The College Whisperer™ | Navigating The Road To College

M.S. of Syosset, NY writes:

What do you think of the recent decision in Colorado allowing students to carry concealed weapons on campus?

The College Whisperer replies:

Try as we might to stay above the political fray -- or at least close enough to the middle to avoid being hit by the shrapnel -- that darned celebration of ignorance keeps dragging us back in. Now, we not only have to dodge vitriolic comments, acerbic Tweets and off the wall emails, but bullets, as well!

We presume you are talking about Colorado's Concealed Carry Act, which prohibits local governments from limiting gun rights with some exceptions, though universities are not among those exceptions. The state's supreme court overturned a campus gun ban in March that once blocked students and employees from carrying licensed concealed weapons, issuing a blanket gun policy across the state.

So let's see. If student loan debt doesn't put you six feet under...

You know, there are some things in life that defy logic, or even reason. Then there are others, such as permitting students to carry concealed weapons on campus and into a classroom (hope you don't get too unhinged over that "F" in Organic Chem).

To me, and one would surmise, to all civilized, level-headed, reasonably sane folks, this is a no brainer. Keep guns out of the hands of college students and off of college campuses.

Listen. We are up in arms (pun intended) when our high school kids come to class with cell phones, i-Pods or wear clothing that is somehow associated with gang colors. Such violations of the code of conduct could open the door to suspension. But arm our college kids, and permit them to carry concealed weapons on the quad and into the classroom? Sure. Why not? After all, the Second Amendment gives them the right.

Proponents of guns on campus, such as Students for Concealed Carry, opine, with convoluted pretext that would spin Todd Akin's shrunken head, that the right to lock and load is a matter of self defense. After all, faced with a crazed gunman at the classroom door or brandishing a semi-automatic outside the dining hall, what better defense than that wild west mentality of arming a cadre of college students to the hilt and hoping that, amidst the frenzy of flying bullets and bloody carnage, the last kid standing isn't the gunman. Oh, the humanity.

Would that every student at Virginia Tech had been carrying a concealed weapon that fateful day, or every theater-goer in Aurora had a pistol hidden in the popcorn. How many dead when the friendly fire of a frenetic free-for-all is over? How many wounded?

Sorry, but I for one do not feel safer (quite the contrary, in fact), knowing that the fella sitting next to me may be packing a six-shooter -- unless, of course, he happens to be a cop.

Oh, those darn liberals, like The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus. Folks who believe, as I do, that the college campus is a place of refuge, of peaceful coexistence, of tolerance, of personal growth and, dare we say, of learning to think and reason, beyond the platitudes, the innuendo and the half-crazed machinations of the NRA and its ilk.

Okay. Okay. The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is sacrosanct (you may also maintain a well regulated militia in your illegal basement apartment, if you so desire). We'll give you that much.

But do we need to arm ourselves and our children with semi-automatic assault weapons, capable of taking down a Chinook helicopter, or turn a four-year stint on a college campus into a potentially deadly reality show that rivals The Hunger Games?

Perhaps we need to arm ourselves with just a bit of knowledge and a tad of thought. Then, too, a slogan wouldn't hurt. How about, Carry Books, Not Guns!

And for you staunch supporters of arming the masses to the teeth, ala the Mutually Assured Deterrence (or was that Mutually Assured Destruction) theorists of the nuke era, let us at least forestall an Armageddon on campus with a compromise.

We arm every college student -- the good guys as well as the nut jobs (and each member of Congress, while we're on a roll) with a pea shooter and an abundant arsenal of peas. Then, let them have at it. After all, it's all fun and games until someone takes out an eye...

Look, folks. Our job, as parents, as college counselors, as advocates for our children, is not just to get them into college, but to keep them healthy, safe and alive while they are there, and for many, many years thereafter.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of The College Whisperer.

Plan. Prepare. Prevail!

Who knows what peril lurks in the college application and admissions process? The College Whisperer knows. . .

* * *
Comments? Questions for The College Whisperer?
Write us at info@TheCollegeWhisperer.com

The College Whisperer is sponsored by COLLEGE CONNECTION, Official Sponsor of College Admission Success. The road to college begins at COLLEGE CONNECTION! Whether you are applying to college, planning for college, paying for college or simply thinking about college, COLLEGE CONNECTION can help!Call TODAY for a FREE telephone consultation. 516-345-8766

For up-to-the-minute news, apps, info and insights on college applications, admissions, scholarships and just about everything college, follow The College Whisperer on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/GetCollege

Students taking SAT to be charged $25 per filled-in oval

Would this surprise you? Maybe. Maybe not.

You would be surprised, however, at the wealth of information you will find -- on the ins and outs, ups and downs, DOs and DON'Ts of the college application process, the intricacies of college admissions, the abundance of scholarship money ripe for the picking, and just about everything college -- when you follow us on Twitter @GetCollege.

