Dealing With College Admission Rejection

Dealing With College Admission Rejection

The college applications are in, and the “Big Wait” is in full swing. A generation of students who’ve grown up with near instant communication (not to mention gratification), must wait for the ultimate snail mail: the college admissions acceptance or rejection letter. Most students get at least one dreaded thin (ie rejection) envelope, so let’s consider the fallout. What happens if you get rejected by your top school or schools, or even by every school you’ve applied to?
First, give yourself some time. Rejection is never easy, but when you’ve missed the mark you aimed for for months, or even years, it’s particularly tough. If you’re feeling embarrassed, remember there is no need to reveal your situation to anyone. We all know people who like to brag about their successes and gleefully enjoy others’ failings; now is a good time to give them the brush off.
Once you’re over those initial blues, aim for perspective. Is the school that wants you really second-rate? Take a closer look, call to find out if there are alumni in your area who will speak with you, and schedule a visit even if you’ve been there before. You’ll see the place through different eyes when you’re not considering it a safety. Ask your parents about successful people they know who managed despite not getting in to their first choice college. (Here’s a start: William and Mary rejected me and I lived to tell the tale.)
Which brings us to point number three: if you are determined to go to one school, planning to reapply as a transfer student, it might not be a bad idea to ask why you were rejected. You might be surprised to find out how seemingly random the choice was; perhaps there were dozens of students with very similar transcripts and the ones whose parents didn’t go to college (a hot admissions decision factor right now) made the cut. You might on the other hand get some very useful information.
That’s what happened to Harlan Cohen, author of The Naked Roommate: And 100 Other Issues You Might Encounter in College. Cohen was rejected by his first choice, Indiana University. “It’s never a great feeling when someone says, ‘I don’t want you,’” he says, but he called to ask why. “Nine out of 10 times, they will tell you the reason.” Cohen applied as a transfer to Indiana University and was accepted.
If you’ve been rejected by every school, or just aren’t interested in attending where you were accepted, you need to do some homework. There are some amazing gap year programs that can help you get some experience or refocus your plans (check back soon for a column on gap year options), and there are schools with rolling admissions) that are still accepting applications. Get started researching your options—nothing feels better than being proactive when you’ve been dealt a setback.
Finally, make the most of your situation. As Dodge Johnson, Educational Consultant, noted in his Philadelphia Inquirer Column “Countdown to College,” “Whatever you do, learn from your setback and give your next step your best effort. If it's a job, do it well….If it's a college that wasn't what originally what you had in mind, give it your all - and shelve any thoughts of transfer for at least a year. Fairy tale dreams may come true because people wish for them. But real dreams come true mostly because people make them happen. That's not so bad when you think about it. After all, it puts your future where it belongs - in your hands.”


Dealing With College Admission Rejection

College Recruiting: Should Yale Target Locals For College Admissions

College Recruiting: Should Yale Target Locals For College Admissions


For the past 25 years, the average number of freshmen in each Yale class from New Haven could be counted on two hands. Elm City residents currently comprise less than 1 percent of Yale College’s student population. And only a portion of those students attended one of the city’s public schools.
While the Yale admissions office offers year-round tours and interviews, it does not have exclusive recruiting initiatives to target students from New Haven public schools.
Six guidance counselors from New Haven public schools said in interviews that Yale should pro-actively reach out to local public school students. But Dean of Admissions Jeff Brenzel said Yale’s existing programs — such as information sessions held at local schools upon request and an annual conference to which public school students are invited — demonstrate the extent to which his office already offers support.
“With Yale being so accessible and so close to these schools, we feel that the hospitality that we afford and the outreach that we do [is] substantial,” Brenzel said in an interview.
Still, none of these programs are unique to New Haven public schools. Local guidance counselors said their time is too scarce to help every rising senior who wants to apply to the University, and they are not alone in thinking that Yale should be more aggressive in its assistance.
“You’ve got to help [New Haven public school] kids once they’re in high school,” said Pedro Noguera, a professor at New York University and one of the nation’s leading scholars on urban education. “Affluent kids, they’ve got tutors, they’ve got huge advantages — you have to try to level the playing field to give less-affluent kids the opportunity.”
It is about fostering good will with the community, Noguera said, and about making Yale a resource for New Haven.


