College Advising

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Worried About College Costs? Look For Merit Aid

Dobler College ConsultingLast week I talked about several things any family can do to help themselves as they attempt to navigate the college admissions journey.

Here’s the post in case you missed it.

Since that post, I’ve heard from a few families and, inevitably, what they are most concerned with is college costs and how to pay for them. One mom in particular asked about what private scholarships to apply for and when to start looking. It was a great question, not because I think there are a ton of difference-making scholarships out there for her daughter, (or for any student, to be honest) but because it paints the picture of misinformation that parents are operating under.

You see, while you can invest time in searching for private scholarships, the likelihood that your son or daughter is actually going to win enough money to make a difference is slim. Your chances are better if you start searching for local scholarships first but, ultimately, your time would be better off spent looking for colleges where your son or daughter would qualify for merit aid.

Merit aid is the “free” money – grants, scholarships and discounts – that a college awards to an admitted student without regard to their financial need. Merit aid is often renewable money while private scholarships are typically one year awards and, the more competitive a student’s grades and test scores are, the more merit aid they can qualify for.

Knowing that private colleges, as a whole, discount about 50%, a competitive student admitted to a college that charges $40,000 for tuition and fees (room and board is extra) could expect to receive upwards of $20,000 in merit money. By competitive, I’m talking about students whose grades and test scores fall into the top 25% of who a college admits. You can rather easily find this information by looking up a school on the College Board’s Big Future website and then plugging in your grades and SAT scores under the Applying tab.

Considering that the average private scholarship is less than $3,000, don’t you think it makes more sense to look for merit money?

Me too.

Want some help navigating the college admissions journey? Give me a call now at 203.525.4096 or email me at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com to schedule a FREE consultation to discuss your college counseling needs.

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Eric Jun 15, 2013 , , , , , , , , No Comments
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How To Survive The College Application Process

Dobler College ConsultingWhenever I meet with new families, the one thing I try to reassure them about is that they can and will survive the college application process. They don’t always believe me at first but as I work with their son or daughter and the pieces begin falling in place, the doubts start to melt away and a funny thing happens. They actually start enjoying the process.

And you should enjoy this process. You won’t enjoy all of it, but the college search and application process can be a lot of fun if you do your homework, stay organized and remember that your son or daughter will get accepted to a college somewhere.

Having said that, here are several suggestions to help you along the way:

1. Utilize ALL Available Resources

Start with the college’s website and learn everything you can about admission requirements, application dates, costs and special attributes. Then check out reviews on sites like Unigo and College Prowler. If the college is visiting your school or attending a local college fair, go and meet them so you can ask questions and potentially meet the person who may be reviewing your application. If your high school hosts a financial aid night, you should be there. Turn over every rock!

2. Make The Most Of Your High School Courses

How well a student has done academically is the single most important factor in gaining admission. Studies done by NACAC have supported it year after year. Students need to max out their coursework in high school by taking the most challenging course load they can handle and then doing well in those classes.

3. Know What You Want

Choose a school because you like it, not because your friend likes it or because your Uncle Harry thinks you should go there. Understanding your VIPS and defining what you are looking for is critical to identifying the right schools for you. Once you know more about what you want and what schools look for in their applicants, you should be able to develop a list that meets your priorities, gives you a great chance of being admitted and also receiving some money.

4. Look Beyond The Price Tag

Don’t assume a school is out of reach, financially, until you have used their net price calculator and thoroughly reviewed how much they discount tuition. The average tuition discount at private schools is now just over 50%.

5. Make Your Essay Shine

Your essay is your chance to get beyond mere grades and test scores and put YOU and why you matter into the admissions equation. Be willing to devote the time and effort that is necessary – writing is a process.

6. Pay Attention To Details

Double check everything on your application to ensure you answered all the questions thoroughly and have accurately reflected YOU on the application. Also meet all deadlines. In fact, be early just in case you do miss something. There is nothing fun about running up against the midnight deadline to submit your application and then losing power to a freak storm.

7. Manage Your Time Well

That last point in #6 is so important I’m going to mention it again. Plan ahead and get things done EARLY. This is critical to your application and all the supporting materials especially in how you manage your time with your essay and securing your recommendations.

8. Get Them On Your Side

Don’t be afraid to contact the admissions counselor for your area for information or for an interview if you really want to go to a school but are worried about your chances. I’ve honored requests for interviews time and time again because the student wanted to talk about their interest and what he or she could do to improve their chances of gaining admission. In fact, some schools track how many times you contact them and show interest in their school. In some cases, it may affect the outcome of your application.

Want some help navigating the college admissions journey? Give me a call today at 203.525.4096 or email me at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com to schedule a FREE 60-minute consultation to discuss your college counseling needs.

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Eric Jun 10, 2013 , , , , , , , , , , , , No Comments
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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