Simply sign up (it's free), log in, and click follow to join us in the Twittersation, 24/7, for breaking news, critical links, the latest Apps, insightful and engaging commentary and analysis, and the inside scoop on what you really need to know in order to successfully navigate the road to -- and through -- college! 

The College Whisperer and College Connection. Teaming up on Twitter to get you into college, help you pay for college, and make your way through college (while surviving -- and even enjoying -- the journey).

Plan. Prepare. Prevail!

http://twitter.com/GetCollege

M.R. of Mineola, NY writes:

My daughter will be starting college this fall and has been offered a financial aid package conditioned upon "verification," a process through which I am asked to release, among other financial statements, my income tax returns. I didn't make $20 million dollars last year. I do not have any money hidden away in off-shore bank accounts. Can I simply pull a Romney and skirt the issue of tax returns?

The College Whisperer responds:

Your question is fraught with major political implications -- if not those that may seriously impact upon your daughter's financial aid award.

While we seek to stay far above the political fray (after all, it is bad for business to talk politics), since you opened the door, The College Whisperer is obliged to stick in -- and pay taxes on -- his two cents.

The simple answer to your question -- on releasing your income tax records for verification (the process by which some colleges and universities confirm the information provided by you on the FAFSA and/or CSS Profile) -- is YES. If you want the money being offered by the school as part and parcel of the award of financial aid, you must provide the financial information as requested, and do so in a timely fashion.

There is no luxury of skirting (your word) the issue as if you were running for, say, President of the United States. When the college asks, "Where are your tax returns?", you cannot respond by summarily asking, "Where are the jobs?" [They -- the jobs, not your tax return -- have been previously outsourced to India by Bain Capital.]

The pretext of your question aside, we're not really all that troubled about Governor Romney's tax returns -- or the absence thereof. Few believe that he's hiding anything untoward or illegal. In all likelihood, he has simply taken advantage of every loophole offered by the tax code to the uber wealthy, meaning that, notwithstanding some $20 million in income, Mr. Romney has likely paid, as a percentage of that income, far less in taxes than, say, someone earning $50,000. Not that there's anything wrong with that, supposing you could get away with it. It just would not sit very well with the average Joe and Jane, who take home far, far less and pay much, much more to Uncle Sam. Guess there must be at least some semblance of truth to the old adage, "the rich get richer..."

Beyond tax returns, there are far broader -- and more ominous -- implications of the Romney/Ryan candidacy, with the Republican ticket now at least tacitly endorsing, if not fully embracing the so-called Ryan Plan.

In a plan that calls for, among other things, a voucher program for Medicare, the privatization of Social Security, and an end to America's longstanding commitment to a safety net for the poor and middle class [Why? Because the rich don't need it, and they don't want to pay for it -- not that the ever have!], one has to ponder the fate of federal aid to education.

Now we're not only talking about federal aid to the states to fund elementary and secondary education programs, such as Head Start and No Child Left Behind, although there is clearly much at risk here. As The College Whisperer, the primary concern is the fate of funding for post-secondary education, and many or all of the programs and initiatives that keep colleges going (like the money made available under Title IX) and the very future of the financial foundation upon which many students rely in paying for college, to wit, federal aid (think, Pell Grants, FSEOG and TEACH Grants, Perkins Loans, Work-Study programs and the very lifeline for the college-bound of the middle class, Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans).

If the very social programs that have been the lynchpin of American society for the better part of half a century -- the great safety net for the poor and the ever-shrinking middle class -- are undermined, can the pulling of the rug -- not to mention the purse strings -- out from under America's next great generation be far behind?

Medicare as we know it. Decimated! Social Security as we know it. Now a stock market game of chance! Money for college by way of federal grants, loans and work-study. Gone!

Not that all of this -- or any of this -- would come to pass under a Romney/Ryan administration, somewhat more restrained and centrist heads prevailing in Washington when measures actually have a shot at passing. Without sounding alarmist, dare we take the chance?

Surely, we've opened a veritable can of worms here. The discourse is necessary, if not imperative. All of us must engage in the dialogue and participate in the debate that will inevitably lead up to "go time" in November. There is simply too much at stake for our seniors -- those who are Medicare eligible and collecting Social Security, and those who are in high school and college -- to sit in silence on the sidelines!

The views expressed represent the opinions of The College Whisperer.

Plan. Prepare. Prevail!

Got College Questions? Ask The College Whisperer. Write us at info@TheCollegeWhisperer.com.
* * *
Give yourself the competitive edge with COLLEGE CONNECTION, the Official Sponsor of College Admission Success! Whether you are applying to college, planning for college, paying for college or simply thinking about college, COLLEGE CONNECTION can help. Call us today at 516-345-8766 for a FREE telephone consultation. The road to college starts at COLLEGE CONNECTION.

