Campus Visits

If I could choose one piece of advice I could be sure students would follow, it would be to make sure to visit colleges you are interested in applying to.  Now this can be tricky, because I also advise students (especially in California) to look into out-of-state schools while building their college list, so I know the logistics can be difficult and the expenses not insignificant.  Even if you can't visit all the colleges on your list, though, try to make an effort at least to visit your top choices.

Of course, students these days are very savvy with the internet, and every college has information on their website; many even have virtual tours.  What you can't get from the internet, however, is the feel of the campus, the opportunity to see yourself in that setting and really imagine the experience of being there.  Campus tours also give tidbits of information which, while probably available on the website, might not necessarily be something you would find while browsing online.  For example, UC San Diego has the largest study abroad program in the UC system.  The University of Montana dining services runs a garden on campus and tries to source all or most of the food it uses locally.  The beautiful parklike campus of UC Irvine does not really come across in the pictures on their website. Whitworth University (in Spokane) has a program where students can take their professor to coffee (paid for by Associated Students) to help get to know them better.  Seniors at Whitman College (in Walla Walla, WA) get their own studio space to work on their senior project.  All of this information is probably available on the school websites, but I doubt I would have found it if I weren't specifically looking for it.  Many of these factors might be important for a student in choosing where they want to spend their undergraduate years.

Visiting campus usually gives you the opportunity to speak with an admissions officer as well.  For larger universities, this will generally be a large group presentation followed by Q&A; at smaller colleges it may be a more personal gathering, or even a 1-on-1 meeting.  In any case, this is an opportunity to find out what they are looking for in their applicants.  Knowing this can help you decide if the school is indeed a good fit for you, and if it is, it can help you make your application more competitive.

Finally, only an in-person campus tour gives you the opportunity to get a feel for the campus community.  A campus may look great on the internet, but when you get there, you just don't feel comfortable, or the students don't seem all that happy.  Alternatively, you might have a negative impression of a college for whatever reason, but once you get to campus and start talking to the students, your opinion changes.  Another great reason to do a campus visit is the opportunity to talk to current students.  Even if you can't arrange your visit at a time when school is open, most of the tour guides are students and you can ask them about the experience of going to school there.  Be sure to also ask why they chose that school.  I recently completed a tour of 10 colleges, and the students I spoke to who were the happiest almost all said their campus visit was a deciding factor in their choice of school: "Once I stepped on campus, I knew this was it."  So before you make your final decision on where you will spend the next 4 (or 5, or 6) years of your education, go visit - be sure it's a place you want to be.

SUMMER!!!!

Well, here we are at the end of another long year.  Summer is finally here, and the last thing most students want to think about is school.  For those students, I have a bit of advice: take a few weeks to relax and enjoy the freedom, but if you want to preserve some of that freedom and leisure later in life, spend some time this summer thinking about (and working towards) your college plans.

Before I jump in with suggestions on how to do that, let me re-iterate some arguments from my very first post on why you should give up some of your precious summer vacation time to explore college:

• College graduates, on average, earn about $20,000 more per year than students with only a high school diploma.  This is mostly due to a higher rate of pay (rather than working more hours), so you have to work less hours to maintain the standard of living you want => more free time.
• More importantly, you have more options for work - more possibilities available to you and possibly more variety in the places you can get a job => more freedom.

Furthermore, summer is a great time to explore some options because you probably have more time to look into different colleges (on the internet as well as through campus visits) without the stress of homework and tests to study for.  Of course, I am going to suggest you use some of this free time to prepare for the SAT or ACT, but that's different than studying for a chemistry midterm next week.

So, where do you go from here?  Below is my advice for how to spend your summer, year by year, to help minimize the stress of both students and parents (and your counselor!) when the time comes to apply to colleges:

FRESHMEN

If you've just finished your 9th grade year, congratulations!  Not only have you completed an important first step in your high school career, you're beginning to plan for your future.  This is an exciting time - you're in a place where almost infinite possibilities are in front of you.  Your biggest task is to start exploring those options and figuring out a direction for your life.  I don't expect you to decide exactly what you are going to do at this point, but a little direction is a good thing.  During this summer, I urge you to do the following:

