Welcome to the December 23, 2009 edition of the Carnival of college admission. We here at Omniac are wrapping things up for the year, but we've got just enough time to share the latest Carnival of College Admission with ya! Check out some of these awesome links!
Choosing the Right College
For an unorthodox education, you may want to look for a unique experience. Here are a few schools worth checking out courtesy of Kathryn Hawkins. She presents Want a Unique Academic Experience? Try One of These Schools posted at My College Guide.
Baker Jason presents 10 Non-traditional University Rankings that should help you get a grasp on some different schools available to you. It's posted at Online University Rankings 2010.
Jennifer Meyer presents 10 Most Selective Universities in the US posted at College Stats.org,
saying, "You aced your SATs and your GPA is 4.0. Do you think you can
get into Harvard or Yale? If you don’t excel in sports and if your
father is not a senator, your admission be subject to a number of
arbitrary whims, including the side effects of food poisoning."
College Life
Beware the lure of Greek life! It can be dangerous! Barbara Williams fills us in on the Top 10 Worst Greek Hazing Scandals & Stories at Online Colleges.net.
Kaitlyn Cole helps all of you college students struggling in the dorm with 100+ Helpful Tips for Surviving and Thriving in Dorm Life and 101 Ways to Hack Your College Cafeteria at Online Colleges.net.
College is a tough time for poor students even when the US isn't in a recession. Jim Wang helps all students out with 40 Money Tips for College Students posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Financial Aid
Ron presents Student Aid Eligibility posted at ScholarshipBeat, saying, "Eligibility for federal student aid is based on financial need as well as several other factors. The financial aid administrator at the college or career school you plan to attend will determine your eligibility."
Getting Admitted
Want to join graphic design school, but don't know how much it costs? Let Tom Tessin give you the low down in his article How Much is Graphic Design School? posted at FCC Student Blog.
Sophie presents Vital Must Know College Terms- Your Personal Cheat Sheet and a fantastic video post titled Critical Tips for Navigating the FAFSA web site at Sophie's Blog.
Angela Martin presents 50 Great Blogs for College Admissions posted at Online Colleges.org.
Tell her if you know of any others!
That concludes this edition. Now we can get back to wrapping presents...
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If you haven't heard, things aren't going so well for the global economy. The Dow has dropped to half its previous value in just a few months, unemployment is rising to possibly double digits, and consumer spending and confidence are at nearly all-time lows.
So how does this affect America's colleges and universities? Are they immune to the slings and arrows of outrageous global catastrophes? Do their massive endowments shield them from the "real" world. Unfortunately...the answer is an unequivocal "no."
Last month, Harvard announced that it was cutting the travel budget for its admission department by 50%, slashing all out-of-state travel programs and reducing individual visits to only local high schools. Admissions Dean William R. Fitzsimmons stressed that Harvard will still strive to reach out to interested students through their "joint" programs:
Fitzsimmons said that joint travel trips—attended by larger numbers of
students, parents, and counselors—have proven more effective in
attracting prospective applicants. He added that Harvard will continue
to visit 127 cities with along with Georgetown, the University of
Pennsylvania, Duke, and Stanford.
When asked if he was worried that these cuts would hurt
Harvard’s perception of accessibility, Fitzsimmons acknowledged that
this is “always a concern,” but said that this was one of the purposes
of joint recruiting trips.
Teaming up with these colleges may help attract students who
might not attend an information session only for Harvard, Fitzsimmons
said. Joint trips with Princeton and the University of Virginia to
target students from lower income backgrounds are still on the books
for November. - Harvard Crimson
In short, don't expect to meet a Harvard Admissions officer at your school's counseling office. They simply don't have the money to come out and see you. Harvard isn't publicly funded, but its endowment lost over 20% of it's value in 2008.
On the other side of the spectrum, larger schools are finding that budget cuts are having a much more immediate and dire impact on their ability to enroll students. This year, San Jose State University was forced to deny admission to over 4,000 qualified applicants due to the state's budget crisis:
University officials blame
the budget for the enrollment cuts; overall the CSU system got 10
percent — $283 million — less than officials say they need. On Nov. 20,
CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed asked every campus to cap enrollment
because funding hasn't kept pace with a growing student body. For San
Jose State, that meant a 9 percent reduction — 29,750 students in the
2009-10 school year, down from 32,750 in 2008-09. - MercuryNews.com
That cap resulted in the first time the university has ever turned away applicants who met the minimum qualifications for attending the university. Without time to plan for the cuts, San Jose State officials noted that they simply didn't accept the 4,400 most recent applicants.
I feel pretty terrible for those kids who tried to get into a safety school at the last minute, only to be denied on the basis of a state budget crisis. Next year, San Jose promises to think more carefully about applicants and design some way of selecting the most qualified rather than the "first" qualified.
