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Reducing The Costs Of College

Dobler College ConsultingIt seems like every time I go out to meet a new student and his or her parents, the thing we spend the most time talking about is college costs.

And it’s completely understandable. With costs rising at astronomical levels over the last couple decades, there are very few people out there who aren’t worried about how they will pay for college.

Consider that in 1993, when I graduated from Naugatuck High School, the average cost for tuition, room, board and fees was $24,504 for a private college and $9,513 for a public school. In 2012 those numbers increased to $39,518 and $17,860, respectively.

Let me do the math for you. That’s a 61% increase for privates and an 87% increase for publics.

And that’s just in 20 years. If you go back to 1972, the cost of a private school education has gone up 137% while it’s only gone up 124% for public schools. How’s that for sarcasm?

Once you pick yourself up off the floor, you can look up these numbers yourself on the College Board website.

The funny thing is that even though these figures are out there for everyone to see, I still see so many college applicants falling in love with schools that will be completely out of their reach financially. I hear things like, “we’ll figure it out” and “well, maybe I’ll get more money” when the reality is that they won’t figure it out and they won’t get more money.

What they will get is disappointment. Frustration. Anger. Resentment.

If you don’t want to get what they’re getting, pay close attention to just how generous or stingy colleges are with their money. Understand your EFC and what it means in the context of what a college may offer for you financial aid. And, most of all, make informed decisions.

I’ve written a few posts about these very ideas and if you haven’t read them yet, now would be a good time:

What You Need To Know About The Costs Of College

Why Some Financial Aid Offers Will Underwhelm

Why You Should Know Your EFC

You can trust Dobler College Consulting to help you navigate the college admissions journey. Give me a call now at 203.525.4096 or drop me an email to schedule a FREE 60-minute consultation to discuss your needs for college admissions counseling.

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Eric May 28, 2013 , , , , , , , , , , No Comments
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What College Is All About

Dobler College ConsultingOn Monday I spent the day at Yale as my brother-in-law Brian graduated with his MBA from the School of Management. It was an awesome day and I was both incredibly proud of him and honored at the same time just to be there in attendance as Brian and his classmates took their first steps towards the rest of their lives.

You see, graduation isn’t just about your college career coming to an end. It’s about a new beginning. It’s about potential. It’s about hope.

It’s about taking everything you learned, experienced, fought for, struggled with and even failed at and bringing it with you out into the greater world and trying your hardest to do something good with it.

And while Brian made the most of his time at Yale, it wasn’t necessarily about Yale. It was about him working harder than he ever has before; creating relationships with faculty and other students that will transform his future; travelling abroad – more than once – to gain a better understanding of how the world works and, more importantly, how it doesn’t  and it was about making the necessary sacrifices (which some of us – me included – selfishly did not always understand) to ensure that he seized every opportunity available to him.

But even if he didn’t go to Yale, Brian still would have succeeded. Because no matter where he went for his MBA, Brian was going to work hard and do all the things he needed to do to succeed.

And that’s the point about going to college. No matter where you go, going out there and wringing every last drop of opportunity out of the experience so that when you graduate you can look back and say, without a doubt, that you have no regrets, is what it’s all about. You do that and you will find success and happiness in your life.

And who doesn’t want to be successful and happy?

Congratulations to my other little brother, Brian Coulombe, and every other graduate of the class of 2013! May you go out now, create your place in life and change the world for the better.

Like what you’re reading?

Use the comment box below to say so or email me at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com.

If you think this makes a lot of sense, consider sharing it with someone you know.

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Eric May 22, 2013 , , , , , , No Comments
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How To Make The Most Of Your Summer

Dobler College ConsultingFirst, I’d like to wish all the hard-working women out there doing a wonderful job being moms a Happy Mother’s Day! It’s not an easy job and I hope you all get to spend some time today doing the things you enjoy and spending time with those you love!

Throughout the year the New York Times college section, The Choice, runs a checklist for high schools seniors and juniors on what they should be doing each month. The checklists, which are written by college counselors from around the country, genuinely contain helpful advice and I like to share them with my own students. On May’s checklist for juniors, there was one tip in particular that I wanted to talk about today and that’s how to make the most of your summer.

On the checklist it’s referred to as summer jobs and enrichment but I would expand that to include career exploration.

Why? Because it’s never too early to start exploring where your interests and skills may lead you.

Maybe you’re good with numbers but you have no idea what it would be like to be an accountant or an actuary. Maybe you don’t even know what an actuary is.

You’ve thought about physical therapy and athletic training but you really don’t know the difference between the two.

Perhaps, as a young child, you were always building things with your LEGOs but you’re not sure if that interest would translate into a career in engineering or construction management.

Maybe, just maybe, you’ve had a lot of ideas about what you might do with your life but you’ve never taken the time to tell anyone let alone spent time researching them.

Well, if any of this sounds familiar, then your upcoming summer is a great way to get off that proverbial horse and get to work figuring out just who you are going to be and why it’s going to matter.