College Recruiting: Should Yale Target Locals For College Admissions

Helping the End, by Starting at the Middle, of College Admissions

Helping the End, by Starting at the Middle, of College Admissions


Seniors, it’s time to put your college knowledge to good use. Mid-term exams are done, semester grades have been sent off to colleges, and even though your mouth says it’s time for senioritis to set in, your head and your heart know better—you’d really like to do something.
So it’s time to talk college again—but this time, you’re giving the advice, not getting it.
There are thousands of students who know absolutely nothing about college, and since you were one of them not so long ago, you’re the perfect person to bring them in from the cold. While a lot of the detail work is best left to counselors, you can jump start a ton of college dreams by talking about what you did to make the college hunt your own, what surprised you, and yeah, what you’d do differently if you had the chance to do it all over again…
…in other words, it’s time for a road trip. To middle school.
Why middle school? Two reasons. First, studies show students stand a way better chance of actually finishing college if they know college is an option by the end of ninth grade—not a specific college or a particular major, but just the idea that college is for them.
Second, you are a hero down there. It doesn’t matter if you weren’t the quarterback, the cheerleader with waist-length hair, or the senior with the snake tattoo on both arms. You’re on their fantasy front line—you’re in high school, you’re going to college, and you’re taller than they are. This qualifies you as a god, and they will listen to you.
If you think this might be James, but you’re freaked at the idea of talking to 800 people under the age of 14 without a script, welcome to adulthood—and here’s the plan:
- You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There’s a great chance your high school already has some kind of eight grade orientation program. Talk with your counselor, and see if you can make a great program greater with what you have to say.




- Before you see your counselor, go to http://www.nacacnet.org/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/Documents/fcct.pdf and look at the “Families, Counselors, and Communities Together” program. Put together by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, FCCT is designed to explain college to middle school (or even elementary school) students. Print out the information on pages 40-42, tell your counselor you’d like to talk about being ready for college, and go from there.

- Stick to big ideas. You might think eight graders should know about the average ACT score at Warren Wilson College, but that’s going to change in four years. Help them build a big framework around study habits, extracurriculars, and asking for help, then let them fill in the details later—if you give them that, you’ve done plenty.

- Take other seniors with you. More stories means they see more options, so bring along the quarterback, the cheerleader, and the snake tattooed senior—just ask her to wear a shirt with sleeves, so the kids will stay focused.

Admit it—some time in the last month or so, you either said “I wish someone had told me about this sooner” or, “I want to make sure it’s easier for the next group coming through.” This is your chance to give back, to stop looking at the mailbox for college decisions, and to maybe even revisit your own college priorities one more time and get a better understanding of what you really want, thus proving the adage that by giving, we receive.
Who knew?

Helping the End, by Starting at the Middle, of College Admissions

College Open Houses: To Go, or Not to Go? Is it College Admission Help?

College Open Houses: To Go, or Not to Go? Is it College Admission Help?


Snow may be covering the football fields on many campuses, but colleges all over the country are blooming with open houses. Often scheduled to coincide with high school vacations like Presidents Day and Spring Break, these day-long programs offer juniors and their parents the chance to take a close look at a college, and see if perhaps it should be a must add to the list of 6-8 colleges students should have as possible schools come fall of their senior year.

Visiting college campuses is an absolute must for all juniors. Counselors report an amazingly high number of juniors who have never been on a college campus, except for the occasional football game. These students really need to hit the college trail, if only to get a feel for what makes one college different from another; just like families buying houses (yes, they used to do that) know they have to walk around a house and see the neighborhood, students need to try on a campus and see if it feels like home, since that’s what a college will be for the next few years.

At the same time, open houses might not be the best time to visit. For starters, open houses bring a huge number of visitors to campus at the same time, which means it’s business as unusual for a campus—and how can you get a sense of what a 1200 student campus is really like if 600 high school students and parents are in the mix that day? In addition, maybe what you need on a day off from high school is—well, a day off. Visiting colleges is important, but if you’ve just finished a tough slate of final exams, maybe a trip to the paintball palace is a better use of the day.

What’s the best way to tell if the open house is a must do? Check the schedule of activities. Many open houses consist of a welcome from the admissions office, a tour, a chance to sit in on a class, an information session on the college, and a chance to ask about financial aid. This is all essential material, but there’s a good chance you can still get all of this information (often in the exact same format) if you visit campus some other time. Check out the college’s Visit Us Web site to find out what’s available on non-open house days, and look closely to make sure you can sit in on classes; if all of this is regularly available, the open house becomes a can do, not a must do—talk with your parents, and make your best call…

…and whenever you visit, do your best to do both the tour and the information session. Tours tend to be a good overview of what the college sees as its best stuff; if the tour guide talks more about student organizations than academics and spends more time showing you the workout facilities than the science labs, that says something about what the college values, and that’s important for you to compare to what you value. The information session usually offers more details about the college—here’s the time to ask about study abroad, research opportunities, and admission requirements. Most of this information is also covered when the college visits your high school, but Mom and Dad won’t hear it at your high school, and it wouldn’t hurt you to hear this lowdown as a family—so do both whenever you go, and be sure to debrief in the car.


