The world we now live in is resoundingly different than the world we grew up in. Applying to college has become the norm and parents and students take it seriously. The competition to get into college can be overwhelming at times for both parents and students.
Parenting has changed
In the 50’s, our parents let us have the run of the neighborhood. We rode our bikes everywhere, walked home from school alone, and rode the bus to the movies alone. In the summer, we left the house early in the morning and returned home in time for dinner. Our teachers terrified us and we knew if we misbehaved, our parents would back them up. There were no car seats or safety belts. You would never find anti-bacterial soap or even consider using it. When we turned 18, we either went to college or got a full-time job and moved out of the house.
began to change. Because of Adam Walsh, we watched our kids like a hawk. We weren’t quite ready to take away their freedom, but we worried. We worried about where they were, who they were with, and what dangers they might encounter when they were at school, outside, and at the mall. Parents began to question a teacher’s authority and loosened the grip on the discipline of their children. Spanking became taboo and “time out” emerged as a parenting technique.
At the beginning of the 21st century helicopter parenting emerged. It’s not like we planned for it to happen. It just did. We sheltered our children from any disappointment. Everyone on the team got a trophy. There were no winners or losers. We questioned all school authority. We would never consider letting them walk home alone or play outside without supervision. If they forgot their lunch, we took it to them. If they left their homework at home, we took it to school. We began to make every decision for them and protect them from every consequence. We began to feel the “parent peer pressure” for our children to be the best and the greatest. If they graduated from college and couldn’t find a job, they came home to live and thus the term “boomerang” generation was born.
How do you walk the tightrope of helicopter parenting?
How do we raise our children in this frightening world without overprotecting them from the disappointments and trials of life? What are the long-term risks of helicopter parenting?
Combine a little of the 50’s parenting, some of the 80’s style of parenting, and a very small amount of the 21st century parenting for the perfect parenting balance. There’s a fine line between cautious parenting and being a helicopter mom.
Ask yourself this question–Do you want your children to be independent successful adults or do you want them living in your basement for years and years depending on you to pay their bills and take care of them? Is it conceivable they will be going off to college and surviving alone, or calling you every day crying for help, or needing assistance with every life task? Will they be running home because they simply can’t survive without you?
My guess–your answers to every one of these questions would be a resounding NO!
I’m not really a math geek, but I do like to look at the statistics. Statistics are more than just numbers on a page; they tell a story. College statistics can tell you a story about the college your son or daughter is applying to.
Even though applying to college is an emotional decision, it’s important for parents to help students look beyond the emotions. Students use factors like sports teams, campus appeal, Greek life and more. While these factors should help your student choose the right college, it’s also a good idea to factor in the numbers.
Two good sources for college statistics are College Navigator and College Data. These two resources will help you make an informed college choice. Numbers aren’t everything, but consider these seven important stats when you and your student are looking at schools:
1. Financial aid percentages
If your student needs financial aid to attend college, these statistics are important. How much aid a college awards to its students is reported and tabulated each year. If your student needs financial aid, a college with a low percentage of merit aid might be eliminated from your list. Use the figures to help you refine your list.
2. Acceptance rates
There are many fine colleges that give credence to hard work and commitment. College truly is for everyone. If your student is an average student, don’t despair. Look for the colleges that will recognize potential and see your child as a viable applicant. Look for colleges with high acceptance rates. Better yet, look for the colleges where your child would be a top applicant in the applicant pool. This translates into more merit aid in the financial aid package.
3. Student-to-professor ratio
If your student has trouble focusing in class, is intimidated by large crowds, and needs more personal instruction to be academically successful, a large state university might not be a good fit. There are plenty of small liberal arts colleges with great academic records and majors. When my daughter was choosing a college, our decision was highly dependent on this factor alone. Once we found colleges that had low professor-to-student ratios, we were able to look at other key factors in making the decision.
4. Freshman retention rate
As many as one in three first-year students don’t make it back for sophomore year. The reasons run the gamut from family problems and loneliness to academic struggles and a lack of money. If schools you’re considering have a low freshman retention rate, there’s a reason. Some colleges do a great job of taking care of their freshmen; some don’t.
