The Passion Project College Admissions Advantage

The cover page of a recent New York Times special supplement stated, “There are few challenges facing students more daunting than applying and paying for college.” Let’s focus on the “applying” aspect for now. 

More than 50 colleges and universities, some of them favorites with New Jersey students, have acceptance rates below 15%, according to U.S. News & World Report.  The eight Ivy League schools, as well as Duke, Northeastern, Swarthmore, Barnard, and more, have one digit acceptance rates starting as low as 3%.

 

Students know that an impressive GPA and SAT scores, and often a multitude of AP courses with a high score on year-end exams, is only the starting point for a chance of being accepted to many of these revered institutions. The next step is to stand out from the crowd, typically through an impressive “passion project.”

Top Summer of 2024 High School Students’ Activities

While it may be snowing, or at least cold these days, students with college in their future would do well to be making their summer plans.   Time off from the restraints of the school year give students the opportunity to stand out from their peers and create experiences that will prepare them for higher education and impress college admissions officers. 

One of the most important decisions that college-bound students need to make regards their choice of major.  This is the key criteria in identifying best fit colleges, and students can easily gain insight through their summer activities.  There are a multitude of pre-college summer programs offered at colleges throughout the country, including many close to home.  

 

High school students interested in business may want to consider attending The Rutgers Business School Summer which costs $2,200 for a one-week program, including housing, meals, and field trips.  Students are introduced to various business disciplines: Marketing, Management, Accounting, Finance, and Supply Chain Management. Registration has already opened for this program which typically sells out by late February.

The Top Ranked Colleges Based on Major

All eight Ivy League colleges and universities, as well as 20 other prestigious institutions, have a one-digit acceptance rate, according to U.S. News & World Report.  That’s enough to fill college bound students – and their parents – with trepidation.   

But the key to identifying one’s ideal college is not directly correlated with acceptance rate. The best strategy is to pinpoint one’s choice of major, and then research the colleges and universities with the strongest programs in that field.

 

Consider, for example, the popular field of business. Many of the top schools are extremely competitive: University of Pennsylvania, MIT, University of California-Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Texas-Austin.  Other universities, also ranked among the Top 25 Business Programs in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report, have a much more encouraging acceptance rate.  Indiana University-Bloomington, Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Michigan State, Purdue, Penn State, and the University of Maryland, have acceptance rates, respectively, of 82%, 53%, 49%, 45%, 88%, 53%, 55%, and 44%.

Complete New FAFSA for All Need-Based & Some Merit Aid

The newly designed FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid – is now available online and must be filed for consideration for federal grants and student loans, as well as for many scholarships, for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

Parents of college bound students fill out the FAFSA once, listing all the schools to which their child is applying. They then file a new FAFSA each year that their child is in college to be considered for ongoing financial aid.

 

This year’s FAFSA has been launched later than its typical October 1^st release date to allow time for changes to be implemented.  The FAFSA is a relatively easy form to fill out, as it lets parents link to their previously filed tax returns to answer the financial questions. It has now been streamlined to just 36 questions instead of 108.  Some families, with lower household incomes and uncomplicated tax situations, may see as few as 18 questions.

 

Once parents have submitted the FAFSA online, they’re given an SAI (Student Aid Index) letting them know exactly what the federal government thinks they can afford to contribute for the upcoming year to their child’s college education. Colleges use this figure, once students are accepted, to make up their financial aid package, typically offering a combination of loans, grants (which do not get paid back) and work study opportunities.