College Planning Services, Inc.

We Are Now - Emerson Educational Consulting

2011-09-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

We’re excited! Beginning today College Planning Services, Inc. will begin doing business as Emerson Educational Consulting. Only our name has changed. The staff, locations and ownership remain the same.

We are changing our name to better reflect what we do. In the last few years, the term college planning services is often understood to mean financial planning and is no longer appropriate. Our new name better reflects our primary objective helping students to find colleges and universities where they will be educationally successful and socially happy. In addition to changing our name, we’ve changed logo and our website. And, we’ve added an additional service.

Our new service, Ask an Educational Consultant, is designed to provide an easy to use, affordable and effective way for college bound students and their parents, as well as graduate school candidates to connect directly with me. Now, parents and students will have an opportunity, using the telephone or Skype, to speak to me, an experienced IEC who is a member of both the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and a Certified Educational Planner (CEP).

I want to emphasize that while we have modernized our look; our commitment to providing the students and families we work with excellent service has not and will not change. We will continue to provide the same comprehensive college and graduate school admission guidance our clients have come to expect.

The College Admissions Scoop: Making the Most of Written Portion of the College Application

2011-08-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

The college essay and the short paragraphs are important parts of the college application. Further, by the time students apply, they are usually the only parts of the application over which the student still has control. If these statements are written with care, they can help the student to stand out from other applicants and to present a dynamic, personal and memorable picture to the admission staff. Students should plan on writing many drafts.

Essays that talk about too much end up sounding watered-down. Students should remember that it is not about telling the admissions committee what they have done - admission representatives can pick that up from the student's list of activities - rather, it is about showing the admissions committee the applicant’s unique qualities and characteristics.

Here are some important essay tips for students:

Don’t tell the reader what you think the reader wants to hear. You’ll be wrong! Just be yourself.
Don’t use one hundred words when ten words will do well, if not better.
Don’t submit your first draft; it’s probably not your best work.
Don’t keep at it just to get it done. Allowing at least a day between drafts will help you decide if your writing says what you want to it to say in the best way possible.
Don’t give it to 10 people to read. Limit the feedback you receive, otherwise it will sound like it was written by a committee instead of an individual – you.
Do remember to proofread.

Proofread again! It’s your critical responsibility to proofread your entire application, including the essay, before hitting the submit button. The easiest way to proofread an application is to read it out loud, not to yourself, but actually out loud. When possible you should print a preview of your application to proofread out loud, and then keep for your files.

The College Admissions Scoop: Don't Sweat the Interview!

2011-07-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Does the thought of having a college admissions interview make you break out in a cold sweat and make your heart beat faster? It shouldn’t! Here’s why.

The interview is an opportunity for the college admissions representative to get to know you. Most are nice and don’t ask trick questions. The interview isn’t a test of academic knowledge. It is a way to help college admissions officers see that you are more than the number on your transcript (GPA) and your test scores. Interviews add a face and a personality to your application. They give you a chance to talk about your good qualities that are not reflected in your application. Interviews also provide you with an opportunity to explain any blemishes on your transcript. Many interviews are informational and conversational. You tell the college admission representative a bit about you and he or she will tell you a bit about the school.

When you meet your interviewer, shake hands and maintain eye contact. If you are with your parent(s) or a friend introduce them to the interviewer. Make sure your parents understand that they are not to accompany you into the interview room. If your parent(s) want to be in the waiting room when your interview ends so they can ask a question or two, that’s OK. Don’t have a family discussion in the presence of the interviewer. Don’t roll your eyes at something your parent says, even if you think it’s the stupidest thing you ever heard. That will only show that you’re immature.

Marilyn’s Interview Tips:

Most interviewers will want to know why you’re interested in their school. It helps to do your homework and to learn about the school before you interview. Try to go on the tour before you interview.
A firm handshake, eye contact and a smile are important.
Always be yourself. If you try to be something you’re not, it will come across loud and clear. Besides, you have a lot to offer.
When in doubt, be honest.
If you’re feeling really nervous, it’s OK to say so.
Go prepared with questions to ask the interviewer.
If possible rehearse with someone who has conducted interviews.
Ask the interviewer for a business card. This will help you spell the person’s name correctly when sending a thank you note.

The College Admission Scoop: Begin College Applications Now to Make the Fall Less Stressful

2011-07-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Don’t wait - begin now! If you wait to begin the college application process until school resumes in the fall, you’ll find the added workload to be about the same as having added another full course! Also, many unexpected things can occur during the fall of senior year that could prevent you from giving the application process your all. So, don’t delay.

Starting early will give you time to think carefully about how you are going to present yourself to the admissions committee. The college essay, the personal statement and the various short paragraphs are all important parts of the college application. Importantly, by the time you apply, they are the only parts of your application over which you will still have control over. To put “your best foot forward”, you will need to devote considerable thought, time and effort to your writing. If they are written with care, your statements can help you to stand out from other applicants, and present a dynamic, personal and memorable view of yourself to the admission staff. You should plan on doing many drafts.

The Common Application goes live for 2011-2012 on August 1^st. Other applications will follow suit during the month of August. Here are some reminders to make the process less stressful:

During the Summer:

Schedule interviews as early as possible, since slots will book up.
Create a timeline for each school you are applying to. Be sure to make note of important deadlines.
Register for fall standardized tests.
Visit schools.
Register with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse if you are interested in DI or DII sports and if you want to be recruited. Develop a list of your extracurricular activities.

Once School Begins:

Request letters of recommendation. Give your teachers information about you to spark their memory. Give them plenty of time to meet deadlines.
Request a copy of your high school transcript and check it for accuracy.
Decide if you are applying using early decision or early action plans, or to any schools using rolling admissions. Complete those applications first.

The College Admissions Scoop: Tough Breaks and Silver Linings

2011-06-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

For some high school students and their parents the perceived risk of failing to get into the schools of their choice can be very stressful. For new or soon to be college graduates, the risk of rejection by a graduate school or a potential employer can be similarly stressful. It doesn’t have to be that way. Take a deep breath, and then tell yourself that failing to get into the school you want to attend or landing the job you thought perfect, can become a good thing - especially when you use “failing” as the spark to ignite your strength and resilience. "Failure is not the opposite of success, it is the stone to success," Arianna Huffington told the Sarah Lawrence class of ’11 in her graduation speech. And, Conan O’Brien told the Dartmouth Class of “11 that “It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It's not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound re-invention.”

Watch Conan O'Brien's speech here :

Watch Arianna Huffington's speech here:

Rising Seniors: Letters of Recommendation - Choose Teachers Wisely

2011-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Rising seniors, it’s time to think about who you will ask to write your letters of recommendation for college. Choose your teachers wisely.

The Common Application requires two letters of recommendation from teachers. Other applications ask for one teacher recommendation and some require none. Sometimes, colleges prefer that you choose teachers from core academic subjects. It is important that you read the application instructions for each college you are applying to and follow the directions carefully.

Here are four things to think about when choosing teachers to write letters of recommendation:

Will each teacher add something new about you – a new dimension? If both teachers say the same thing, you are giving up an opportunity to add more depth to your application
Can each teacher you chose speak about your intellectual curiosity? How you learn? What you do when things become difficult? Can they talk about you as an individual? You want the person or the committee reading your application to know about you, separately from the other students who are applying from your high school.
It is not always best to choose the teacher for the class where you received a good grade or even your best grade. Sometimes the teacher who can talk about your perseverance, your ability to work hard and your individuality will be able to write a more effective letter.
After the teacher agrees to write your recommendation, you may want to consider giving the teacher a one page resume that not only details your activities (in school and outside of school), your leadership abilities and your hobbies, but includes what you liked best about the class. Doing so may provide the teacher with information that can be used to write a stronger letter; it may also indicate to the teacher that you take this seriously, and appreciate the time and effort that he will devote to writing a letter on your behalf.

The Importance of College "Fit!"

2011-05-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Yesterday, two unrelated happening reinforced the message that is the essential element of my independent educational consulting practice – the importance of finding colleges and universities where students will be educationally successful and socially happy.

