Final Days for “Test Optional” at Colleges

Harvard University has succumbed to peer pressure. It has joined fellow Ivy League institutions Yale, Brown, and Dartmouth in announcing a return to the long-standing tradition of requiring standardized test scores of students seeking admission. 

 

All applicants to the Class of 2029, who will be filing their applications in the fall and winter of this year, need to submit SAT or ACT scores to be considered for admission, barring unusual circumstances.  This may leave some students, who were planning to apply “test optional,” scrambling to prepare for, and take, an all-important SAT or ACT exam in the coming months. 

 

The last SAT administrations of 2024 will take place on August 24^th, October 5^th, November 2^nd, and December 7^th.   The ACT will be offered on July 13^th, September 14^th, October 26^th, and December 14^th.  

 

Other colleges and universities, popular with New Jersey students, that require test scores include Georgetown University, Purdue University, Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, University of Florida, Florida State, Caltech, MIT, and the U.S. Naval, Air Force, and Military academies.

Volunteer Work Importance for College Applications

It’s no secret that the college application process has grown increasingly demanding in recent years. While expecting high GPA’s and SAT scores from their applicants, colleges are seeking so much more.

 

Admission officers are scrutinizing college applications to determine how potential students would be an asset to their campus.  What talents and skills would they bring? How would they help make the campus a more impressive and vibrant community?

 

Successful applicants highlight their volunteer work, demonstrating a commitment to one or more activities over a lengthy period of time.  Ideally, students should become involved in volunteer work that coincides with their interests, as colleges are impressed with students who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to a cause or organization that is important to them.

The Private Colleges Charging Over $90,000 A Year

While inflation is impacting the cost of many goods and services, an industry that has particularly been impacted is higher education.  As colleges post their “estimated cost of attendance” for the upcoming 2024-25 academic year, a number of private universities have listed annual fees exceeding $90,000 for tuition, housing, and typical college expenses, such as books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses.  These schools include Yale University, NYU, Boston University, Tufts, Wellesley.

To add insult to injury, the newly reformed FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which is used to determine need-based aid, no longer takes into account if a family has more than one child in college simultaneously.  

 

What are parents and students to do?

Prevent Getting Scammed by College Scholarships

College scholarship scams have become increasingly more common these days. Scholarships that are collectively worth billions of dollars are available to college bound students, but the key is to decipher which are for real and which are scams. 

Legitimate scholarships will never ask for a student’s bank account or social security number. They will never charge an application fee or a processing fee to apply.  They will never guarantee that a student will be awarded a scholarship, simply for applying.  

 

Legitimate scholarship applications will require some effort. Typically, an essay is required, often a letter of recommendation, and sometimes an interview. There needs to be some criteria on which “winners” are chosen. A “red flag” should go up when a student wins a scholarship for which he/she never applied.

Over 50% Of Students Are Leaving New Jersey for College

New Jersey is full of high school students with an impressive GPA, high SAT scores, and affluent parents willing to pay for even the most expensive colleges.  This has made New Jersey students quite attractive to top colleges in nearby states and has resulted in what is referred to as a “brain drain” for the Garden State.  

More than fifty percent of New Jersey’s college bound students exit the state for their higher education, according to statsamerica.org. In fact, New Jersey is ranked 6^th in the country as a leading exporter of students pursuing a college degree. 

 

Where do migrating students go? Typically, not very far.  New Jersey is the #1 feeder to many colleges in nearby states comprising a sizeable portion of their student body: Lehigh University (26%), Villanova University (25%), University of Delaware (23%), University of Maryland (10%), Loyola University of Maryland (26%), American University (11%).

When To Start Your College Search Process

The college application process starts the day a student steps foot into high school.  When students approach senior year and fill out their Common Application, which is accepted by more than 1,000 colleges, they are asked for their G.P.A. (the average of all their high school grades) and for details on all the activities that they engaged in starting with their freshman year. 

When college applications are reviewed, admission officers consider an applicant’s choice of courses and the rigor of one’s curriculum.  Thus, it greatly benefits students to choose a sequence of courses that will reflect their future college plans.  If it’s likely that they will be applying to college as engineering, business, or architecture majors, they should plan on getting through calculus while in high school.  This may mean doubling up on Geometry and Algebra II during their sophomore year or taking one of these courses during the summer.  If future career plans will likely be science related, students should plan a sequence of courses that will ultimately include AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and electives such as Organic Chemistry.

12 Student Part Time Jobs with College Tuition Assistance

High school students seeking a part time job may want to take a key criterion into consideration. There are businesses, including many fast-food chains, that offer tuition reimbursement to their employees. Working such a job would not only provide spending (or saving) money, but might also reduce the cost of attending college.  Many of these businesses are a part of “chains,” providing opportunities for students to continue working at college as well as at home during summer and holiday breaks. 

Chick-fil-A offers tuition discounts of up to 30% at more than 100 participating colleges to eligible employees.  Since this popular chain has more than 2,600 locations, there will likely be a Chick-fil-A near one’s home and college, providing the opportunity for year-round employment.  The company also offers a Leadership Scholarship of up to $2,500 per year for four years to selected employees.

 

Another popular eating destination with the high school crowd, Chipotle, offers annual tuition rebates of up to $5,250 to eligible employees. With more than 3,200 locations, this chain also provides the likelihood of securing employment both at college and at home.