• Create a "long list" of college choices.  This list should include any colleges and universities that look interesting to you.  This is like the pre-writing/brainstorming phase of writing a paper - anything goes.  Don't edit yourself.  Don't consider price, admission prospects, or anything besides "does this look like an interesting college?" You'll narrow your list down (way down) later; at this point you're just generating a list of possibilities
• Take some time to spy on yourself.  Notice what you like to do when you have a little free time.  When you're randomly surfing the web, what sorts of sites do you land on?  When you're flipping the channels on TV, where does it end up?  If you have a few minutes (or, now that it's summer, hours) with nothing to do, how do you fill it?  Noticing what you do when you don't have to is an excellent way to determine what your interests are.  Spend some time this summer exploring these interests.
• Try to find some work - either paid or volunteer.  If you're doing volunteer work, see the note above and notice what sorts of things you're inspired to volunteer for.  Make sure to take notes on  what hours and duties you have; your college and scholarship applications will ask for this information
• Begin working on figuring out how much college will cost and how you will meet those costs.  Most colleges have a net price calculator that will give you a general idea of the cost.  Go to Fafsa4caster.ed.gov to get an estimate of your family's expected contribution (what the government expects your family to pay before financial aid kicks in).

SOPHOMORES

You've just finished your 10th grade year and you're halfway through high school.  College admission time is coming closer and closer.  Your focus this summer should continue to be exploring your goals and aspirations, while starting to narrow down your college list (if you started one last year) and prepare for college admission tests.  In addition to the steps listed above for 9th graders, take some time this summer to do the following:

• Continue to add to your "long list" of colleges as you find new places of interest, but you might also start removing some that won't fit your long term goals.  How do you know?  Spend some time on the internet researching the schools on the list. 
• If you haven't already done so, explore some private as well as out of state schools.  Some students reject these out of hand based on financial considerations, but some private schools offer all aid in the form of grants (rather than loans), and some out of state schools participate in interstate tuition exchange programs and may be more affordable than you think (see my previous blog on the Western Undergraduate Exchange for more information).
• If you happen to be taking a trip near some of the colleges on your list - go visit!  Nothing will give you the feel of a college like being on campus.
• Get a job.  Paid or volunteer; either one will give you valuable experience, some good information to put on college and scholarship applications, and possibly some income.  Don't, however, volunteer simply to have something to put on your application - make sure to find something you care about and want to make a contribution to.  It's not just about the applications, your volunteer work should be personally fulfilling and make a contribution to your community.
• Prepare for college admission tests (SAT and/or ACT - if you don't know which to take, see my previous post on testing options).  A wealth of information can be found at collegeboard.org (for SAT) and actstudent.org (for ACT).  Plan to start taking these tests next year, and if you haven't already done so, ask your teacher or counselor if your school offers the PSAT or PLAN when you get back in the fall.

JUNIORS

Only one more year of high school to go!  In terms of college planning, you have the biggest job this summer.  Once fall rolls around, things will get busy with your final academic push of your high school career as well as college applications.  For your own benefit, please spend some time this summer on the following tasks:

• Narrow your long list down to 5-7 college you are planning to apply to.  I encourage you to put at least one private college and one out of state school on your list.  You should also have at least one school on the list you are fairly sure you will get into, along with one or more you consider a "stretch".
• Make a timeline of deadlines for admissions for the school you will be applying to and put these dates on your calendar.  This will make things much easier for you, your family, and your counselor once you get back into the craziness of school.  Once school starts, try to meet with your counselor and share this calendar with him or her.
• Start writing your admission essays, if required.
• Make a list of people you plan to ask for letters of recommendation, if you need them.  When school starts back up in the fall, ask them IMMEDIATELY, so they have time to think about it and write you a good letter.
• Get a job.  The advice I've given to the freshmen and sophomores applies to you as well - this could be either volunteer or paid.  
• Think about how you're going to pay for college.  For the schools on your short list, estimate the net cost of attendance and your expected family contribution (this can be done at fafsa4caster.ed.gov).  This is a really good time to begin planning how you are going to meet the financial demands of college.  Don't let the price of college scare you off though - remember the statistic above on earnings.  The total estimated cost of attendance at many public institutions is around $20,000 per year.  Chances are your cost will be a little less, as most students get some sort of financial aid.  Averaging an additional $20,000 per year in income, your education will pay for itself after a few years of working. 
• Decide if you need / want to take the SAT or ACT one more time.  If so, you'll want to do this early in your senior year so schools will receive your scores in time to consider them in their admissions decision.  If you will be taking the test, visit the college board website (for SAT - collegeboard.org) or the ACT website (actstudent.org) for resources to help you prepare.
• If possible, go visit the colleges on your short list.  Plan to attend an informational session with an admissions counselor as well as the general campus tour.
• Take a minute to congratulate yourself on the hard work you've done so far and experience the joy of the possibilities in front of you.