The first occurred early in the day. I attended the Colleges That Change Lives* (CTCL) counselor breakfast and college fair. While CTCL schools are distinctive from each other in many ways, they share common features of small student to faculty ratios that allow students to be known as individuals, a focus on a liberal arts education and the importance of involvement outside the classroom. These points were reinforced as I went around the room chatting with representatives from the different schools. Lisa Hill told me about the Goucher students who are currently traveling and learning in China with a Goucher professor. Clarisse Leong spoke about the tolerant, interesting community of students and faculty at Evergreen State College. Bob Baldwin and I discussed a former student of mine who is thriving in the supportive atmosphere at Allegheny College, and one of my current high school students who was surprised by how much he liked Allegheny since he thought he wanted a larger school. I spent time with Lauren Sefton exchanging ideas about how to interest more students from the northeast in colleges in the south. We also discussed another former student who is enjoying his experience at Rhodes. Elizabeth Zucchero shared insights about the student body at Birmingham-Southern, who at first glance might not seem diverse, but upon getting to know them, prove that appearances may be deceiving. And, Jake Doll and I talked about the addition of Chinese to the language offerings at McDaniel. All of these conversations, as well as the opening remarks by the Executive Director, Martha O’Connell and the Chairperson, Maria Furtado, who both talked about the importance of “fit,” had me wishing that students and parents would expand their options and think about the myriad possibilities that exist in the United States, including the CTCL schools.

The second happened through social media. I noticed that one of my former students graduated from college and I sent her a congratulatory note. She responded with the following: “Just want to thank you for your help way back when! I also wanted to share with you the exciting news that I was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa – I think it is safe to say we found the right place for me!”

*About CTCL. The organization was founded as a result of a book Colleges That Change Lives that was researched and written by Loren Pope, a former New York Times education editor. Mr. Pope passed away in 2008, but his work lives on through Colleges That Change Lives, Inc. a non-profit organization. For more information go to http://www.ctcl.org/about/ctcl

2011-2012 Common Application Update

2011-05-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

The Common Application lets students fill out one application online for all of their member colleges and universities. While this saves some time, students need to be aware that about 2/3 of the member schools require additional information in the form of Supplements.

Yesterday, Scott Anderson, Director of Outreach at the Common Application, spoke about The Common Application for 2011-2012. He began with some interesting statistics from this past year (2010-2011):

575,000 unique applicants
2.4 million Common Applications filed
70% of the applications were from public high schools
4.5 is the average number* of applications filed by applicants (* number is low for the northeast where the average is up to 7.7)

Then, Scott went on to talk about enhancements to the application for this coming year:

There are 49 new participating schools, bringing the total number to 461 colleges and universities. New members include University of Kentucky, UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Southern California. You can see the full list at www.commonapp.org and then click on news.
The new layout for listing foreign languages will help students’ better capture proficiency levels.
The “activities” section is reduced from 12 to 10, providing more room to write about each activity. Students will also be able to reorder their activities without redoing the entire section.
250-500 words are suggested for the personal statement.
There is a standard Early Decision (ED) agreement accepted by almost all members.
Students will be able to review application progress using their smart phones.

Rising seniors, please note that The Common Application will go live for the 2011-2012 school year on August 1^st.

Go With Your Gut and Other Thoughts on Choosing a College

2011-04-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, MSW, CEP and Jana Jett Loeb

Congratulations! Now you get to choose, but time is running out! If you are having trouble deciding which college to attend, here are some helpful ways of approaching this choice.

First, if possible, visit your top choices. Even if you visited the campus before, it’s great to visit again now that you’re in the driver’s seat. Colleges will be doing their best to woo you, which means you’ll have the chance to meet professors and administrators, speak with current students and visit classes

Second, consider the academic offerings, location and student life when you are making your decision. Ask questions - don’t be satisfied with merely number of courses offered. And, remember that your interests might change. It is good to find out how easily you can take courses outside of your major and about any difficulties encountered by students in scheduling courses.

Third, think about the location of the school. Do students have a vibrant campus life or do they flee to the nearest urban area on weekends? Do students like the town or city in which the school is located, or is the surrounding area tough to access and enjoy? Is the school isolated from or well-integrated with the local community?

Fourth, try to envision yourself among the student body. This is usually pretty intuitive. Is there a particularly dominant social scene at the school, and if so, is it something you would like to be part of? Do different types of students all get along well, or do ethnic and social groups segregate? Notice how people relate in public areas like the cafeteria or library.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, go with your gut. And, remember that it is up to you make your own college experience when you arrive on campus. The school you feel is best is probably the best school for you.

The College Admissions Scoop: Selective Schools Grasp at Reasons to Deny

2011-03-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Every morning, I post to College Planning Services, Inc.’s Facebook page links to articles that I feel offer something interesting about higher education and the college and graduate school admission process. One of today’s links was to the podcast of The Brian Lehrer Show: College Letters. Today, the day students across the country, and the world, will hear from a small group of highly sort after colleges and universities, Lehrer airs a highly relevant interview with Jacques Steinberg, education writer for the New York Times.

To my surprise I agree with most everything that Steinberg says. I agree especially that the admissions process “is not fair.” Steinberg tells listeners not to put stock into what rejection means because the process can be highly subjective. As an example, Lehrer plays an excerpt from the recent Tova Smith NPR broadcast Behind the Scenes: How Do You Get Into Amherst. Listeners hear that a student is rejected because the reviewer does not like the first sentence in the student’s essay, which she interpreted as not showing intellectual passion, but rather showing a passion for just music. This example showcases, according to Steinberg, how admissions officers at the highly selective schools are sometimes “grasping for reasons to say no.”

To all the parents who will be hurting tonight because their children were denied, take a deep breath, swallow your disappointment and move forward. Your child was just one of the unlucky ones. Your child is still the same intelligent, curious and wonderful person he or she was before the denial. Where a person attends college does not determine success in life. It is up to your child to determine his or her own success.

The College Admissions Scoop: Parents Beware - Not All Independent Educational Consultants Work and Think Alike

2011-03-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Recently, one of my colleagues sent me a link to a Radio Times question and answer session with Andrew Ferguson, author of Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course In Getting His Kid Into College. Ferguson shared his thoughts about an independent educational consultant (IEC) he shadowed, and then seems to suggest that all IEC’s practice similarly. I was not surprised, but was definitely dismayed by Ferguson’s inferences about my profession and my colleagues.

Parents engage my services for many reasons -- to take the stress out of the home, to help them navigate higher education options in order to find the group of schools that fit their child both academically and socially, and to provide the adult support for their child that they are not able to provide because of, for example, an illness or an aging parent. They may use my services because their child learns differently and requires special support, or simply because they are naturally interested in their child’s success, or they realize that their child is one of hundreds with whom the school’s guidance counselor is working. My clients do not hire me to get their child into a particular college or group of schools.

After meeting me, and before signing my contract, parents know that I, like many of my IEC colleagues, do not encourage parents to “professionalize” their children’s childhood. I do not “market” students, and I do not encourage them to participate in particular activities for the primary purpose of getting into college. I, and most of my colleagues, encourage students to be themselves, to explore possibilities and to discover their real interests. I believe that every student has strengths and I assist students in finding theirs.

Most of the families IEC's work with are not made up of "high net-worth individuals." I and most of my colleagues charge far more modest fees than those of Ferguson's consultant. If you are interested in hiring an IEC, I strongly suggest that you and your child meet with the consultant and ask questions before signing on. It is very important that your family, and especially your child, feel comfortable with the person you hire; otherwise the process will not work. The Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) provides a list of questions designed to help you ask the right questions.

The College Admissions Scoop: Seniors Focus on Your Acceptances

2011-03-22T04:35:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP and Jana Jett Loeb

A college admission decision is not a vote on who you are as a person, what you have or have not accomplished, or what you would or would not bring to that school. It is the nature of admissions that when there are more qualified applicants than there are spaces, some very talented individuals will not be accepted. As such, a denial shouldn’t be taken personally or too seriously. It doesn’t change your talent and promise one bit.