College Open Houses: To Go, or Not to Go? Is it College Admission Help?

College students get big boost in aid for College Grants

College students get big boost in aid for College Grants
Stimulus bill, fed budget offer larger grants, more loan options

Marisa Schultz / The Detroit News
Michigan college students are in line to benefit this year from the largest increase ever in federal student aid spending, under measures rolled out in the early days of the Obama administration.
Between the president's budget proposal, and last month’s economic stimulus act, students and their families are poised to have greater access to grant programs, more options for low-interest federal loans and tax credits geared toward reducing the debt burden and, ultimately, the impact of rising tuition costs.
"This is landmark legislation for students, families, colleges and universities," Terry Hartle, senior vice president at the American Council on Education, said of the stimulus funds. "It provides the biggest increase in student aid spending in the nation's history."
The relief will be especially welcome in Michigan, where the average public university tuition approaches $9,000, making it one of the most expensive states in the nation in which to earn a college degree. With annual tuition hikes -- averaging 7 percent last year -- the gulf between federal financial aid and the cost of an education has widened significantly over the past decade.
While the Obama measures would increase direct aid to students, it's too early to tell whether the state will allocate the stimulus money in a way that will allow Michigan universities to freeze tuition this year.
University leaders, however, say the investment in education presents many opportunities.
"It has the potential to be a great boost for Michigan families and universities," said Michael Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan.
Among the key provisions of the stimulus funds and Obama's budget proposal:
• Grants: The stimulus act increases the maximum Pell Grant -- federal gift aid for the neediest students -- from $4,731 to $5,350 this year and $5,550 by 2010. The move is expected to increase the number of recipients by 800,000 for a total of 7 million students.
Students would receive $500 more on average, said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Finaid.org. The boost will increase access and lessen the need for student loans.
Getting more Pell Grant money and taking out fewer loans is good news to Eastern Michigan University student Chris Rolston, 18.
"I would feel relieved," said Rolston, who pays for school between loans, his federal work study and about $900 in Pell Grants. He worries whether he can repay the money he borrowed. "It's just hard to pay back with the economy. The only job I have is through the school, and it's hard to find more jobs around here."
The president's budget aims to stabilize Pell Grant funding by increasing the award by the rate of inflation plus 1 percentage point annually, ensuring the grant keeps pace with tuition prices.
"The more we can minimize borrowing, the better off they will be when they graduate," said Val Meyers, associate director of the Office of Financial Aid at Michigan State University , where about 6,500 students received Pell Grants in the 2006-07 school year.
• Student loans: The federal Perkins loan program would undergo a massive expansion that would allow all colleges and universities to participate in this low-interest loan program. The number of participating schools would grow from 1,800 to 4,400, giving 2.7 million new low-income students access to the loans. The loan volume would go from $1 billion to $6 billion, a move that may lessen the need for private, costlier student loans.
The 5 percent interest rate would stay the same, but interest would accrue while students are in school, under Obama's budget proposal.
The Obama budget proposal would effectively eliminate banks as lenders of federal money and instead insist students borrow directly from the federal government. Michigan's 15 public universities use the direct student loan program, but most community and private colleges still use the bank-based program and would have to convert under the Obama budget proposal.
The bank-as-lender program was already on "life support" since many banks have dropped out of the student loan business amid financial turmoil, and taking away their subsidies could save $4 billion a year, according to Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
• Tax credits: Families making up to $180,000 will see nearly $14 billion for tuition tax credits, raising the credit from $1,800 to $2,500 for money spent on tuition, fees and now textbooks, under the stimulus act. For the first time, families that don't owe taxes can get up to a $1,000 rebate. The budget proposes to make this tax credit permanent.
• Work study: The stimulus act increases work-study funds by $200 million, which would enable 81,000 more students to qualify for campus job programs, Kantrowitz said.
• Job retraining: Michigan will receive about $193 million for worker retraining programs, said Mike Hansen, president of the Michigan Community College Association, which represents all 28 public colleges in Michigan.
This stimulus money, state leaders say, means more people can access the state's No Worker Left Behind program that pays for tuition of displaced workers seeking training in emerging careers. With the high unemployment rate, that program has developed wait lists, and the demand is huge for more funding, Hansen said.
The bottom line is that "community colleges, as one of the leading training providers, will be the beneficiary of much of that money," Hansen said.
• College completion: Obama's budget proposal calls for a $500 million grant program for federal-state-local partnerships to improve retention and graduation rates, particularly for low-income students. Details were not clear on how money would be divvied up, but funds would support research into what works to help increase the college completion rate, according to the administration.


