College Rankings Demystified

Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education recently looked at the effectiveness of the US News and World Report’s ranking system.  Just as we expected, they concluded that to find a college that is the right match, students should look beyond the rankings. What the study found was that student success was primarily determined by the level of student engagement in their college experience. Considering that students have different priorities when it comes to their educational experience, it is no surprise that a standard ranking system is ineffective. Interestingly, the one factor that had predictive power on whether a student had a personally fulfilling college experience was emotional support through faculty connection.  We have found that while the rankings can provide some interesting factual information, when it comes to matching students to colleges students and families should look beyond the rankings.

For more information about this study click on the link below.

One Viable Option for College Loans Now Eliminated

Perkins Loans are no longer available.

A Federal Perkins Loan was once a nice addition to a financial aid award because of its relatively low-interest rate and a no interest feature whereby a student paid no interest on the loan while they were attending college full-time. However, this loan is no longer available. As of June 2018 colleges and universities can no longer make disbursements under the Federal Perkins Loan Program.

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Scarecrows Invade Madison!

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College Application Submission Delays

Q: My application is ready to go but my transcript and teacher recommendations haven’t been uploaded. Should I wait to submit?

A: You don’t have to wait! Submitting your application early will give you the chance to make sure that everything is submitted correctly and then the college can start to assemble your file. When the rest of your materials are submitted, they will be added to the file and it will be marked complete and ready for review.

That being said, most colleges do not review an application until it is complete, so once you send your application, make sure to let your school counselor and teachers know that it has been submitted!

There's an App for That!

Introducing the new myStudentAid mobile app! This new app, which can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, allows users to complete and submit their FAFSA, edit and manage their financial student aid ID, and view their federal student aid history. However, the application is not equipped with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool which pulls over the information from your taxes directly into the FAFSA. With that said, we are standing on the sidelines until the functionality has been tested and the IRS Data Retrieval Tool has been added. But, we certainly think this is a step in the right direction.

To ED or Not

Forced decisions tend to be those which we regret.

Q: I'm trying to decide where to apply Early Decision, but I'm a bit stuck. My first choice school does not offer it, so I'm left deciding between schools that I really like but aren't at the top. How do I choose?

A: Don't. If the college that is your first choice doesn't offer early decision, don't sell out! We never want our students to have buyer's remorse at the end of the process. 

So what do you do if your college of choice does not offer a binding Early Decision option? Make sure that they know that they are at the top of your list! If you've met your regional admission representative, send them an email letting them know of your interest. Check to see if the regional rep will be visiting your school this fall. Visit the college. Interview if that is an option. Don't go overboard -- you don't want to seem desperate, but be honest about your interest. That will go a long way. 

National Merit Commended Scholar or Semifinalist? What's the Difference?

Q: What is the difference between being a Commended Scholar and Semifinalist for the National Merit scholarship?

A: High school juniors take the PSAT each October, many with hopes of becoming a National Merit Scholar. Scores are released in the winter months, but students have to wait until September of the following year to learn if they will be progressing in the competition. 

Commended Scholars are those that have a high score, but their results are lower than the selection index in their state. This year, the cutoff for Commended Scholars is 214. So a student who scores a 219 in Connecticut, where the cutoff to move on is 222, will be given a letter of commendation in recognition of their achievement, but will not be in the running for a scholarship. They may, however, be able to get money from a corporate award through a parent's workplace. 

Those that meet or exceed the National Merit cutoff will become Semifinalists and are eligible to complete an application to become a Finalist and vie for a scholarship. At this point, the committee looks at more than just a high test score. Finalists must have a strong academic record and an excellent letter of recommendation from their principal. 

Grades Matter….But Maybe Less Than You Think

Grade inflation is real!

According to a recent article in The Atlantic, "The Two Most Important College Admissions Criteria Now Mean Less," more than half of US high school students graduate with an A average. Over half!! And affluent suburban high schools are the biggest grade-inflation offenders.

Imagine that you are a college admission representative at a highly competitive school. You are looking at transcript after transcript of straight As, and often exceptional test scores as well. There is little to distinguish one applicant from another. 

So while great rigor, grades and test scores are necessary to get you to "the dance," it is often the other parts of the application that help to make a decision. 

Ask the Consultant: Another SAT?

Q: I took the SAT this past weekend and don't think I did so well. I was hoping to apply to a few schools early action. Will I have time to take it again?

A: First of all, take a deep breath! We often have students tell us that they "bombed" a test initially, and then are pleasantly surprised with the results.  Good news!  Most colleges will consider October or even November SATs, or September ACTs, for consideration for early action. As always, check the college website or call the admission office to confirm!

There is still time!

You can indicate on your Common Application or Coalition Application that you are planning to take a test in the future, which will signal to the college admission team that they need to wait for that score to render a decision. Just make sure that you send an official score report to each college via the College Board or ACT website as soon as scores are released. You can then go back into your Common or Coalition app and update the testing section with your better scores!