If you have made a thoughtful and dynamic list of schools, you will have some excellent choices. April is a month when schools work hard to woo their admitted students, and you should take advantage of opportunities to visit these campuses, meet other admitted students, and speak to current students at these schools. Now the tables are turned, and the decision is up to you. Use this opportunity wisely. You might have to recalibrate some of your initial priorities, but you will have plenty of chances to get to know the schools well and make the right decision for yourself. You have the ability to make your choice the “perfect fit.”

The College Admissions Scoop: Don't Obsess!

2011-03-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Early this week the print and TV news media ran with the story of a mom who is suing her child’s pre-school for damaging her daughter’s chances of gaining an Ivy League education. Why are some people are so obsessed with a small group of schools that they don’t want or allow their children a normal childhood? Who or what factors create an environment where both parents and students think the value of education is in a name and will pursue actions that lead many to question their sanity? In some instances, this parental obsession gets passed down to their children who also do - dare I say it – stupid things. Take, for example, the teenagers in a suburb of New York City who allegedly hired others to take the SAT’s for them.

As an independent educational consultant I visit between 30 and 50 colleges each year, all over the United States, as well as some international schools. My visits have reinforced what I knew to be true – there are many, many wonderful institutions of higher learning. These colleges and universities have professors invested in teaching undergraduates, interesting and unique course offerings and spirited campuses. Most importantly, the students who attend these schools are happy to be there because they found the right environment for them to be successful academically and happy socially. So, instead of obsessing about a few schools, keep an open mind and help your child broaden his or her college search.

Tips for parents:

· Don’t believe everything you read or hear about college admissions.

· Don’t compare your child to your neighbor’s child or any other child.

· Don’t make your child’s college admission your hobby or your job.

· You are there for parental support, not parental interference.

The College Admissions Scoop: The Complexity of College Admissions

2011-03-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Every morning on my business facebook page I post links to articles related to college and graduate school admissions. This week one of the posts linked to a report from the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center on Parent and Research Perceptions of Complexity in College Admission. The first phase of their research shows that while students, parents and guidance counselors may complain that the decision process is not transparent, most found the college application process to be fairly easy to understand and only moderately stressful if a student applied to four colleges or less. The research also showed that the more schools a student applied to the more complex the application process became. This was particularly true if the schools were private rather than public.

Given the small number of surveys used for the study, what I take away from the research is the need for accurate information that gives parents and students a better understanding of the college admission and college decision process.

2011-03-15T15:12:00.001-07:00

The College Admissions Scoop: Acceptance is Unpredictable

2011-03-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP and Jana Jett Loeb

As March gets under way, colleges will come out of hibernation and begin to send out decisions.

If you are admitted, congratulations! You have proved that you have worked incredibly hard, you have shown that you can clearly do the work and that you would be an amazing addition to the school.

If you are not admitted, you have proved that you have worked incredibly hard, you have shown that you can clearly do the work and that you would be an amazing addition to the school.

So wait, why didn’t you get in?

The college admissions process is not random, but it is highly unpredictable. Admissions committees are thoughtful, thorough, and deeply invested in appreciating who you are as an applicant. But from the position of the applicant, it is indeed unpredictable because you can only see what you present to the school. You cannot see the vast pool of applications from which they are choosing, and you cannot know how your unique set of strengths and contributions will fit with their priorities for shaping a class. In 2007, Richard H. Shaw, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Stanford University wrote, “ I wish there were a formula to explain who is accepted and who isn't, but the decision-making is as much art as it is science. Each class is a symphony with its own distinct composition and sound; the final roster is an effort to create harmony, and that means that some extraordinary bass players don't get a chair. What's more, even among my staff there are legitimate differences about applicants.”

So, don’t spend time and energy on why you weren’t accepted. Focus instead on all the wonderful choices you have.

Traps to Avoid When Visiting Colleges

2011-02-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Assuming that one student represents the entire student body - When your son or daughter goes on a college tour, generally their tour guide will be a student. At some schools, the tour guides are employees of the admissions office. While tour guides can be a great resource for information about the academics and social life on campus, it is a good idea to get the opinions of other students on campus too. Hearing others’ opinions and gathering information from different sources will allow your son or daughter to better decide whether or not the environment on campus is right for them.

Rushing to judgment - Give your child time to internalize what he or she has seen and heard. Give your child time to think about the school before asking for their opinion. Remember that each school is a new experience and they will need time and space to put what they have seen and heard into perspective. Teenagers might not be able to express their thoughts as clearly as you might like.

Voicing your opinion first - As a parent, you want what you think is best for your child. This may be in conflict with what your child thinks is best for him or her. Do not, either with words or body language, tell your child your thoughts before he voices his opinion.

Not listening to your child - It is very important to respect what your child tells you, even if it sounds ridiculous. Often teenagers have a hard time articulating their feelings and they may draw seemingly peculiar conclusions. Do not get annoyed. Think about what your child is trying to say. One young woman told her parents that she didn’t like a particular campus because the students weren’t wearing shoes. What she really meant was that the campus felt a bit “alternative” and the students were not the type of students she wanted to go to school with.

Not allowing your child to change his or her mind. Do not be so quick to agree or disagree. This is the time for you to listen. As students continue to visit colleges, learn about colleges and mature, their thoughts and opinions might change. They need to feel secure enough to say so.

What High School Students Should Consider When Visiting Colleges

2011-02-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP and Jana Jett Loeb

A high school student’s view of whether a college campus is the right place for them can be influenced by many factors:

Academic Offerings – Does the college or university offer the types of courses and programs the student is interested in? While it is not necessary for students to know specifically what they want to study, it is important that the school offer courses and programs the student feels are intriguing and want to learn more about. Students also need to think about how they learn best. Is it in small or large classes? Students can get a sense of academic offerings and size of classes by sitting in on a class. Sometimes, admission offices post a list of approved classes students may visit. If this list is not available students need to contact the admissions office directly to determine which classes allow visitors and how to be approved to visit a class. Students should be sure to observe the students in the class as carefully as they do the professor; how the students interact with one another in a seminar or ask questions in a lecture can reveal a good deal about the intellectual motivations of the student body.

Extracurricular Activities – As students tour campuses, they will likely pass bulletin boards and posts with flyers and notices about upcoming events. Students should be sure to examine these. It is one thing to hear in an information session that a school has 400 clubs, but seeing these boards is a glimpse of how student life actually takes shape on campus.

Distance from Home – Whether they drive or fly to visit a college campus can make a difference in a student’s view of being far away from home. Traveling from the East Coast to the Midwest can be a two hour flight or an 8 -10 hour drive. It is important for students to understand the differences between flying and driving as they formulate their thoughts about what it will mean to be living away from home.

Campus Living Arrangements – For some students, where they will live will heavily influence whether they choose to attend a particular college. Students need to think about which living conditions are important to them and ask direct questions about residential life. A few questions that they might want to consider asking are:

· Are all students required to live on campus for four years?
· What housing options are available?
· How are roommates assigned?
· Are there any restrictions in the dorms?

The Area’s Culture – Specific customs, weather patterns, the pace of life, and even language and speech patterns contribute to the culture in different parts of the country. Students should consider their personal comfort level – are they open to differences or do they prefer the familiar?

Tips for Parents Planning College Visits

2011-02-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S. W., CEP

Marilyn’s tips for parents who are planning college visits:

Ask your son or daughter if they are comfortable having you ask questions during the visit. If they are not comfortable, respect their feelings and don’t ask questions. You do not want your offspring focusing on his embarrassing parents instead of the colleges you are taking the time to visit.

Set up appointments for the schools that require them. Some schools allow you to do this online while others require a telephone call. Most tours are 45 minutes to an hour and most information sessions run an hour. Colleges usually schedule tours and information sessions back-to-back.

Always check to make sure the times listed in the guidebooks or on the websites are correct. You don’t want to arrive on campus and find that they are not offering tours and information sessions because it is a special day on campus.