SENIORS

First of all, congratulations! You've graduated.  Take a moment to bask in the glory of your accomplishments.  Ok, now my advice for you depends on what you've done so far.  If you've followed the list of recommendations above and already been accepted to college, enjoy some time with your family and friends before you head out on your new adventure.  For those of you that don't have your plans laid out, consider the following:

• Some schools still have room for the fall.  To see where you could still apply for fall, check out the following space available list: NACAC Space Available List
• Consider starting at a community college.  California has an extensive community college system with some great schools and very affordable tuition.  Neighboring states have community colleges that participate in the Western Undergraduate Exchange Program, so you can attend at a reasonable cost.  Keep in mind, though, that if you are planning to attend a UC or CSU school, and if you take any community college classes after graduating high school, you will need to complete a full two years of lower division coursework before you can transfer.
• If you are planning to take a year off and apply to a 4-year school next admission cycle, think about what you are going to do with this year to improve your chances of admission.  Look into programs like Americorps that will give you valuable experience, contribute to your community, and provide some funding for your education in the future.

Wow, I think that's my longest post yet.  This is an exciting time for all of you, and I wish you the best of luck!  Finally, in spite of all the homework I've just given you, don't forget to enjoy your summer!

Expanding Your Options

Exploring your options; that's what the college search process is all about, right?  In terms of options, the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE) has some great news for students living in any of the states pictured above - over 100 schools in these states participate in the Western Undergraduate Exchange Program.  What that means for you is that you can study at any of these institutions at tuition rates significantly less than what you would normall pay as an out of state student.

Of course, as with many things, it's not quite that simple.  Not all public institutions in these states participate.  Some only participate on a limited basis (University of Oregon, for example, only takes very few WUE students, and currently doesn't accept WUE students from California).  Some institutions only accept WUE students to certain majors, so you have to look at the specifics for each school. 

If you look at the overall picture, however, there are approximately 150 schools that do participate, and most of them have few restrictions on WUE students.  Last year, approximately 29,000 students participated in this program, saving a combined total of about $223.8 million in tuition.  

At this point, you may be wondering what types of institutions participate in the WUE program.  Participating institutions include both 2-year and 4-year public colleges and universities, except in California and Hawaii, where community colleges do not participate.  Participating schools include:

• University of Alaska (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su, Sitka, and Southeast)
• Arizona State University
• University of Arizona
• California State University, Chico
• Colorado State University, Pueblo
• University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
• University of Hawaii, Hilo and Manoa
• University of Montana
• University of Nevada, Reno
• University of North Dakota
• Western Oregon University
• Southern Utah University
• Western Washington University
• University of Wyoming

and many, many more.  To give you an idea of how this works financially, let's take Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.

Normal out-of-state tuition: $16, 815

WUE tuition rate: $8,815

Including fees, housing, meals, books, etc; total estimated cost of attendance: $22, 793

Compare this to CSU Chico:

Tuition (CA resident): $6890

Total estimated cost of attendance: $23,444

In other words, for a California resident under the WUE program, the total cost of attending Western Washington (out of state) is about $700 less than attending CSU Chico (in state).

I'm not suggesting every California student rush to study at Western Washington University.  I am, however, encouraging you to expand your options, and not eliminate the possibility of out of state schools based solely on price.  

There is no centralized WUE application, students must ask for the WUE tuition reduction (sometimes referred to as a WUE scholarship) at each school they apply to.  For more information, visit the WICHE website: http://www.wiche.edu/wue.

Of course, I do realize I've just made the process of choosing a college that much more difficult by giving you about 150 more affordable options.  I'm OK with that.

The Price Is Right - Factors to consider in college costs

Like many students and their parents, you might find yourself facing an extreme case of sticker shock when you start looking at college costs.  For most people, cost will play some role in the final decision about where to go to college.  Before eliminating any particular options, however, keep the following in mind:

• The biggest single component in the cost of college is generally not tuition, but rather room and board.  If you are considering starting at a Community College to save money, keep in mind that unless you're living at home, this will probably at most save $6,000 per year over attending a CSU school
• Many private colleges have more generous financial aid packages than their public counterparts.  In fact, except at the most selective private schools, only a small percentage of students pay the full tuition.  Aid often comes in the form of both merit and need-based scholarships, and the cutoff for eligibility for the need-based scholarships may be higher than you think. In fact, many students at small private colleges end up paying just over half the stated tuition cost. An interesting take on this can be found in a recent article by CBS News.
• The total cost of attendance obviously will be greater if students take longer than 4 years to graduate.  At some highly impacted colleges, it may take more than 4 years to be able to take all the classes needed for graduation, especially if a student decides to change majors mid-way through their college program.