* * *
For up-to-the-minute news, apps, info and insights on college applications, admissions, scholarships and just about everything college, follow The College Whisperer on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/GetCollegeTweet

Just the other day, The College Whisperer -- also known as "Current Occupant" in certain postal circles, received a piece of unsolicited mail. Not email, mind you, but actual snail mail, at bulk rate, no less.

Keeping with my practice of opening every piece of mail that crosses my desk -- and actually reading it -- I sliced off the top of the envelope and pulled out what I soon realized was an invitation to take a survey. Innocuous, and otherwise destined for the circular file, until I saw, tucked inside the form letter, a crisp, new $1 bill. [Now if I could only get my hands on a million of such solicitations, I'd have it made! :-)]

Granted, the letter was promptly discarded. The dollar bill, on the other hand... Well, I consider myself just a little wiser and a dollar richer for having opened and read what others would have simply thrown away. [I leave to The Ethicist whether, knowing that I would never take the survey, I should have kept the dollar, donated same to a worthy cause (charity begins at home, doesn't it?) or returned the greenback to the sender.]

The point here is that you never know what you may find in the mail -- or email -- that may well help you in your college quest, let alone in your search for money to pay for college.

A letter from a college offering you the opportunity to apply fee-free. An email from a university that considers you a perfect fit for one of its coveted programs -- together with a sweet financial aid package to help you pay for it. A teaser from one of the many scholarship search engines offering you a legit opportunity to win thousands in scholarship dollars, simply by completing an online profile. Why, you may even get an unsolicited email from The College Whisperer, giving you the inside scoop on the college application and admissions process. Hey, you never know!

You'll be getting lots of mail -- and email -- now that you're applying to college. After all, everyone from College Board to the Common App has been gathering vital information on you, then turning around and selling it to colleges, banks, booksellers and retailers of extra long twin sheets.

You are on the list. Now, the opportunity to turn trash into treasure.

Snail mail is easy. Take a few minutes to open every letter and read each postcard. Most may be duds, but a few gems will turn up over the course of the next eight months or so.

Email is a bit more tricky, what with spam and a plethora of new viruses appearing daily in your inbox. Sometimes it's not that easy to weed out the prospects from the propaganda.

An easy fix, which will also make the task of retrieving college-related email a breeze: Set up a dedicated email account for all your college stuff. [Gmail is a good bet, with little or no spam and virtually no clutter]. Use this email address for all of your college communications, including Common App, scholarship search engines and direct contact with schools.

Keeping track of important messages -- as well as potentially beneficial opportunities -- will be a cinch, and you won't miss a thing that might otherwise go astray in your general email account.

And while you're online, create, enhance and, by all means, clean up your online presence. Have a Facebook account? Linkedin? Twitter? By all means, you should. Just watch what you post or Tweet. Imagine that you will be followed (dare we say, stalked?) by every college admissions officer. If you put it out there -- and do put it out there -- make absolutely sure that they will "Like" what they see!

The key is to maximize what you already use every single day -- the Internet, email and, though concededly less often, the United States Postal Service. Turn what many consider an annoyance into an advantage -- or, in terms of that which will prove invaluable in your college quest and your search for the money that's out there to pay for your college education, an annuity. In other words, when it comes to looking for colleges (or narrowing down the list), applying to colleges and even paying for colleges, leave no stone unturned!

Plan. Prepare. Prevail!

Got College Questions? Ask The College Whisperer. Write us at info@TheCollegeWhisperer.com.
* * *
Give yourself the competitive edge with COLLEGE CONNECTION, the Official Sponsor of College Admission Success! Whether you are applying to college, planning for college, paying for college or simply thinking about college, COLLEGE CONNECTION can help. Call us today at 516-345-8766 for a FREE telephone consultation. The road to college starts at COLLEGE CONNECTION.

* * *
For up-to-the-minute news, apps, info and insights on college applications, admissions, scholarships and just about everything college, follow The College Whisperer on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/GetCollegeTweet

S.C. of Merrick, NY writes: I'm hearing so many things about changes to student loans, particularly the Stafford loans. I'm so confused. Could you clear the air?

The College Whisperer replies:

Clearing the air, as far as Congress is concerned, would take a heck of a lot more Febreze® than student loans could possibly pay for. That said, here's the low down on the changes to Direct Student Loans the feds enacted effective July 1, 2012, courtesy of our friends at the Student Loan Network:

No more subsidized loans for grad students. Just like undergraduates, graduate students were previously able to receive both subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Starting this year, only unsubsidized loans will be available for grad students at a 6.8% interest rate.

Elimination of interest subsidy for grace periods. Subsidized Stafford Loans were less expensive than their unsubsidized counterparts because 1) the interest rate was lower and 2) interest was subsidized while enrolled in school and durning the 6 month grace period after leaving school. Starting this year, there will be no interest subsidy during grace periods, however, the subsidy will still exist while enrolled in school at least half-time.