These trends are only becoming more common as schools get final budget numbers and endowment results. If you're looking at colleges for the first time now, it's time to start asking them "How are you planning on dealing with less money?" They might have answers that will shock you.
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Got another college trying to cope with budget woes? Let us know in the comments!
Hey all!
Over the past few months, Omniac has been proud to help the Carnival of College Admissions by supplying blog posts and even hosting! We love how awesome all the links are that Mark Montgomery collects!
This week the 13th edition of the Carnival was released and we were once again proud to be a part of it. Here are a few highlights:
- The current recession has made many students re-think their college
choices and even transfer to a more affordable school. Student blogger,
Ally Demos from myusearch.com, presents a video blog about how the
economic crunch is affecting college students. Elizabeth Kudner
presents College Students Feel the Economic Crunch posted at myUsearch blog.
- Sarah Scrafford presents 100 Awesome Open Courses and Lectures for Digital Artists posted at Online Universities.com
- Eric Perron, the host of our last edition of the Carnival of College
Admission, likes to talk back to the television. He offers his
critique of a recent program on college admission, aptly titled Come On “CBS Early Show”, This Is The Best Advice You Have To Pay For College? posted on his blog, Dream Strategy.
Go check the whole thing out! It's definitely worth it!
What will ASU do with all the extra buildings? Credit: kevindooley via Flickr
Budget cuts are hurting ASU so badly that it may have to close 2 of its campuses. - US News
New Ohio program lets high school seniors enroll full-time in college for free! - AP via MSN Money
There will always be people trying to cheat you, even when you're looking for financial aid. Be careful! - WalletPop
Years old fight between college and tribe over dinosaur fossils is now over. Winner? Dinosaurs! - Minnesota Star Tribune
Only want to send out your best SAT scores? At some schools you can, others you can't. - PE.com
Remember when only school mascots would get stolen? Now some crazy parents are digging up trees! - LA Times
As the recession deepens, families turn to colleges and universities for free programs and resources. - Freep.com
Be very careful with what you post about yourself online, and what you post about your friends! - Computerworld Blogs
The Tenth Edition of the Carnival of College Admissions blog is up! Make sure to check it out - Carnival of College
Welcome to the Seventh edition of carnival of college admission! Huge thanks obviously to Mark Montgomery for creating this awesome collection of college admission tips.
Let's get on with the show...
Admission
Adam Epstein presents Happy Holidays from the Admissions Staff posted at Adamissions, saying, "No heavy lifting this time, just fun holiday greetings. :)" Thanks, Adam!
College Degrees presents 2009: Janet Napolitano and the H1B Visa Cap posted at The Degree People,
saying, "If confirmed, Janet Napolitano’s nomination as Director of
Homeland Security is likely to have a significant impact on the H1B
visa process and possibly even be a significant factor in increasing
the cap on these employment visas."
College Life
I bet you've seen Credit Card vendors out on college campuses, promising free pizza for your signature. Credit Card Assist helps you cut through fiction and get to the facts with What College Kids Might Not Know About Credit Cards posted at Credit Card Assist.
Raymond reminds us that not all credit cards are evil, however, with his post Why College Students Should Apply For Student Credit Cards over at Money Blue Book. He even points out the best credit cards students SHOULD get!
Elizabeth Kudner from myUsearch (www.myusearch.com) presents a post from student blogger Pauline Diaz on the best holiday gifts for college-bound high school seniors. You can find her Holiday Gifts for College-Bound Seniors posted at myUsearch blog.
Jessica Dye informs us that college students have switched magazine allegiances--a new survey shows
that collegians' favorite periodical is now Time, finally replacing
Cosmopolitan at the top of the list. She documents the whole story in College Students Ditch Trashy Mags posted at theprereq.com.
Financial Aid
Looking at Harvard as a potential dream school? David Bonvie keeps you in the know with College Affordability, the Big Financial Aid Overhaul posted at Student Loan Help. Learn what Harvard's Financial Aid Office is thinking early!
Ted Reimers covers the basics in his post Ways to get Free College Tuition featured at CampusGrotto. Scholarships, grants, and employee waivers are all covered in his Financial Aid 101-style post.
David Bonvie presents I Don’t Want To Pay For College posted at Student Loan Help. It's a great short guide to the "guerilla" style tactics students can employ while searching out money for school!
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That about wraps up this edition of the carnival. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
carnival of college admission
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our
blog carnival index page.
Thanks!
As a college consultant, I spend a lot of my time speaking to groups of parents and students about the college admissions process. Although I try to focus on the entire college endeavor, I've noticed that parents and students are always eager to turn the conversation toward the financials of college...even if it's not the topic I'm scheduled to talk about.
