The College Whisperer™ | Navigating The Road To College

Factored into what colleges you should apply to, and, ultimately, which college to attend, must be the cost of four or more years of higher education. [How's that money tree doing?]

So, how does one cut through that seemingly bottomless pit of calculating the true cost of college, let alone comparing the bottom line of one college to another? And, once the cost of college is revealed, where does one find the funds to foot the bill?

First Step, College Cost Calculators. All colleges are required to post what is commonly known as a Net Price Calculator on their websites. Often conspicuously displayed on the Financial Aid page (though sometimes buried under last Thursday's dining hall menu. Are you going to finish that taco?), these calculators, with some basic input by student and/or parent, will give you a pretty good guesstimate of what your wallet is in for.

In addition to individual college Net Price Calculators (find many just a mouse click away, courtesy of the links provided by U.S. News & World Report), the feds provide a means of determining net price via the Net Price Calculator Center. CollegeData.com also has a nifty college price calculator.

Why, even our good friends and yours, College Board (the folks who charge you just for thinking about your SAT scores) offer their own Student Net Price Calculator -- and it's FREE! [Don't worry. They'll get their hands on your money, somehow!]

Okay. So you have a decent idea how much college is going to cost (somebody get the smelling salts). Once you've recovered from the sticker shock, how are you going to pay for tuition, room and board, transportation, and those all-important fraternity dues?

Show me the money! A good place to start is to know what you are likely to get in terms of federal aid. This includes grants, work-study, and, of course, those infamous student loans.

While you cannot submit your FAFSA (and you should submit your FAFSA, which, for almost every college, is your basic application for financial aid of any kind, including internal scholarships) until January of the year you are starting college (2015 for current high school seniors; 2016 for juniors), you can get an estimate of how much aid you are likely to receive by using the FAFSA4caster. [Where's Al Roker when you need him?]

Nothing etched in stone, mind you, each college having it's own bizarre and undisclosed formula for determining your financial aid award, your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) notwithstanding, but at least a starting point for putting the pieces of the financial aid puzzle together.

Choose Scholarships, Not Loans! Most colleges will offer you a financial aid "package" (the so called Award) consisting of a combination of one or more of the following: Scholarships, grants, tuition discounts, work-study, and loans. Always go for the financial freedom of free money (money you never have to pay back) before you load up on student loan debt.

That means scholarships, grants, and work-study move to the head of the line. Find such sources of funding your college education on the websites of the colleges you are interested in. Note the requirements for college-specific scholarships. Be mindful of deadlines. And APPLY, APPLY, APPLY. [Note: Many schools have their own financial aid forms that must be completed and submitted before you will even be considered for aid, this in addition to FAFSA and, where required, the dreaded CSS Profile. DO NOT LEAVE MONEY ON THE TABLE by neglecting the paperwork!]

Beyond Fastweb. Aside from money that may come from colleges themselves, the feds, or your late great Uncle Money Bags who remembered you in his Will, there's those pesky little things that can add up to big bucks known as outside scholarships. From Fastweb to Zinch, Cappex to Scholarships.com, there's a wealth (literally) of free money out there, available for the taking. 

Of course, you actually have to search for the scholarships that you may qualify for, and, yes, APPLY, APPLY, APPLY! [It's not as if Ed McMahon is going to appear at your door with a giant check for $10,000,000 in hand! (We know. Who's Ed McMahon?).]

And remember, scholarships are not just something high school seniors should be looking for! In college already? As long as there is a tuition bill on the horizon, APPLY, APPLY, APPLY! High school junior, sophomore, or even freshman? There are college scholarships you can apply for, right now. [And with fewer students applying, your chances of getting your hands on that money is greatly improved.] APPLY, APPLY, APPLY!

Save and invest! I am often astonished at just how many parents have not even heard of college savings plans (529 plans), let alone chosen to invest in them. OMG! 

529 Plans are fantastic vehicles for saving for college, and they provide valuable tax benefits as well. Easy to set up and contribute to. A no brainer. Check out New York's Direct College Savings Plan at www.NYsaves.org.

REFER A FRIEND -- ENTER TO WIN $500! Still time to refer a friend, classmate, colleague to College Connection. [Deadline extended to November 28th.] For each referral, you will not only receive my gratitude, but a chance to win $500 in cold, hard cash! It doesn't get any easier than that!!!

Look. When it comes to paying for college, you could take the advice of that Mitt Romney fella and "borrow money from your parents, if you have to," or, you can be a savvy consumer, do your homework, and with just a bit of guidance, foresight, planning and diligence, get the money you need to pay for the college that is the "best" fit for you!

Finding the college financial aid process daunting? Confused and frustrated by the college scholarship search? Need some sage advice and a helping hand? [We thought you'd never ask!]