Decreased eligibility. Last December, President Obama signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2012, which brought with it a change to the Pell Grant Program for the 2012-2013 year. Starting in Fall 2012, the Pell Grant is limited to 12 full-time semesters per student. The way this is calculated is by percent, where 600% is the maximum a student is eligible for. For example, if you receive a maximum Pell Grant for both semesters, your percentage used would be 100%.

Lowered income limit for automatic zero . When families file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), they receive their Expected Family Contribution (EFC) - a number detailing how much of the school costs a family should be able to provide out of pocket. In previous years, anyone with an income of $32,000 or less received an automatic zero for the EFC. This allowed lower income families to be eligible for more need-based aid. This year, the income limit has been reduced to $23,000, which will cut funding for many students.

Termination of repayment incentives. The Department of Education can no longer offer repayment incentives to Direct Loan borrowers, except an interest rate reduction for auto payment. Again, this is only for loans originated after July 1, 2012 -- Repayment incentives may still be available for older loans.

These changes will not affect loans that were originated before July 1, only loans originated for 2012-2013.

Yes, the government giveth, and the government taketh away. Make it tougher on students to pay for college, to repay their debts and to get a clean start on a career without the heavy burden of student loans.

Could the motive of those in Congress be to make college less affordable, keeping students out of college, dumbing down the populace, thus assuring the re-election of these dimwits for years to come? Who knows!

What we do know is that borrowing to pay for college -- adding to the one trillion dollars in student debt now on the ledgers --has become more difficult, and more costly.

Avoid student debt, when you can (think scholarships, grants, work-study, 529 Plans). Borrow responsibly, if you must.

Plan. Prepare. Prevail!

Got College Questions? Ask The College Whisperer. Write us at info@TheCollegeWhisperer.com.
* * *
Give yourself the competitive edge with COLLEGE CONNECTION, the Official Sponsor of College Admission Success! Whether you are applying to college, planning for college, paying for college or simply thinking about college, COLLEGE CONNECTION can help. Call us today at 516-345-8766 for a FREE telephone consultation. The road to college starts at COLLEGE CONNECTION.

* * *
For up-to-the-minute news, apps, info and insights on college applications, admissions, scholarships and just about everything college, follow The College Whisperer on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/GetCollegeTweet

Watching the Olympic games, The College Whisperer is awestruck by the seemingly superhuman athletic performances, from swimming to gymnastics to beach volleyball. The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat! The human drama of athletic competition. WOW!

And to think, the difference between getting a medal and going home without one is sometimes determined by one one-thousandth of a point or of a second. One one-thousandth. Can you imagine that?

Well, consider this. When reducing -- by formulae and abstract calculation that would make an Olympic judge's head spin -- GPAs, SAT/ACT scores, and other quantifiables to a common denominator (logarithm tables sold separately :-), college admission officers and committees may well be deciding your fate -- juxtaposed against the "scores" of your competition from across the nation and around the world -- by one one-thousandth of a point, or its equivalent.

Indeed, if you hail from, say, Long Island, with its 127 (count 'em) school districts, hundreds of thousands of students (nearly half a million), thousands of high school seniors (many from top notch, highly regarded schools), and the proclivity of many of these bright, ambitious, qualified students to apply to the very same colleges and universities, the demon of demographics already puts you behind the eight ball. Point deductions will be taken based on no other basis than where you happen to reside.

How so? Well, put it this way. If a student from a small town high school in Iowa (or even from a town in upstate New York), with scores, grades, etc. identical to those of a student from a Long Island high school, compete head-to-head for the same spot at the same college, all things considered equal, who do you think will get the nod -- or the medal?

You got it. The kid from Iowa. Or Monticello. Or Beijing.

Why? Well, first off, there's that burning desire on the part of colleges and universities to satisfy that little thing known as diversity. Though it may seem otherwise at some schools, they simply cannot take everyone from Long Island. Add to this that which separates students in the top of their class (or even the top ten percent) and you may well be talking about one one-thousandth of a point.

So much for the quantifiable!

Yes, grades count. Scores matter. Weighted. Unweighted. Degree of difficulty. They all factor in.

How, then, can a college distinguish between a 96.9952 and a 96.9953 (some high schools actually take the GPA out that far, believe it or not) in deciding upon an offer of admission?

It comes down to the intangible. Extracurriculars, community service, work experience, those all-important if not critical personal statements and essays. That which sets you apart, gives you that cushion, lifts you above and beyond the competition. Why, even a lower score can be raised, sometimes in leaps and bounds, by a student who can demonstrate, through word and deed, that s/he will bring something special, something unique, something extraordinary to campus.

Sure. You've got to work those grades. Ace those pesky SATs/ACTs, for whatever they may be worth in the world outside of academia). Maximize that which can be quantified and scored by computer matrix.