The checklist talks about getting a part-time job or going away for a couple weeks to a college-sponsored summer program to help enhance your college applications. And while experiences like that can help solidify your profile in the eyes of college admission counselors, there’s also a lot of value in securing a job shadow or informational interview. While either would only last an a couple hours or even just a full day, spending time with someone who does what you think you may want to do is time well spent.

So how do you do this? Well, first start talking to your parents, friends, teachers, and your school counselor about what you’re interested in. Talk to them about some of these ideas you’ve had and that you’d like to explore them further. Find out who they know who might do something similar to what you’re describing. Then, arrange to be introduced to this person even if it’s just over the phone. Be prepared to talk some more about what you’re interested in and that you would appreciate learning more about what they do, how they got around to doing it and what they would recommend to a young, interested person like you.

You may not find what you’re looking for by doing a job shadow or informational interview, but you’ll NEVER find it if you don’t try.

Have questions about doing a job shadow or what to ask on an informational interview? Use the comment box below or email me at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com.

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Eric May 12, 2013 , , , , , , , No Comments
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What You Need To Know About The Costs Of College

Dobler College ConsultingI originally posted this entry back in February but as I meet with high school juniors and their parents, the conversation eventually comes around to talking about cost and how to know which colleges are more affordable than others. While the answer is subjective to the individual student and his or her situation, this post has a couple great ideas to help you figure it out how it could play out for you:

As you’re building your college list, there’s no limit to the things you will consider. Is your major a program at which the school is particularly strong? Is it a cool college town? Big time football on Saturdays? Is the campus safe? Is it clean?

Depending on your VIPS, what you are considering is specific to you.

But there is one aspect that you all think about.

And that’s cost.

Let’s be honest here, there’s nothing to like about college costs. They have risen at astronomical levels over the last few decades to the point where students are graduating, on average, with over $26,000 in debt.

And that’s an average.

Back in the late fall, I wrote a post about the difference between a college’s sticker price and the real price that families pay. I then followed it up with a post about understanding your EFC. If you haven’t read them already and don’t know what EFC is, take a minute and check them out and then come on back.

There’s a lot of things to cover in the college search, but if you don’t understand the costs of college and how to reduce them, you could be in for a big time let down next year when your financial aid awards show up. So, outside of figuring out your EFC, here are a few things you can do to help yourself:

1. Don’t pay attention to sticker price:

Look for net price and, specifically, the net price for families in your income bracket. If your family’s income is over $100,000 you don’t want to be looking at net price for families whose income is only $50,000.

2. Figure out just how admissible you are:

Based on grades and test scores, look at who the college admits. Then take a good, hard look at yours. Are they similar? Sort of? Not close? The easier it is for a college to admit you, the better (read BIGGER) your award will be.

3. Check out merit awards:

Some colleges publish the amounts and qualifications of their merit awards (free money) on online and the information is easy to find and understand. Your GPA and SAT score combination earn you X amount of dollars. Others, not so much. Look it up and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, call the admissions office.

Have something to say? Use the comment box below or email me at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com. If you think this makes a lot of sense, consider sharing it with someone you know.

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Eric May 05, 2013 , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments
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Making Your Extracurricular Activities Count In The College Application Process

Dobler College ConsultingLast week I talked about expectations in the college search and application process. If you missed the post, check it out and come on back. I wanted to continue that trend this week but I wanted to put the focus on one specific area that tends to come up frequently this time of year:

Extracurricular Activities.

I’m often asked questions like, “What are the best activities for me to be involved in?” or “Is it better for me to continue playing music or join the student newspaper?” Problem is, these questions are only answered in the context of who you are as a person.

If you’re interested in music then getting involved in your school band or writing your own lyrics is what you should do. If you want to be a writer, or work in public relations you should write. If you want to be a nurse, volunteering at the local hospital is where you should be. Engineer? Join a robotics club or participate in a competition. Criminal justice? Talk to the local police department about a ride-along program or join the Young Explorer’s Club.

In other words, the best extracurricular activities you choose will:

– Be something you VALUE

– Be something in which you have a true INTEREST

– Be something that relates to your PERSONALITY

– Be something that allows you to show off your SKILLS

Your values, interests, personality and skills make up what I call your VIPS. And these VIPS should help you develop and sustain your brand as a person. And it’s your brand that will stand out to college admission counselors as they review your application and ask the fundamental question, “Who is this applicant?”

Keep in mind that admission counselors are reviewing thousands of applications. That’s a lot of writers, music lovers, and future engineers. But by investing your time in activities that relate to your major and which are supported by your VIPS, you’ve taken an important step in making the most of your college application.

And that’s an important factor in this process. You have to really think about what you are going to do with your applications, how you are going to make the most of the opportunities presented to you and what you want admission counselors to know about you.

If you can get behind that idea, very good things can happen.

If you have any questions about extracurricular activities, branding or VIPS, please use the comment section below.

You can also email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com for help with any aspect of your college search and application process.

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Eric Apr 23, 2013 , , , , , , No Comments