guide College Fall 2021
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LEE SHULMAN BIERER The Charlotte Observer T
he to-do list for high school seniors seems to be grow- ing longer each day. When they’re not doing homework, participating in their extra-
curricular activities, hanging with friends, sleeping, eating or texting, they’re probably thinking about their college list, testing, upcoming campus visits, college applications, the Com- mon Application essay, the Coalition essay, supplemental essays, transcripts, an activity list, letters of recommenda- tion, final test prep, sending test scores and scholarships. Are you tired or stressed? Think about how they must feel. Let’s try to de-stress the situation by creating a fall timeline and breaking each of these bigger tasks into more manage- able pieces. Check them off as you complete them: Ô F inalize the college list by making sure it is a balanced list with reach/ target/safety schools. Be sure to in- clude an in-state safety school for financial reasons.
Ô Review the standardized testing
calendar and register for the SAT in October, November or
timeline A fall for high school seniors
December, or the ACT in October or December, if needed.
Ô Find out if any of the col- leges on your list recommend or re- quire SAT subject tests and register for those tests. Ô Check your school’s calendar. Take advantage of any teacher work days and schedule campus visits. Ô See if any of the colleges you’re considering offer open house dates or discovery days for seniors. Ô Determine which schools offer Early Action.
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College application mistakes to avoid LEE SHULMAN BIERER Tribune News Service C ollege applications are out; let the care- less errors begin. A sloppy college application, while one of the easiest students via email, and setting up a more professional account is an easy way to dodge a red flag. Inappropriate material on social media “be safe and sanitize.” Procrastination Applications are due as early as mid-October with the majority of regular decision deadlines hitting on or around Jan. 1. Why do as many as 50% of students wait until the last day, or even the last hour, to submit their applications? the last minute?” Avoid this experience at all costs, start the applicationsnow, andplan to submit them at least one week prior to the deadline. Misspellings
There is a lot of buzz in the college admissions community and among students and parents about themoral- ity and the reality of college admis- sions professionals checking up on the Facebook and Twitter accounts of applicants. I tell students, “If you aren’t comfortable with your grand- mother seeing/readingwhat youhave out there in cyberspace, remove it dur- ing your college admissions process.” Vulgar language and inappropriate photos and posts (drinking, etc.) are obvious candidates for removal, but if you or your student thinks some- thing is questionable, my advice is to
Spell-check is not a college appli- cant’s friend. Most applications are not enabled with spell-check, and that means that all your mistakes and careless errors are in full view. I recommend at least two rounds of proofing. Don’t use abbreviations unless you’re short on space. Be con- sistent with how you refer to organi- zations (i.e., your use of acronyms, uppercase and lowercase, etc.). One of the most common errors is that students forget to capitalize “i” — likely a carryover from texting. Proof, take a break of two or more days, reproof and then submit.
missteps to avoid, is probably among the most common mistake appli- cants make. Here are pitfalls that you can eas- ily prevent: A silly email address If your student created their email address in the second grade and it sounds something like “beachbum- 4life” or “cheerleadercutie,” it’s time for an update. Students can create an “acceptable” email account with Gmail in just a fewminutes. Colleges communicate almost exclusivelywith
Every year, without fail, college computer servers get overloaded with applicants applying at the last minute and shut down. “Panic- stricken” is probably a mild term for the chaos this creates in many households. You can imagine the conversation: Student: “Help, it’s not letting me submit my application.” Parent: “When is it due?” Student: “By midnight tonight.” Parent: “Why did you wait until
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MORE COMPETITIVE WHY IS COLLEGE ADMISSION GETTING
schools as possible to secure suffi- cient offers of admission. In 2015, the Washington Post reported that seniors at a New Jersey high school applied to, on average, 45 colleges each, with one student applying to as many as 70 schools. That’s crazy, and no guidance counselor would support it, but some families are willing to pay all those ap- plication fees to “find out.” Using the Common Application makes applying to colleges even easi- er: commonapp.org. It’s one application used by 800-plus colleges across the country. It includes a single essay, it’s filled out online, and students check off the colleges to which they want to send their application.