Do not, however, neglect the intangibles. Get involved early in your high school career and stay involved. Sports, clubs, volunteering about town. Even a job, if you can find one, goes a long way. Be consistent. Be genuine. Be the master of a few, solid activities rather than a jack of all trades.

If nothing more -- and guaranteed, your participation outside of the classroom will prove invaluable -- the experiences gained will make for some awfully good fodder for your high school resume and college essay. And the intangibles may well just put you on the podium in that great race for college admissions gold.

Plan. Prepare. Prevail!

Got College Questions? Ask The College Whisperer. Write us at info@TheCollegeWhisperer.com.
* * *
Give yourself the competitive edge with COLLEGE CONNECTION, the Official Sponsor of College Admission Success! Whether you are applying to college, planning for college, paying for college or simply thinking about college, COLLEGE CONNECTION can help. Call us today at 516-345-8766 for a FREE telephone consultation. The road to college starts at COLLEGE CONNECTION.

* * *
For up-to-the-minute news, apps, info and insights on college applications, admissions, scholarships and just about everything college, follow The College Whisperer on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/GetCollege

We said it before, and we'll say it again. The best way to get out of college debt is to avoid it in the first place! Fewer (if any) loans. More grants and scholarships. Attending colleges that are within reach, both academically and financially.

Of course, until there's a cure for college debt, with colleges assessing reasonable, common sense tuition, financing that college education is a significant undertaking, and a major worry.

Though certainly no panacea in eliminating college debt in its entirety -- let alone in erasing more than one trillion dollars in accumulated student debt already on the books -- a new resource (and we should mention here that it is FREE) is available "...to help educate students, prospective students and families... on how to evaluate (and find) their options for financing a college education."

The National College Finance Center (NCFC) -- www.CollegeFinanceCenter.org -- pairs New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) and the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) as a powerful facilitator of information gathering, both in paying for college and, for those already so indebted, in repaying student loans. From figuring out the true cost of college to understanding the student loan process, you'll have it all spelled out in simple, easy on the brain, language. [In fact, it is spelled out in many languages, from Afrikaans to Yiddish. We kid you not!]

Yes, all of the information provided is out there, somewhere. NCFC brings it all together in one convenient, hype-free place.

As always, an educated consumer is a college's best customer (or worst nightmare, depending upon just what they're trying to sell you)! So, when it comes to paying for college, and repaying those student loans, to be informed is to be ready.

Plan. Prepare. Prevail!

* * *
 

Got College Questions? Ask The College Whisperer. Write us at info@TheCollegeWhisperer.com.
* * *
Give yourself the competitive edge with COLLEGE CONNECTION, the Official Sponsor of College Admission Success! Whether you are applying to college, planning for college, paying for college or simply thinking about college, COLLEGE CONNECTION can help. Call us today at 516-345-8766 for a FREE telephone consultation. The road to college starts at COLLEGE CONNECTION.

From time to time, The College Whisperer yields this blog to guest posters, who, through their talents and expertise, opine on matters of interest and import in the college application and admissions process.

In this post, we are fortunate to feature our friend and colleague, Randy Levin of PersuasiveWritingServices.com, on the critical nature -- as well as the pitfalls -- of the college essay.

Great reading, and surely prudent advice to be heeded by the college-bound as they start out on the long, winding and often detour-laden road to college admission.

TOP FIVE MISTAKES ON COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAYS

By Randy Levin 

It is important to first understand the purpose of the college application essay. A student’s transcripts as well as his academic and extra-curricular achievements do not give any unique insight into the student as a person. Yes….they will illustrate hard work, intelligence, drive, aptitude, etc. However, these are the same attributes reflected in 28,000 other applications for the same institution.  (I know that grandpa says, “No one is as perfect as my granddaughter…she’s going to be a brilliant surgeon, winner of American Idol and Ms. Universe I tell you.”) But in this arena….the obvious is commonplace.  

[Yale received 28,870 applications for [Fall 2012]…a 5.8% increase over [2011]… Yale expected to admit approximately 2,100 students…the same total as last year…Yale’s rate of admission for this fall is expected to drop slightly below last year’s 7.7%. http://news.yale.edu/2012/01/20/students-apply-yale-college-record-numbers]

Simply put, essays help the admissions office evaluate your teen’s potential to fit into their school’s community and culture as a person. (Not as a student….not as club president….not as the driving force for raising money with a dance-a-thon or relay-for-life team and not as a swimmer who placed first in his county). Once again…the 28,000 other students….many of whom were driven to get 2400 on their SAT were also club presidents and competitors who gave their time to charity work….if not a kidney.

Just remember, you aren’t the only parent with a bumper sticker that reads, “My child is an Honor Student.”