Here in California, we are fortunate to have an extensive public University system, as well as a large variety of community colleges and private institutions.  For the purpose of comparison, I've chosen one institution from each of the following systems: California Community College, California State University, University of California, and private colleges.

Institution                                           Tuition         Estimated Total Cost of Attendance    

                    

Sierra Nevada College (private)         $26, 945                                       $44, 600

UC Davis                                           $16, 800                                       $31, 119

CSU Chico                                         $  6,890                                       $23, 444

College of the Siskiyous                     $     810                                       $16, 732

Clearly, College of the Siskiyous is least expensive, and Sierra Nevada is most expensive, correct?  Well, it depends.  What types of grades are you getting?  At Sierra Nevada College, any student with a GPA of 3.75 or above qualifies for an automatic tuition reduction of $11,000, making the tuition $15, 945 - less than the tuition at UC Davis.  Smaller merit scholarships are available for students with a GPA of 3.0 or above.  Additional need-based assistance may also be available.

Another factor to consider - the estimated cost of room and board at all these colleges is about $11,000.  If you have a grandparent or other relative in Chico or Davis or Incline City (Nevada) who would provide room and board at a reduced cost, the total cost of attendance could be similar to or less than the cost of attending a community college where you have to pay full price for room and board.

Perhaps this post has been rambling a bit, so let me sum up my key points.  There are many factors in the cost of education.  While beginning your college career at a community college is certainly one way to save on the cost of your education, there are many other factors to consider.  If you can reduce housing costs at some 4-year institutions, the cost of attendance might not be much more than attending a community college away from home.  Furthermore, the total cost of attendance at a private school may be similar to or less than the same program at a public university, depending on the availability of scholarships and the time it takes to graduate.  

One final note - some schools (mostly private colleges) are now offering guaranteed graduation within 4 years if students sign an agreement to follow the school's guidelines for academic counseling. With average cost of attendance upwards of $20,000 per year, this could amount to huge savings.  Check out this article for more information.  Be sure to check the schools you are looking into to see if they offer this guarantee.

For most people, cost will inevitably be a large part of the final decision on where to attend college.  I urge you, however, not to eliminate choices based on cost without first exploring all your possible options.

A little Advance Planning Goes a Long Way

It may seem like a cliche, but it's true - a little planning can go a long way towards eliminating stress for yourself, your parents, your teacher and your counselor - all people who's help you're going to want when it's time to apply to colleges.  Over the last couple of months, I've fielded many frantic questions and requests from students who need something - a letter, a form, official transcripts, recommendations; and they need it yesterday.  I'm glad to say I was able to meet all those requests, but that might not always be the case.  I would hate to see a student not get into the college of his choice because he waited until the last minute to ask for something - and then couldn't get it in time.

So juniors, listen up!  This is the time for you to get all your ducks in a row, so to speak.  Major college application season in California is November of your senior year, and once school starts up in the fall, November will be here before you know it.  Sophomores and Freshmen - it's not too early for you to begin planning, either; you'll be that much closer to ready come junior year.  Read on for a step-by-step guide to what you should be thinking about now, to make next fall that much easier on all of us.

Juniors

Make sure you know what the admission requirements are for the schools you plan to apply to.  Taking a step back, make sure you know what schools you want to apply to.  If you haven't decided yet, now is the time.  Hopefully you've narrowed down your long list of colleges to between 3 and 8 you will apply to come fall.  Check out minimum GPA requirements, standardized test (SAT or ACT) requirements, deadlines, and necessary essays and personal statements.  You can get started on your essays and personal statements this summer.  If you need letters of recommendation, start thinking about who you will ask, so you can let them know immediately after school starts in the Fall.  Finally, make sure you've registered for the SAT or ACT if you need it for your application.  If you plan to play a sport in college, make sure you are registered with the NCAA eligibility center as well.

Most importantly: meet with your counselor before the end of the school year to make a plan (and a calendar) for your applications come fall.

Sophomores

Begin your "long list" of colleges - all the colleges you can find that you might be interested in; if you've already started this list, keep looking and adding to it.  Begin preparing for the SAT/ACT.  Meet with your counselor to discuss what courses you should take your junior year to make your college application as strong as you can.  And while you're at it, hit the books to finish this semester's classes with the best grades you can possibly manage.  Remember - when reviewing applications, most colleges (including UC and CSU) look at 10th and 11th grade GPA - so this semester and your next two are your best chance to bring your GPA up to something the admissions staff will be impressed with.

