DR. DROGE - COLLEGE ADMISSION

JANUARY TO MAY - WHAT JUNIORS SHOULD BE DOING

So, it is the middle of your Junior year and you are getting a bit nervous about college admissions. You have done practically nothing to date. Many of your classmates seem to have their acts together, and you feel lost. What do you do?

First, take a deep breath. You have enough time to do all that is necessary. Going into shock certainly isn't going to help.

Next, review the list below, and schedule time to work on each item. The best way to approach the college admission process is to see it as made up of individual parts. The big picture may seem overwhelming, but when you look at each part, you can easily see how manageable it is. Engage one part at a time, and remember that some parts need not be complete before you engage other parts.

Also – and this is important – see the fun in some of this. You really will enjoy reading about some colleges and imagining yourself there on campus. That’s all a part of the process – researching colleges and determining which ones appeal to you.

So, knowing that there is enough time to accomplish everything, that the process is really very manageable when broken down into individual parts, and that some of this may even be fun, begin with the list that follows:

1. Research colleges online, in school, and in the library, and build a list of those that appeal to you. At this point, it doesn't really matter if it is a long list. You will refine it eventually.

2. Register for the SAT or ACT and take it in the spring. And if the colleges you are interested in require SAT Subject Tests for courses you are taking currently, register for those tests as well. TIP - take the Subject Tests scheduled at the end of the academic year and at the end of your courses - in May or June. (Try not to wait until the fall to take these tests - you might forget the material.) (www.collegeboard.org or www.act.org )

3. Have regularly scheduled conversations with your college counselor.

4. Visit a few colleges on weekends or on break

5. Stay active at school – sports, clubs, other extra-curricular activities

6. Plan for summer activities or employment – intern, travel, job, enrichment course, etc. This is your last summer before beginning the applications. Give yourself something great to report to the colleges.

7. Obtain a Common Application and other specific applications of interest to survey exactly what will be required. (www.commonapp.org )

Build a List of Colleges: These are the colleges you may apply to eventually. Begin to think about what you may enjoy learning about in college. Also, think about your preferences in terms of geography, size, and type (e.g. public or private). You are not locking yourself in here; you are simply trying to figure out what kind of college will make you happy.

Begin to research colleges to see which ones appeal to you. Of each college, ask yourself if it offers what you are interested in? Does it have the majors and programs that you want to take? Will it prepare you for the next stage of your life after graduation – such as going to graduate school or getting a job?

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For a more complete look at the college admission process, with insights and strategies, see Dr. Droge's book, COLLEGE ADMISSION

Click here

COLLEGE ADMISSION GUIDE

College Admission : A Simple, No-Nonsense Guide by Dr. Droge

College Admission - click

College Admission

BEST FINANCIAL AID - IVY LEAGUE

It used to be that a leading reason for not applying to Ivy League colleges was the cost. But many savvy applicants and their parents these days know that cost is no longer an obstacle, due to the generous financial aid philosophy that most Ivies have.

Granted, Ivy League institutions do carry big sticker prices. In fact, if students were to pay the full cost for a four-year degree - tuition, board, fees, etc., - the bill could total a quarter million dollars - or more.

But a fair number of students do not pay the full sticker price. Not even close. And many, indeed, pay zero tuition - repeat, zero.

Several years ago, with Yale and Harvard leading the way, Ivies began to offer free tuition to students whose family income did not exceed certain thresholds. In other words, simply put, if your family did not have more than, let's say, $100,000 in income, you received a free ride.

Thresholds vary from school to school, and the policy is not limited to just the eight Ivies in the East. Stanford, for example, has quite a generous package to offer. (IMPORTANT - Interested applicants and their parents should be sure to check with the individual colleges for the specifics of their financial aid policies - details may vary from institution to institution.)

Getting admitted to these very selective colleges, of course, remains a challenge. But these days cost should not deter qualified candidates from applying.
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For a more complete view of the college admission process, and strategies to use when applying to the Ivies and other institutions, see Dr. Droge's book: College Admission - click here

WHAT TO DO IF DEFERRED

First, if you have been deferred from a college, here is what not to do: nothing.

The advice is essentially the same for deferrals from "early" applications or wait-listed from regular applications.

This is no time to be sitting around merely worrying and hoping. This is a time for action. It is not too late. The goal of every college application should be to stand out in a positive way. That goal does not change after a deferral. If your application is just sitting in a pile somewhere, chances are that it is not going to stand out. You can do something about that. Try one or more of the following:

-- It has been several months since you sent in your application. Have you had any positive news since then? Have you won any awards, or had a poem published, or become captain or editor? Let the admissions office know.

-- If you have no news to share, make some. Sign up for an elective term course. Submit poems to newspapers, magazines, and contests. Try to get elected or appointed to a leadership position in an extra-curricular activity. Volunteer for a charitable activity outside of school – at a hospital or nursing home or Habitat for Humanity or the like. In some way, add another activity or appointment to your schedule. When you do, let the admissions office know.