TOP FIVE MISTAKES…

…and one more for good luck

1) Writing about academic accomplishments.

a)      Deja Vu: These are on the student’s transcripts. The admissions officer already knows your teen achieved high marks in twelve AP classes.

b)      Birds of a feather flock together: Remember your son’s best friend when they were in the 6^th grade? They drifted apart in high school once your son started getting straight A’s and his friend ended up on America’s Most Wanted. They aren’t applying to the same schools. On the other hand, everyone who is has similar or identical academic accomplishments as your son. 

c)      Blind date: Seldom does a blind date work out. My parents met on a blind date. After years of therapy, I’m still angry at the person who set them up! Academic accomplishments don’t tell the school anything about your teen as a PERSON….as an INDIVIDUAL.

2) Trying too hard to appear intellectual.

a)      I can curse in twenty languages: A thesaurus is not necessarily your friend. Using words like, “plethora” or “myriad” only serve to drive an admissions officer to early retirement. Your teen need not swallow a thesaurus to “sound” intelligent.

b)      That Pythagoras was no square: Your teen doesn’t need to discuss her love of Shakespeare or Milton if she thinks this slight fib sounds better than discussing the merits of the Twilight series. On the other hand, if she’s reading Fifty Shades of Grey you have bigger issues to worry about than what college she gets into.

c)      Eszopiclone, Ramelteon, Triazolam, Zaleplon, Zolpidem: There are enough sleeping pills on the market so the admissions officer doesn’t need an essay to put him to sleep. I am not suggesting that the essay rival that of a SNL monologue but it can’t be boring either. Your teen can write about something as dry as my mother-in-law’s Thanksgiving turkey but it needs to sound interesting in story, sub-text, personality, connotation, sentence length, syntax, and unique in perspective. 

3) Taking a generic approach.

a)      Check the basement for Pods or Avoid clichés like the plague.

This is the same issue discussed in the first mistake listed above.  

i)        “I volunteer with special needs kids.”

ii)      “I am captain of our Mathlete team.”

iii)    “I play soccer and am on the fencing team.”

iv)    “I’m hardworking, ambitious, and driven.”

v)      “I am intellectually curious.”

vi)    “I get along well with my peers. They often look to me for leadership.”

vii)  “My grandfather’s death made me want to be a doctor.”

4) Not understanding the true point of the essay.

a)      I can touch my nose with my tongue: What makes your teen unique and not like every other student who is applying?

b)     When I was five, I was abducted by Aliens:  What life experiences imply that your teen will fit in academically and socially?

c)      Read between the lines: What do you really mean by that? There is a sub-text to every essay. A girl is the youngest in her family and relies on her older sisters for help until they leave for college. Now the only child home, she is forced for the first time in her life to be independent and solve problems without her sisters’ help. This tells the admissions officer that she can be self-sufficient and has clearly matured.

The point here is to demonstrate the human qualities developed and honed through life experience.

       ·         Is this student independent yet a team player?
       ·         Is this student an extrovert? (Shy is okay, reclusive is probably a red flag…a misanthrope is destined to have a show on Fox News).
       ·         Does this student seem to have a sense of humor?
       ·         Will this student handle failure or rejection well or will he be up on the clock tower with an automatic weapon?
       ·         Will this student add to the community? (He loves to bake cookies….she loves playing touch football…he is really into Angry Birds….she turns mathematical equations into Rap lyrics).
       ·         What kind of character does he seem to have?
       ·         What are her personal beliefs? (Other than the clichés of hard work, diligence, etc).

5) Not reading the school’s website.  

           a) I want to go to (Name of School Here): “I want to go to NYU because it is in New York City and I want that city experience.”  There are more than TWENTY colleges in New York City….so why specifically NYU? What does NYU offer that all the other institutions don’t offer?  

b)      Professor Smith’s maiden name was Quackenbush: Read through the school’s website and discover that 80% of the faculty are Nobel Prize Winners, that there are 250 clubs and the school provides internships in Papua New Guinea.

*Don’t cut and paste. Don’t plagiarize. Don’t regurgitate the website’s stats. Merely show the admissions officer that you KNOW the school and what makes the school UNIQUE.   

6) Forgetting that you are unique.

Your wonderful son or daughter is unique…is special…is one-of-a-kind….but not in the way you usually think about it in terms of the essay. It’s not about schoolwork…it’s not about sports or volunteering with terminally ill dolphins. It’s about your teen as a citizen, a sibling, a son, a social animal, a human being. 

Clarifying Points

 

     ·         Your teen doesn’t need to be abducted by aliens to be unique.  
     ·         The death of a grandparent driving your daughter to go into medicine in and of itself is cliché but her UNIQUE perspective of WHY may not be. 
     ·         Academic accomplishments can be discussed ONLY if, once again, the perspective is unique and speaks of your son’s character.

7) One more for good measure…Chapter One: He was born in a log cabin.  

