  You may be shut out of some schools, or accepted for the January term, but others may be willing to cut you some slack. My student applied early enough that he is still eligible for ED2 at his first choice school. A call from your high school college counselor can't hurt either.

Good luck with the applications!