College Admissions

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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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Great Expectations? Let’s Just Start With Appropriate Ones First

Dobler College ConsultingLast week I talked about how some of you, as high school seniors, are trying to make your final decision on where you will enroll for the fall. It’s definitely not an easy decision to make, especially when there are probably several people chiming in with opinions. If you missed the post, check it out here.

This week, I want to talk about a decision that those of you are high school juniors are trying to make: what you will major in.

While some of the students I work with have been locked into a major for some time, I have others who are struggling with the decision. The reasons for the indecision are numerous but I would bet that you would recognize one or more of these:

“I’m afraid of picking the wrong thing. What if I go somewhere for one major and find out I really wanted something else and that school doesn’t have it?”

“I really love music, but I just don’t know if I can do anything with it in my life.”

“It’s hard. I have a lot of interests and what ends up happening is that whatever I am most into at the moment is what I think I want to do. But then something else comes along, and I want to change my mind. I just like so many things.”

Sound familiar?

If any of these stances do, my best advice to you right now is to relax. That’s right. Just relax.

First of all, it’s April of your junior year. It’s too early to be worried about a major right now when you should really be focused on doing well in your fourth quarter.

Secondly, unless you are interested in a pre-professional program like engineering, accounting, or nursing, your major may not even matter.

There. I said it. Let me say it again: Your major may not even matter.

Notice I said “may” and not “will.” Sometimes it will matter and I wrote a piece about this very idea last year. But, for the most part, it won’t matter.

What will matter is connecting with your professors and helping them get to know you so that they can introduce you to people or opportunities where you will develop professional skills.

What will matter is completing an internship or five of them. Experience is EVERYTHING.

What will matter is working hard, not just to acquire knowledge for a test but to become the owner of that knowledge for a lifetime.

What will matter is joining clubs and organizations and learning how to network with your peers and other professionals. Someday, you may work with some of them. Someday, some of them may work for you.

Now, this is not to say that you should just blindly begin your college search and application process with total disregard to a major. But it is to say that you shouldn’t set such great expectations for yourself. So, don’t worry too much about what you think your major is or even what it should be right now. Instead, spend some time figuring out what your VIPS are and then let them help inform your journey.

If you have any thoughts on picking a major or setting (un)realistic expectations, please use the comment section below. If you want some help figuring out your VIPS and what they mean for you, email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com or call me at 203.525.4096.

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Eric Apr 08, 2013 , , , , No Comments
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When Choosing Your College Isn’t Easy

Dobler College Consulting's College Admissions WorkshopsMaking decisions is a funny thing. If you’re like me and big decisions are something you would rather put off sometimes, this time of year can be tough if not completely agonizing.

The national commitment deadline of May 1st is just four weeks away. By now you have your acceptances and financial aid awards in hand and are trying to decide where you will spend the next four years. If there is a clear cut choice, good for you! If not, here’s some ideas for you to consider as you try to decide:

1. Think about why you applied to these colleges in the first place. What was it about each college that you were drawn to and are these reasons really in line with your VIPS? If you don’t know what your VIPS  are, take a step back and figure those out first.

2. Majors. Some colleges may have admitted you directly to your major while others may have admitted you as an undeclared student. You will want to consider this point carefully if your goal is to major in a highly competitive and technical field. Sometimes the road to such a major isn’t a big deal while other times it can be incredibly difficult and frustrating. Just ask any student who was not admitted to a nursing program.

3. How much is college going to cost you? You really need to take a good, hard look at your financial aid awards so that you fully understand how much money the college is giving you and how much you are taking out in loans. Then project out that loan amount over four years and use an online loan repayment calculator to figure out what your monthly payments will be. These are REAL numbers. If they feel good, that should make your decision a lot easier. If they hurt, you need to pay attention to that pain.

At the end of the day, you need to choose the college that you feel is best for you. Sure, talk to your parents and friends about your decision, even listen to their advice. But, make the choice that works for you.  This is your college experience, not anyone else’s.

And keep in mind that, no matter where you go, your success is dependent on you.

If you go to class and work hard, initiate relationships with your professors, complete several internships and fully invest yourself in all the opportunities that college has to offer, you will find success in college and in your life.

If you have any questions about VIPS, comparing financial aid awards or just choosing the right college for you, 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 04, 2013 , , , , 2 Comments
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How To Make The Most Of A College Visit

Dobler College Consulting

Note: I will be conducting a free college admissions workshop titled, “Navigating The College Admissions Journey” on February 26th. Please scroll to the bottom of this post to learn more.

Last week I gave you 8 great questions to ask on a college visit. As we inch closer to March and more moderate weather a lot of you will be visiting colleges. And you should. This is a great time of year to visit. But you also need to make sure you are making the most of these visits.

Typically, colleges will have you sit in on an information session where you will hear from an admission counselor and possibly a current student or two before you go out on an hour to hour and a half long tour.

You will learn a lot about the school but you want to get beyond the basic facts so that you really get a feel for the campus, the people who teach and work there and the students who go there.

And here’s how you do it:

1. Sit in on a class in your major

This is a great way to get a feel for the academic quality of the school. Obviously one class is not going to tell you everything, but it should tell you some things. If you can shadow a student in your major for a day and actually attend a few classes and meet some other students, that would be even better!

2. Meet with a faculty member

If there’s one thing faculty like to do, its talk about what they teach. Their lives revolve around their work and if you are very decided with your major and want to know more about what you can expect from this school, scheduling a meeting with a faculty member who teaches in your major is a great way to go.

