Will There Be Less Competition After 2025?

2025! That's when experts say that the bubble will burst. Fewer babies born after the 2008 recession, especially in New England, will lead to a decrease in college-going students after 2025. 

Ask the Consultant: Gap Year

Q: I've been thinking about taking a gap year. What kinds of things do students do?

A: While many students choose a structured gap year program that offers travel, service, and adventure, there are other options -- many at a far lower cost!

Apprentice: Undecided about your college major? Your future career goals? Your gap year can be a great time to explore a variety of areas. It can also be a wonderful time to gain a skill. Carpentry, glass blowing, filmmaking, fashion design... you may not have this opportunity again! 

Intern: Working for a business or a non-profit agency can help inform your direction for the future as well. Don't be afraid to go out of your comfort zone a bit and try something different. Sometimes learning what you don't enjoy can be as illuminating as learning what you do. Besides, you might surprise yourself! 

Study: Many college-bound high school seniors graduate wishing that they had more time to explore electives and other academic areas of interest. If that is you, your gap year can be a great time to learn a new language, discover the joys of web design, or try your hand at blogging. However, if you have deferred your college acceptance for a year, as most students taking a gap year do, you will need to read the fine print of the deferral agreement. Most colleges prohibit you from taking credit-granting courses during your year off. 

Travel: Seeing the world, immersing yourself in a new culture, remains the most popular gap year plan. “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” — American-British writer Bill Bryson

Volunteer: Whether it is a formal volunteer program like City Year, The Student Conservation Association or Habitat for Humanity or pitching in to help a group in your community, volunteering can nourish the mind and the soul.

Work: Want to start putting some cash away for your college years? Get a job! 

New Allowance In Effect for 529 Plans

You can now use your 529 college savings plan to pay for private school -- from elementary to high school.  This bill was signed into law in December 2017 and could have interesting financial implications for your family. So I would talk to your financial planner or accountant to learn more.

Finish Strong

As seniors enter their final semester of high school, they may be tempted to coast to the finish line.  After a busy fall with college applications, I understand the need to catch your breath.  At the same time, don’t let your academic performance falter.  We have had students whose offers of admission have been revoked due to a dramatic change in grades.  Although not common, it can (and has) happened.  You have worked hard to get this far, don’t trip up at the finish.

Summer Here We Come!

Despite the colder temperatures, it is not too early to start planning your summer experiences.  Many students use their summer to explore a possible career path, volunteer, get a job, further their foreign language skills, or explore an interest, to name just a few.  Keep in mind that many summer programs have deadlines in the winter or early spring.  It would be unfortunate to find the perfect opportunity only to realize you missed the deadline.  So, dress for winter but start thinking about summer.

The Standardized Test Plan: Start Early

SAT or ACT? SAT Subject Tests? AP Exams? 

Now is a great time for high school juniors to create or review their testing plan for college admission.  Assess what you have taken and what's left to take.  Have you taken the SAT? Are you satisfied with the results? Take the time now to consider your options:  

• It might be worth considering and focusing the ACT instead of the SAT if the scores aren't where you want them to be.  Colleges that require test scores for admission will accept either the ACT or SAT without bias for one over the other.  Take a practice test and see how you do to compare performance.  
• Consider your workload and extracurricular activities as you map out a testing plan calendar (go online to find test dates and locations).  Try to pick a timeframe for test prep and test-taking with fewer competing demands.  And remember:  it's important to take the test soon after you complete your focused test prep to maximize your improvement.  As a general rule, most test preparation experts recommend taking the test three times for best score results. 
• Once you create your test prep and testing dates calendar, note the test registration deadlines and register early as some testing locations fill up quickly.
• If you plan to take AP tests or SAT Subject Tests, you'll probably want to avoid any other testing in May and June.
• With new summer tests being offered by both ACT (July) and SAT (August), timing has become more flexible and user-friendly. 
• "    With Early Decision applications on the rise, finishing one's testing by early fall of senior year is important for more students than ever before.
• The best advice we can give you is that it's less stressful to have your testing completed by the time you're working on your college applications with deadlines looming.  Planning now can and will help ease the stress and maximize performance!

Flaship State Universities Becoming More Popular Among Students

According to the Washington Post, the most recent federal data reveals that 1.3 million applications were submitted for fall 2016 undergraduate admission to the 50 state flagship universities.  That is up 79% from ten years earlier.  What is driving this trend?  Out-of-state applicants, both domestic and international, have risen dramatically over the past ten years.  Many public universities look to these out-of-state applicants paying higher tuition to offset shortfalls in state funding. In addition, more in-state students are turning to their public institution as a more affordable option.  We will continue to examine the private colleges’ and universities’ response to this trend, if any, as well as how to advise our current families in response to this increasingly competitive environment.

2018-19 Common App Essay Prompts Released

The Common Application announced today that the essay topics from which students can choose will remain the same for the graduating class of 2019. Want to get a peek?

http://www.commonapp.org/whats-appening/application-updates/2018-2019-common-application-essay-prompts

Want to Graduate Faster? Look Abroad!

It takes only three years to earn a typical full-time bachelor's degree in the United Kingdom (not Scotland, however). In addition, students dive head first into their major right away - and focus exclusively on that subject.

"What are distribution requirements?!?!"

International Student Enrollment Down

International student numbers are down - by more than 7% - with universities in the midwest feeling the sting of lost revenue the most!