News & Views

Questions for the College Visit

Summer is a good time to do a lot of things. Of course, getting a job is always a good option, and our advice is to use the summers between grades 10 and 11, and 11 and 12 for some standardized test preparation. With that said, one size does not fit all. Summer research and study are also options, and colleges and universities offer some wonderful opportunities to investigate potential fields of study. With this in mind, Teen Life puts together a useful guide to summer programs that you may find useful.  For a look, follow this link.

Advisors will meet with the Class of 2021 in May to provide an overview of the year ahead, and develop an initial standardized test preparation plan for students to share with parents.

Advice about college and the college process is everywhere. As soon as you start to look, every source presents itself as an “expert.” Sorting through who offers good advice and who does not can be a challenge.

Lynn O'Shaughnessy is one of the sources we can recommend. Lynn has made a career out of helping parents sent expectations and navigate the challenges of paying for college. Recently, wrote a blog post that captures one of the worst situations for families – when cost of attendance doesn’t fit. 

Take a look at her advice. What we can assure you is that you will be well informed by adding her newsletter to your resources.

If finacial aid is part of your search, here is an excerpt from Lynn's recent newsletter about the "best strategy" and the importance of using Net Price Calculators.

Read on!

Summer is Coming!

The class of 2019 (College Class of 2023) are in the midst of making the college decisions, the class of 2020 is sorting out priorities for the college searches and planning ahead, most of the Class of 2021 is focused on the moment, and the Class of 2022 is looking forward to summer.

Shortly, Parents Weekend will be here, and we ask that you set some time aside to join Friday or Saturday’s College Advising presentation.  Complementing our presentations and outreach, College Advising will have open hours during the class day on Friday (please refer to the parent’s weekend schedule for times). 

How selective were the decisions for the graduatig class of 2019, the college Class of 2023?  Here are the numbers to date, from our friends at College Kick Start.

For the most recent update use the embeded link to visit their blog.

 

Estimates of the effect of college selectivity on earnings may be biased because elite colleges admit students, in part, based on characteristics that are related to future earnings. We matched students who applied to, and were accepted by, similar colleges to try to eliminate this bias. Using the College andBeyond data set and National Longitudinal Survey of the High School Class of 1972, we find that students who attended more selective colleges earned about the same as students of seemingly comparable ability who attended less selective schools. Children from low-income families, however, earned more if they attended selective colleges.

Somewhere along the way, a school’s selectiveness — measured in large part by its acceptance rate — became synonymous with its worth. Acceptance rates are prominently featured in the profiles of schools that appear in various reference books and surveys, including the raptly monitored one by U.S. News & World Report, whose annual rankings of American colleges factor in those rates slightly. Colleges know that many prospective applicants equate a lower acceptance rate with a more coveted, special and brag-worthy experience, and these colleges endeavor to bring their rates down by ratcheting up the number of young people who apply. They bang the drums like never before....

Amidst the college admission scandal playing out in the headlines, our friend Jim Jump makes an exceptional point in lauding Alan Krueger's work. In essence, "Does where you go to college matter?" Opinions will differ, but Alan Krueger and Stacy Berg Dale have crunched the numbers with insights worthy of our attention.

Read on for Jim's take.