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Applications, Blog, Branding, College Admissions, Essays

Finding The Right Fit

This fall, I’m doing something different with my blog to spice it up a bit. I’ve invited several admission counselors from around the country to contribute posts about topics they feel high school students and their families should be paying more attention to as they go through the college search and application process. As much as I like to share tips and advice, why not get it straight from the horse’s mouth?

Today’s post is the second in this series and it’s by Grant De Roo, Associate Director of Admissions from Elon University in Elon, North Carolina:

As much as it pains me to make this comparison, the college search and application process can, at times, feel like speed-dating. You spend a relatively small amount of time with each prospect (college/university) in the hopes of getting to know a school’s “personality” and ultimately find a match (the “right fit”). It’s an embarrassing parallel, I know, but it highlights an important concept in the college search process: each college or university does indeed have its own personality, its own quirks and traits, the collection of which gives you a better idea of whether or not this particular institution is a good fit for you.

As such, it’s important to construct an application for a particular college or university that reflects that personality and suggests that you would be a good fit for the school. Fortunately, the application for any college or university provides ample opportunity for an applicant to do so. Certain extracurricular commitments are going to be better suited to certain schools’ personalities than others. Schools with a specific emphasis on community service (e.g. Jesuit schools) might look more closely at service completed throughout high school while other schools that place particular value on leadership roles such as my own institution, Elon University, might pay more attention to the leadership roles that you have taken on within your organizations. All this is to say that in much the same way that a resume and cover letter can (and should) be tailored to meet the needs of a particular job, so too should an application be designed to reflect the values or distinguishing characteristics of a college. And there is perhaps no better platform for you to tailor your application for a college’s personality than the essay you write for the application.

Even in the age of centralized application systems such as the Common App and the Universal College App, a school’s essays (or supplemental essays) provide applicants with the opportunity to show through their own words why they would be a good fit at a given college or university. It’s important because every college wants to enroll students who will fit well within the culture of the institution. And establishing “good fit” does not mean conforming to the personality of the institution – rather, it means that you genuinely feel like you belong there. When that happens, you’re more likely to be successful; something each college wants to ensure.

So as you set out to submit your applications – whether it’s 1 or 12 – I encourage you to design your application and your essay to reflect the individuality and the personality of the school(s) to which you’re applying. It will help you create a more competitive application and will give you a better chance of finding that golden ideal in the college search process: the right fit.

Grant De Roo is an Associate Director of Admissions at Elon University. A native of Exeter, New Hampshire, he now works for his alma mater and works with students applying to Elon from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

If you want some help and guidance on your college search and application process, contact me today to set up an appointment for a free 60-minute consultation. Here’s what other families like yours are saying about how Dobler College Consulting made a difference for them.

Eric Oct 13, 2014 Branding, College Admissions, College Advising, College Applications, College Counselor, College Lists, Dobler College Consulting, Elon University, Eric Dobler, Essays No Comments

Blog, Financial Aid

The CSS/PROFILE: The “Other” Financial Aid Application

The CSS/PROFILE went live on October 1^stofficially kicking off the start to the financial aid season. Ironically enough, many families don’t even know the CSS/PROFILE exists.

It does and here’s what you need to know about it:

1. While every college requires a student to file a FAFSA to qualify to federal need-based aid, over 200 mostly private colleges require students to complete the CSS/PROFILE as well for consideration of scholarships.

2. Here in Connecticut that list includes: Connecticut College, Fairfield University, Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University, Trinity College, University of New Haven, Wesleyan University, and Yale University.

3. While the FAFSA is a free application, the CSS/Profile is not. The initial application is $25 and then each subsequent submission costs $16.

4. Unlike the FAFSA, a family’s home equity is taken into account as an available asset.

5. If a family owns a business, 100% of its equity will be assessed.

6. Assets held in the names of siblings will be considered parental assets and assessed as such increasing the parents’ EFC.

7. Only untaxed social security benefits for the student will be excluded whereas benefits for the parent will not be excluded.