3. Attend a game or event

Check the college’s schedule ahead of time and see if there is anything going on when you will be visiting such as a basketball game, a visiting comedian or even a guest lecturer. This is a great way to get a feel for just how into their school the student body really is. If you find that there really isn’t a whole lot going on, that should tell you something about life outside the classroom.

4. Have lunch in the cafeteria

Leave yourself some time to have lunch in the cafeteria or even the student center. Let’s be honest, food is important and you want to get a feel for the quality of it. But this is also a great way to sit back and people watch. Can’t make it for lunch? Breakfast or dinner will also work.

5. Stay overnight

Some colleges will have formal overnight programs and others will not. You should always ask because if there’s a chance you can spend a day and then stay overnight in a residence hall with some current students, you will learn so much about the school.

If you’re interested in doing any of these items, especially the ones that need to be arranged, make sure you call and ask several weeks ahead of when you plan to visit. If you just show up at a college and expect them to get you into a class or into a meeting with a faculty member on the spot, it’s not going to happen.

If you have any questions you would like to ask, 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.

 

Learn More at Dobler College Consulting’s College Admissions Workshop

I will be hosting a free workshop titled, “Navigating The College Admissions Journey” this Tuesday, February 26th at the Huntington Branch Library in Shelton, CT. For more information or to reserve your seat, head over to my Events page.

The workshop shares strategies to help your son or daughter navigate the college admissions process while eliminating mistakes that tend to reduce their chances of admission. Topics include college lists, online resources, essays, interviews, campus visits and what you need to know about making college more affordable.

All workshop participants will receive information handouts and will be eligible for special discounts off private college counseling services.

Don’t live in or near Shelton? You can easily get in touch with me to set up a free 60-minute consultation to help address your pressing college admissions-related questions and issues.

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Eric Feb 24, 2013 , , , , , , , No Comments
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8 Great Questions To Ask On A College Visit

Dobler College ConsultingNote: I will be conducting a free college admissions workshop titled, “Navigating The College Admissions Journey” on February 26th. Please scroll to the bottom of this post to learn more.

 

With the long weekend upon us and a need for a change in scenery after 30+ inches of snow last week, I decided to visit some colleges. On Friday, I drove up to the Boston area and spent the day at two excellent business schools: Bentley and Babson.

While the tour guides at each school did a great job sharing information and talking about their classes and overall experience, I was really surprised that the students and families visiting had very few, if any, questions to ask. And it wasn’t for lack of opportunity either. The tour guides at both schools repeatedly invited questions but, for the most part, were met with silence.

So, I thought I would use today’s post to give you some inspiration for things you want to know more about when you are visiting a college campus:

1. Can a student in (insert your major here) graduate in four years but still complete internships and/or study abroad?

If a four year program becomes a five year program due to experiential opportunities being added in, you need to decide if the additional cost and time are worth it.

2. What’s it like to study (insert your major here) at this college?

This is a variation of the “Do you have my major?” question, but it is likely to yield a more informative answer since it asks the tour guide or admissions counselor to qualify what your four years will feel like.

3. What is the percentage of courses that close early or require signing up for a waiting list?

You want to know how the college departments handle this issue and if it prevents students from graduating on time.

4. What is the percentage of students who find work in their academic area within six months of graduating?

Four to five years of college should lead to something productive afterwards – knowing how many students in your field are finding something relevant and how quickly is worth knowing.

5. What kinds of career-related services does the school provide?

Some schools have departments specifically dedicated to career-related services that start working with students as early as freshman year. At others, the services may be minimal and not well publicized. How much career-related support the school offers matters.

6. As far as experiential learning goes, how early can students start doing internships and/or co-ops? 

While a college education is earned through time in the classroom, success after college is mostly earned through experience and the mastery of skills and abilities. In today’s economy, completing one internship is an absolute must. Completing several is even better. To do that, you have to start early. Will the college support that?

7. How is the college trying to improve itself?

Seeing active construction or a new building obviously speaks to the physical upgrading and expansion of a campus. However, improvement is not always a physical thing. How is the university or college working to improve the quality of its teaching and its services? 

8. What types of support services are offered for academics?

What is the support system on campus? Who are the advisors and what is the advising structure? Counseling? Is there a peer mentoring program or even a faculty/staff mentoring program? Is there a freshman year experience program and, if so, how is it run?

At the end of the day, tour guides are going to share with you what the colleges want them to share. Do yourself a favor by asking questions that get beyond the basics. Ask questions that affect you personally and that will help you qualify whether or not this school is the right one for you.

These are only suggestions to help you get thinking about what’s important to you, but if you have any questions you like to ask, 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.

Learn More at Dobler College Consulting’s College Admissions Workshop

I will be hosting a free workshop titled, “Navigating The College Admissions Journey” on February 26th at the Huntington Branch Library in Shelton, CT. For more information or to reserve your seat, head over to my Events page.

The workshop shares strategies to help your son or daughter navigate the college admissions process while eliminating mistakes that tend to reduce their chances of admission. Topics include college lists, online resources, essays, interviews, campus visits and what you need to know about making college more affordable.

All workshop participants will receive information handouts and will be eligible for special discounts off private college counseling services.

Don’t live in or near Shelton? You can easily get in touch with me to set up a free 60-minute consultation to help address your pressing college admissions-related questions and issues.

Read More
Eric Feb 17, 2013 , , , , , , , No Comments