Have no fear. The College Whisperer™ is here! [That would be me.] Call. Email. Text. Smoke Signal (smoke signal rates may apply). Let's line up the ducks (or turduckens, if you prefer) and lay those fears of college financing to rest!

Gee, it's almost Thanksgiving. Cue the cranberry mold! Leftover stuffing and pumpkin pie? You know where to find me...

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Call  COLLEGE CONNECTION today at 516-345-8766 and let us help you successfully navigate the road to college!
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At COLLEGE CONNECTION, We've Got Your Back. And Your Best Moves Forward!

Find Us on the web at College Connection
Check out The College Whisperer™ blog
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The one word I hear most in my college planning and counseling adventures is "overwhelmed." Followed, in many instances, by "frustrated," "frightened," and "flabbergasted." [The latter probably being a good SAT word! :-)]

How something so seemingly simply (it actually was just that, back in the days when applications were written by hand and submitted via the United States Postal Service) could be turned into something so complex, complicated, costly, and, in almost every respect, inane.

The insanity of standardized testing. The incredulity of the admissions process. The craziness of Common App. Early Action. Early Decision. Restricted Early Action. Regular. Rolling. Is there Decaf?

Yes, the collegiate industrial complex has taken its toll on students and parents alike, much to the pecuniary benefit of those not-for-profits in name only ala College Board, Common App, and the colleges themselves, looking at us with money bags in their big, greedy eyes, concerned not nearly as much with educating and enlightening as they are with enrollment and the bottom line.

Add to this the ever-ambiguous TMI -- Too Much Information, much of it erroneous. From the Internet to the Guidance office to the talking heads at the PTA meetings. Enough to bring an Einstein to his knees.

Still, when all is said, if far from done, with more than 3000 accredited colleges in this country, there is a good fit for each student; a college that is "best," not for U.S. News & World Report, but for the student.

Amidst the angst and anger, terror and tears, we must find calm and tranquility (a pint of your fave ice cream and a very large spoon is often most comforting :-), and take solace that you will find a college where you will thrive and have the time of your life. You will get in to (and find the money to pay for) a fantastic school. You will survive the trauma of rejection and, if not today, then, certainly, tomorrow, you will laugh about such meaningless, mindless, meanderings as the SAT, college rankings, "Why Michigan?" and "Describe yourself in 140 characters or less."

Above all, take this whole application and admissions process in stride. Relax. Keep calm and carry on. It's only college!

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Call  COLLEGE CONNECTION today at 516-345-8766 and let us help you successfully navigate the road to college!
- - -  

At COLLEGE CONNECTION, We've Got Your Back. And Your Best Moves Forward!

Find Us on the web at College Connection
Check out The College Whisperer™ blog
College Connection on Twitter  Follow Us
The College Whisperer™ on Facebook  Like Us On Facebook

No, if you are applying via Common App, payment is the FIRST step, not the LAST (as it is on, say, Amazon). When you hit SUBMIT on Common App, you are submitting payment, NOT your application. The FINAL button that appears after you enter credit card info, refers to your payment, NOT your application.

Once you pay, you must then sign and submit your application. If there is a supplement, this must be signed and submitted separately, after you sign and submit the application.

Convoluted? Bizarre? Simply silly? Of course. It's Common App. What did you expect?

Okay. So, machinations of not-for-profit status aside, it's all about the money. We get it. Still...

In a logical, rational world, even where payment is deemed to be a critical first step, why label it SUBMIT? Whay not call it, PAY? And why FINAL, when it isn't?

Because this, folks, the the college application and admissions process! As crazy, backward, and half-assed as it gets. And why not? After all, as the colleges themselves will tell you, it's complicated! 

Time to stop the insanity? You bet! Open up your windows, stick your heads out, and shout at the top of your lungs to Common App, College Board, ACTstudent, and NACAC, and college administrators everywhere. "We're mad as Hell, and we're not gonna take it anymore!" Not, that it will do any good mind you. Well, unless we all start paying atention, and stop hitting SUBMIT with our wallets.

Call  COLLEGE CONNECTION today at 516-345-8766 and let us help you successfully navigate the road to college!
- - -  

At COLLEGE CONNECTION, We've Got Your Back. And Your Best Moves Forward!

Find Us on the web at College Connection
Check out The College Whisperer™ blog
College Connection on Twitter  Follow Us
The College Whisperer™ on Facebook  Like Us On Facebook

Ah, the college essay. Those 250-650 words on the Common App that try the souls of high school seniors (not to mention their already overwhelmed parental units).

First, a few (okay, many) thoughts on the college admissions process, in general, and the college essay, in particular. 

