Colleges That Are Still Accepting Seniors for Fall 2012

On May 3rd, the National Association of College Admission Counseling released the results of their space availability survey. 375 colleges across the United States reported that they are still accepting applications for either freshman or transfer admissions (and often both).

If you missed the national reply date on May 1st or are unhappy with the college that you have deposited at for the fall, you may wish to scroll through the list of colleges to see if any are right for you. Don’t wait though; you will need to act quickly. The first thing you should do is contact the college directly and ask if they still have space and the process for applying at this late date. Don’t assume that the spaces will still be available a month from now – or even a week from now.

There are a few surprises on the list, including University of San Diego, Gonzaga University and Villanova University. Other interesting schools include Oregon State University, Agnes Scott College, Guilford College, Hope College, Knox College, Kalamazoo College and Lawrence University to name a few (many of these are College that Change Lives schools).

If you need some help with a late application, do not hesitate to call me!

Changes Announced to the 2011-12 Common Application

Today the Common Application announced changes to their 2011-2012 application. While most of the changes were small, they will help to make the application process more user-friendly to both students and admissions counselors. The new version will ask more detailed questions about language proficiency where students can check one of five options to describe their ability best. The application will once again have a word limit for the personal statement. Students will be asked to submit an essay that is between 250-500 words to help keep the process fairly consistent. Students will be happy to know that the Secondary School Report has changed a bit too – now your guidance counselor can add a letter of recommendation from some other school official who can better describe their strengths.

48 schools have joined the Common Application this year, including University of Southern California and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. That brings the total amount of participants up to 460 schools.

High school students who want to preview the new version online or see new member schools can do so now, however, they cannot fill out anything until it goes live on August 1st.

Forward Thinking: Summer Plans

Don’t shriek in horror when I say that you should be thinking about summer plans. No, not the laying on the beach type of summer plans, but the ‘let’s do something meaningful’ experience. There are many different approaches to cultivating a meaningful experience and it will certainly vary depending on who you are and what your goals are, but there are a few things to keep in mind. First of all, you should never participate in a summer experience because you think you should for college applications. If it doesn’t impress you, it won’t impress anyone else. If you are doing something to pad your extracurricular resume, it is probably also a bad idea.

What can you do? Well, the first step is to set up a time to talk to me and we can develop a plan specific for you where you will not only be involved in something this summer, but you can continue to grow in this area of passion. You can also read this great article that recently ran in the New York Times – Does Helping Help You Out?

Don’t Wait Until Your Due Date

Most seniors like to wait until the last minute to get things done. Sometimes working under pressure produces the best work – in my experience it doesn’t. And in the case of waiting until the last minute to apply, you may be faced with some computer issues. It isn’t uncommon for many students to apply on the actual deadline, which can cause the system to jam up, and there is always that chance that you will not get your application submitted in the final hour. The other thing to keep in mind is that if you are paying by credit card, it can take 1-2 days for processing and a college does not consider your application complete unless it has its money. If you have an upcoming deadline – for example February 1st – you should aim to apply to later than January 30th.

The Common Application Goes Live…Not Quite Yet

This year the Common Application will not go live until August 1st, which is a month later than last year. There are several changes to the application this year, which include questions about language proficiency and religious preference (optional) to name a few. The application has also consolidated the activities and work sections into one space.

While some might see the August 1st date as a setback in tackling applications, I look at it as an opportunity to start working on the personal statement now. The essay questions will not be changing, so if you dive in now, you will have ample time to complete it and then work on the supplement essays that will be released after August 1st for individual colleges.

With 27 new members, the Common Application is now accepted by 414 colleges and universities. A few of the 27 include Seattle Pacific University, University of Michigan, Pepperdine University, Pacific Lutheran University, & Olin College of Engineering. In the 2009-10 applicant year, the Common Application saw a 20% increase in usage with over 470,000 unique users.

To preview the 2010-11 application, visit the Common Application’s website.

Consider a Gem: Colleges that Change Lives

If you are anything like me, you have grown tired of hearing about certain colleges that seem to grab the spotlight. If you are interested in taking a deeper look at some colleges that fly under the radar, but are arguably just as significant, take a look at Loren Pope’s book Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) which explores colleges that share common characteristics such as a lifelong love of learning and providing a foundation for a successful life. When Mr. Pope put together this book in 1996, he wanted to look beyond misconceptions and misinformation about colleges in this nation, and wanted to provide families with alternatives to make informed choices.