College students get big boost in aid for College Grants

USA Funds Introduces Online Loan College Counseling for Parent-Borrowers

USA Funds Introduces Online Loan College Counseling for Parent-Borrowers

INDIANAPOLIS -- USA Funds(R), the nation's leading education loan guarantor, announces the introduction of a new component of its suite of online counseling programs for federal education loan borrowers. USA Funds Parent PLUS Guide(SM) entrance counseling is designed to help parent-borrowers make more-informed decisions about the use of Federal PLUS loans to help finance their children's college studies.
"Parents should be aware of the unique terms and conditions of PLUS loans before they borrow," said Denise B. Feser, USA Funds senior vice president, customer relations. "Postsecondary institutions can offer this counseling to parents to help them understand their rights and responsibilities as PLUS loan borrowers, and even integrate the program into the loan application process."
Federal PLUS loans are federally guaranteed loans that parents can use to help pay a dependent undergraduate student's college costs. Parent PLUS loan borrowing has grown to nearly $7 billion annually.
USA Funds Parent PLUS Guide offers the following features:
• A glossary of education loan terms.
• Items parents should consider before taking out a PLUS loan.
• A description of the PLUS loan Master Promissory Note, the adverse-credit check and the alternatives for parents with adverse credit.
• PLUS loan terms and conditions.
• Borrower rights and responsibilities, including the responsibility of the parent to repay the PLUS loan.
• PLUS loan repayment plans and options for PLUS loan borrowers who need payment relief.
• The definition and consequences of default.
• USA Funds Parent PLUS Guide is part of the USA Funds Loan Counselor(R) suite of online loan counseling tools. Other components include:
• USA Funds Stafford Loan Guide(SM) entrance counseling for undergraduates.
• USA Funds Student Loan Transition Guide(SM) exit counseling for undergraduates.
• USA Funds Grad Guide(SM) entrance and exit counseling for graduate and professional students.
For more information about USA Funds Parent PLUS Guide and the other components of USA Funds Loan Counselor, visit www.usafunds.org/financial_aid and select "Debt Management" and "USA Funds Loan Counselor."

USA Funds Introduces Online Loan College Counseling for Parent-Borrowers

A Bigger Federal Role for College Grants and College Funding

A Bigger Federal Role for College Grants and College Funding

The proposal would tie Pell Grants to inflation for the first time and make the government the direct lender for all federally backed student loans

By Gale Holland

The government proposes to take on a greatly expanded role in making college affordable and in ensuring that students earn degrees or credentials.

Pell Grants would be tied to inflation for the first time since their inception, providing annual raises for recipients. The grant program also would be turned into a entitlement program with guaranteed funding, like Social Security or Medicare.
"We're ending the era of zero responsibility, and making an investment critical to our economic future," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a conference call with reporters.

Pell Grants are the bedrock of college aid, but soaring tuition and fees over the last two decades have eroded their value. Twenty years ago, the grants covered 50% of the cost of education at a public college, including room and board, and 20% at a private college. By 2008, the figures had slipped to 32% of public college costs and 13% of private costs.

President Obama also proposes that the government become the direct lender for all federally backed student loans, ending subsidies to private lenders and saving the government $4 billion annually.
The subsidized program provided $56 billion in loans to 6 million students last year. The government's direct loan program provided $14 billion in loans to 1.5 million students.

Kevin Bruns, executive director of America's Student Loan Providers, opposed the proposal, saying guaranteed loans from private lenders had been "a rare source of stability for families. Now is not the time to talk about abolishing them."

Obama is seeking to significantly boost Perkins loans, which colleges award to students with unexpected expenses. The money had been allocated to a limited number of institutions under a formula that favored older, more established private colleges and excluded community colleges, said Sandy Baum, senior policy analyst for the College Board.

Under Obama's proposal, that money would be available to 2.7 million students at all 4,400 higher- education institutions.

The president resisted calls to raise loan limits, which some analysts said could trigger spiraling tuition or over-borrowing.

In another initiative, the president is seeking $2.5 billion to partner with states in programs to keep college students on track until they finish their education.

Just under half of the nation's college students obtain a degree or certificate, Baum said.

Obama also called for simplifying the complicated financial aid application process, but he did not say how he would do it.

Several analysts said they are waiting to see details in what could be the pivotal element in the plan.

"If they don't simplify the system, it will never be as effective as it could be," Baum said.

Many higher-education advocates praised the budget proposals.

"It goes beyond anything any of us could have wished for," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Assn. of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and a frequent critic of higher-education funding schemes.

"It's visionary," he said. "You'd have to go back to Lyndon Johnson to find a commitment to education like this. This isn't just more money, it's intelligently spent money."

A Bigger Federal Role for College Grants and College Funding