Did you know that the average time spent by an admissions officer reviewing a college application is but 7 1/2 minutes? That’s the ENTIRE application. NOT just the essays and supplemental writings! [when it comes to the essay and writing supplements, the average time spent drops to a mere 4 1/2 minutes. READ, Four And A Half Minutes.] 

Although parents and students alike spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about -- let alone developing and writing -- the college essay (aside from pondering responses to silly queries such as “The best thing about last Wednesday was...” or “Describe yourself in 140 characters or less”), the essay is but one piece in a much larger puzzle. Most colleges take an holistic approach to admissions, looking at the big picture, the whole student. [This used to be called “well-rounded.” They now refer to the “angular” student. Hmm. Perhaps this is because circles have no edges, and you need an edge (or several) to get in to college these days!] 

That said, the essay is an important and integral part of that puzzle, not so much for its style, or even content, but for the three questions college admissions officers are really looking for students to answer. 

1. Who are you (not in the philosophical sense)? 
2. Who do you hope to become over the next four years? 
3. What will you bring to campus (other than your Donald Duck boxer shorts), and to the community beyond? 

Answer these questions (and forgetting about those books on “best” or “winning” college essays - most of which are dummied up and/or professionally written), and you are more than half way there. 

Yes, keep the essay interesting. Figure that the admissions officer will be reading your essay (more likely, giving it an eyeball) at ten minutes to five on a Friday afternoon, on the worst day of his life. Wife threw him out of the house, bags at the curb. Dog bit him and gave him rabies. Had Chinese for lunch at the food court and got ptomaine poisoning. He gets back to his office, turns on the computer, and whose application pops up as a matrix on his screen? You guessed it! 

Keep it relevant. Keep it honest. Keep it about you. Reveal your true character, and let your unique personality shine through. 

Life experiences work best when they provide substance and context, rather than painting on that canvas with a broad stroke. 

What makes a good essay? What differentiates a good essay from a great essay? 

Well, consider the topic. Contrary to popular belief, anything you could think of would make a good essay, depending upon what you say and how you say it. Imagine Jerry Seinfeld’s essay (if he needed one for Queens College), like his long-running sitcom, being about nothing. Or the student who, writing about his parents’ nasty divorce, and the near-comical foibles of every household appliance breaking down (envision water spewing from the television screen ala Niagara Falls), with neither mom nor dad making any effort to fix them, in an essay that began, “I come from a broken home.” 

Simple, everyday experiences often make for the very best essays. The grandiose? Beware the “I climbed Mount Everest” syndrome, often perceived not so much as a personal accomplishment, but rather, as “that poor little rich kid travels the world.” READ, A College Essay Too Far. 

The larger than life, “look what I’ve done,” experiences could make for great college essays (and, most certainly, fantastic parodies, as in a piece that recently appeared in The New Yorker entitled, College-Application Essay), with the appropriate context. Then again, the most compelling college essays often spring from the seemingly mundane and provincial. READ, The Best College Essay Ever! and The College Essay: Striving To Distance Yourself From The Madding Crowd. 

Fact is, you are not writing an essay for the Pulitzer committee, or for the endpiece of Sunday’s New York Times Magazine section (although, you never know). It’s a college essay, for goodness sake, written (hopefully) by a 16 or 17 year old. 

Have fun with it. And remember, it’s only an essay!

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At COLLEGE CONNECTION, We’ve Got Your Back. And Your Best Moves Forward! 

Find Us on the web at College Connection
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Just a quick reminder that Early Action deadlines for many colleges and universities are quickly approaching, with some only days away (UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Georgia, for instance, have Early Action deadlines of October 15th. That's next Wednesday!).

Most Early Action Deadlines fall between November 1 and November 15.

Some schools, such as the University of Maryland (November 1), have what is known as Priority Deadlines. While not Early Action, in the traditional sense, apply by the Priority Deadline for your application to recieve the most favorable consideration for admission and/or scholarships.

Be sure to confirm all deadline dates, which can be found, for Common App colleges, under the My Colleges tab; in Naviance, under Colleges I'm Thinking About or Colleges I'm Applying To; and on the college websites themselves, typically under Admissions/Application Deadlines.

When in doubt, check it out!

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO EITHER COMPLETE OR SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATIONS!

REMEMBER: It is always better to submit a complete and accurate application Regular Decision, than one that is half-baked, Early Action. Be reminded that, while the early bird may get the worm, it is typically the second mouse that gets the cheese! [Think about it...]
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At COLLEGE CONNECTION, We've Got Your Back. And Your Best Moves Forward!

Find Us on the web at College Connection
Check out The College Whisperer™ blog
College Connection on Twitter  Follow Us
The College Whisperer™on Facebook  Like Us On Facebook

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