The timing of your visit can influence how comfortable your child is on a particular campus. Although it is ideal to visit colleges during the academic year, going in the summer is still valuable. Think about when would be best for your child and your family.

Arrange your schedule so that you are not rushing from campus to campus. Do not visit more than two schools in one day.

In addition to the tour and information session, set aside time to have a meal in the dining hall. In addition to checking out the food this will allow your child to eavesdrop on conversations, and if they are comfortable doing so, to talk to other students. If your child is concerned about being seen in the dining hall with his parents, gently remind him that you will not be the only adults there as faculty and staff use the dining hall as well.

If you will be staying overnight near the campus, check to see if there is a sporting event, a theater production or an a cappella concert taking place on campus. If necessary, get tickets. You might need to, once again, gently remind your child that faculty and staff attend these events as well as parents of the students involved so you will not be the only adults there.

Juniors: Plan Visits Wisely

2011-02-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

It can seem overwhelming to plan visits to colleges when there are so many types of schools to see. There are only so many days of vacation or long weekends, and overloading them with college visits may do more harm than good. If you visit too many schools, especially in too short of a time, they will often run together and it will be difficult to get much out of the visits. So, at the beginning, it is important to choose schools that are different in significant ways in order to maximize the value of visiting.

Some important factors to consider are size, location, academic offerings, and selectivity. If students are unsure whether they would be happy at a large university with a bustling environment, or a small liberal arts college in a rural area, then it is important to visit both of these types of schools as well as schools that fall in-between. Be sure that each school has something a bit different to add to the mix.

Students should not get too caught up in what they assume they want before they have an opportunity to experience different types of environments. It is much better to be able to say that you don’t like something than to say that you wish you had known this type of school existed. Even if a student is convinced he only wants to attend College X, it isn’t advisable to only visit College X and schools exactly like College X. It is crucial to push the boundaries of one’s expectations, and visiting can help students narrow their interests and options. Even if students return from visits just as committed to attending College X or schools like it, that commitment is now more informed by the experience of seeing what such schools—and others—are actually like.

Once you have determined which schools to visit, there are a number of things that students and parents can do to make the most of the visiting experience. Our next post will provide tips for how to make visiting colleges exciting, fun and informative.

Juniors: It's Important to Visit Colleges

2011-02-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

Visiting colleges in an important element of the college search process. In the beginning, a search means casting a wide net. After students use guidebooks and the Internet to find schools that seem appealing, they should begin to think about visiting schools. Experiencing different college environments will confirm if what they have read and think they want meshes with their campus experiences.

Visiting is important because it allows students to get a realistic sense of the culture of a campus. Visiting gives students the opportunity to sit in on classes, speak with current college students, witness daily life, and get a feel for what a school has to offer. It is also the way students learn how a college wants itself to be seen, a useful indication of what college leadership think is important.

But, perhaps the most important reason to visit campuses is the instinctive way students respond to the experience of visiting. The ‘gut feeling’ is a hugely important factor in directing students’ college preferences; it usually doesn’t lie. A junior touring a campus will often know instinctively whether a campus is a good ‘fit.’ While not every visit will elicit a strong response, some probably will, and those will speak volumes. Stay tuned for our next post about choosing the right range of schools to visit.

The College Admissions Scoop: It's FAFSA Time!

2011-01-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

It is time to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA, is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov or via hard copy by request only. Filing online is highly recommended for both speed of transmission and accuracy of information.

There is no automatic income cut-off level for financial eligibility, so I recommend that you apply even if you think you will not qualify. The only sure way to determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid is to file the FAFSA. The likelihood of being eligible for some form of financial aid may be better than you think.

Some common financial aid myths include:

Only students with high GPA's get all the aid
If your older son or daughter did not qualify for aid, then neither will your other children
Only extremely needy students can receive financial aid, so if your family income is high, then don't bother to apply

The primary responsibility for paying for a student's education rests with the student and his family. Financial aid programs are only intended to assist students and families with their college costs.

The College Admissions Scoop: Deferred Dos and Don'ts

2010-12-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

Note to parents: If your child has been deferred, there are steps he or she should take to remain a viable applicant.

Seniors, if you have been deferred from an early school, being proactive may help when your application is considered within the larger regular pool of applicants. Here are some important dos and don’ts.

Do:

KEEP UP YOUR GRADES. Committees will look carefully at this when making their final decisions.
Restate your interest in the school in a brief letter that you send in January or February. The purpose of this letter is not to re-frame your entire application or to build your resume; the Committee already has the information they believe that they need to make a final decision in April. However, this letter can be helpful to confirm that this school would be your first choice if you were admitted. The letter tells them that you remain interested despite having been deferred.
Update the Committee on any additional accomplishments or developments in your application. It is helpful to do this, but only if you have something that will add substantively to your application. Tell them about a significant award you have received or if particular circumstance has changed.
Ask your guidance counselor to call the school to see if there is a specific reason for the deferral, but note that for the majority of applicants it isn't any one thing. If you are not comfortable having your guidance counselor call on your behalf, then call the school yourself.

Do Not:

HAVE A DIP IN GRADES. An admissions committee will look unfavorably on students who have let their grades fall in their senior year. This applies to all the schools you have applied to.

Have Mom or Dad call the school - admissions representatives want to hear from students!
Re-craft yourself by sending new letters of recommendation, new resumes, or new essays.
Send the Committee a copy of every article you have published for the school newspaper since your deferral.
Tell the Committee about every extracurricular activity in which you have ever participated.

While a deferral is disappointing, be sure to keep things in perspective. After the first semester at college, most students report that they are very happy and doing well at the school that they chose and that chose them. Remember, all the schools on your list are there because you know that they are places where you can be successful academically and happy socially. It is more about what you will do with the four years at college than the particular school.

In our experience, things tend to work out for the best and they will for you too!

The College Admissions Scoop: Deferred - What Does It Mean ?

2010-12-14T05:58:00.000-08:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., C.E.P. and Jana Jett Loeb

Note to Parents: If your son or daughter has been deferred from an early program, s/he is probably experiencing a combination of relief and confusion, and you might be too. What does it mean, exactly, and what is the best way to proceed? Hopefully these next two posts will help your child make sense of a deferral decision as well as understand the appropriate next steps.

If you have been deferred from an early program, you are probably feeling a combination of disappointment and confusion. While you would have wished for a definitive acceptance and might find it hard to imagine waiting throughout the next coming months for another decision from the same school, you probably also feel a sense of hope that when your application is reconsidered, you may yet be admitted in April.

An important thing to know is that a deferral is not a disguised “no.” Colleges have every intention of reconsidering your application in the context of the wider applicant pool during regular decision. In fact, they have chosen to hold off on making a final decision until they can see the full context in which your application is situated in their pool. That said, it is also important to be realistic about your chances of admission at this point. While you will certainly receive another review by the committee, your chances of admission are now lower. It is fair to continue to hope for a positive response from the school, and indeed, students can be admitted after being deferred. However, it is also important not to focus primarily on your early school.

The best way to proceed after a deferral is to move forward with the rest of your applications. Be sure to compile all of your materials for the other colleges to which you are applying, and to submit your applications as soon as possible. Doing so will help you to avoid any last-minute problems. It will also help you feel more secure about your college plans while you are in somewhat of a limbo phase with your early choice school.

While a deferral is a disappointing middle ground, be sure to keep things in perspective. You should put your best foot forward, both with the school from which you received your decision and also with your other applications. Most importantly, you must continue to maintain impressive accomplishments as the year continues!

Note: Our next blog will contain information on how to be proactive with your ED school after a deferral.

Rejected - It's Their Loss, Move Forward

2010-12-10T05:51:00.000-08:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

A Note to Parents: If you son or daughter has been denied from an early program, you likely share in their considerable disappointment. A denial this early can definitely sting, but it is important to put your feelings aside and encourage your child to put their effort into the schools that remain on their list and to keep this decision in perspective.

What follows are some thoughts for students who might trying to make sense of their early denial.