5. Graduation rate
Did you know that graduation rates differ wildly? About 400,000 students drop out of college each year. When you research the college, look up their graduation rates. Low rates could be a red flag. Graduation rates don’t necessarily determine the quality of a degree. Yet students who start college but don’t finish are typically no better off professionally and financially than those who never even started, and in some cases, if they took on debt, might be worse off.
6. Average indebtedness
Even if students graduate, it’s no guarantee they will secure jobs; at least not one that will pay enough to cover too much student loan debt. If the average student indebtedness is high, and your student needs financial aid, this college might not make the final list.
7. Percentage of students employed after graduation
If your student graduates and can’t find a job, it’s going to be a tough road ahead. Colleges with a strong alumni network and active career centers will have a high percentage of employment after graduation. Colleges with a high percentage of unemployed graduates should be avoided by students who need to incur high student loan debt.
*Portions of this article were written for TeenLife.com
Due to the pandemic, the college admissions system has been forced to adapt.
Last year’s group of graduating high school seniors and soon-to-be college freshman, could not visit colleges due to the nationwide response of sheltering at home to flatten the curve.
In addition, students dealt with problems regarding standardized testing online causing many colleges to eliminate or pause standardized testing requirements. Students will have limited access to traditional extracurricular and volunteer opportunities. In addition, sports programs have been shortened or eliminated at many high schools.
Parents and students are wondering how all these changes will affect the college admissions environment and will it change what colleges expect from this year’s crop of future students.
To answer these questions, The Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common project coordinated with admissions leaders to detail what exactly should be considered in the application process during the school year ahead. After interviewing 315 college admissions professionals, they published a joint statement:
“As admission and enrollment leaders, we recognize that we and the institutions we represent send signals that can shape students’ priorities and experiences throughout high school. This collective statement seeks to clarify what we value in applicants during this time of COVID-19. We are keenly aware that students across the country and the world are experiencing many uncertainties and challenges. We primarily wish to underscore our commitment to equity and to encourage in students self-care, balance, meaningful learning, and care for others.”
These admissions leaders emphasized that students should communicate if and how the coronavirus pandemic has negatively impacted them, including if they have not had access to the internet or a quiet place to study or if they have had increased family responsibilities such as taking care of sick relatives, supervising younger siblings or working to provide family income.
To sum it up, they will value five aspects in the upcoming admissions year: self-care; academic work; service and contributions to others; family contributions; and extracurricular and summer activities.
Following are the specific explanations provided for parents and students from the college admissions professionals outlined in their statement:
Self-care.
Self-care is of high importance, especially in times of crisis. We recognize that many students, economically struggling and facing losses and hardships of countless kinds, are simply seeking to get by. We also recognize that this time is stressful and demanding for a wide range of students for many different reasons. We encourage all students to be gentle with themselves during this time.
Academic work.
Your academic engagement and work during this time matters to us, but given the circumstances of many families, we recognize that you may face obstacles to academic work. We will assess your academic achievements in the context of these obstacles. In addition, we will assess your academic achievements mainly based on your academic performance before and after this pandemic. No student will be disadvantaged because of a change in commitments or a change in plans because of this outbreak, their school’s decisions about transcripts, the absence of AP or IB tests, their lack of access to standardized tests (although many of the colleges represented here don’t require these tests), or their inability to visit campus. We will also view students in the context of the curriculum, academic resources, and supports available to them.
Service and contributions to others.
We value contributions to one’s communities for those who are in a position to provide these contributions. We recognize that while many students are not in this position because of stresses and demands, other students are looking for opportunities to be engaged and make a difference. This pandemic has created a huge array of needs, whether for tutoring, contact tracing, support for senior citizens, or assistance with food delivery. We view responding to these needs as one valuable way that students can spend their time during this pandemic.
