Admissions to Mars

There's no secret sauce, so be generous with the grains of salt when watching some of those college advice videos.

It's never really fair, but that's that test-optional policies have effectively done with inflated SAT/ACT score ranges. What's a student to do? Check out the ranges from 2019 and then decide if your score is worth submitting. It's a judgement call, but context should matter.

Before you put the time & effort into going after outside scholarships, be sure to look at how the schools on your list handle them. Some will reduce your financial aid package, leaving you with a net gain of zero.

Anyone else feel like we're planning for college at the end of the world? More Parts per Million / the soundtrack of the summer: "Count the numbers and the words And the numbness in return... They go 4−3-2−1."

I don't always answer listeners' questions, but when I do I'll turn it into an episode.

Exploiting adversity, inflating credentials, pretending you're part Cherokee -anything for an edge when it comes to elite college admissions. The incentives make the behavior as unsurprising as it is unpalatable. That needs to change, but how? https://www.intelligent.com/34-of-white-college-students-lied-about-their-race-to-improve-chances-of-admission-financial-aid-benefits/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CLying%20on%20a%20college%20application,lied%20during%20the%20application%20process.%E2%80%9D

The 2024-2025 FAFSA will be a leaner, more user-friendly form. Some of the changes are certifiably great while others may deliver quite the financial blow to families with multiple kids in college. New rules / new realities. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/03/college-admissions-acceptance-videos-tiktok-teen-mental-health/673546/

Plummeting admit rates & soaring tuition are a toxic mix. As a growing number of employers look to hire bright young talent regardless of whether they have a college degree, we're seeing the value proposition of the traditional college pathway come into question more and more. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/03/college-admissions-acceptance-videos-tiktok-teen-mental-health/673546/

Oh, the highs and lows. You're on top of the world reading the news of your acceptance. Then you see the financial aid offer. It may be time to write a Letter of Appeal. In this episode I outline the whys and hows to help you go after the money that could help make enrollment possible. https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/financial-aid-appeal-letter

Will ChatGPT be the end of English class as we know it? Will it kill the college essay? Can it be charged with that crime? Now we're stepping into that speculative arena. Let's hang out there for bit....while there's still time (cue ominous AI generated laughter)! https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawhitford/2022/12/09/heres-how-forbes-got-the-chatgpt-ai-to-write-2-college-essays-in-20-minutes/?sh=697e74156ad2

As we witness 'freak' event after 'once in a century' event, it gets tougher to argue that we're not, in fact, watching the effects of climate change in real time. If we're going to meet the challenges of this new abnormal head on, schools are going to have to equip students with the tools and resources necessary to make an impact and build a more resilient future.

Show of hands –who loves confusing jargon, vague definitions and misleading calculations? That's what I thought. Consistency and transparency should be hallmarks of financial aid award letters. Sadly, most colleges don't feel likewise. Financial Aid Comparison Tool https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/guid/aid-offer/2023-24collfinanplantempugrad.pdf https://www.npr.org/2022/12/05/1140807450/a-new-gao-report-takes-a-look-at-college-financial-aid-letters

In admissions offices across the country, early applications are now being read. In his book Who Gets In and Why, Jeff Selingo offers some behind closed doors reporting of what goes on. Let's discuss some of the highlights.

About to hit submit on some early applications? Let's cover what needs to be done to ensure they're in tip-top shape. And if a class is too difficult for some students, should that lead to a professor being fired? Schools that allow self-reporting: https://www.compassprep.com/self-reporting-test-scores/

Tread lightly when it comes to putting your trust in any college ranking system that puts reputation over outcomes. Let your own set of metrics guide your search, one that prioritizes the criteria most important to you.

A number of selective and ultra-selective (highly rejective) colleges are filling a larger % of their incoming classes from the Early Decision round. It's a win win for the schools, but whether or not it makes sense for you and your family requires a solid understanding of the pathway. ED vs. RD Admit Rates: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16PjHchBxB9RPZPbWydhllS6PK0QTbf7i_cedPIDiN2M/edit#gid=0 4 Points to Consider: https://www.collegematchpoint.com/college-matchpoint-blog/2017/7/is-early-decision-right-for-you-a-simplified-approach-to-a-complicated-question?rq=early

I have my mind on your money and your money on my mind. Let's talk best practices, data mining and the most helpful resources available. https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/ https://myintuition.org/quick-college-cost-estimator/ https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/handbooks-manuals-or-guides/2021-08-25/2022-2023-expected-family-contribution-efc-formula-guide

That went fast, didn't it? One day you're a junior and the next you're a rising senior. There are a few important action items you'll want to keep in mind as we roll into summer. From refining your list, to demonstrated interest, money matters to essay ideas, let's hit the essentials in this episode. https://www.commonapp.org/blog/2022-2023-common-app-essay-prompts https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/

There is no shortage of contributing factors to why so many students feel exhausted and disillusioned, but trying not to fixate on, say, how broken the college admissions system is can make that thought even more powerful. Control what you can control. Test prep and your college search process can offer agency and meaning. That's no small thing.

Just when you thought admit rates (at a certain tier of schools) couldn't drop any lower, this cycle proved that last year wasn't a black swan event. As long as test-optional policies stay in place, there's no reason to believe this isn't the new abnormal. Let's talk perspective, locus of control and The Smiths.

