McMeekan College Consulting

This is an updated version of an article I wrote for the Examiner.com on sending students off to college.

High school seniors are celebrating college admission acceptances. Many of these young adults will be leaving home to attend college in the fall. This traditional ‘coming of age’ activity is approached with both excitement and trepidation by students and parents. One way to ease the anxiety on both sides is to create a plan that addresses some of the practical issues of going off to college.

Parents should set the stage early in the summer in creating a smooth transition to college by sitting down and having a discussion about expectations. These items can include:

Communications: when and how often should the parent and student talk?

Once per week is ideal, even in this age of constant connection. This way you are encouraging your student to solve his own problems, create his own resource group, and practice being an adult in the real world.

Money: who pays for what?

Make sure your student knows who is responsible to pay for college bills and incidentals, all the way down to pizza, coffee, haircuts and rides home. Give them the credit/debit card talk about responsible spending and debt if you haven’t already done so.

Grades: is there an expectation for a certain level of performance?

Are you expecting a certain GPA your student must maintain? Is there a certain major your student must have? What are the extenuating circumstances that you might foresee affecting grades? Create an action plan that your student can take if grades start to drop.

Keep informed: FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) regulations will limit the amount of information you will receive about your student unless they sign a waiver to release the information to whoever they designate.

Students at 18 are considered an adult and information will not be coming home to parents as it did in high school. The ideal situation is to trust that your student will share with you both good and bad information regarding grades, health, possible illegal activity, etc.

Social life: if you are in trouble, what do you do?

Your student needs to know that if ever they are in a serious, dangerous, or troubling situation they can contact you at any time. You need to agree on what steps they should take if this happens.

This list is just a starting point. Families should set a date to sit down and discuss. This should be a two-way conversation with both parents and student input. At the end of the discussion write it down like a contract, commit mutually by signing and all parties receive a copy. Now you have a roadmap for how you are going to navigate the transition to college.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available! For the first time, families do not need to wait until January to fill out the FAFSA, nor do they have to estimate their tax information. Besides being available three months early, the FAFSA is also using prior-prior tax information, or 2015 taxes for the 2017-2018 school year form. The neat thing for this year is that now nearly all families will be able to take advantage of the IRS Data Retrieval tool that allows you to directly migrate tax info into the FAFSA. This saves time and decreases entry errors dramatically.

What is the FAFSA? The FAFSA is a government form that almost all colleges use when determining if a student is eligible for need- based aid. The formula gives schools a family’s Estimated Family Contribution (EFC), which shows how much a family can absorb in college costs for the year. The EFC number doesn’t mean that is how much cash you have on hand to pay for college. A number of colleges also use either their own financial aid form or the CSS Profile in addition, which allows them to better utilize institutional aid in their financial aid awards. Check the website for each college you are applying to in order to find out what financial aid forms and deadlines they are using this year.

Who should fill out the FAFSA? Everyone intending to be in college full time in the Fall of 2017. There is no specific income cut-off point that makes families eligible for financial aid. The FAFSA form also is required if a student or parent wants to take advantage of any of the federal loan programs. If your EFC is too high to qualify for need based aid at an institution, it is still beneficial to file it in case there is a change in family circumstances during the year (job loss, death, divorce, etc.). It is much easier to update a FAFSA or contact the financial aid office of your college with updated information than it is to submit a new FAFSA during a time of crisis.

When should it be done? Colleges post their priority filing deadline on their websites, and even with the early opening date for filing the FAFSA, many colleges still have their priority dates in January and February. However, since you don’t need to wait on tax information, filing now will get your student in the financial aid queue much earlier. Some colleges will start to award financial aid packages earlier (especially those with rolling admission deadlines).

If you have questions about the FAFSA, financial aid process or financing college, the Federal Student Aid website is a wealth of good information. Also, many high schools are offering FAFSA-filing workshops at their schools during October, so check your school calendar for availability of sessions

Here are some articles I wrote around various issues when students are making the transition to college. They were originally posted on Examiner.com, which is no longer online. The articles on this post are Making a Successful Transition to College, Considering Greek Life, and Winning the Roommate Lottery.