We also value forms of contribution that are unrelated to this pandemic, such as working to register voters, protect the environment, combat racial injustice and inequities or stop online harassment among peers. Our interest is not in whether students created a new project or demonstrated leadership during this period. We, emphatically, do not seek to create a competitive public service “Olympics” in response to this pandemic. What matters to us is whether students’ contribution or service is authentic and meaningful to them and to others, whether that contribution is writing regular notes to frontline workers or checking in with neighbors who are isolated.
We will assess these contributions and service in the context of the obstacles students are facing. We also care about what students have learned from their contributions to others about themselves, their communities, and/or their country (Please see Turning the Tide for additional information about the kinds of contributions and service we value). No student will be disadvantaged during this time who is not in a position to provide these contributions. We will review these students for admissions in terms of other aspects of their applications.
Family contributions.
Far too often there is a misperception that high-profile, brief forms of service tend to “count” in admissions while family contributions—which are often deeper and more time-consuming and demanding—do not. Many students may be supervising younger siblings, for example, or caring for sick relatives or working to provide family income, and we recognize that these responsibilities may have increased during these times. We view substantial family contributions as very important, and we encourage students to report them in their applications. It will only positively impact the review of their application during this time.
Extracurricular and summer activities.
No student will be disadvantaged for not engaging in extracurricular activities. We also understand that many plans for summer have been impacted by this pandemic, and students will not be disadvantaged for lost possibilities for involvement. Potential internship opportunities, summer jobs, camp experiences, classes, and other types of meaningful engagement have been cancelled or altered. We have never had specific expectations for any one type of extracurricular activity or summer experience and realize that each student’s circumstances allow for different opportunities. We have always considered work or family responsibilities as valuable ways of spending one’s time, and this is especially true at this time.
Many college experts offer advice on how to get into college. They recommend stellar standardized test scores, a killer college essay, a high GPA, and strong extracurriculars. While all those application components are important, did you know that there an admissions secret students can use to increase their admission chances by 40 percent!
Students who visit a college before they apply, are up to 40 percent more likely to be admitted than students who do not visit or show demonstrated interest, the data says.
Why does demonstrated interest matter?
For colleges, it’s difficult to know which applicants are really interested in attending. Due to the ease of the Common Application, students can apply to multiple colleges at once. Students often believe that applying to more colleges will increase their chances of getting accepted.
When a college receives your application, admission officers look for ways to determine whether you will accept their offer of admission. Since all colleges have quotas to fill and determine their admission offers based on percentages of acceptance, showing interest lets them know you will likely accept their offer. As they see it, why offer admission to someone who isn’t interested when there is someone who is likely to accept?
How do you find the colleges that place a strong interest on this?
Which colleges want your student to show them some love? You don’t have to guess. You can use a tool like Collegedata.com to determine if a college uses demonstrated interest in its admission decision. The colleges are asked to rate 19 admission factors by using these four categories: very important, important, considered, and not considered. Each year, colleges are surveyed and this data is used to compile the information on its website.
To access the data, you simply search for the college, click on the Admissions tab, and scroll down to the Selection of Students heading. Then you can see the importance a college places on a student’s level of interest. Harvard, for example, lists this as “not considered.” In comparison, the United States Naval Academy, lists it as “very important.”
Every college is different so it’s important to check before applying to determine whether a college visit or another demonstration of interest is warranted.
To learn how your student can demonstrate interest for a college, read my article at TeenLife.com.
The college search
is easily stressful for both parents and students. The amount of knowledge a
parent needs to help their student navigate through college prep can be overwhelming.
From choosing the college, to deciding how to pay for it, to making the final
decision, it’s hard not to become stressed and frustrated.
Both my children
attended college but took different paths. One entered college straight out of
high school and the other after four years of military service. Even though the
college search for each of them was different, during their individual searches
I learned some valuable lessons.
Expand your search
beyond the usual perimeters
When you begin the
college search, you should cast a wide net. Many students limit themselves to
state colleges, colleges with prestigious names and even nearby schools. There
are over 4000 institutions of higher learning in the United States and even
more if you expand your search beyond our borders—Canada and even
internationally. Canadian colleges offer excellent educations and are often a
better financial fit than many U.S. colleges.