Did that juxtaposition grab your attention? Let's see how long I can hold it as I discuss the erosion of attention, the role TikTok and similar platforms play in expediting that process and why MIT is reinstating its testing requirement. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/understanding-financial-aid-award-letter https://www.nitrocollege.com/blog/how-to-read-your-financial-aid-award-letter

A little of this and a little of that - UC System application numbers are in; Columbia is fudging some numbers, according to one of its own professors; and I share my College Planning checklist, early spring edition. https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/content-analysis/ug-admissions/ug-pages/applications.html https://medium.com/the-higher-learning-futurist/when-college-administrators-fudge-the-numbers-should-faculty-expose-them-fd89f7f47d0c

No matter how the College Board tries to sell it, the new all digital, adaptive and student-friendly SAT is a crass marketing ploy, not a genuine attempt to improve the test or make it a more meaningful measure of college readiness. Will this watered-down version still attract customers?

Maybe you saw the story - a lawsuit alleging that over a dozen top universities, some of the wealthiest, ultra-selective / highly rejective schools, have for nearly two decades operated as a cartel and colluded in a price fixing scheme to limit financial aid for students. A cartel! Price fixing! How did this story not get more play?? Sadly, the reason may very well be that this behavior just wasn't that surprising at all.

Make the Most of Your Minutes - a solid mantra. There are a few action items that juniors should keep top of mind in the first few months of any new year. In this episode we'll cover them in detail. Find dates for virtual and In-Person College Fairs: https://www.nacacnet.org/

PSAT scores are back. What do those numbers mean? In this episode I break down how to effectively use the test to create the blueprint for the bridge you'll build to get you from here to where you want to be when you take the real thing. https://blog.prepscholar.com/national-merit-semifinalist

A primer on the importance of sustained attention to task in a world of distraction and the game changing power of looking up when everyone else is looking down.

Hitting 'SUBMIT' is the sound of the season. When it comes to filing out your college applications, attention to detail maters. In this episode I highlight some common mistakes and how to avoid them in order to be certain you're maximizing your odds of acceptance. Colleges that allow self-reporting of SAT/ACT scores: https://www.compassprep.com/self-reporting-test-scores/ https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/self-reporting-ACT-and-SAT

As you've researched application requirements/deadlines, you've no doubt come across terms such as Early Decision, Early Action, Rolling Admission, and ED II. It's essential to have a good handle on the options, the risks /rewards, and the advantages/disadvantages of the various application pathways and how they can potentially impact your chances of admission to the schools on your list.

The Common App is 'live' for 2021-2022. In this episode I provide an overview of how to get started, track requirements, and navigate the platform. Getting a jump on it before school starts is the smart play. List of colleges that allow self-reporting of scores (to be updated soon): https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/self-reporting-ACT-and-SAT

Your Personal Statement and supplemental essays are golden opportunities to showcase who you are and what you're made of in ways that the other parts of your application are unable to do. In this episode I discuss the key ingredients and offer advice to help guide the composition of original and indelible essays that will capture the attention of a college admissions panel. Johns Hopkins "Essays That Worked" : https://apply.jhu.edu/application-process/essays-that-worked/ PrepScholar Essay Examples & Analysis: https://blog.prepscholar.com/college-essay-examples-that-worked-expert-analysis

While you may not be able to repeat the past, old sport, you can certainly expand your vocabulary by making it point to read widely and look up words you are unfamiliar with. Fitzgerald's classic tells a mesmerizing story with sentences that enchant and offers ample opportunities to increase your word power and improve performance on the Reading passages of the SAT & ACT.

In this first installment of my book review series I discuss Ron Lieber's The Price You Pay For College, a dynamite read that offers an abundance of insights and advice to help guide your college search and selection process. Pick it up or request it from your local library. College Savings Calculator: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/paying-your-share/college-savings-calculator Tuition Fit: https://tuitionfit.org/

The end of your junior year is in sight. Finishing strong is the name of the game. In this episode I'll discuss a few items of business that you should attend to before school wraps. https://www.collegedata.com/college-search https://www.collegedata.com/resources/student-stories

Test optional policies are being extended at schools across the country. Does this spell doom for the SAT & ACT? Not so fast. Strong scores will still provide an edge and hundreds of schools will continue to award merit-based scholarships based on your grades, test scores or a combination of the two. So while the SAT may indeed be a dinosaur on its way to extinction, it hasn't happened yet. In this episode I make my argument to take advantage of the landscape and ride that dinosaur while it still roams the admissions process.

The numbers are in. You've seen the headlines, all of them just a slight variation on the ‘application numbers surge and admission rates plummet at selective schools' theme. How should we interpret the fallout from this cycle? Do the numbers represent a one time, pandemic-related blip, or has elite college admissions become even more cutthroat and unpredictable? I'll explore the terrain, breakdown the game and help you understand the mindset required to play it.

Spring break has traditionally been the time for some of those first campus visits. That wasn't an option last year. What does the landscape look like one year later? I'll also discuss how to take full advantage of virtual opportunities, as well as the importance of demonstrated interest. Virtual Campus Tours: YOUVIST : https://www.youvisit.com/collegesearch/ CAMPUSREEL: https://www.campusreel.org/ ECAMPUSTOURS: http://www.ecampustours.com/ NACAC College Fair info : https://virtualcollegefairs.org/events

The pandemic disrupted almost every facet of the college admissions process. Pivoting to virtual, well, everything meant students, families, teachers, tutors, counselors and colleges themselves couldn't engage in the traditional ways. So we adapted. The ‘Admissions to Mars' podcast is how I'll deliver the insights, strategies, guidance and resources that I used to be able to share in libraries, classrooms, auditoriums and living rooms. In this pilot episode, I'll outline my mission and explain how I'll keep you in possession of a regularly updated map of the college admissions landscape. Visit my website for additional College Planning Resources: https://www.couriercollegeprep.com/