8. Pre-tax contributions to flex-plans for healthcare and dependent care are assessed as untaxed income.

9. Schools have their own deadlines for when the CSS/PROFILE should be filed and these dates can range from as early as sometime in November for Early Decision or Early Action applicants to as late as February for students applying Regular Decision. When in doubt, families should always check the school’s website or call the financial aid office to verify deadlines.

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into the CSS/PROFILE. It’s costly, it’s invasive and it’s just another hurdle standing in the way for many students and their parents.

If you would like some assistance filing the CSS/PROFILE as well as the FAFSA, contact me today. Like an accountant would with your taxes, I can help you gather the documents you need, assist you in the filing of both applications and then also help you with appeals should the need arise.

Here’s what other families like yours are saying about how Dobler College Consulting made a difference for them.

Eric Oct 03, 2014 College Admissions, College Advising, College Board, College Costs, College Counselor, CSS/Profile, Dobler College Consulting, EFC, Eric Dobler, FAFSA, Financial Aid, how to pay for college, Paying For College No Comments

Blog, College Admissions, College Lists, Making The Most Of College

How A Diverse Campus Makes A Difference

Today’s post is the first in this series and it’s by Seth Babson Warner, an admissions counselor from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana:

Growing up in a homogeneous, Connecticut suburb, I didn’t understand why colleges touted their diversity. What makes that important? I hadn’t experienced much, and didn’t know what I was missing.

But at some level, I knew it was a good thing. During my third week of college, my soon-to-be best friend and I were discussing admissions. I said that “getting in” should be about scores and grades alone. He pointed out that this would mean a much less diverse student body. “So what?” I asked.

“Would you prefer a class entirely of white, upper-middle class kids with a 700 on their SAT Math, or a diverse class that averaged 690?”

He had me there. At least at some level, to some degree, I already knew that diversity added meaning to the college experience. I just didn’t know how.

Diversity works in two ways to make an experience meaningful. First, there needs to be a discussion. It’s hard enough to get people of different races, classes, and sexualities in the same room. But deliberately engaging those differences can be even tougher. Conflicting perspectives often ask one side or the other to make a sacrifice, which means students must challenge themselves to negotiate.

This brings us to the second step: resolution. You can’t gain from other perspectives if you just disagree and walk away. Even if you don’t see eye-to-eye, it’s necessary to acknowledge others’ perspectives, and incorporate them into your understanding of the world. That’s where diversity changes lives. You become wiser because you better understand others—an invaluable skill whether you’re a CEO, a baseball coach, or in the case of one Earlham student, a magazine publisher.

So, what should prospective students look for? As we mentioned, it’s not enough to have different types of people. You need to have the discussion, too.

I always advise students to find a school that is diverse and cohesive. It’s easy to be one of those two: cohesive because everyone’s alike, or diverse yet divided. Doing both is much harder, but a school that manages it is one where a big, meaningful learning experience is possible.

That was a large reason I chose to work at Earlham College and why many of our students come here. No school is perfect, of course, but Earlham does a good job with diversity and cohesiveness.

On one hand, U.S. News and World Report ranks us 5^th for the largest percentage of international students in the country, and one-fifth of our students are non-white Americans. And in recent months, at least one publication ranked Earlham 13^th nationally for the percentage of students who study abroad, fulfilling a mission of the College for our students to learn about the world experientially.

On the other, our Quaker roots encourage us to see the “teacher within” one another and to address and build consensus on “touchy” issues as much as possible.

In your college search, all the basic rules apply. Visit campus, take advantage of an overnight, and talk to current students when you can. But think about diversity. Depending on where you’re from, it might not be something you consider, but diversity can change and bring remarkable meaning to your college experience.

Seth Babson Warner is an admissions counselor at Earlham College, a member of Colleges That Change Lives. He is a Connecticut native who loves numbers and Mets baseball. You can follow him on Twitter @SW_ECAdmissions.

Eric Sep 15, 2014 College Admissions, College Advising, College Applications, College Lists, diversity, Dobler College Consulting, Earlham College, Eric Dobler, Making The Most Of College No Comments

Applications, Blog, College Admissions, Demonstrated Interest

Understanding Single Choice Early Action

Back in June I wrote a post about the difference between Early Decision and Early Action to help families and students better understand their options in the early admission game. Recently, Michael Nardi, a government relations, economic development & public policy consultant, commented that Early Action comes in a few forms which have ramifications for students considering early applications to other schools.