According to the CTCL website, the schools share the following characteristics:

• low student-to-faculty ratios that foster collaboration, engaged learning, and personal attention
• a commitment to undergraduate education focusing on the liberal arts and sciences
• a living and learning environment that is primarily residential and emphasizes the benefits of community, personal growth, participation, and involvement
• smaller student enrollments
• out-of-classroom learning opportunities including participation in internships, study abroad, service to others, and special interest activities
• holistic admission policies including several with “test-optional” routes to admission
• alumni networks that stand ready to help graduates with professional and career development opportunities

This month, the Colleges That Change Lives group goes on national tour, visiting dozens of cities across the United States. There are forty colleges that are a part of CTCL and are fantastic schools for students to explore.

They will be in Bellevue (Seattle), Washington on July 31st at 10:00 AM at the Meydenbauer Center. Other major cities on the tour include San Francisco (August 2nd), Los Angeles (August 3rd), Denver (August 4th), Atlanta (August 19th) and Cincinnati (September 15th) to name a few.

Nancy Griesemer of College Explorations LLC put together a fun slideshow of famous people who attended CTCL colleges. Thanks for sharing this with us Nancy!

Colleges Can Rescind Their Offers of Admission

I know what you are thinking seniors – it is all downhill from here until graduation. You have officially enrolled at your future college and you are ready to coast to the finish line. But there is a little something you might not know – your college acceptance can be rescinded. At the end of this semester, your guidance counselor will send off your report card and if there is something questionable on it, a college might pull their offer to you. With bulging waitlists, colleges can quickly fill your spot, and there will be eager students to take it.

According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s 2009 State of College Admission report, 21% of colleges reported they revoked offers of admission in 2008. They cited a drop in final grades (65%) as the number one reason for retraction, followed by disciplinary issues (35%) and falsification of application information (29%). Public colleges were more likely to revoke admission due to final grades whereas private colleges were more likely to revoke offers of admission for disciplinary reasons.

My final advice – continue to work hard and play wisely, especially when heading out to prom and graduation parties. Be smart about your image on social networking websites and continue to exhibit strong character.

Plan Your Summer to Impress College Admission Committees

Too many people think that a student has to have every ounce of their summer planned in order to impress college admission officers. Instead of trying to do it all, colleges want to see that you are pursuing something meaningful, that further paints a picture of who you are or who you would like to become in college. So, if you are a tremendous soccer player who participates on the varsity team and traveling squad, think about getting involved in another way this summer, like volunteering to teach in a youth league, getting a job as a referee or attending some showcase camps. Show them depth of interest by going beyond what is available at your high school.

Summer activities are not limited to the athletically inclined – some other ideas include:

Summer Classes – take one to enhance your transcript if something is lacking – for example, a higher level of a foreign language or to dabble in an area you might like to pursue in college like engineering or architecture

Internships

Research

Volunteer – only if you want to, not because you think you have to. If you want to be Pre-Med in college, why not volunteer this summer at an area hospital, health care organization or organize a fundraising event (i.e. Relay for Life, Walk for the Cure, etc.)?

Get a Job – it shows responsibility and commitment. To read more about summer jobs that pay well, visit MainStreet.com

Textbooks Just Got Cheaper

It used to be that you had to budget $500 per semester for textbooks.  When the semester was over, you could try selling them back, but your $100 textbook would only be worth $5 three months later.  I know that most of mine ended up in a box in the attic as I didn’t have the heart to sell them back for next to nothing.

Well, life just got simplier for college students, who, according to The New York Times, can now rent textbooks from Cengage Learning, one of the largest textbook publishers. They will be offering several hundred titles for rent for the first time ever this fall. Students will save from 60% to 80% and will have immediate electronic access to the first chapter with the actual book shipped thereafter. Other rental companies like Chegg who has partnered with McGraw-Hill and Bookrenter offer massive discounts of up to 85%. 

Other deals are out there too. Students can search for used books on websites like CheapestTextbooks.com to find good bargins. At the University of Washington, 150 graduate students will receive a Kindle loaded with all their textbooks as part of a new nationwide pilot program. UW will be one of seven universities taking part in the program, and providing critical feedback to Amazon about their experience.

It is a win-win situation for all, as publishers can make a lot of money off of just one book, and students can reap the deep discounts and have a little pocket change leftover. The highlighter industry might suffer though.

Determine Your Financial Aid Need

I urge all families, regardless of what you think or how old your student is, to fill out an online estimator to determine your estimated family contribution.  I know many of you believe that you won’t qualify, but it can’t hurt to take a look and see.  What if you were mistaken?

From there, you can set a game plan for college affordability.  Will you be able to pay the entire bill?  Will you need to look at colleges that offer to meet 100% or need, or those that have committed to limiting student debt or have eliminated loans altogether?  Will you need to be financially strategic and consider schools where you may qualify for a merit scholarship?  It can’t hurt to start planning early.  Take the first step today, and check back soon for more tips.

- FAFSA4caster is a good place to start where you can determine your eligibility for federal aid

- CSS Profile Calculator  is an often required form for selective private schools.