Moving outside your
comfort zone might help you and your student find a better fit. My daughter had
her heart set on a large university and while doing a college search, we
unearthed a small private college in the same city that was a better academic,
social and financial fit for her. Keep an open mind and don’t discount a
college simply because of name, location, or lack of notoriety.
Do the leg work
Do your research
before narrowing down the final college list. Look at statistics. They will
tell you so much about a college. You should compare graduation rates,
financial aid award percentages, freshman retention rates, admissions
acceptance rates and more. Make your choices based on your research statistics
and whether or not the college fits your student’s academic and social needs.
College visits for
you are fact-finding missions. College visits for your teen are highly
emotional. You can expect to hear words like “I’m just not feeling it”, “I won’t
get out of the car”, “I don’t like the look for the campus/buildings”, and
other irrational comments. Just remember that feelings are a part of the final
college choice. You can’t expect your student to make their new home at a
college they don’t like, for whatever reason.
I experienced this
with my daughter. She received an offer of admission and a full-ride
scholarship from a college we applied to but never visited. Based on the website,
location and academic offerings she felt it would be a good fit. When we
arrived on campus in early April for our first visit, she refused to get out of
the car. She didn’t like the look or the size of the campus. Of course, I was
completely frustrated with her, but she just instinctively knew it was not the
college for her. Looking back, even though it seemed emotional, she knew what
she wanted and ultimately chose the perfect college she felt was a good fit.
Organization is critical
You will be bombarded
with information during your college search. The key to keeping track of it all
and staying on top of all the deadlines is to stay organized. Your teen should
set up an email purely for college information and correspondence. Make it
official by using firstname_lastname @gmail.com. All college correspondence will
come to this address and your teen can set up folders to help organize it.
You should also
maintain a filing system for organizing paper. This might be anything from
college brochures to scholarship materials and applications, to keeping track
of accomplishments for the resume. Keep all college-related materials in one
place—a college landing zone.
Ask for help if
necessary
Some parents like me choose to work alone and guide their student through the college process, while others choose to hire a professional college consultant. Choose what is best for your family and its own financial resources. If you choose to work alone, there is a wealth of information online from blogs and social media. If you have a question, leave a post on a Facebook page, comment on a blog or DM someone on Twitter. Most professionals are happy to help with anything that might stump you.
You can also seek advice from your high school counselor, teachers or even college admissions staff. You don’t have to flounder around hoping you have the right information. Approach the college search with knowledge and determination and your student will succeed!
I just returned from a visit to New York City and am always
amazed by the college
opportunities available in such a small space. Manhattan is a mere 23
square miles and there are hundreds of colleges for any interest beckoning for
the adventurous student. From focused studies in film, acting, music and
fashion, to the traditional four-year college, Manhattan offers a wide variety
of secondary education choices.
Is your student craving for an urban experience at college?
If so, there are a few things to consider.
What is an urban
college environment like?
In New York City, the colleges have become part of the city
itself. They are mingled within the skyscrapers and citywide neighborhoods. In
other cities, the college is more self-contained in in their own little
neighborhoods. Since this type of environment can be overwhelming, especially
for students who come from small towns or rural areas. Don’t fool yourself into
thinking just because you want to escape the small-town mentality, that an
urban environment will be easy to navigate.
It takes some tenacity and fortitude to navigate the subway
system in New York, along with the millions of people who live on Manhattan.
The same is true for colleges in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and other large
metropolitan areas.
What are the benefits
of attending an urban college?
Urban colleges, like those in New York, offer a wide range of cultural off-campus experiences and a variety of entertainment like museums, concerts, plays and more. In addition, urban colleges offer students a larger pool of possible internship opportunities since many companies operate within these large cities. For instance, if your student is studying film, acting, fashion or music, a college on Manhattan will put them in close proximity to many opportunities to hon their craft and get advice from those currently working in these areas.
For example, in New York City, there is a restaurant called
Ellen’s Stardust Diner
that offers budding Broadway hopefuls the opportunity to perform each day live
in front of an audience of diners while earning wages as servers. In addition,
the establishment pays for additional acting, singing and dancing classes for
its employees. This year alone, 17 of its employees have joined Broadway
productions.