Your ED, REA or EA application has been denied. You are probably—and quite understandably—disappointed. For some of you, “disappointed” might even be putting it lightly. You put in a tremendous amount of work to show your best self to your top choice school and they rejected you. That hurts! But you are not alone.

It is common for students to be denied to early programs. If you have heard that schools only defer or admit students early, then you have been misinformed. It is important to know that these early denials do happen, and that they are not highly unusual. It does not mean you were a terrible applicant or “never had a chance.” It does not mean that you could, should have done things differently. It does not mean that you were not academically competitive with the other applicants. It does not mean you are a failure. It does mean that they probably had more qualified applicants than they had space for.

Schools want to be clear with their applicants, and by giving you an honest decision at this early date, they encourage you to vigorously and enthusiastically pursue the other colleges on your list.

Hopefully, all your other applications are ready. If not, get to work immediately. This will help you to feel more proactive and positive, and will help you to avoid the pitfalls of procrastination.

Don’t let your disappointment get the best of you. Everyone feels the sting of rejection, but what says the most about your character is how you rebound. Get excited about the schools on your list and the many wonderful college options that remain! There are certainly “fat” envelopes in your future.

The College Admissions Scoop: An Interview with Kevin Preis, Founder, Go See Campus

2010-12-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., C.E.P.

Marilyn: Why do you recommend students visit college campuses before deciding whether to apply?

Kevin: “High school students can use trips to campus to get better ideas about the culture and type of environment they prefer for their college experience. They might find they like large suburban campuses, small liberal arts colleges, or universities with religious affiliations. Plus, visiting different parts of the country can prepare students for changes in weather and climate. Whether you are a Texas gal who wants to live in the snowy north or a Wisconsin guy who wants to try a school in the desert, getting a taste beforehand can help ensure a more comfortable university stay.”

Marilyn: Do you recommend that students visit with their parents, if possible?

Kevin: “This depends on the student and his or her stage of the admissions process. Ultimately, students should be the ones researching, applying for, and deciding on colleges. Parents should encourage this independence and responsibility by providing the amount of guidance they think is necessary.

Generally to start out, visiting colleges together is a good idea. Parents can have a dialogue with their children by seeing college campuses for themselves, participating in admissions activities, and meeting college students, faculty, and staff. This can make a big difference when facing final decisions on schools. Plus, it's an opportunity to make lifelong memories!

In some cases, a student has a good handle on the college search, can manage the trip, and wants to visit alone. Participating in a university-sponsored event, like an Open House or an overnight visit program, allows this experience under the supervision of the school's admissions office. If you have questions about these programs, colleges are usually open to receiving them.”

Marilyn: How can visiting a college help a student with his/her application to that college?

Kevin: “Personal experiences with college students and professors can help students describe why they want to attend a particular university, why they are a fit for the school, and what they can contribute academically and socially if admitted.”

Marilyn: What does the Go See Campus website provide for students and parents?

Kevin: “Go See Campus is a free website that helps students and parents plan campus visits and make the most of the college search. The site’s College Trip Planner connects users to campus tours, information sessions, and other admissions activities. They can download maps and make travel arrangements all in one place. For more information, visit http://goseecampus.com, and get exclusive content and updates through Facebook and Twitter.”

This interview should not be construed as an endorsement. The intent is to provide information, and represents the views of the Kevin Preis only, and does not necessarily represent views of College Planning Services, Inc. or Marilyn G.S. Emerson

The College Admissions Scoop: Don't Procrastinate - Finish Your College Applications Now!

2010-11-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

By Marilyn G.S. Emerson and Jana Jett Loeb

A Note to Parents: As you encourage your student in completing their applications, feeling confident that they are making the best use of their time is likely a concern. Though you probably remind them frequently to keep up to date on their work, it might help for them to hear an outside perspective. Hopefully the following post will give your student a good sense of how to avoid the pitfalls of procrastination.

As you probably know, procrastination is not a great strategy for completing your college applications—or anything else, for that matter. While it makes sense that you need time to think about how to best present yourself within the application, and that sometimes you need to take a break from the work, it does not follow that waiting until the mood strikes you (inevitably, 11:30pm on December 31st) is a productive approach.

The first thing to know regarding procrastination is that even if you are impressed with what you can pull off at the last moment, admission officers will sense that your application is lacking in foresight and substantive effort. Because the deadlines for applications are months after materials first become available, readers will wonder why you weren’t able to take advantage of the considerable time allotted to you in putting together your application. If you do not use that time, your ability to present yourself as genuinely and comprehensively as possible will suffer. This means that admission officers will not have as solid of a grasp on who you are and what you have to offer to their community. It also suggests that you are not a responsible student, and you can probably imagine why that would reflect poorly on your ability to make a positive impact in the university classroom.

But there are some more practical concerns regarding procrastination, as well. If you are submitting at the last minute, you’re unlikely to be the only student doing so. Submitting online at the same time as tens of thousands of other students makes you vulnerable to internet troubles, uploading problems, or system failures. Also, as you finish up your application, you are more likely to make mistakes or miss areas to correct if you are rushing to finish everything on time. Those little details are very important to admission officers, and if you forget to spell check your essay or take the tracked changes off your activity sheet, it will reflect poorly on your application as a whole.

Perhaps the most important reason to be timely with your application, however, is that it gives you the chance to relax about the process. Being timely doesn’t mean that you aren’t still working on finishing touches in late December, but it does mean that you have been responsible enough in compiling your application that you feel confident that you are submitting your finest work. You deserve to be proud of what you have submitted, and you deserve to relax when it is all done. If you make use of all the time you have and avoid procrastination, you will experience the feeling of considerable accomplishment and relaxation when you finally click “submit.”

The College Admission Scoop: Begin College Applications Now!

2010-07-20T05:46:00.000-07:00

Parents, think of the college application process as another course your child will be taking this fall. Writing college essays and answering short answer questions is time consuming. To put their “best foot forward” they will need to devote considerable thought, time and effort to their writing. Randy Mills, a former admissions counselor concurs, “It is certainly apparent -- the amount of time and effort that goes into an application. You can tell the well thought-out ones from the ‘I just whipped this up’ applications.”

Many things occur during the fall of senior year that might prevent students from giving the application process their all. Students who begin during the summer have a distinct advantage.

Marilyn

Education Must Meet the Challenge

2010-06-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

Two recent events made me mad! At first these happenings might not seem related, or even have anything to do with college admissions. So, please bear with me. The first was the oil leak in the Gulf. As of today, we are up to the seventh plan for stopping the oil leak. Engineers are trying to cut off the pipe and then lower a dome over it in the hopes of containing the oil.

The second, I have actually seen again and again. It is not limited to a particular high school or to a certain region of the country. I recently met with a student who excels in math and science who had no idea what he wants to do after graduating from college. That did not bother me. Rising high school seniors often do not, and probably should not, know this. I became angry, not at the student, but at our system, when upon suggesting to the student that he consider engineering as a career, it became apparent the he had never thought about engineering. Further, no one at his school, no teacher or counselor, had ever mentioned engineering. Not only did he have no idea about the different types of engineering, he really did not know what engineering is.

Are you beginning to see the link? Engineers apply the principles and theories of science and math to technical problems. By doing so, they find solutions. The tragedy in the Gulf reflects the failure of a challenging and very difficult engineering project. In a broader sense, it highlights the critical need for the "best and the brightest" to step up to the real challenges our nation faces. By encouraging excellent math and science students to think about engineering we will be doing our country a service. It is very important for high school teachers and counselors to spur excellent science and math students to think about studying engineering.

Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Teens: Your Behavior Can Deny You the College Acceptance You Hope For

2010-05-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Re "Albertus Magnus expels six students in marijuana brownies incident on school trip,"

Notwithstanding any sympathy we might have for the six expelled students, every student planning on college should pay close attention to the Albertus situation and the fallout. And so should their parents.

Teens need to understand: Your behavior can deny you the college acceptance you hope for and can affect your eligibility for financial aid.

I am a former high school teacher and now a lawyer and an independent admissions counselor. I know kids make mistakes and expulsion is a severe penalty, but the consequences can go beyond this.

