Students Get a Second Chance at “Early Decision”

Students who are anxiously waiting to hear, within the next few weeks, from their Early Decision college, should have a back-up plan.  If they end up being turned down or waitlisted, all hope is not lost. They still have another option, which could bring them exciting news and get them off the college application merry-go-round, early in the new year. 

Many colleges offer Early Decision II, with a January application deadline and notification in February – close to two months prior to the typical April 1^st college response date. The main advantage of applying early decision is that colleges usually accept a much higher percentage of applicants. Because early decision is binding, colleges know that any student they accept will definitely attend – increasing their “yield” (percentage of accepted students who enroll). For example, the latest early decision acceptance rates, according to U.S. News and World Report, are 87% at American University, 79% at The College of New Jersey, and 65% at University of Miami. The overall acceptance rate at these same schools is, respectively, 64%, 62%, and 28%.

 

The main downfall of applying early decision is the fact that it is binding, preventing students from comparing different financial aid packages that they might receive from different colleges.

Strategies to Get Accepted to Colleges of Choice

The best way to get “Your Accepted” letters is to present yourself as an ideal candidate for each college to which you apply.  If you’re a legacy, let them know.  Many colleges, including all eight Ivy League institutions, favor applicants whose parents are alumni.  If you are the first in your family to seek a college education, let them know.  Most colleges favor students whose parents are not college educated.  

 

If your family can afford to pay the full sticker price and not seek financial aid, let them know.  Some colleges are “need blind,” and admit students regardless of whether or not they are applying for financial aid.  Other colleges are “need-aware” or “need-sensitive,” and may consider financial need when deciding whether or not to admit an applicant.  This category includes Bryn Mawr, Clemson, Northeastern and Tufts.  

 

Aside from the factors outside of your control, there are several things that you can do to help your applications stand out.  The first is to develop leadership skills, and then emphasize these skills on college applications. Graduates of elite universities often talk about having started a club during their high school years, having initiated a community event, or having launched a non-profit in some area of passion. They believe these leadership experiences helped to secure their acceptances to the nation’s top colleges and universities.

Five Key Strategies to Save Thousands on College

When talking about college debt, the statistics are never encouraging. In fact, the story gets sadder each year.  Statistics for 2022, according to Forbes, indicate that 45 million Americans have student loans that collectively total $1.7 trillion in education debt. The key to avoid being part of this grim statistic is to consider some highly effective strategies.

1) When choosing potential colleges, students should not necessarily reach for the stars – unless it’s to a college with an impressive endowment. When students apply to colleges a tier below the level where they would likely get accepted, the scholarship money is almost always much greater.  Students planning to major in business, for example, often identify NYU’s Stern School of Business where the cost hovers around $75,000 a year. These same students could reasonably expect to be welcomed at St. John’s University in New York, Drexel and St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, and a host of other institutions with impressive business schools, substantially lower costs of attendance, and generous merit money (to attract strong students) which does not get paid back.

The Most Beautiful College Campuses in the Country

If you want to live in one of the most beautiful places in the country, why not do so during your college years? There are college campuses that are waterfront (Eckerd College in Florida, Texas A&M, University of Hawaii at Manoa with a view of Diamond Head), others that are nestled in mountain ranges (Washington and Lee University in Virginia, University of North Carolina – Ashville, Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, Bates College in Maine), and still others that are center stage in the midst of thriving urban environments (New York University, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Georgetown in our nation’s capital). 

Although beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, there are some college campuses that are universally considered to be among the most attractive in the country.  Princeton University in Central New Jersey, the fourth oldest university in the country, is typically on every list of stunning college campuses due in part to its Gothic architecture.

Top 5 Mistakes Parents Make in College App Process

Parents walk a fine line when it comes to their children and college applications.  Getting too involved will earn the title of “helicopter parent,” and give your child the impression that you doubt his/her abilities. Leaving everything to the student and hoping for the best – well that’s quite risky! There are ways parents can help, as well as common mistakes they should seek to avoid. 

Avoid overestimating your child’s chances of admission.  Utilize Naviance, which provides data on the GPA and SAT scores of students from your child’s high school who previously applied to a particular college, as well as the outcome of their application: accepted, rejected, or waitlisted. Your child is in competition with peers from the same high school, so the writing is pretty much on the wall as to whether or not your child has a solid chance of gaining acceptance to any particular school.

 

Avoid pushing your child to apply to a long list of schools. Many colleges require several supplemental essays, particularly for admission to the honors program. Penn State, for example, requires two long essays (up to 800 words) and eight short essays (up to 200 words) of applicants to its Schreyer Honors College. This can quickly become an overwhelming task. Help your child identify “best fit” colleges where they would be excited to attend (and likely to gain admission) and let them focus on submitting a limited number of strong applications.

October Action Steps in the College Prep Process

October is crunch time for college-bound students who want to reap the benefits of meeting early application deadlines.

There’s a gamut of popular colleges that offer November 1^st as an Early Action deadline. If students submit their applications by this date, colleges will get back to them early – frequently by the winter holidays.  A great way to relieve the stress of the college application process is to get accepted to colleges early and enjoy the rest of senior year, while maintaining grades, of course.

 

Universities in the tri-state area, popular with New Jersey students, that offer Early Action include NYU, Fordham, St. John’s, Pace, Marist, Hofstra, Rutgers, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Seton Hall, Montclair State, Monmouth, Penn State, Drexel, Temple, Villanova, Duquesne, St. Joseph’s, and University of Scranton.

 

Popular out-of-state schools offering Early Action include Northeastern, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, University of Connecticut, Fairfield, Ohio State, Case Western, University of Delaware, University of Maryland, University of Virginia

UNC – Chapel Hill, University of South Carolina, Georgia Tech, and University of Miami.

Choosing Ideal College: Academic and Social Match

When compiling a list of potential colleges, it’s ideal when students know themselves: what gives them joy and what they’re dreaming of for the future. 

When high school students have a plan for their career, the search for the ideal college becomes so much easier.  That perfect school is not necessarily the one that everyone, worldwide, is familiar with.  It’s one with a strong program in a student’s field of interest.

 

Students seeking a career in the lucrative field of Petroleum Engineering, for example, may want to head to Texas where Texas A & M and University of Texas at Austin top the rankings.  Those enticed by the field of Aerospace Engineering should consider Georgia Tech, Purdue University in Indiana, and Embry-Riddle in Florida.

 

Future business tycoons should also seek their niche.  Those passionate about International Business would do well to consider University of South Carolina and Florida International University. Those seeking a career in Supply Chain Management would secure a top education at Michigan State, Arizona State, or University of Tennessee.