Today, we return to Barry Schwartz' article on college admissions.
4. As a student, the most accurate time to determine whether or not a college is right for you is after you are actually enrolled at a college and have spent some time there, not before.
If true, the above is a threat to the cottage industry that has arisen around finding the perfect college fit. Could it be that college tours, college guides, consultants, and college counselors are all useless? I have certainly spent some time on this blog extolling the virtues of visiting colleges before actually applying and enrolling to figure out if you would be a good fit there. Most people I know feel similarly. Visiting is key, we say, as is doing research. Schwartz argues that it may all be in vain. He may be right, to a certain extent.
Schwartz' reasoning for arguing that after you attend an institution, not before, is the best time to determine fit relates to all the unknowns of college life. Among them are such things as relationships, roommates, unexpected family situations (illnesses, deaths, layoffs), and health issues. You simply cannot account for these things in your college choice. Yet, these are some of the circumstances upon which determinations about the fit of a college to an individual can hinge.
Imagine that while in college, your mother gets extremely ill. Because you have a special relationship to your mother, you want to be physically closer to her. Unfortunately, you enrolled in a college two time zones away from home. This might cause you to transfer to a college closer to home. There are all manner of potential circumstances that could make a pefect fit college a disastrous fit. Beyond the unexpected, there is the fact that we all change. What we thought two years ago may not be the same as what we think today. While one might have been in love with the idea of a small town when they chose a rural university, they might feel claustrophobic after a couple of years and want to move to a bigger city.
Clearly, there isn't much you can do in predicting the future. Base your decision on sound research, spend time getting to know yourself, and don't worry excessively about what the future holds. When unpredictable things happen, utilize the resources at your disposal to help you get through them. College counseling centers and support from family and friends are good ones. Ultimately, we all have to foster an oppenness to the inevitability of change as well as the unpredictability of life. Isn't that easier said (or typed) than done?
Happy weekend! Next time we'll look at a radical alternative to today's applicant selection process.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Coasting and the Impossibility of Determining Fit
Today, we will return to Barry Schwartz' article about college admissions. In the same vein as the previous post on the subject, I will present Schwartz' point and then dig in with some analysis.
2. So much is built into just "getting in" to Name Brand University, that once they get there, students can coast. They no longer have as much motivation to continue the life-long process of learning.
Imagine that it has been your dream to attend University X, Y, or Z since you started high school. Throughout your high school years you have constantly striven to excel in every endeavor. You went all out to get A's in your classes and participated in a carefully balanced portfolio of activities in which you maximized your efforts, becoming a leader in all of them. Many, if not most, of your youthful efforts were spent with the goal of attaining admission to your Universities of choice.
Similarly, imagine that the big day has come when you finally receive notification from the institutions. Being the smart and capable student you are, you were honored with admission to all of them. All your hard work paid off. You can relax. Your dream has been fulfilled.
Now what?
How do you top achieving the biggest dream of your life, the central tenet of your existence? Doesn't it seem plausible that everything after this will be somewhat of a letdown? Schwartz argues that indeed this may be the case. It is possible that many young people in this situation are, in fact, eager go-getters and will continue to dream big. I hope so.
3. It is impossible to predict the fit of an institution to a student, and vice-versa. Differences between the "top" students and "top" institutions are so minute, that one cannot reliably evaluate those differences.
If true, the above will cause much hand-wringing among sincere admissions officials and students. The whole point of this college admission exercise is to find the right fit, isn't it? Haven't I proffered varying exercises and resources to help students with doing just that?
College admission officials are constantly trying to find the right balance of test scores, grades, coursework, extra curricular activities, and background that will give them insight into which students are best for their college. Likewise, students pour over rankings data, visit colleges, and talk to counselors, friends, and advisors in the hope of narrowing down their top choices.
If we are honest, however, it becomes apparent that Schwartz is on to something. If you can pare down the number of schools you are really interested in to five or so, then you are doing well. There may be small differences between the institutions, mainly dealing with location and size. However, if you are careful, you probably chose five institutions that will provide you with an excellent education. Therefore, whichever ones you get admitted to will most likely (more on this later) be peachy. The difference between the first and fifth schools on your list are not large enough to be worthwhile.