Not all colleges ask the question, but 390 colleges that use the Common Application for Undergraduate College Admission seek information on a student's disciplinary and legal history, both on and off campus. Some other colleges ask similar questions.

The 2010-11 Common Application asks two questions under the heading, "Disciplinary History":

• Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at any educational institution you have attended from ninth grade (or the international equivalent) forward, whether related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in your probation, suspension, removal, dismissal or expulsion from the institution?

• Have you ever been adjudicated guilty or convicted of a misdemeanor, felony or other crime?

The application also states: "If you answered 'yes' to either or both questions , please attach a separate sheet of paper that gives the approximate date of each incident, explains the circumstances and reflects on what you learned from the experiences." The student can write an explanation to ameliorate the event, but this is not a position any applicant wants to be in.

Students could also become ineligible for financial aid if their offenses occur when they are 18 or older. Typically, this would not include high school college applicants, but a drug conviction could require a student to drop out of college for lack of financial aid. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, warns: "It is the law! You might not be able to receive federal student aid if you have been convicted of selling or possessing illegal drugs, if the drug offense for which you were convicted occurred while you were receiving federal student aid (grants, loans, and /or work study)."

High school students often complain that they want to be treated like adults. But they need to understand that being treated like adults can be very tough at times. Learn the rules and stick to them. College acceptance and financial aid could be on the line.

Joseph O'Brien Jr, Esq.

Seniors: Colleges Really Look at Second Semester Grades

2010-05-09T04:14:00.000-07:00

According to the State of College Admission Report 2009 (National Association for College Admission Counseling, September, p.30), 21% of colleges reported that they revoked offers of admission in 2008. A drop in final grades was the most common reason for retractions, followed by disciplinary issues.

Recently the University of Massachusetts sent out letters warning admitted students whose grades were falling to shape up. Some schools take it a step further and ask students to explain their lower grades. The University of Washington and the University of Colorado went even further than that and they rescinded a number of offers.

Look at the case of Mark, whose 3.8 GPA (grade-point average) and perfect verbal and math SAT scores helped him gain entrance to University of North Carolina (UNC). He slacked off towards the end of senior year and his final GPA slid to a 3.5 after failing one class and getting C’s and D's in the others. UNC's admissions staff changed its mind and rescinded its admission offer.

Parents need to remind their high school seniors that college’s want students that interested in learning. They want students with the same level of accomplishment throughout the senior year. They certainly don’t want lazy students!

Marilyn G. S. Emerson, MSW, CEP

Seniors: It's Time to Choose Your College!

2010-04-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

May 1^st is almost here. This is the date when many high school seniors must deposit at the college of their choice. For some students it is an easy decision. For other students the decision looms large. Often they and their parents try to over think it.

If at all possible, I encourage students to narrow their list to two or to three schools and visit or revisit. When visiting as an accepted freshman, a student may see a school through a very different lens – now knowing the school wants him. For some students the visit will make their decision clear.

For those students that remain conflicted, I encourage them to make a list of pros and cons and then honestly articulate their gut reaction to the way the list played out. If they are instinctively unhappy, it may be because they know which school they want to attend, but for one reason or another, they are finding it hard to verbalize, or do not want to verbalize, what they are thinking. Often, but not always, this occurs because students know that their parent or parents think Great College is the best school for them, but they honestly want to go to Wonderful U.

Sometimes choosing a school is simply picking one of two or three good choices. Other times, difficulty selecting between schools can reflect real important underlying concerns, financial, social, or academic. If this is the case, now would be a good time for discussion.

Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

What Should I Do On My Summer Vacation?

2010-04-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

It’s time for high school students to start thinking about what they might want to do this summer. College admissions personnel expect summers to have been spent productively. They expect students to take advantage of available opportunities. There are a wide range of good options. Examples include working, volunteering or taking courses. Many colleges offer summer programs for high school students. The University of Delaware, for example, offers a five week residential program for high school juniors, where students take two courses (for college credit) and get a taste of college life (http://summercollege.honors.udel.edu/ ). If you don’t have five weeks to spend, other colleges offer programs of shorter duration. Ithaca College offers a one week and a three week residential pre-college program (http://www.ithaca.edu/summer_college/ ). Stevens Institute of Technology lets high school juniors and seniors earn college credit through The Euclid Program, an online program of Physics, Computer Science and Math courses (www.stevens.edu/undergrad/precollege.html ).

While I do not advocate doing something because it looks good on a college application, I do advocate doing something – anything you enjoy. After all it is summer vacation!

Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

Don"t Panic There Are Wonderful Options for The Average Student

2010-04-06T05:44:00.000-07:00

“My child is just average.” Have you ever said these words? They are often whispered by parents who feel that they are not living up to the expectations placed on them by their friends, relatives, community and maybe even society. Not too long ago it was okay to be average; it was not seen as a flaw. Today so much emphasis is placed on the rigor of a high school student’s curriculum, standardized test scores and extra-curricular activities parents and students are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress. Don’t panic there are wonderful options for your child.

If you say that your child is “average,” you probably mean that Jillian has average grades and/or standardized test scores. You know that your child’s grades approximate the arithmetic mean at your child’s high school and her GPA causes you to feel that she has moderate potential to learn and perform? But, is your assessment of her ability accurate? “Average” may mean something different depending upon where you are located and the high school your child attends. What is perceived as average at one high school may indeed be below average or above average at another high school. Grades only measure how your child in fact performed in high school. They may not necessarily measure how she will perform in college.

When you use the word “average” do you understand why your child performed they way he did in high school? Grades may be an imperfect measurement of your child’s ability. Only after you have fully assessed your child both as learner and as a person will you be ready to move on to finding colleges that fit your child academically and socially – if you and your child still think that college is the appropriate next step. For some students, a typical liberal arts education many not be the best use of their time and your money. Here are some things to think about:
Age - Each student is different and each student matures at his or her own rate. Maturity may be influenced by many factors including: heredity, sex and age. Your son may physically look like a man, but he may not have reached the same level of social or emotional growth. Your daughter’s reasoning skills and decision making skills may be better than they were in middle school, but she may not behave as responsibly as you may like. For some high school students, school work and learning take a backseat to physical, social and emotional maturation. Some students who begin slowly, due lack of maturation may perform better in their junior or senior year.
Intellectual Curiosity – Some students do not, or have not been taught, to enjoy hypothesizing or to draw inferences from what they read and hear. They do not think critically, nor do they enjoy problem solving. For them school work is a chore to be endured. Their talent and gratification may lie in other areas such as working with their hands or making beautiful music.
Learning Style – Some students learn differently than others. Some students may have a hard time doing one or two things, while other students may easily do many things concurrently. It may take one student twice as long as another to read a passage in a book, add a column of numbers or understand the chemistry experiment. It is important to understand how your son or daughter learns in order to find the right environment for continued learning, for those students who want to continue with traditional learning.
Expectations – Unfortunately students are often characterized as bright, average or slow learners in elementary school. This learning designation too often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When you use the word average, do you mean the way your child performed on standardized test scores? Most studies find that the correlation between these scores and the student’s performance in the first year of college are not overwhelming; there is no consensus from the many who have debated the predictive validity of these tests. A study performed by the University of California, found that the scores on the SAT II subject tests are indeed better indicators of how freshmen will perform in college than traditional SAT I scores. Also, standardized test scores unfortunately discriminate against economically disadvantaged students as well as students who are simply poor test takers.

Using the word “average” is an unreasonable simplification and does not serve the best interest of the student. Students whose grades and test scores cluster around the fiftieth percentile are vastly different in other ways. Your “average” child is not ordinary, typical or common. I strongly doubt that your child has no special qualities or that there are no areas in which Jimmy will shine. Juliet has her own strengths and talents and needs to be able to find the right environment for her to continue to develop her personality and strengths.

If your child is a B/B- student (it that is typical for your school system), if his standardized test scores hover around 1000, if he only made the junior varsity soccer team, if he is not particularly tall or short, if he has an occasional zit and if he thinks you’re a nag there is absolutely nothing wrong with him. In fact, there is a distinct possibility that he or she may ultimately be happier and more successful than the student with a higher GPA and test scores.