try’s most elite schools; we’re talking about just 50-100 schools when there are 4,000 or so colleges and universi- ties across the country. Nationally, the acceptance rate for undergraduates is 70%. Among the top tier of public and private liberal arts institutions, appli- cations have increased by one-third or more during the last five years. Yet the available spaces have remained con- stant. Here are two of the major reasons for the increased competitiveness in col- lege admissions: 1. There are more students, and many of these students are applying to more schools. Many of today’s college applicants are part of what’s referred to as the “Echo Boom” —kids of Baby Boomers and beyond. There are just more kids out there. Four years ago, there were 2.5 mil- lion high school graduates. This year, according to the Department of Education, there will be
Stanford rejected almost 96%of its ap- plicants, and a large%age of themhad perfect SAT or ACT scores. It’s obvi- ously not enough to be a strong student with great test scores. Those objective characteristics will get you considered, but it is the softer, more subjective items that end up sealing the deal. Think about it: There is a valedicto- rian and a salutatorian at every high school in the country. There’s also a newspaper editor and a student gov- ernment president at every school, and then think about the number of soc- cer players, cheerleaders, Beta Club members and National Honor Society inductees. It’s difficult for students to set themselves apart. To be fair, the college admissions panic is really only among the coun-
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Tribune News Service R
ight now, the angst among high school seniors and their parents is palpable. Almost every parent I speak with says something like, “It
wasn’t this stressful when I applied to college. Why is it so muchmore com- petitive now?” There’s no denying that many of us parents wouldn’t be accepted at our own alma maters if we were applying today. Standardized test scores have inched up and acceptance rates have dropped. Why is it so muchmore diffi- cult to be admitted? The stats demonstrate just how muchmore competitive the world of college admissions has become.
Beware: There are often supplemental essays for many colleges as well. With a keystroke and a credit card, students can spon- taneously apply to more andmore colleg- es. And they do. Let’s end with an en- couraging statistic: What%age of students get into their first-choice
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3.6 million graduates. Thirty years ago, half of high school gradu- ates applied to college. Today, due in large part to our increas- ingly global economy, almost two-thirds of high school graduates are applying to college. Many students are trying to hedge their bets and are apply- ing to more colleges. In 1975, only 3.2%of stu- dents applied to seven or more colleges. In 2006, that number was 17.4%. And
school? It’s not 25%, not 40%. More than 75% find that they
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Avoid these common FINANCIAL AID MISTAKES
3. The FAFSA is a student form Even though parents are typically filling out the form, the questions are directed to the stu- dents. Keep in mind that the CSS Profile, an additional financial aid form required by many private colleges and universities, is directed to the parents. One of my favorite books that comes out each year is Princeton Review’s “Paying for College: Everything you need to maximize Financial Aid and Afford College” by Kalman Chany, a national- ly recognized college funding expert. In the recently released 2021 edition, Chany re- ports that roughly 39% of high school graduates failed to complete the FAFSA in 2019. Chany’s advice applies the strategic planning techniques traditionally used by tax accountants in the world of financial aid. His recommenda- tions take into account year-to-year changes in both the aid application forms and the formulas used to determine aid offers. The edition even offers guidance on dealing with COVID-19 college funding issues. Lee Shulman Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte, N.C. Visit her website College Admissions Strategies.
with high school seniors and found that 53% of eligible families didn’t bother applying for aid through the FAFSA. This can be a very costly mistake. Many institutions, and especially private col- leges and universities with the highest price tags, offer generous merit-based aid. These packages aren’t based on financial need, but rather on talent and future potential for im- pact on the college campus. Many schools award these automatically based on GPA, rank in class, test scores, etc., while some schools require students to complete scholarship appli- cations. 2. Errors and omissions It has been reported that more than 80% of sub- mitted FAFSAs contain at least one error. One example is that money in a retirement account WON’T count against you, but money in a check- ing account WILL. This difference can obviously have a huge im- pact on your final Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Also, make sure to fill in all the fields of the form. If a question doesn’t apply to you, fill in with a “0” or “not applicable.”