Schwartz believes the same is true of the students the colleges are choosing to admit. How much of a difference is there, in terms of the student's ability to succeed in college, between Student A (3.80 GPA, 1900 SATI, tons of leadership and extra curriculars) and Student B (3.90 GPA, 1850 SATI, ditto with leadership and extra curriculars)? It is so small, that no college application, short of one that requires extensive psychotherapy is going to tell the admission officials the difference.
What is his point? As I interpret it we are spending way too much time worrying about this stuff. We would be better served by doing something more interesting, like having a cup of coffee with a friend, reading a good book (for pleasure), or watching a sunset. So go ahead and do so. I would but I am at work!
2. So much is built into just "getting in" to Name Brand University, that once they get there, students can coast. They no longer have as much motivation to continue the life-long process of learning.
Imagine that it has been your dream to attend University X, Y, or Z since you started high school. Throughout your high school years you have constantly striven to excel in every endeavor. You went all out to get A's in your classes and participated in a carefully balanced portfolio of activities in which you maximized your efforts, becoming a leader in all of them. Many, if not most, of your youthful efforts were spent with the goal of attaining admission to your Universities of choice.
Similarly, imagine that the big day has come when you finally receive notification from the institutions. Being the smart and capable student you are, you were honored with admission to all of them. All your hard work paid off. You can relax. Your dream has been fulfilled.
Now what?
How do you top achieving the biggest dream of your life, the central tenet of your existence? Doesn't it seem plausible that everything after this will be somewhat of a letdown? Schwartz argues that indeed this may be the case. It is possible that many young people in this situation are, in fact, eager go-getters and will continue to dream big. I hope so.
3. It is impossible to predict the fit of an institution to a student, and vice-versa. Differences between the "top" students and "top" institutions are so minute, that one cannot reliably evaluate those differences.
If true, the above will cause much hand-wringing among sincere admissions officials and students. The whole point of this college admission exercise is to find the right fit, isn't it? Haven't I proffered varying exercises and resources to help students with doing just that?
College admission officials are constantly trying to find the right balance of test scores, grades, coursework, extra curricular activities, and background that will give them insight into which students are best for their college. Likewise, students pour over rankings data, visit colleges, and talk to counselors, friends, and advisors in the hope of narrowing down their top choices.
If we are honest, however, it becomes apparent that Schwartz is on to something. If you can pare down the number of schools you are really interested in to five or so, then you are doing well. There may be small differences between the institutions, mainly dealing with location and size. However, if you are careful, you probably chose five institutions that will provide you with an excellent education. Therefore, whichever ones you get admitted to will most likely (more on this later) be peachy. The difference between the first and fifth schools on your list are not large enough to be worthwhile.
Schwartz believes the same is true of the students the colleges are choosing to admit. How much of a difference is there, in terms of the student's ability to succeed in college, between Student A (3.80 GPA, 1900 SATI, tons of leadership and extra curriculars) and Student B (3.90 GPA, 1850 SATI, ditto with leadership and extra curriculars)? It is so small, that no college application, short of one that requires extensive psychotherapy is going to tell the admission officials the difference.
What is his point? As I interpret it we are spending way too much time worrying about this stuff. We would be better served by doing something more interesting, like having a cup of coffee with a friend, reading a good book (for pleasure), or watching a sunset. So go ahead and do so. I would but I am at work!
Thursday, April 05, 2007
How To Read A Financial Aid Award Letter
Editor's Note: The scribe of this post is Samantha Kahn, a financial aid expert who has worked in a variety of institutional settings.
You're probably starting to receive award letters, or award notifications, from the Financial Aid Office at the colleges to which you've applied. These letters are automated and different programs print different information on them in varying styles, which can make them difficult to understand well enough to “compare and contrast.” Most colleges send the original letter via snail mail and post the award on their websites for you to access. When changes are made to your award, such as if you receive another scholarship or the name of an award is changed, those changes are usually only made online, though you may receive another award letter. The only one that is valid is the most recent.
The award letter includes all of the awards for which you are eligible at the time the letter was printed, including state and federal grants as well as institutional grants (that is, scholarships from the college), federal and institutional loans, and work-study. It may also include a category titled “PLUS Loan” or a line item titled “Finance amount.” However, the letter may not include anything like this category at all.