If your teen chooses to write about the most influential person... Remember....the influential person isn't applying to college. Your teen is. It's not a biography. Less about the person and more about HOW your teen was influenced.

Hidden in Plain Sight

Experience has demonstrated that MOST of the time students (and parents) don’t realize what is unique or at least, what is the unique spin on a common topic because they are trying too hard to come up with a brilliant essay instead of seeing that there is a wonderfully thoughtful and revealing essay right in front of them.

Randy Levin has a MA in English and a MFA in Creative Writing. He is a published writer and was a high school English teacher in high achieving north shore Long Island school districts for close to ten years. He works with students on their college application essays through his company: Persuasive Writing Services. The vast majority of his clients are accepted to the Ivy League or other prestigious colleges.
- - -
Thank you, Randy, for an informative, as well as entertaining, look at the college essay and its major impact upon the strength of the college application.

* * *
 Got College Questions? Ask The College Whisperer. Write us at info@TheCollegeWhisperer.com.
* * *
Give yourself the competitive edge with COLLEGE CONNECTION, the Official Sponsor of College Admission Success! Whether you are applying to college, planning for college, paying for college or simply thinking about college, COLLEGE CONNECTION can help. Call us today at 516-345-8766 for a FREE telephone consultation. The road to college starts at COLLEGE CONNECTION.

Oh, they're at it again. Those pesky lists of "Best" colleges in America. This time, as it does every year in the battle to win popularity ratings (as in, "it sells magazines"), Forbes comes out with its List of America's Top Colleges ("Top" simply being a euphamism for "Best," we suppose).

Interesting how this "list" just happened to come out on the very same day the Common App went "live." Hmmm. Design or coincidence? You decide.

Yes, right alongside those other winners of popularity contests, near and far -- best bagels, best beaches, best tanning salon, best tanning salon offering the best bagels near the best beach -- there they are: America's best colleges.

Of course, all of these lists, geared to suck you in and make you want to drool with dropped jaw (if not dropped drawers) beg the real question: Best for whom?

Princeton, Stanford, Swarthmore -- all great schools -- may be among the best choices for some, but are these colleges the "best" places for you to grow, to learn, to mature, to gain a foothold in this great big world of ours?

Maybe. Then again, maybe not.

How about The 100 Best Colleges To Go For. [NOTE: We do not suggest, by any means, that you apply to 100 colleges!]

What about best value? [As if money mattered. :-) ] Be sure to check out those Net Cost Calculators.

Best food on campus. Best library. Best Frat parties. The Lists go on and on and on.

The College Whisperer doesn't buy into the list mentality of "Best" (though he does subscribe to Forbes, Kiplinger and U.S. News & World Report). These lists are self-serving and subjective, at best (pun intended).

You can no more pick a college from someone else's list of "Best" than you can a walking shoe with a perfect fit from a list of bests. You need to make your own list -- or lists -- and determine where you will best fit in.

And speaking of lists (what a segue, folks). . .

Every year, the Long Island Press has it's annual Best of Long Island contest, and this year is no different. [Hey, it sells newspapers and brings people to the website. It's all about marketing.] Folks are asked to nominate Long Island individuals and companies, in a variety of categories (Arts & Entertainment, Education, Services, Food & Drink and so on) in what is, invariably, a beauty or popularity contest.

Now, while The College Whisperer is certainly no beauty -- though he is, nevertheless, quite popular -- one would think there would be somewhere, among all the many categories and sub-categories, for the nomination of Best College Planner.

But Nooooooooooooo.

And why not? After all, you can nominate a Best Mascot, Best Tween Fashion Store, Best Egg Sandwich, Best Psychic (psychic? Wouldn't she be able to predict the outcome of this contest? Hmmm) and Best Catholic School. So why the heck not, Best College Planner? 

The College Whisperer may not be psychic, but he has been a great prognosticator over the years on where students should apply to college, the best strategies for admission, and finding the money to pay that tuition bill.

We sent a query to the Long Island Press on this most egregious oversight. To date, no response.

And so, we have taken it upon ourselves to self-nominate (rather than to self-medicate) for Best of Long Island 2013.

We had to be just a little creative, given the absence of a write-in category.

For Best LI Based Website (under the Services category), The College Whisperer -- www.TheCollegeWhisperer.com.
For Best Learning Center (under the Education category) [It's a stretch, but it's as close as we can figure it], College  Connection -- www.CollegeConnect.info.

Now, it is your turn to show us some love (or at least a bit of "Like.") Nominate The College Whisperer and College Connection for Best of Long Island 2013.

While you're at it, send your feedback to the Long Island Press, asking why there's nowhere to place in nomination Best College Planner.

Look, if Divorce Lawyers, Auto Collision Shops, Sneaker Stores and Pool Halls (dare we mention, Colleges?) can get the accolades, why not Long Island's premier college planning service and your all-time favorite college guru?

