College Mentors

You're back to school for your senior year and have begun your college search process. Most likely, colleges have started visiting your high school, and I encourage you to attend as many of these visits as you can--and keep an open mind. Consider colleges in a different climate or a small college if you've attended a large urban high school. You might be surprised at what will feel like a great fit! Take campus virtual tours--either by going to individual college sites or by using a virtual tours site, such as: http://www.ecampustours.com/ Most college sites will even have dorm pictures--and since you're likely to be living in a dorm at least your first year, it makes sense to get an idea of what they are like. If you still need to take the SAT, ACT, or SAT Subject tests, or if you want to improve your scores--get signed up IMMEDIATELY. For most colleges, the December test is the last one accepted. How's that personal statement coming? Many of you will be writing a

Greetings! Yes, it's still summer. . . but it's August, and so summer has peaked, and we're on the downslide. . . well, I prefer to think of it in more positive terms, as sliding into home, at least for those of you who are starting your senior year and getting ready to apply for college! You're all preparing for the "World Series" of high school--finding the right fit for your post high school career! My job as your coach is to help you and your family to assess your talents, skills, and interests, and help you find the colleges that would best meet your needs, work with you on essays, then happily watch you hit one out of the park!! Some suggestions to get your "training program" started! Start thinking about what you might want to write about for your personal statement. The most important part of your application, the personal statement lets colleges know who you are. It gives them the chance to see you as an individual, to get a sense of what

Acceptances are rolling in, and along with them, financial aid letters showing how each college will "meet your need." Most colleges promised to meet full need with the package--the difference between your Expected Family Contribution (EFC from the FAFSA) and the total cost of attendance. Take a look at the sample at right (click on it for a larger view). This hypothetical student's family had an EFC of $10,000, and this college promised to meet 100% of need. What are the elements of a financial aid offer letter? Cost of attendance --this section tells you how much it costs to attend the university. It always includes tuition, room and board, any mandatory student fees (e.g. health, registration, etc.). Most colleges will also list an amount for books, travel, and incidentals, but some will not list all of these. Scholarships-- If you are receiving any scholarship money, they'll be listed. Scholarships may be need and/or merit based, don't need to be paid back

Diversity Scholarships: Many colleges & universities offer scholarships specifically to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to attend--these schlarships range from a small amount to full ride scholarships. Often times, these scholarships are given regardless of need. To find out whether the colleges you're applying to offer any diversity scholarships, go to the financial aid page of the school's website. Read the requirements carefully--you may have to supply an essay or an additional recommendation, as is often the case with scholarships. Talent Scholarships: Are you applying in music, performance, or fine arts? If so, check the department page as well as the financial aid page to find out about specific scholarships and awards based on talent. Carefully follow all of the instructions--these scholarships are likely to require an audition--whether in person or taped--as well as additional letter(s) of recommendation from someone outside of your high school who i

Most colleges and universities offer a variety of merit scholarships, some are for academic achievement, some for service achievement, some for promoting diversity, and others for specific talents and/or specific traits. We'll talk about each in turn--tonight's post will cover Academic and service Scholarships. Academic Scholarships- These are offered both at public and at private universities. Often times, there are multiple levels of scholarships, ranging from full ride scholarships for the highest achieving students to partial scholarships. Some colleges require you to fill out additional forms and even to write an additional essay--but with the cost of higher education, it's well worth the extra time!!! Here are some examples from a few schools: Case Western Reserve University (www.case.edu), a private University in Ohio offers several scholarships--including 11 highly competitive full tuition (currently $34,450) scholarships, Trustee's Scholarships ($26,800),

Financial Aid comes in various guises, and understanding the terms will help you evaluate the offers you receive. Cost of Attendance: This is the amount of money required for a year at the given college. It includes tuition, books, room, and board. Some schools add in an amount for personal expenses and travel--some do not. It's important to make sure that you know exactly how it is defined at each college you're considering, so as to make sure you're comparing apples and apples. EFC: This stands for " Expected Family Contribution," which is the dollar amount that the Federal Government expects the family (student and parents) to pay toward the annual cost of college. They use a complex formula that includes a percentage of parental income and assets and student income (including an expectation that the student will work in the summers and contribute that entire amount each year) and assets. Need: Everything between the amount of EFC and the cost of attendance

THE FAFSA: If you haven't already completed it, NOW is the time to get your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) completed. (The priority deadline is March 2nd for California students.) The FAFSA is the key to receiving financial aid--whether from the government or from the universities themselves. The link to the official FAFSA site is provided in the Financial Aid Links section of this blog. For those of you in California, the FAFSA form is also the key to applying for Cal Grants--a California state financial aid program for low and moderate income families. After you submit your FAFSA, you will receive information about your family's EFC or Estimated Family Contribution--this is the amount that the family will be expected to pay toward the annual cost. Everything ABOVE that amount, up to the cost of attendance, is considered your "need." Colleges meet that need in a variety of ways--Federal Loans of various kinds, grants, and scholarships. Every