Not everyone is destined to be a stellar student in the classroom. Some students excel in other areas. This does not mean that college is the wrong option. Different people flourish in different environments. For the student who has not been academically stimulated in high school there are many, many colleges and universities where professors enjoy the challenge of motivating students with interesting course content, dialogue and hands-on experiences. Their goal is to make these students into lifelong learners and contributors to society. For the students who have real music, art or theatrical talent there are colleges and universities that will nurture these talents and help them prepare for a career in their chosen field. For students who have no idea what they want to study, courses such as The Science of Harry Potter (offered at Frostburg State University in Maryland), Maple Syrup – The Real Thing (offered at Alfred University in New York), Muppet Magic: Jim Henson’s Art (offered at the University of California – Santa Cruz) and the Art of Walking (offered at Center College in Kentucky) might spark their interest.

When trying to find the optimum learning and social environment for your child regardless of academic strata you need to ask the questions that will help you find the right fit.

Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

WSJ/Unigo Webcast - Paying for College

2010-04-03T06:49:00.000-07:00

The WSJ On Campus/Unigo invites you to join them on Tuesday, April 6th at 7 p.m. EDT for an exclusive, live and interactive webcast covering everything you need to know about paying for college. Topics may include:

How can you take advantage of new government student aid programs?
What's the best way to win college scholarships?
What are student loan forgiveness programs?
How can you get the best interest rates and benefits?
How do the FAFSA and CSS work?
What are 529 plans, Stafford loans, Pell Grants, and PLUS loans?

The panel of experts:

Martha Holler, Vice President, Sallie Mae
Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher, Fastweb.com
James Boyle, President, College Parents of America
Randy Deike, Vice President of Enrollment Management, New York University
Jennifer Garratt Lawton, Director of Financial Aid, Wesleyan University
Melissa Kunes, Senior Director, Office of Student Aid, Pennsylvania State University

Denied Admission: It's Their Loss!

2010-04-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

Colleges and universities have made their decisions. By this evening, most high school seniors will have heard whether their applications were accepted or denied. Some high school seniors will have big smiles; others will experience rejection, maybe for the first time. For those denied, rejection hurts! There is little that parents, friends, guidance counselors and educational consultants can say that will take away the initial sting.

On March 29, Jeff Brenzel, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University posted the following: "If you receive some rejections, you will tend to dwell on them. It's only natural -- what we can't have suddenly seems far more valuable of interesting than what we can have. You will be tempted to revisit every step of your high school career and your application process, pondering what you might have done differently. But there is one and only one good answer to any rejection letter you receive, dream school or not 'Your loss, baby.' Then move on."

Dean Brenzel's advice is sound. Don't let someone, or a committee of someones, color the way you think about yourself. You can, and you should, hold your head high because you put yourself on the line by applying to schools that are at best unpredictable.

College should be less about where you go and, ultimately is more about what you do with the four years you spend there. Do well, and the world can be yours!

Marilyn G. S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

2010-03-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

Question: How important is it to attend a college that my friends and family have heard of?

Answer: To many parents and students, the name of the school, is more important than the actual quality of the education and the social experience of the college. For some, the focus on "brand" is sufficiently great that parents may direct their child towards schools that are unrealistic, or even inappropriate, or may exclude from consideration schools that offer equal , or perhaps better, experiences than the "name brands" that are at the top of their lists. For many, all they can think about is "getting in." But, the reality is the acceptance letter is really just the beginning, and it is the actual college experience that will lead to either success or failure.

Some parents firmly believe that merely attending a brand name institution will guarantee professional success and a high paying career. The simple fact is that it doesn't. More important than the name of the school is what actually happens there. A successful undergraduate experience fosters intellectual growth and exploration. Colleges and universities do not interview for jobs, the graduate does. Good grades and, in many cases, good performance on graduate admissions tests are what really count when it comes to getting hired or getting into graduate school. Without these, having attended a brand name offers little. The wise student will place the greatest emphasis on choosing a school that matches their academic and social needs.

There are over three thousand colleges and universities in the United States; students should choose those that offer the best academic and social fit. Parents need to be open-minded.

Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., CEP

What Families Need to Know About Financial Aid Award Letters

2010-03-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

Question: How and when can I expect to hear if my child has been awarded financial aid?

Answer: Financial aid award letters, as they are called, are typically sent out between mid-March and mid-April each year. Families have until May 1st to evaluate their offered aid packages and commit to a school by sending in a deposit. Don't assume that the school with the lowest tuition or the one offering the most grant money is the most affordable. The real measure of an aid package is how much you end up paying in the end.

Question: How do I determine which college is the most financially viable for my child?

Answer: First determine what the major costs are to attend each school. It is imperative that all directly and indirectly billed expenses (travel, books, meals, etc.) are included whether or not they are reflected in the financial aid award letter. Then group the major aid components together and compare them. Aid comes in three forms, loans which have to be repaid with or without interest, gift aid which consists of grants and merit aid which do not have to be repaid and work-study where a student is paid to work part time either on or off campus. In the latter case, the award letter doesn't typically indicate what the work will be. Comparing components is sometimes easier said than done. There is no standard form of financial aid letter. Schools can have cryptic acronyms to identify components without indicating which are grants and which are loans.

Once you know what your costs are and how much, and in what form of aid your child will be receiving, you can determine what your out-of-pocket costs will be. The difference between the cost of attendance and the amount of grant money and work study that your child is offered is ultimately what the family will owe. Offered loans may defer some the cost initially, but will have to be repaid with or without interest, depending upon the type of loan it is. Interest on some loans have to be repaid during the course of undergraduate studies. Others defer repayment until after graduation. Typically loans carry interest charges and fees which should be included in your calculations.

Question: Is help available to compare financial aid awards?

Answer: There are websites, some of which are more reliable than others, to assist families in comparing award packages. They also require a certain level of understanding the financial aid process. The college's financial aid office is always a resource to be called upon to clarify and explain inconsistencies or ambiguities. Also, be aware that aid packages aren't necessarily automatically renewable from year to year. Educate yourself early about the process so you will be in a position to evaluate financial aid letters in a timely fashion.

Carolyn Cohen, Esq. Educational Consultant at College Planning Services, Inc.

Choose Your High School Coursework with Care

2010-03-04T15:36:00.000-08:00

Question: My son and daughter are a rising junior and senior. They'll be meeting with their guidance counselor soon to pick courses for next year. What should they be thinking about?

Answer: by Joseph J. O'Brien Jr (Educational Consultant)

First, it is always advisable to have a tentative four year plan when choosing your freshman year courses. That puts the student on a path that enables him to anticipate future courses while also allowing for changes to satisfy new interests. Having such a plan also makes it easier to decide on the next year's course selection.

But whether or not your sophomore son has a plan in place, he should be thinking about whether any colleges he's considering have particular course and test requirements. For example, some colleges or majors within a college might require two lab sciences or recommend a particular SAT subject test.

If there are no special requirements to meet, your son should be thinking about the courses that logically follow from the courses he's already taken, the courses he will enjoy and the courses that put him in a position to compete for a place in all of the colleges he will eventually apply to. Of courses, the courses needed to make a strong college applicant aren't always the most enjoyable courses, and that's where hard choices must be made.

Recently, when asked a similar question to yours, the President of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, Bill McClintick, said that most experienced admission officers would say, "We want to see if they have taken the most rigorous courses available to them at their particular school and how they have performed in those classes."

This adage will also serve your daughter well. Senior year is no time to take it easy. College will notice any drop off in the level of courses selected for senior year, and they won't like it. This is a time for her to continue to take as demanding course load as she can reasonably expect to succeed in. In fact, this should be every student's guiding principle in selecting next year's courses.

College Admissions: Post it With Care - If it is in Their Face it is Hard to Ignore

2010-02-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

What students advice would you give students about using the Internet for college admissions?