And he’s absolutely right.

Some schools practice what is called Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) otherwise known as Restrictive Early Action (REA).

Let’s take a look at two of the more popular schools in the Boston area, Harvard and Boston College, to understand what all of this means.

1. If a school offers SCEA or REA, neither is a binding decision meaning that if a student is admitted, he or she can still wait to hear on their other applications before making a decision prior to May 1^st.

2. Students need to pay close attention to the fine print in regards to Early Decision (ED) applications. Harvard’s SCEA policy says that while students cannot apply anywhere ED, they can apply in the second round of ED applications known as ED II if, and only if, the application due date is January 1^st or later. Boston College, on the other hand will not allow a student to apply ED or ED II period.

3. Early Action applications to other schools are also affected. At Harvard, students cannot apply to any other private colleges EA but may apply to public colleges while Boston College applicants can still apply EA to both.

4. Students cannot apply using SCEA at more than one school. Both Harvard and Boston College adhere to this rule.

5. Students are allowed to apply to any other college, private or public, through Rolling Admission or Regular Decision at both Harvard and Boston College.

So why do these colleges use these restrictive policies?

Colleges admit students with the hope that the student will ultimately accept the offer and enroll there. Of all the ways to demonstrate interest, applying SCEA is one the most definitive ways to show a school they are your top choice. If you are admitted through SCEA you can still consider other offers, but you’ve given up a lot of other early admission opportunities to do so and you have sent a pretty clear message that you are likely to enroll if admitted. And students who are likely to enroll at a college are extremely valuable to admission counselors.

At the end of the day, if you have your heart set on attending Harvard, Boston College, or one of the other schools who offer a form of SCEA like Princeton, Georgetown, Yale, Notre Dame or Stanford, then applying early is most likely a good choice. Of course, you need to make sure that you are a strong candidate to begin with and that your application is flawless and ready to go by November 1^st.

Eric Aug 29, 2014 College Admissions, College Advising, College Applications, demonstrated interest, Dobler College Consulting, Early Action, Early Decision, Eric Dobler No Comments

Blog, College Admissions, College Lists

Why Graduation Rates Should Matter To You

As I work with students on finalizing college lists, I teach them to look for factors that will help them identify the ones who are truly great fits.

One of those factors is graduation rates.

If a school’s graduation rates are low, let’s say less than 50%, that means that every other student isn’t graduating on time.

Of course, that would be the case if graduation rates were actually based on four years. You might be surprised to find out that when you see graduation rates quoted, what you are actually seeing is the percentage of students who graduate in six years, not four. If you can find the four year graduation rate, you will find that it’s even less than the six year rate.

You can read more about the historical context of graduation rates on the Chronicle of Higher Education’s College Completion website.

Ultimately, you have to pay close attention to these numbers. If a school is doing a poor job of graduating students in four years, a student could end up in a very costly situation.

So, look the numbers up and then ask admission counselors about them when you visit or meet them at a college fair. Find out what’s affecting graduation rates and decide for yourself if the reason for the lower rates is concerning. For example, some schools have lower four year graduation rates due to co-op programs. These programs, which are popular at schools like Northeastern University, Kettering University and Rochester Institute of Technology, require a student to mix in long-term, paid experiential opportunities which almost always push a student into a fifth year.

For some students, that’s a good reason to be in school for five years. Especially, if they really maximize the opportunity a co-op presents them to develop their resume and professional network if not land their first real job.

For other students, who haven’t done their homework and don’t know what they’re getting into, it could simply mean more student loan debt.

If you want some help and guidance on your college search and application process, especially help with identifying the right colleges for you, contact me today to set up an appointment for a free 60-minute consultation.

Here’s what other families like yours are saying about how Dobler College Consulting made a difference for them.

Eric Aug 05, 2014 College Admissions, College Advising, College Lists, Dobler College Consulting, Eric Dobler, Experiential Learning, Making The Most Of College, Paying For College No Comments