The Colleges Offering “Over-the-Top” Amenities

College life, at a vast majority of schools, has become increasingly luxurious over the years as students seek, and are granted, an array of amenities. At most schools, a rotating buffet of food to meet a variety of culinary and dietary preferences is offered daily. To help students keep healthy and stay in shape, state-of-the art fitness centers grace most campuses.  Libraries, with different floors for different purposes (quite study, group meetings, etc.) are open for up to 24 hours a day. Medical facilities, for when students fall ill, often provide care that supersedes what students are accustomed to getting at home.  

Then, there are the more specialized amenities – some academic and some social -- to which specific students are drawn.

 

Students majoring in nuclear engineering would do well to choose a school with its own nuclear reactor right on campus. This opportunity is presented to students at MIT, North Carolina State University, Ohio State University, Penn State University, Purdue University, RPI, University of Maryland, University of Florida, and more.

 

Students engaged in the world of finance might be impressed by “trading floors” hosted by Bentley University, Babson College, Ithaca College, St. Joseph’s University, and a multitude of other business schools.

Billions in Merit Awards Available to Students

Students and their parents, who are looking towards a college education in the near future, need to look beyond the “sticker price” when identifying best fit colleges.  There are a multitude of opportunities to greatly reduce college costs, even for families who do not qualify for need-based aid. 

The average published 2023-24 sticker price for tuition and fees at private four-year institutions is $42,540. At public four-year out-of-state colleges and universities it is $29,150, and at public four-year in-state schools it is $11,260. These statistics are reported in College Board’s “Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid,” and do not include room and board, which can more than double the cost of tuition at some institutions. 

 

Merit scholarships can greatly reduce these costs, allowing students to attend their dream school without incurring life-altering debt.  For some students, their hobby or talent is the key to success.  More than $3.6 billion in athletic scholarships are awarded each year to more than 180,000 student athletes, according to the NCAA. Other students receive merit scholarships for their talents in music, dance, community service, golf caddying, chess playing, video gaming, and even bird watching. The best way for students to access these funds is to make a list of all their activities and then search on free scholarship websites for relevant grants.

Academic Boost of Advanced Placement (AP) Courses

High school students immersed in Advanced Placement (AP) courses often wonder if the academic rigor of these courses will serve them well.  The answer is a resounding “yes.” These are college level courses that offer students the opportunity to secure college credit while still in high school.  There are currently 39 AP courses offered in a multitude of subjects including Art History, English Literature, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish Language and Culture, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and U.S. Government and Politics.  Among the most popular AP courses are English Language and Composition, U.S. History, Psychology, and Calculus. 

According to recent statistics by College Board, the company that writes the curriculum and exams for AP courses, nearly 1.2 million students in the Class of 2023 took more than 4.1 million AP exams in public high schools nationwide.  New Jersey came in third place as the state with the highest percentage of students (28.6%) taking and succeeding in AP courses by earning a minimum score of 3 out of 5 on the end of year exam.  New Jersey was surpassed only by Massachusetts with a 31.3% successful participation rate, and New York with a 28.9% rate.

Montgomery High School's Top Ranking Average SAT Score

New Jersey students find the bar is set high regarding SAT scores.  While the national average SAT score was 1,028 (out of a possible 1600) among last year’s test-takers, according to College Board, many local school districts reported significantly higher results.

 

At High Technology High School in Monmouth County, students’ SAT scores averaged 1,532 – more than 500 points above the national average. It was one of ten magnet or technical schools which reported the highest SAT scores in New Jersey. This is likely due to the fact that they have a selective admissions process that allows a limited number of students to attend.

 

Among general admission high schools, the top three rankings regarding SAT scores went to Millburn High School (1,375), West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North (1,370), and Montgomery High School (1,338). Rounding out the Top 10 were Tenafly High School (1,318), West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (1,316), John P. Stevens High School in Edison (1,313), Princeton High School (1,298), Ridge High School (1,289), Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest (1,285), and Ridgewood High School (1,283).

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?