In light of the recent spate of articles and blogs about Tufts University welcoming student videos as part of a student's college application, I want to share with my readers the advice I give the students I work with about using the Internet:

Students should set up a separate e-mail account for the college admission process, so important information is not lost among regular e-mail. The e-mail address should be some form of the student's name; it should not be funny, cute or off-color. Students should make a folder for each college they are applying to and put all e-mails in the appropriate folder.

Posting too much personal information, off-color comments or anything else you would not want college admission officers to see on blogs or away messages may come back to haunt you.

Blogs and other Internet postings can be fun and interesting, but remember that what someone posts may be viewed by anyone and everyone. "If you can't say anything nice about a person, don't say anything at all" is an old, but very good rule that is quite applicable to the Internet - on web pages, blogs, e-mail, videos and IM.

Students, and others, should reread their blog or video script a second, and even a third time to make sure they feel comfortable sharing everything they posted with the world. Admission counselors, and, later, potential employers may examine these posts. Information that is posted on the Internet becomes public information about the person posting. Be aware that even postings that have been removed may be viewable at later dates by savvy Internet users. If you are not sure, do not post it.

Sometimes when students contact admission counselors through the college's blog and/or message boards, the information may become part of the formal correspondence and it may be factored into the admission decision.

Thomas D. Reason, Associate Director of Admissions at the University of Wisconsin - Madison said, "neither my staff nor I have the time to Google or Facebook every application. By the same token, if something ends up in 'My Face' it would be hard to ignore."

Marilyn Emerson, MSW, CEP

College Bound: Tougher Course or Higher Grade?

2010-01-31T16:35:00.000-08:00

Question: Should I take a higher level course where I might get a B or take an easier course where I know I will get an A?

Answer: I am often asked this question by college bound students and parents of high school students. My first response is to take the more difficult course and get an A. Then I go on to say, that while it is easier to say, it is often more difficult to do. The question really is which is more important getting a perfect grade or challenging oneself with a higher level course. Assuming that the student has good grades and is realistically capable of doing the work my answer usually is to take the more rigorous course.

The Center for Public Education recently conducted a study that supports this view. They found that perfect grades are trumped by higher level courses. "Taking more rigorous courses, especially in math and science, gives an applicant a better chance of getting into a competitive college than does raising his or her GPA."

Are College Campuses Safe?

2010-01-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

Question: After reading accounts of crimes on college campuses I worry about my daughter's safety. How safe are college campuses?

Response: On October 29th the United States Department of Education published new federal regulations dealing with campus, fire safety, emergencies, missing students and hate crimes. These new rules, which came into effect at the beginning of this month, implement laws enacted in 2008, including amendments to the Jeanne Clery Act. Prior to the Act, name for a Lehigh University coed who, in 1986, was raped and murdered by a stranger, a student who abused drugs and alcohol, relatively little attention was paid to campus safety; simple security breaches like residence hall doors propped open were common. The Act now requires colleges and universities to release Annual Security Reports that include campus crime statistics, plus summaries of campus security procedures. The www.securityoncampus.org website provides a summary of the Jeanne Clery Act and other information about campus safety, including tips for college students.

Currently the latest cause of Constance Clery, mother of Jeanne Clery, is pushing the United States Congress to establish a National Center for Campus Public Safety. The United States House of Representatives has authorized the national center. The Senate Judiciary Committee now needs to act.

In spite of all the effort that goes into protecting men and women on college campuses, no college campus is 100% safe. The rules and regulations help, but it is up to parents to talk to their children about how to stay safe, it is up to the colleges to continually look at safety issues and it is up to students to think about their actions and possible consequences.

To read the federal regulations go to http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/E9-25373.htm

2010-01-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

For the new year I will be changing the focus of this college admissions blog. Instead of writing a college admission tip of the week, each week an educational consultant from College Planning Services, Inc. will answer a college admission related question . So please, keep sending us your college admission questions.

Question: Can I ask your opinion on whether you think Spencer "shot high enough" with college applications? I sometimes wonder if we went to see enough schools. The guidance counselor at his high school made it sound like Boston College would be a stretch. Should we just be thrilled that it's over? Would he have gotten into some Ivy League schools? Spencer seems confident he wouldn't. I'd love your professional opinion on this. It probably sounds ridiculous, but I guess I'm hoping you tell me to be and he wouldn't have a chance at an Ivy League school.

Answer: Spencer was accepted at a wonderful college, one I am assuming since he applied early action, that he really wants to attend. Admission to college is only the beginning. Spencer, like other students, needs to be in an environment where he will be academically successful and socially happy.

In all likelihood, since both Spencer and his guidance counselor thought his list was a good one, you are probably doing Spencer a disservice by second guessing their judgement. Students, counselors and educational consultants usually have a good sense of colleges that would be a good fit , both academically and socially, whereas parents often don't. Students, counselors and educational consultants usually have accurate knowledge, which is a good basis of comparison, and parents often don't. Students usually know where they stand in their class. In my experience, if I was asked to rank those who accurately predict where students will be accepted, I would rank students, guidance counselors and educational consultants high and parents low.

It's Almost Time to Apply for Financial Aid

2009-12-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

It is time to begin thinking about filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) . The FAFSA, to be issued on January 1, 2010, will be available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov or via hard copy by request only. Filing online is highly recommended for both speed of transmission and accuracy of information.

There is no automatic income cut-off level for financial eligibility, so I recommend that you apply even if you think you will not qualify. The only sure way to determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid is to file the FAFSA. The likelihood of being eligible for some form of financial aid may be better than you think.

Some common financial aid myths include:

Only students with high GPAs get all the aid
If your older son or daughter did not qualify for aid, then neither will your other children
Only extremely needy students can receive financial aid, so if your family income is high, then don't bother to apply

Students - Keep Track of Your College Applications

2009-12-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Colleges receive a ton of mail. As a result, there will be a delay between the moment a student's application material arrives at the college and the time it is processed and placed in the student's file. DON'T PANIC if you receive a note or email from a college saying that pieces of your application are missing. Colleges typically send these notices if the material is not in the student's file. That does not mean it is not in the admissions office somewhere. It is important, however, that students follow through and make sure that the college has received all of their material by using the either the college's application status link to check if their information has been received or by telephoning or by sending an email to check on the status of their application.

From a large public university: "I wish I had a photo that I could send you of the thousands of pieces of mail sitting in bins waiting to be processed."

From a mid-size private university: "We track mail received per day by app type. -Last year in November we received 900 frosh apps. - It took us four days to open this mail, let alone count, stamp and date it."

From a private college: "Typically we receive more than half our applications right at the deadline. They are processed in the order they arrive, and it takes us about 3 weeks to get all of the applications processed and in files."

Making the Most of a College Application

2009-11-24T06:06:00.000-08:00

The college essay, personal statement and short paragraphs are important parts of the college application. Further, by the time students apply, they are usually the only parts of the application that the student still has control over. If these statements are written with care, they can help the student to stand out from other applicants and to present a dynamic, personal and memorable view of the student to the admission staff. Students should plan on writing many drafts of their essay.

Essays that try to be too comprehensive end up sounding watered-down. Students should remember that it is not about telling the admissions committee what they have done - can admission representatives can pick that up from the student's list of activities - instead, it is about the student showing the admissions committee their unique qualities and characteristics.

Here are some important essay tips:

Do not tell the reader what you think the reader wants to hear. You will be wrong!
Do not use one hundred words when ten words will tell your story just as well, if not better.
Do not forget to proofread.

Proofread again! It is the student's critical responsibility to proofread their entire application, including the essay before hitting the submit button or putting it in the mail. The easiest way to proofread an application is to read it out loud, not to yourself, but actually out loud. When possible students should print a preview of their application to proofread out loud , and then it keep for their files.

Competitive College Applicants

2009-11-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

A competitive college applicant challenges himself and makes the most of opportunities. Thought and consideration should be given to the high school courses students take. If students are capable of more advanced coursework "coasting " in easier classes may boost their GPA, but it will not impress. Good grades in less challenging courses often lead to unrealistic expectations on the part of students and families.