TRANSCRIPT:
I’m here right now on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, and behind me is the library, there’s a big lawn over here, there are lots of kids hanging out, it’s a beautiful spring day just before finals, everybody’s relaxing. It’s also Friday, and so there are trucks lined up all up and down some of these avenues serving things like hoagies and wraps and crepes and there’s a “sugar bomb” truck or something. All kinds of places, getting ready for a Friday night here on some of the main drags. You can tell it’s kind of noisy, this is an urban environment so if you’re looking for a very active, fun, diverse campus in a city easily accessible by public transportation, this is a good place for you.

Great College Advice

The post Educational Consultant on Temple University: A Lively Atmosphere first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Part of a series on Bates College.
Part 3 … Part 5

TRANSCRIPT:

Another thing that sets Bates apart from many of its competitor schools. If you will, is that the outdoors is an integral part of this campus. It is located in Maine, which is a beautiful state, and the outdoors is so much a part of what Mainers are really about. So you have the mountains and skiing that’s about an hour away, it’s really great, fantastic skiing. And then you have one of the most spectacular natural sea coasts in North America. So you’ve got plenty of outdoor opportunities.

Now keep in mind, of course, this is Maine, so there will be snow on the ground. It’s green and beautiful today in the summer. But there will be lots of snow on the ground so it’s winter sports. And Bates also has Division I skiing, including Nordic skiing so winter sports are really, really popular here.

So outdoor activities, if you’re interested in getting outside, going camping, going hiking, being part of the beautiful outdoors of America, Maine and Bates: you need to think about those.

Mark Montgomery
Expert Educational Consultant

The post Educational Consultant on Bates 4 of 5: An Outdoorsman’s College first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

TRANSCRIPT:

One of the other things that I found were interesting about Bates is the history matters. History matters with a lot of these colleges and Bates is very different from most of the other New England colleges in that it was set up by Free Will Baptists. And the Free Will Baptists were committed to ensuring that Bates was a campus that would be welcoming, not only to the local community and to America’s elite.

But also to women, so it was the first college in New England to accept women and also other minorities, including blacks. This was set up before the end of the Civil War, and from the very beginning they accepted freed slaves into the campus community.

So why does that matter? Well, it’s part of the ethos. It’s part of the way that Bates thinks about itself and presents itself and projects itself into the world, that this is a progressive learning community. It’s an intentional community that has always been diverse. That has always been accepting of people of every stripe, including every religious background, every socioeconomic class, every ethnic background.

So that is just one of the core principles at this college that does set apart a little bit. Everybody’s going to talk about how they’re into being welcoming and tolerant and accepting. And of course that’s part of the American reality today. But Bates has walked the walk from the beginning of its history whereas some of the Ivy League schools, well, all of the Ivy League schools. And many other elite small colleges in New England just didn’t begin that way. So that’s an important part of Bates’ history to keep in mind.

Mark Montgomery
Expert Educational Consultant

The post Educational Consultant on Bates 3 of 5: A Welcoming Community first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

The post What’s A Party School? Greek Life, Drinking, Making Good Choices first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

In some ways we have a perfect storm a-brewing.  As personal savings and college funds shrink, colleges are tightening their belts, and are likely to be stingy with financial aid.

So where does that leave the student who will graduate this spring or next?  What strategies does he or she pursue in order to get the best education at the best price?

Here are ten tips for weathering this storm.

1.  Don’t panic.  Keep a cool head.  Do your homework.  Get help, if you need it.  While the statistics look bleak, you are not a statistic.  Use every resource at your disposal to plan, prepare, and get the best deal for yourself.

2.  Whether the market is up or down, good students always have more options than poor students. Good students with good grades and good test scores should not dampen their ambition or lower their sights.

3.  Remember that if your assets and income have gone down, your federally-calculated financial need will go up.  Come January, you will complete the FAFSA forms, which will calculate your family’s “Estimated Financial Contribution” or EFC.  This is the amount the government calculates that you should be able to pay toward a college education–given your financial picture today.

4.  Pay close attention to financial aid statistics reported by colleges, with special emphasis on the percentage of financial need that college has met in the past.  Even in good financial times, many colleges have been unable to meet all of their student’s financial need with the usual combination of grants, work study jobs, and federal loans.  Most rich, well-endowed colleges and universities can meet 100% of their students’ financial need.  But some colleges have met only 80% or 65% or less of their students’ needs.  These are the colleges that have relied heavily upon the willingness of students and families to take out huge loans on the private markets.  As these loan markets have dried up, these colleges are the most panicked by the economic downturn.  Yet even financially strapped colleges may offer big bargains to some students (see tip #6 below).

5.  Redefine what a “stretch” or “reach” college will be for you.  It’s not simply about getting accepted to college–it’s about being able to pay for it.  The tougher it is for you to gain admission, the less likely you will receive adequate financial aid to attend that same school.

6. Develop a “top 25%” strategy that will help increase the likelihood you will get the aid you need.  While there is a great deal of variation in financial aid policies, most colleges shower their best financial aid packages on those students in the top 25% of their incoming class. Colleges routinely report the average ACT or SAT test scores by identifying the “middle 50 percent” range of scores of admitted students.  So if  Elmer Fudd College reports an middle 50% ACT range of 22 to 26, this means 25% of students scored lower than 22, and another 25% scored 27 or higher.   An applicant to Elmer Fudd College with an ACT of 29 has a much better chance of receiving a solid financial aid package than the applicant with a 22.

7.  Remember that not all debt is bad debt.  Racking up tens of thousands of dollars on a credit card is not the same as taking out a Stafford loan.  The former is a drag on current and future spending, and high interest rates on credit cards lead to wrack and ruin.  But a student loan is an investment in your future.  The relatively low interest rate on these loans will allow you to increase your earning potential tomorrow by making it possible to get a good education today.  The average student loan debt for graduating college senior is about $20,000, which is an acceptable amount for most students.

8.  If you plan to take out a loan to partially finance an education, start shopping for that loan now.  Do not wait until admissions decisions are made. Learn what loans are available (or not) so that you can make a realistic plan for how much you can borrow.  This knowledge will make it easier to compare financial aid packages later when they are finally announced.

9.  Don’t assume that your in-state colleges and universities offer you the best deal. As an example, see my post here about cost comparisons for a Colorado student considering University of Colorado vs. Montana State University or the University of Wyoming.

10.  Students with less-than-stellar academic records in high school should consider getting their start at community colleges.  Most states now have guaranteed transfer agreements between their community colleges and flagship universities.  Go to community college, pay less, do well–and you can still graduate from a top-notch university.  In fact, you have a better chance of getting accepted as a transfer if you do well in those general education courses at the community college.

Great College Advice

The post Ten College Planning Tips For Tough Economic Times first appeared on College Admission Counseling.