The Waiting Game

College Admission Limbo

It’s that tension-filled time of year when high school seniors anxiously walk out to the mailbox to see whether the much-desired “big envelope” is waiting for them with a college admission acceptance, or rather the dreaded “small envelope” that contains a college admission rejection.  What about the “medium-sized envelope” that contains an offer to be placed on a school’s Waiting List and thorough instructions on how to proceed with this process if interested?

As a college planning consultant for the past 8 years, I have noticed that the waiting list has become a much more prevalent admissions tool over the past 3 years.  This recent trend is likely the result of colleges constantly struggling to maintain the balance of admitting enough students to maintain its preferred size, while also not admitting too many students so as to disproportionately enlarge the incoming student population.  For many high school seniors, this development has proven truly torturous.

Being placed on a college’s admission waitlist can often feel like being sent to “college limbo,” where uncertainty and emotion run rampant and can throw a student’s view of their future in upheaval on an almost daily basis.  From early-April until sometimes as late is mid-July, students continue the waiting game to hear whether they might, by chance, have gained admission to their waiting list school.  Until then, students are required to commit to a school where they have been admitted by the national May 1st deadline, in order to secure a spot in case their waitlist options do not come through.

Once placed on the waitlist, the second-lobbying phase begins, when students send follow-up letters, additional letters of recommendation, and re-statements of interest in order to vie for admission off the waitlist.  Students in this position continually walk the tightrope of making sure to show their interest and prove why they deserve admission off the waitlist, and the steep plummet of overdoing their appeal by becoming too emotional or sharing too much unnecessary information.

Suffice it to say, regardless of the size of the envelope awaiting you, the college admissions process brings with it a roller-coaster of emotions.  To survive the peaks and valleys, it is essential to remain grounded and remember that there is always another option.

“Every year thousands of scholarship dollars go unclaimed”

Have you heard this one before?  This idea strikes a note of frenzy in many students’ and parents’ hearts as they strive to look for affordable ways to pay for their college education.  While this assertion is undeniably true, beware of those who take advantage of the feeling this statement creates in order to further their own personal gain.

Scholarship scams have further clouded the college planning process.  According to FinAid.org the victims of these scams lose more than $100 million collectively each year.  Some of the caution signs include scholarships that require an application fee, scholarship matching services that guarantee success, unsolicited scholarship invitations, and advanced-fee loan scams.  A good rule of thumb is if the scholarship description or opportunity raises the slightest suspicion, then it is likely not worth pursuing.  If there is a doubt about the validity of a scholarship opportunity, get an independent opinion from someone you trust (i.e. a financial aid advisor or high school counselor).

Specifically in Washington, a contact in the UW admissions office alerted us of the following scam:

“It was brought to our attention recently that someone claiming to be a representative of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is calling students, offering them grants, and asking for their bank account numbers so a processing fee can be charged. Specifically, the caller tells the student he understands the student has federal student loans and offers to replace the loans with an $8,000 grant. The caller explains that a processing fee must be charged and obtains the student’s checking account information.

We urge you to remind your students that there is no ED program to replace loans with grants and that there is no processing fee to obtain Title IV grants from ED. Furthermore, students should never provide their bank account or credit card information over the phone unless they initiated the call and trust the company they are calling.”

For information about identity theft prevention, visit www.ed.gov/misused.

For information about preventing financial aid scams, visit www.studentaid.ed.gov/lsa.

A New Approach to College Preparation and Selection

High school students in China and India are riding on the tide of rising economic growth and prosperity. They have the opportunity to build on the foundation laid by their parents over the past three decades to lead their countries in the 21st century.  The same old strategies that worked for their parents will not produce the same results they enjoyed, however; today’s students need a different success strategy when making college decisions, one that includes these six components.

First: The parents’ understanding that things have changed.  The college decisions that brought parents success will unlikely bring the same degree of success for today’s students. Parents who do not realize this conundrum inadvertently limit their high school student’s opportunities for admission to outstanding colleges that are poised to teach leadership.

Second: An undergraduate field-of-study combination that empowers and invigorates the brain, enhances strategic thinking, and ultimately leads to innovation and visionary leadership.  Visionary leaders and those skilled at innovation are currently in high demand by the governments of China and India.

Third: An effective transition from high school to the best-fit college for the student. A successful transition requires decision-making far beyond simply choosing the kind of colleges that parents attended or considering only top-ranked colleges.  Both student and parents need to focus on the relevant facts rather than follow advice from the past that is passed down from friends or family.