LEE SULMAN BIERER Tribune News Service S
oaring student debt is a hot topic. The average debt of a senior graduating from college is nearly $38,000. Student loan debt has reached an estimated $1.56 trillion in the United States. That figure is even more frightening when
you consider that many families are able to send their children to state universities and incur no debt at all, so for the average debt to be near- ly $38,000 means that there are thousands of students graduating with over $100,000 in loan debt. Yes, the financial aid forms can be intimidat- ing, but here are a few tips to help you avoid the most common mistakes. 1. Not filling out the FAFSA The FAFSA is the trigger to financial aid. It may not be surprising, but the single biggest mistake is not filling out the forms because you assume you won’t receive any aid. Scholarship Advisors (myscholarshipadvi- sors.com) conducted a survey among families
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W hy is the “Why this college?” essay so im- portant? Admissions officers care why stu- dents put their college on their list, and many colleges incor- porate the “why” question into their applications. While most students find themselves having to write a variety of essays for different colleges, the typical student will focus almost exclusively on the Common Application essay or a col- lege’s personal statement. Frequently, they think they’re done with their ap- plication, they go to hit “submit” and find out that the college wants them to write another essay explaining why they want to attend. These are usually the worst es- says imaginable. Students don’t know how to distinguish themselves and consequently end up writing about football, Greek life and the weath- er. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington got so tired of stu- dents saying they wanted to come to Wilmington for the sunny climate that a few years ago, their prompt was: “Tell us why you want to come to UNC Wilmington, be- sides the beach!” I suggest that students imag- ine themselves on the other side of the admissions desk. If you were a director of admissions at a college and were choosing which students to accept and which to deny, what would you want to read about in a “Why this college?” es- say? Once you are looking at the prompt from their perspective, it’s easy to see why droning on and on about the sense of spirit in the stadi- um won’t set you apart. Colleges want students who want to be there for the ac- ademics. Students need to demonstrate that
Why the
How does this specific college differ from others on your list? Are its multi- disciplinary majors appealing? Are there study-abroad opportunities that you can’t resist? Is its commitment to an honor code something that speaks to you? Has one of its professors just written a fascinating book and you can’t wait to take the class? What are some things that colleges don’t want to read about? Students often fall prey to regurgi- tating college facts and trivia that they read in guidebooks or heard on cam- pus tours. Don’t tell colleges what they already know about themselves, such as the number of books in their librar- ies or the fact that the dining halls are open 24 hours a day. Admissions offi- cers don’t like it when students suggest that they can make a lot of money after graduation because the school did well in some college ranking, or that with an undergraduate degree from this school, they’ll be able to get into a top- notch graduate school. Make sure your final “Why this col- lege?” essay isn’t one that you can multipurpose and use for other colleg- es. Personalize it and be specific about identifying why each college is a good fit for you. It’s very easy for a college to determine which students have put in the effort on this essay. Lee Shulman
‘Why this school?’ ESSAY is so important
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Tribune News Service EMILY SHULLAW ILLUSTRA- TION , LEE ENTERPRISES
Bierer is an inde- pendent college adviser based in Charlotte, N.C. Visit her web- site College
Admissions Strategies.
they’ve done their homework on the college website.
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Don’t be a stealth applicant to colleges
about it: If you were an ad- missions dean and had two students whose stats were similar, you’d select the one who had demonstrat- ed more interest because there seemed to be a great- er likelihood that they would choose to attend your school. Colleges often purpose- ly track students’ interest to help predict the number of applications the admissions office will receive. Every box that gets checked helps colleges gauge students’ “demonstrated interest,” which the school uses as a predictor of how many students, if admitted, will ac- tually enroll. The percentage of stu- dents who accept a school’s admissions offer — re- ferred to as a yield ratio — is a critical measure- ment for admissions offices deciding on the number of acceptance offers they
should send out and how they should apportion their available grants, student loans and other limited fi- nancial aid funds. As more students apply without warning, schools’ yield ratios are becoming less predictable. An increase in stealth applicants makes it difficult for admissions of- ficers to discern a student’s real interest in the school, which is typically measured by the extent of a student’s contact with the school. Internet conveniences al- low students to apply to more schools with little addition- al effort. Here are some suggestions of ways to demonstrate in- terest: » Follow each of your col- leges on social media. » Respond to their emails if given the opportunity. » Visit the college if possi- ble. It shows you’ve invested the time to visit the campus.
While there, take the tour, arrange to sit in on a class, if possible, and talk with stu- dents. If you’re interested in majoring in a specific de- partment, arrange to meet with a professor or students in that department and ask questions. If you can’t get to the school, arrange to visit with the college admissions staff at a local or national col- lege fair. You can check out national college fairs at the National Association for College Admissions Counseling website, nacac- net.org. Identify the Regional Admissions Officer at each college on your list. This is the person responsible for applications from your state. Get to know this per- son through email and phone conversations. Ask this person to help you de- cide if the school is a good fit for you.
Let the college know if it is your first choice. » Attend a prospective stu- dent day. » Participate in online chats. » Watch online videos and take virtual tours. » Email well thought out questions and spend time on the college’s website on a regular basis. Colleges keep track of how often you con- tact them and visit the site. Make sure that when you respond to the “Why this col- lege?” essay prompt that you answer thoughtfully and with specifics. Once you’ve sent in your application, check back with the admissions office to make sure they have ev- erything they need and that your application is complete. Lee Shulman Bierer is an independent college advis- er based in Charlotte, N.C. Visit her website College Admissions Strategies.
LEE SHULMAN BIERER Tribune News Services
“Stealth applicant” is the term colleges and universi- ties use for a student whose first communication with a school is an admissions ap- plication. Essentially, these stu- dents haven’t shown any interest in the school via webinars, virtual tours, vis- its (when it was possible), etc. An increase in these out-of-the-blue applicants has thrown off schools’ abil- ity to accurately predict the number of applications they will receive and has caused some schools to adjust their traditional admissions prac- tices. The ease of pointing and clicking on the Common Application to add more col- leges to your application list has increased the number of stealth applicants at schools across the country. Think
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