Freshmen

Start searching online for colleges that might be of interest to you.  There are many great internet resources out there, including College Navigator, College Board, and CSU Mentor.  All of these sites have search engines to help match your interests and preferences to colleges.  You might also check out Colleges that Change Lives to find out about smaller, special interest colleges you might not come across in larger search engines.  Meet with your counselor to choose courses for next year - and to make sure you have the courses to prepare you for more challenging courses your junior year.  Also ask your counselor about taking the PSAT in the fall - it's a great way to practice for the SAT later on, and if your score is high enough, you might qualify for some scholarship money for college.

All Students

Meet with your counselor before the end of the year and make a plan!  The hour or so you spend planning this spring will undoubtedly save hours and hours of headaches later - for you and your support staff.

Non-test options

Having recently completed a post on college admissions testing, specifically SAT and ACT, I thought it was only fair to follow up with a discussion of colleges that don't require aptitude or achievement tests for admission.

There are many reasons students may not want to take the SAT or ACT.  Some people feel the tests are biased; others feel they give a very limited view of a student's skills and abilities.  They certainly evaluate  only a very small range of subjects in which a student might excel.  Furthermore, with all the recent talk in education of multiple intelligences, the tests evaluate specific subjects in a way that favors only one type of intelligence - logical/rational.  Students with strengths in other areas may not be able to show their full potential on such a test.  And finally, some students may just not test well, and feel that their test scores are not a good representation of their academic achievement or ability.

If you are reluctant to include standardized test scores in your application - for whatever reason - there are many institutions that do not generally require test scores as part of the admissions process (often referred to as 'test-optional' schools), and the list is growing.  Be warned, however, many of these schools require a much more extensive application, including more in the way of essays and personal statements, in order to sort through all the applicants.

You might also be interested to know that some schools that do require test scores as part of the admissions process use these scores in a formula along with GPA in a way that makes the test scores almost irrelevant for students with high GPAs.  For example, Humboldt State University in Northern California does not require SAT or ACT scores for California students whose high school GPA is above 3.0 (3.61 for non-residents).  Many schools in the California State University (CSU) system have similar policies, although this is not true for UC schools.  It is important to note, however, that the NCAA does use SAT or ACT scores in their calculation of eligibility, although once again, with a high GPA, the minimum score required on the SAT is fairly low.

A comprehensive list of test-optional schools can be found on the Fair Test website.  The list can be sorted alphabetically or by state.

For further reading, a good article on the use (or not) of SAT scores for admission from NPR: SATs Not for Everyone, but Reality for Most

Testing Season

While seniors are anxiously awaiting letters in response to their college applications and continuing to look for scholarships, juniors are just getting into the thick of the college search / application process; researching colleges, taking or preparing for SAT or ACT tests, and wondering if it will ever end.  Sophomores - I suggest you read this, too; it's not too early to start preparing for your college entrance exams!


So which test should you take - the SAT or the ACT?  And how to best prepare?  It can be mind boggling.  The first step is to find out which test is required or preferred by the schools you are applying to.  Most schools will accept either test; in that case it comes down to your own personal preferences.  The SAT includes only math and language arts, while the ACT includes science.  The SAT emphasizes vocabulary more.  The questions on the ACT tend to be more straightforward. On the SAT, there is a penalty for wrong answers (to discourage guessing), while the ACT has no such penalty. My advice is to learn all you can about each of the tests, work out some practice problems, then make a decision.  The following resources should be helpful in this process:


College Board
ACT Student
Princeton Review Article comparing the ACT and SAT


Once you've decided, use the resources on the SAT or ACT page to develop a study plan.


In addition to registration and basic information about the SAT test itself, the College Board website provides a huge list of resources to help prepare.  Check out the SAT question of the day – they’ll email a question to you every day so you can practice.  The site will also help you to set up a study plan for the SAT, and you can even take a full-length practice test – free!  The College Board site also has a wealth of information on college planning in general. For more information, visit the College Board website: http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice


While they won't email it to you, the ACT website also has a question of the day (posted on the site), access to practice questions, and test-taking tips.  You can also order test prep materials through the website, find testing sites and register to take the test.  Although less extensive, the ACT site also provides information on financial aid as well as college and career planning.  For more information, visit the ACT website: http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/index.html


If you like to hedge your bets, you may even decide to take both tests and see which one gives a better score.  Whatever you decide, develop a plan, take the time to prepare, and good luck!