Is an urban college the right choice for your student?
Urban colleges are good environments for outgoing students
who have a spirit of adventure and who like to interact with people of
different cultures and backgrounds. There will always be something going on in
the city and it will be easy to access any activity that interests you.
It’s easy to get around an urban college because you will
have access to a large public transportation system. It likely won’t be
necessary to have a car while attending college because of the easy accessibility
of transportation.
If a certain city is a hot sport for your student’s chosen
career field, like Broadway theater is in New York, they might consider
attending a college within the city. It will be easier to do networking and
make connections while attending school.
Tomorrow, I will explore the advantages of attending a
suburban college. Stay tuned!
Have you ever heard someone say, “College is a waste of time and money”? Or, “There’s no way I could afford to go to college”? These are some common college myths that many people believe to be true. But the reality is that neither of these statements is true.
Following are some common myths about college, examining the
reality of each of them:
Myth #1: College is a waste of time and money.
College is only a waste of time and money if you waste your time
and your money. Choose the right college at the right price and you will recoup
your investment ten-fold. Choose the wrong college and incur a tremendous
amount of debt and the myth could become a reality. Waste your time drinking
and partying without devoting time to academics and that tuition money could
fly out the window.
Myth #2: There’s no way I could afford to go to college.
Many students and parents believe that financial aid is only for the extremely poor or highly gifted students. That’s simply not true. Everyone qualifies for some form of financial aid and there is an affordable college solution for everyone. Community college is an affordable option. Winning scholarships can decrease your college costs as well. Working during college can also help defer some of the costs. If college is your dream, there is a way to finance it.
Myth #3: The college with the lowest price is the most affordable.
This is not necessarily true. Colleges with high sticker prices
often give the most financial aid based on alumni contributions and generous
donors. After taking financial aid into consideration, a seemingly more
expensive college may be more affordable than one with a lower sticker price.
Myth #4: The only good degree comes from a 4-year college.
Nothing could be further from the truth. There are many satisfying
and good paying jobs that require 2-year or technical degrees. If those type of
careers interest you, then you should not discount that type of education.
Getting the degree you need for the career you want is more important than
graduating from a 4-year college.
Myth #5: Small colleges offer limited opportunities.
The size of a college isn’t enough to make a complete judgment. Small colleges and large universities all offer unique opportunities for the students who are looking for that perfect fit. The philosophy and vision of the college and its leadership is much more important that the size of the student body or campus.
Don’t believe everything people say about college. Do your own
research and evaluate using the information you gather. Separate the myths from
the realities.
Yesterday was National College Decision Day. It’s the day your student made the final college decision and locked in their future. Now it’s time to move forward.
Your student can start by completing these tasks before transitioning to college.
1. Send in your deposit and apply for college housing
First things first—by now you should have sent in your deposit to your final college choice and applied for dorm housing. The national decision deadline is May 1st and there are no exceptions or do-overs. If you are even one day late, you may forfeit your place in their freshman class.
2. If you have chosen to defer, complete the necessary paperwork
If you have already decided to defer, contact the college and make sure that is an option. Most colleges will allow students to defer their admission for a year if they ask. But you must ask. Be sure to ask if you need to sign an agreement or make a deposit to hold your spot for next year.
3. If you are taking a gap year, finalize plans.
Gap years are becoming more popular among students and many colleges are even encouraging them. Take time to plan your gap year and have a clear purpose in mind. Whether you choose to travel abroad, stay home and work, or explore careers, it’s a good idea to finalize those plans before graduation.
4. Attend “Accepted Students Day” and register for orientation.
If at all possible, attend the college’s accepted student day. Colleges encourage students to attend to familiarize themselves with the college, meet other students, and use this event to make their final decision. Later, after you have accepted an offer of admission, you should try to attend college orientation. Don’t forget to register for this important event.
5. Consider a summer college program.
Many colleges offer summer pre-college or community service programs. Investigate the college you will be attending and ask if there are any programs in your area of interest or your intended major. Colleges like Brown University offer a wide variety of programs from academics to adventure.