The first thing you must determine to really understand what your award is in relation to the expense of attending a college is the Cost of Attendance (COA). The COA is the total cost of attending the institution for one year, including tuition, room and board, books and supplies, transportation (between home and school), and miscellaneous expenses (ranging from a university t-shirt to toothpaste). The cost for each college will be different, and the COA for students living at home and commuting is different than for those living on campus or in off-campus housing (e.g. their own apartments). Note that the COA is a budget only and you may not spend as much as the budget allows. However, if you spend more, the college is not going to increase your budget just because you ask.
Note that not all universities' award letters include the COA on the letter itself. If that's the case, the booklet or brochure the college sends with the letter will list the COA and its elements, with the dollar amount estimated for each element (such as $600/semester for books). If they do not send a brochure, the cost of attendance will be listed on the financial aid pages of the website. Bear this in mind when it looks as though "Private" University #1 offers more aid than "State" University #1. The COA at "Private" is higher though it may cover less of the total cost.
After you have figured out what the COA at each university is, you can start looking at the awards. You want to look at them on a per semester basis. This is particularly the case when costs are skewed toward one semester in colleges that offer an “interim term,” between semesters, and bills for housing accordingly.
Some schools send award letters that list by category and some that list by term. A letter could look like this:
Award FA '07 SP '08 TOTAL
Pell Grant $1200 $1200 $2400
Stafford Subsidized Loan $1750 $1750 $3500
Federal Work Study $1500 $1500 $3000
Finance Amount $2500 $2500 $5000
GRAND TOTAL $13900
It could also look like this:
Award
Pell Grant FA07 $1200
Pell Grant SP08 $1200
STAFSUB FA07 $1750
STAFSUB SP08 $1750
FWS FA07 $1500
FWS SP08 $1500
Finance Amount $5000
GRAND TOTAL $13900
If you can't figure out the codes, they should be explained in the booklet/brochure or on the Financial Aid Office's website. Make sure you understand which awards are grants, which need to be paid back, which need to be earned through work. You may have to take additional steps to accept certain awards to actually receive the funds.
The difference between your awards and the total cost of attendance is what you and your family will need to either pay out of pocket or borrow, like with a PLUS (parent) loan. The college doesn't care how you pay the bill, and you can borrow some and pay the rest, either all at once or in payments if they have a payment plan (most do, with the first payment due in July or August before the first term begins). Questions about payment plans are usually handled by a third-party biller or by the college's Business Office. The phone number and website should be listed in the brochure and/or on the college's website.
At most colleges you can go online to accept or decline awards. Accept all of the grants; it's up to you whether you wish to accept the loans and work-study, if offered to you. One thing to understand about work-study, by the way: You're being offered wages for work, but you are responsible for finding a job and working the hours. If you do not find a job, you will not get those funds. Furthermore, make sure you understand whether or not your college will accept your work-study to pay for tuition, room, and board. I've worked at colleges that don't, so students with work-study had to come up with that amount to pay for tuition upfront, using their work-study earnings for the miscellaneous expenses.
I would suggest that you make a chart for yourself to compare awards at different schools. Make sure the chart includes the total Cost of Attendance as well as any amount not covered by grants, loans, or work-study, particularly if it means that you or your parents will have to borrow the difference. Do not expect that you will be able to cut corners on the COA. With the exception of off-campus housing, which can vary depending on how close you live to the college and how many housemates you have, the budget reflects the actual costs very well.
If a decision deadline is approaching and you have not received award letters from all the colleges to which you were admitted, contact the college with the approaching deadline and request an extension, explaining that you don't have information you need from another college. You'll probably get a week at the most. Then, after checking your account at the other college, contact them and ask when you might expect their award letter, explaining that you have a deadline at another college and you need their information so you can make an informed decision.
FinAid has good explanations of the different kinds of awards (such as Pell Grants, Federal Work-Study, and Stafford, Perkins, and PLUS loans) and how they work. To learn about awards specific to the institutions you're considering, you need to go to the websites for those colleges. If you have questions about an athletic scholarship, you should contact the coach. If you have questions about a scholarship that's based on your SAT or ACT scores and your GPA, you should contact Admissions.
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