Fourth: Openness. Students who are open engage in new activities, meet new people, face new challenges, and with practice over time, learn to overcome challenges.  Such involvement not only builds a resume, but also yields personal growth through life experience.

Fifth: A belief that change equals opportunity. Students who habitually roll with change as it happens are happier and typically have better grades to show for it.  They are also usually involved with their school and in their communities, and their active social life and community connections yield more success than for students who fear or avoid change. Students who learn to embrace change are recognized as excellent candidates for admission to the higher-quality, higher-ranked mentoring colleges.

Sixth: Willingness to stretch yourself. Over the past 20 years I have met many high school students who made choices based on fear of failure or of disappointing parents.  To avoid failure, they limited their participation in class or in school activities (e.g., in sports, arts, or technology); consequently, their learning as well as their opportunities were also limited.

A new economy in China and India calls for a new strategy when making education and college decisions, one embraced by students as well as their parents.  Including these six components will help position Chinese and Indian students to become tomorrow’s leaders.

Not Everyone Is Good at Test-Taking

As most college-bound high school students know, one of the necessary evils of the college admissions world includes the dreaded standardized college entrance exams.  For some students, it is not the most fun thing they have ever done, but they jump through the hoop with relative ease and move on to the next college admission step.  For other students, the standardized college entrance exams (SAT or ACT alike) present a quest similar to running a marathon, while having a nightmare, in the pouring rain, uphill, without shoes on.

Those few students who are naturally gifted at taking standardized tests may never consider test preparation, much less need it to score well on a test.  For students who are desperate to score well on the standardized tests but not naturally inclined toward this success, however, test preparation courses often represent a glimmer of hope to cling to as THE salvation for their college dreams and aspirations.

But Can Test Prep Help?

Are the test-prep courses really effective?  Do the countless hours and dollars dedicated to SAT and ACT prep courses pay off?

The conventional answer is, “Of course test-prep courses are helpful; otherwise how would that industry still be around?”  Still the question persists, likely because of the disparate results from taking the test-prep courses.  One student might see a 200-300 point composite score jump after a test-prep course; another student in the same class may see only a 10-20 point improvement or none at all.

A Student Can Make It Work

In fact, whether the test-prep course is effective or not has less to do with the course itself than with the student’s approach to the course.  When students know how they learn and can effectively pursue a standardized test-prep course in the manner that works best for them, then the results will show when the student happily gets their score report back with the improvement they are hoping for.  The key is that the student must proactively learn to take the test in the same way that they proactively learn in their chemistry or history class.  Simply showing up for class once a week does not in itself guarantee a score boost.  Just like in any other education environment, you will take from the course what you put into it.

Are standardized test-prep courses really worth it?  They can be, if you invest your effort in the course to make it worthwhile.

To Which Colleges Should You Apply?

First, Choose Your Colleges Knowledgeably and Strategically

Beginning in February, some high school students who will be applying to college in the fall will say, “I’ve already chosen my colleges; can you just help me with my essays?”  If only college admission success were that easy.

Yes, we can help you with college application essays; they are important. I could go on at length, but I’ll save that for another post. Watch for “10 Qualities of an Excellent College Application Essay” soon.

But first things first: The importance of choosing the colleges to which you apply based on logic, reliable information, and a strategic plan cannot be overstated.

Families often fall into the trap of applying to colleges based on the reported median GPA and test scores of a freshman class.  Everyone knows that high GPA and test scores are important for admission to top schools. For students with stellar GPA and test scores, however, essays alone are not enough to set them apart from the competition at those schools. And what about students whose GPA and test scores are not stellar? How can they make certain they select high-caliber schools at which they are competitive for admission without selling themselves short? At schools that are right for them, outstanding essays can yield admission and even scholarships; at other schools, the same essays may not help at all.

5 Questions to Ask About Your College List

If you have chosen your colleges, consider these 5 questions to ask yourself about your college list:

1. What are at least three specific and logical reasons for choosing these colleges? (If you have a tough time with this one, you will also have a tough time writing essays for these schools.)
2. How reliable is the information source that you used in choosing colleges?\
3. What college factors are most import to your success? (Hint: The school’s ranking alone is not one of them.)
4. If you will need college money to cover expenses, how reliable is your information about what money you might expect from the colleges you have selected?
5. What is the definition of a quality college that can help you compare the many different types of colleges in an apple-to-apple comparison?