Choosing a college to go to can be difficult. If you make the wrong choice then this may have an impact on your education for the next few years of your life, but with a bit of research you can be sure to make the right decision.
Accreditation
It doesn’t matter what type of college you are looking to attend because you need to choose one that is accredited. There are various types of accreditation, and some of them include licenses and certificates too. It also helps to do some research as it will help you to understand where your chosen college excels. Quite often, the college will list any credentials they have on their site, so take note of them and then work out what each accreditation stands for. This way you can find out exactly what the college can offer you, and you can also get some valuable insight into how they work as well.
Reviews
One of the best ways for you to understand the quality of a school is to look up rankings and ratings. There are plenty of sites that have all of the information you need, and a lot of them are based on student experiences. You can find out more about a school’s culture, the faculties that are available and even the social life that people have on campus. Remember that going to college isn’t just about the educational facilities, it’s about the student experience too. If a college doesn’t show good reviews for a specific time period, that doesn’t mean that they haven’t turned things around since. Jerry Jellig for example, works with educational institutions to help them do this.
Academic Support
College can sometimes be a challenge, so it helps to know that you have some degree of academic support outside the classroom. Look up to see if your chosen college offers remedial courses in core subjects, and also find out if you have to pay for this.
Social
Do you like to meet up with new people? Or would you prefer more of a close-knit community? Either way, the environment of a school is very important. There is a high chance that you are going to be staying there for years, and you may even be living on or near campus too. A few years is a long time to be living in a community that does not suit your personality. Take the time to find out how many people attend your university, how far away you are from the social and entertainment facilities, and also see if there are any smaller areas around the college that you would rather stay at.
Extracurricular
Sports are often emphasised at college and this is great. If you’re not the sporting kind however then it helps to see if there are any other activities that you could take part in. Sometimes you need to unwind at the end of a long day, so if there are any particular extracurricular activities that you would like to take part in, or if there are any clubs that you would enjoy then take note when making your decision.
The National Center for Education Statistics requisitioned a study that followed the attainment and persistence rates of a nationally representative sample of 19,000 American students, following them over the past six years.
The report found that within six years of enrollment:
35
percent of students had not received any type of degree and were no longer
enrolled at any institution
46
percent of students who initially enrolled in two-year institutions did not
receive any type of degree and were no longer enrolled at any institution
50
percent of students who enrolled in a four-year college did not attain a degree
from that college
These statistics show that there is a significant amount of students who enter college and do not attain a degree. What can be done to assure that you don’t become one of those college dropout statistics?
1. Research
colleges and majors before applying—It’s just plain smart to do the
research and know why and where you want to go to college. Refine your list of
choices to include the colleges that offer the academic program that suits your
interests and the college setting and faculty that you feel most comfortable
with and could see yourself flourishing in that environment.
2. Study the
cost of attendance and know your financial aid options—Before you choose a
college, make sure you can pay for it and that you’re comfortable with repaying
any loans you secure to finance it. Verify that your scholarships will be
available for the course of your enrollment and what requirements need to be
met to keep them. Do some calculations that show you the true cost of
attendance using college cost calculators.
3. Find the “perfect fit” college—If you feel like you fit at the college you are attending, you will be more likely to stay and complete your degree. That perfect fit means that you want to be there AND the college values you and wants you there as well.
4. Be invested
in the process—If college is your goal, you need to be invested in the
process. Contribute to the education financially and you will be more likely to
stay invested and complete the process. Going just for the sake of going or
because you think it’s what you are supposed to do will not keep you there.
5. Be realistic
about obstacles and get help if necessary—College, like life, will have its
own set of obstacles. When you encounter them, get help. Seek advice from a
mentor or another student. Get tutoring if you find you’re struggling with your
classes. Speak with a professor if you need clarification or assistance on
projects. Use your RA (Resident Assistant) to help resolve roommate conflicts.
Before you make such a
large investment, the wise consumer will do the research and be realistic about
what is required to finance the education, while admitting that you will face
obstacles along the way.