-- Call the admissions office and let them know that you care enough about your candidacy to get in touch and to update your application. Tell them about what you have been doing and what good things have happened since your application was submitted. Let them know what you have to offer them and why they will be glad that they accepted you. Let them know that they are number one, that if you are accepted, you will attend. Give them a voice to attach to the name on your application, a personality, a life full of good cheer, a basketful of reasons to put you in the “admit” pile. If possible, speak with the representative who covers your area. In whatever way possible, make that rep your advocate.

Again, the goal is to stand out. The overwhelming majority of deferred candidates will do nothing. They will not call. They will not update their application. They will not show in any conspicuous manner – other than what they said in their initial application – that they care about getting admitted. You can be different…you can stand out…you can show that you really care. Start by sharing your good-news update.

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For more information about the college admission process, see Dr. Droge's book, COLLEGE ADMISSION click here

USING TAX-EXEMPT 529 PLANS TO HELP PAY FOR COLLEGE

A “529 Plan” is a tax-exempt way to save for college. The name “529” comes from the section in the IRS tax code that covers the details of the plan.

Here are the basics:

Colleges, state offices, banks, and other financial institutions can help to open a 529 account for you. Simply put, you make contributions to the account, which you use for eligible college expenses, and you need not pay federal taxes on the money earned in that account.

There are two variations of plans, but not all states carry them both.

One type, available in most states, is more or less a straight savings plan, with tax benefits.

The other plan locks in the current tuition at a selected college, and prepays that tuition as the account builds with deposits. Any rise in tuition over the years will not affect such a plan. A family may open a plan well before the student is in college or even high school, which will insure that they avoid tuition increases and that they know just how much the college tuition for that student will cost them. Please note - not all states have this type of plan available. Check with your state to determine.

The specific details of 529 Plans may vary from state to state – for example, which colleges are eligible, and exactly which tax benefits are connected, and which particular college expenses may be involved, such as tuition, books, computers, and room and board.

Families interested in finding out more about 529 Plans available to them should contact their local college, bank, or financial institution, or the state office that administers the plans, or IRS Publication 970.

SAMPLE TOPICS FOR THE COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY

In addition to the essays from the Common Application, individual college applications usually call for several essays of different lengths. Here are a few typical topics to consider for your practice writing, as well as the link for the essay prompts for the Common App.

“If you could go to dinner with anyone, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be, why, and what would you talk about?”

“If you knew that everything you owned was going to vanish tomorrow, but you could save only one item, what would it be and why?”

“It is 25 years into the future: how does your specific life fit into the contemporary world?”

“Ask and answer the one important question which you wish we had asked.”

“If you were to describe yourself with a quotation, what would that quotation be and why?”

“Identify a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.”

Common App essay prompts: Click here

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Read more about writing a great college essay in College Admission – CLICK HERE.

THE COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY

When the moment arrives to actually write the college application essay, successful candidates will have given it much thought and preparation. Here is some information to help kick-start the process.

Though each college may present its own, individual essay prompt, applicants should know that one of the primary purposes of the essay for all colleges is universal – to add to or to embellish upon a side of the applicant that is somehow special or unique, a side that, if possible, separates him or her from the pack.

A “good” essay need not be one that explains something extraordinary – such as how the applicant has started a business by selling heavy-duty excavation equipment to developing nations, and how he or she, at the tender age of 17, has become a multi-millionaire. Rather, it need only present a special side of the applicant that the rest of the application does not adequately examine. And, indeed, every applicant has a special side. The object of the writing exercise is to discover and explore that side, and then to write about it as effectively and as eloquently as possible.

Let’s take an example. As you may expect, many applicants travel frequently. While the college would like to know where on this earth the applicant has visited, the essay is not the place to list the itinerary. On the other hand, the essay could be the place to reflect about the travel experience or the places visited, and it could be the place to talk about how the applicant views the world – personally or globally – as a result of the travel. The question to be answered is not what travelling have you done, but how has your travel affected you? What, if anything, was unique about the experience? How did the travel change you? What separates your travel experience from the hundreds of other travel experiences that the admission officer will read about in his or her share of application essays?

It might be healthy to put yourself for a moment in the place of a college admissions officer in the height of the season. Imagine, for example, it is winter; you are somewhere in the northeast, nestled into your room on a cold and snowy afternoon, with an enormous pile of essays on the desk before you. Understandably, after reading for a while, the essays may begin to blend – different applicants but the same story, over and over again. You can see how an essay that presents a different story – a unique story – would be refreshing and well-received, and how it might put that particular applicant into a select group.

Though travel experiences might be the foundation of great essays, please know that many applicants choose that topic. If you have a unique travel story to tell that describes a special side of you, by all means write about it. But before committing to a topic, travel or otherwise, explore your likes and dislikes, your interests, your history, your passions, and explore the possibility of writing about a topic that is at once special to you and appealing to the admissions officer who will read it.

Most college admissions officers would agree that, while the essay by itself will not be enough information to accept or reject a candidate, a particularly good or bad essay certainly will be noticed, and could very well become a “tip factor” in a case where the decision for admission could go either way.

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