Why not, indeed :-)

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of The College Whisperer.

Who knows what peril lurks in the college application and admissions process? The College Whisperer knows. . .

* * *
Comments? Questions for The College Whisperer?
Write us at info@TheCollegeWhisperer.com

The College Whisperer is sponsored by COLLEGE CONNECTION, "The Best Darn College Planner on Long Island!" The road to college begins at COLLEGE CONNECTION! Call TODAY for a FREE telephone consultation. 516-345-8766

Live from the Common App. . .

The Common Application is now live at www.CommonApp.org. Are you ready?

Yes, the mainstay of the college application season, home to the apps (and sundry supplements) of "456 Common Application members in 46 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in France, Germany, Italy, Scotland, and Switzerland," will see you now. Let the insanity begin!

Registered? Committed your Login and Password to memory? (Don't be a wise guy. Write it down!) Personal statement about to detail your life story, in 250-500 words? Supplements completed? Think you're ready to hit that "submit" button?

Whoa Nellie!

The Common Application will be the portal to admissions for most colleges, and a site that high school seniors will likely become very familiar with over the course of the next several months.

Before you do anything other than setting up your Common App profile, check out the changes for the 2013 application at Upgrade For The Common App, 2013.

Next, have a look see at Common Application, Common Mistakes, to avoid some of the more obvious pitfalls of the application process. [For the less obvious, you'll need to see the man behind the curtain, or behind The College Whisperer! LOL]

You will also want to review the requisite Common App forms that are part and parcel of the complete application packet. You may think you're done with the Common App when you've filled in the "Common" portion of the Application. YOU ARE NOT. Remember, colleges will not even look at your application, in most instances, unless and until it is complete. [And don't rely upon the college admissions office to let you know that something is missing. Some will. Most won't.]

After you've set the table, you are ready to carefully and methodically start the application process. Don't expect to have this done in an hour, or even a day. They don't call it a "process" for nothing!

And did I mention your personal essay (not to mention the supplemental essays required by many colleges)? More than simply dotting the "i"s and crossing the "t"s is needed here, to give voice to that which will set you apart from the crowd, catch the eye of the reader, accentuate your best attributes, and give you the competitive edge you must have in today's fiercely selective college admissions environment.

Keep in mind -- it's not just checking off boxes and committing any old 250-500 words or more to paper [Paper? What's paper? :-)]. It's creating and optimizing a formidable game plan that is, in all respects, a winning college admissions strategy.

What's the difference, you may ask? Well, to put it bluntly, to plan and prepare is to prevail. What you say on your college application, and how you say it, posture it and present it, is the difference between a letter of acceptance to your college of choice, and going somewhere else.

Sound daunting? It can but need not be. Get started. Ask for help. Avail yourself of all pertinent resources, from your guidance counselor and select online sites, to an independent college planning counselor. Even check in with your parents, every now and then. [As if that helicopter mom wasn't hovering over your head like a blimp over the U.S. Open!] Give yourself the advantage. Take it from The College Whisperer. The successful candidate for the Class of 2017 will need all the support, collective wisdom, and good counsel s/he can muster!

Okay. Okay. So I've read. I've filled in the blanks. I've essayed my fingers to the bone. Now can I submit?

You can, but you may not!

Just because the Common App can be completed and sent to colleges as of August 1, it doesn't mean you should hit the "submit" button on August 2.

As much as we'd all like to be done with the college admissions process, if not during the Dog Days of August, then certainly before school starts in September, DON'T RUSH IT!

There is plenty of time to complete (and we mean complete. There is no "undo" once you submit!) your application, to tweak and enhance it, to make absolutely sure that it places you in the best possible position for the most favorable consideration. [Remember. You get one shot at this college admission stuff. Don't blow it!]

While it may seem that the Common Application is, more or less, "fill in the blanks" (and to some extent, it is), don't overlook the many opportunities to personalize the seemingly impersonal, to optimize what will become part of your matrix on college admissions officers' screens, and, quite literally, to make the Common App yours.

This is your brand, boys and girls. Your chance to market yourselves in a unique and positive way. Seize not only the day, but your moment to truly shine!

In the weeks ahead, The College Whisperer will opine on the ins and outs of the Common App, the significance of the high school resume, the do's and don'ts of the personal statement, short answers and supplemental essays, and myriad other oddities, niceties and not so niceties of the college application process.

So, don't go away. And, for goodness sake, don't hit that "submit" button!

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of The College Whisperer.

Who knows what peril lurks in the college application and admissions process? The College Whisperer knows. . .

* * *
Comments? Questions for The College Whisperer?
Write us at info@TheCollegeWhisperer.com

The College Whisperer is sponsored by COLLEGE CONNECTION, The Cure for the Common App. The road to college begins at COLLEGE CONNECTION! Call TODAY for a FREE telephone consultation. 516-345-8766