It is impossible to become an instant expert on colleges, so you ideally want to benefit from the experience of a college admission professional to help determine which factors are most important to your success. Having older siblings already in college isn’t same as talking with a professional.  To quote CPSi’s Executive Director, Bob Mahmoudi, “How many college admission successes do you have? CPSi has nearly 8000 so far.”  Experience counts.

Putting Things in Motion

Many other factors also come before your college application essays. Acting quickly with a knowledgeable and strategic plan beginning now can improve a high school junior’s position, even with little time remaining to influence the factors affecting college admission. If you take steps now to improve your position, then a great essay will yield even better results.

So yes, CPSi can help with your college application essays, but don’t get so concerned about your essay that you trivialize the other important factors in your admission success.  We recommend that you seek the advice and help that will give you the best possible college options before you begin writing your applications and essays.

The Power of Setting Goals

Setting Goals

I believe in the importance of setting goals, and I have set goals for myself every year since 1966.  Fourteen years ago, when my son was 15 and my daughter 10, I began asking them to also take a few days before the New Year to set goals.  I modeled the importance of goal-setting by emailing them a copy of my own goals.  And as a true believer in the power of goals, I have also required my CPSi students to set goals at the beginning of each year to help them take charge of their education and their well-being.

Two days before the 2012 New Year, in a too-brief one-on-one with my son, our conversation turned to the topic of goals. He has become an avid goal-setter himself, so I was completely dumbfounded when he said to me, “Dad, I never understood the purpose of you sending a copy of your goals to me and the family.”  Before I had a chance to respond, we were interrupted, and that unfinished conversation has been nagging at me ever since.  I thought my reasons were obvious.

Two weeks later, while reading a discussion of motivation in Andrew Clancy’s The Success Gurus, I gained clarity on the answer to my son’s implied question.  Clancy references studies on motivation, goals, and performance by scholars such as Dr. Teresa Amabile of Harvard Business School.  Clancy reports that many behavioral scientists have found a direct correlation between motivation, goal-setting, and achievement.  He concludes that motivated people autonomously set goals to self-direct, to learn by gaining new knowledge, and to achieve increasingly better results that translate into happiness and rewards.

Although I never articulated the reasons so clearly, I have always believed in the power of setting goals to give my life continual purpose; to seek new knowledge; to fuel my growth; to learn; and to devote myself to becoming better at things that matter; to achieve.  I believe that in doing so I will enrich my mind and be rewarded well.

Answering The Question

What does all of this have to do with my son’s implied question?

My son, I forwarded my goals to you to give you the courage and freedom to set goals that would give the next 12 months of your life even greater meaning and purpose; to learn and to grow; to achieve; to be recognized; and to receive rewards and respect as a result of continually improving yourself and contributing to your community.

This is also the underlying reason that I help my CPSi students to take charge of their academics, their behavior, and their college decisions through setting goals annually.

Reassessing Parental Influences

Among the several thousand families that I have worked with over the past two decades, I often find that parents limit what their students can achieve by limiting their college options and opportunities.

Parental messages, communicated directly or indirectly, can limit a student’s college opportunities.  A sample of the many messages I’ve personally observed include:

• Since graduating from XYZ College worked for your parent(s), then it will work for you.  (Another version: If it was good enough for us, then it’s good enough for you.)
• Since your parents and your grandparents (or maybe even three or four family generations) graduated from XYZ College, so should the rest of the family; we want you to uphold that tradition.
• Attending an out-of-state school means being disloyal to our state.
• We are huge fans of XYZ University’s football team (or other sport team); attending another school would be disloyal to our shared experience.

Such expectations limit a student’s opportunities, sometimes severely.  My top four reasons not to limit a student’s college options:

1. A college degree from almost any college 15 to 20 years ago was of great value.  Today, however, a college degree from different college lands different opportunities.  A student’s best opportunities result from identifying and applying to their best-fit colleges and attending one of them.
2. Resources for most parents were limited compared to their kids.  For example, 20 years or more ago, many parents and grandparents limited their college options only to those close to home because they did not have access to the internet, or other means to learn about other college options nationally or internationally.  Students who fail to explore and choose their best college options now fall behind their peers who do so.
3. The success of a school’s sports team does not indicate the quality of their education.  Similarly, a parent’s or family’s attachment to the school’s team does not mean that an education from the school will bring value to the student.  A student’s opportunities expand when their choice is based on which school will best prepare them for success for admission to graduate school or employment opportunities.
4. With proper planning, a student may be able to attend colleges that at first seem academically or economically out of reach but offer the most opportunities for their education and career success.