Unfortunately, paying for college relies primarily on the government's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and not on any secrets I can divulge. Through the FAFSA, schools estimate how much of the comprehensive cost of the student's education should be paid by the student and parent. The Feds and the school are supposed to cover the difference between that estimate and the established costs through loans, grants, and workstudy programs.
The FASFA can be a lifesaver for low-income students, but I've often found that it dramatically overestimates the amount of money that parents and students can put forth in the pursuit of a college degree. All students should fill out the FAFSA in the second semester of their Senior year, but they shouldn't be surprised if the financial aid packages they get from the colleges are a little lean.
In fact, middle-income students are the hardest hit by the lack of Federal aid. Low-income students will find that the majority of their college experience can be subsidized, but middle-income students may find that their parents make too much to get any grants, but too little to foot the whole bill.
So what can be done? Ya gotta get creative! Here are three ideas for paying for college when the "traditional" options dry up.
1) Get a private loan.
Until recently, I considered private college loans to be a devil's bargain. All too often, I have seen students struggle to pay down loans from mainstream banks with interest rates in the 10-15% range! Luckily there are some new tools on the market to help students find good loans from respectable institutions. Simple Tuition is a site that's leading the way in transparency, publishing interest rates, estimated monthly payments, and even summaries of what the loan will cost you in total.
2) Check out schools that are footing the entire bill.
This year, Congress is taking a close look at the endowments of many private colleges that are claiming to be "non-profits." They contend that rising tution costs are the result of the universities' willingness to pass the bill to students rather than pay out of the school's enormous endowment. This has prompted some schools, like Harvard, to declare within the last few years that they will be reducing costs for upper-middle income families...even going so far as to eliminate tuition completely for those students! So don't be scared by initial price tags. Instead, call the financial aid department and find out what the school is doing for families in your income range before you apply.
3) Beg.
It's a risky strategy, I know. But it looks like it's working out pretty well for Max Stephenson, a student who sent an email to friends and family asking for them to chip in a few dollars for his $25,000 college tuition bill. He's accepting amounts as little as $2, collected almost $6,000, and ended up with coverage in a few larger media outlets that I'm sure netted him more cash. It's unlikely that you'd be able to replicate his success, but asking around if people can help you is never a bad idea!
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Paying for college can be tough, but don't get bogged down! Got any ideas that didn't make the list? Let me know in the comments!
This week the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs released their annual report that examines the amount of aid that states are handing out to college students. The report is a dense and lengthy read, but InsideHigherEd.com does a decent job of summing it up:
The annual report [...] shows that need-based grants made up about the same proportion of total grants awarded in 2006-7 as they did in 2005-6. Need-based grants constituted about 72 percent of the total grants awarded last year, which was actually down slightly from 73 percent in 2005-6.
The association's report comes as a growing chorus of critics call on states (as well as private institutions, for that matter) to place their grant dollars in programs that might help needy students enroll in college who might not otherwise, instead of merely changing the enrollment patterns of those who could still otherwise afford a college education. Grant aid, which is measured in isolation within the report, is particularly coveted for needy students because it does not have to be paid back.
But even that is a tad confusing. Let's see if I can make it even simpler:
1. Some people want schools to put more money into need-based aid instead of merit-based aid. Need-based means that the money goes to students whose parents can't afford to send them to school. Merit-based means that the money goes to students who have high ACT/SAT scores and a good GPA, even if their parents can pay for them to attend school.
2. The critics that are pushing for more need-based claim that merit-based aid simply rearranges where students go to school instead of allowing more students to go to school. For example, if you got into Yale and Arizona State, you might pick ASU because they would give you money. The aid from ASU wouldn't make it more possible for you to go to college. It just changes where you go college.
3. The report notes that while the amount of money given out went up across the country, merit aid still accounts for more than 25% of all grants given out. That means the previously mentioned critics didn't make a difference in the 2006-2007 admissions cycle.
This makes me doubtful such a push exists.
Of course, the article quotes the lovely, brainwashed employees of the College Board. They lovingly issue more statements that fly directly in the face of scientific data:
Sandy Baum, senior policy analyst for the College Board, said she's seeing more institutions stress need-based aid - even if seismic shifts aren't reflected (at least so far) in the national figures compiled by NASSGAP.
"I do think that there is increasing consciousness of the importance of need-based aid," said Baum, a professor of economics at Skidmore College. "I think there is some movement in that direction."
That movement is yet to be seen. For the moment, colleges will still throw tons of money at students who will make their institution look better on paper by raising their ACT/SAT and GPA averages. While the College Board might like to think that changes are coming soon, the data doesn't support that a bit.
That's because the financial aid that isn't grants still gets plenty of students the help they need to attend school. Loans may not be pretty, but they get the job done. Until someone can prove that schools are locking students out of the system by giving money through merit-based aid, the merit-based aid is still going to be a priority.
Sigh. I hate writing about the College Board. I promise the next post will be about kittens or something.