How can a parent avoid limiting their student’s opportunities?  In my opinion:

• Love them enough to set them free from limiting expectations.
• Encourage them to pursue their passion and to believe that most things are achievable with a proper plan and a strong work-ethic.
• Communicate to your student that they can achieve more than their parents did with the right college education, and that they should try to identify and attend the best college for them, whether that college is 10 miles or 10,000 miles away from home!

A student’s lack of the practical skills necessary to succeed in school and career also limits them https://slovenska-lekaren.com.  My next post will focus on a parent’s influence over their student’s acquisition of these skills.

Forget About Senioritis

Choosing classes for senior year often presents a delicate balance. On one side are the student’s college and career hopes and aspirations; on the other side are the student’s social life and personal factors. With this balance in mind, rising seniors often ask, “Will my classes and grades from senior year even matter when it comes to college admission?”

The straight answer to this question is a resounding YES.

Why It Matters

For students who are admitted to college Early Decision or Early Action in December, before first semester grades are finalized, senior year grades must still show the same level of academic rigor and achievement previously reflected on the transcript. If senior-year grades show a significant decline in either rigor or grades, then college admission offices can withdraw their offer of admission. In 2006, the University of Washington reportedly withdrew 23 admission offers because of a dip in senior performance and sent letters warning 180 other students that their senior-year academic performance was disappointing and they would need to do better to succeed in college.

For early applicants deferred and those who apply Regular Decision, 1st semester senior-year grades can have a significant impact on whether the student is even offered admission. Many college admission offices require a Mid-Year Report from the student’s school counselor that includes transcript updated with 1st semester senior-year grades. The actual classes taken and the grades can be a decision-maker in the college’s final admission decision.

Think Big-Picture

So, when you’re a senior in high school and feeling the symptoms of senioritis, consider how you would feel reading this in a letter from the college you planned to attend, just weeks before the start of class: “I regret that we had to take this action and hope you will find an educational alternative that meets your needs.” Yes, your senior-year grades count.

The Power of Best-Fit Affects More Than Admission

For a small number of colleges – those in the Ivy League, Stanford, and similar big names – college money is given only to students with demonstrated financial need. At the other private colleges in the U.S., however, students can increase their chance of scholarship money by applying to their best-fit colleges.

I say this with confidence, on the basis of approximately 50 thousand admission results from colleges over the past 17 years that I have advised college-bound students. In a recent year when 10 students with nearly identical academic credentials and financial need (measured by the FAFSA) were admitted to the same private college, the 4 students who had selected the college for best fit were offered 50% more money compared to the others. This is just one vivid example of why I advise that students and families who are scrambling to deal with college expenses think twice before randomly submitting college applications.

The Importance of Counseling

Gates Foundation Study: “Young People. . . Deserve Better Advice”

A study by Public Agenda for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation paints a dismal picture of the public high school counseling system for college-bound students. The report notes that even students who successfully completed college heavily criticized their school counselor’s guidance, calling it “inadequate and impersonal.”

No matter how hard school counselors may try to provide excellent guidance to their students, the deck is stacked against them. As the study notes, counselors have many responsibilities in addition to helping a student transition from high school to college or other pursuits: truancy, discipline issues, scheduling and administrative mix-ups. They may also be expected to fill in when faculty or staff are absent. Even without those other responsibilities, the work load seems overwhelming in the face of the reported student-counselor ratio national average of 460 to 1. Although The American School Counselor Association recommends a 250-to-1 ratio as ideal, at many schools the ratio is closer to 700 to 1, and at several it is 1000 to 1. No wonder the students found their teachers more helpful; the teachers probably knew them better.

Why Counseling Matters

Couple the voluminous counselor work load with insufficient training about how to show students options suited to their interests and goals or how to help them make choices related to college and post-secondary education, and you have a failed system. The result, according to this study, is that “Students who are poorly counseled are less likely to go directly from high school into a college program. . . [which] highly [correlates] with dropping out of college.” Part of the reason is financial, since these same students were more likely to choose colleges based on costs, and less likely to receive scholarships. The study concludes, “. . . it seems obvious to us that young people who are completing high school and aspiring to go to college deserve better advice.”

We at CPSi agree. By providing expert and customized advice specific to each student in college selection, field of study/major selection, and application essay brainstorming and writing, CPSi consultants help to fill the gap, serving the needs of college-bound students in public and private high schools as well as homeschoolers and those in nontraditional programs.