Making a Successful College Transition

Originally published June 20, 2016 Examiner.com

For the recent high school graduates moving on to college next fall, there are several things you can do to make a successful transition to college. According to Harlan Cohen, author of The Naked Roommate, identifying people you can turn to as resources and places you can go to on campus before you get there in the fall can make a huge difference. Also, realizing that college life will be a big change and to be patient with yourself in the process.

Your college success begins with your transition. How can you be successful? Cohen says to think about the three “P’s.”

People – figure out who are the 5 people in your corner (or who you want in your corner).

Places – where are your 3 places on or off campus for you to find connection, community, and support?

Patience – how much patience will it take for you to get comfortable with the uncomfortable? Impatient people panic, blame, hate, hide, run and give up. Give yourself some time and space to feel uncomfortable – others are in the same boat though they may be hiding it!

A great opportunity to help you start to find your “people” and “places” will take place during any summer registration or orientation program you attend. You will probably be both nervous and excited attending such an event, and may come out of it dazed from all the information you received. Try to make a mental note before you attend the event to keep an eye out for some people you might meet and feel like you’ve made a good connection with, or places on campus where you feel particularly comfortable (or want to explore more). After you attend the orientation or registration program, talk to you parents about some people you might have identified as resources (i.e. did you meet your faculty advisor, a peer mentor, another student in your major?) or places you thought especially spoke to you and your interests.

Considering Greek Life?

June 5, 2016

As high school students prepare to head off to college next year, many may be considering joining Greek organizations on campus. Some will be making the commitment before classes even start. Here’s some basic information about Greek life.

Not all colleges have Greek systems (fraternities and sororities) and those that do can vary in how the Greek system is run. In general, the Greek system is made up of chapters of either national or local fraternities and sororities. Most have some central theme, as their mission might be as a philanthropic, service or academic organization. All have some sort of leadership structure and even though they may have been created as an academic fraternity, they all have a component of fellowship (i.e. social life).

Some campuses have “houses” for their Greek organizations, where members can choose to live with their chapter members. Often these houses are adjacent to or even on campus. Other campuses might offer the fraternity and sorority members options for living in the residence halls on specific floors or wings of the dorms. Some do not allow Greek housing but offer chapter rooms where the groups can meet.

Most of the social fraternities and sororities get new members through a process called “rush.” It is basically an opportunity for you to check out the Greek chapters and for the members of those organizations to get to know you to see if you’d be a good fit with their group. There is either formal or informal rush, and it can happen during fall semester, spring, or both.

Some things to consider about joining a Greek organization include cost, commitments and motivation. First off, some students think that by joining a Greek organization and moving into the chapter house, they will be saving money. It is true that you could save on room and board, but most Greek chapters have national and local dues each year or semester. Most have some sort of pledge fee (that’s what they call new members). You could have weekly, monthly or semester “activity” fees, along with any other fees for special events like formal or informal dances, etc. So, don’t join a Greek organization because you think it will save you money; it won’t.

Time commitment is another big surprise for most new students. When you join a Greek organization, you will have not only your weekly chapter meeting, but as a pledge you will also have your pledge class meetings and time needed to complete the tasks set out for each pledge (including studying for your initiation test). Often you will have a big brother or sister in the organization that you will meet with, on top of whatever weekly “activities” are scheduled (think of not just parties, but if your group holds any fundraisers, events, etc. and the meetings that go into planning such things). So it’s not often just a once-a-week commitment. For this reason I encourage students not to rush until the spring semester, as it gives you time to get into the groove of being a college student and see how much time you need for studying before you commit to lots of extra mandatory hours as a Greek life member. Many campuses have moved to offering rush only in the spring just for this very reason, however there are still many colleges that have rush in the fall.

Finally we come to your reason for joining a Greek organization. What’s your interest or purpose in joining? I’d suggest you identify why you want to become involved in Greek life (or any on-campus activity). What benefits do you think you will get from it? What do you think you can contribute to the group?

Greek life can be very rewarding, but its not for every student. It’s up to you to decide if Greek life is the right fit for you.

The College Roommate Lottery

May 19, 2016

You’ve gotten into college. You’ve sent in your enrollment deposits to secure your place at your chosen school. Hopefully you have also submitted your housing application (and deposit if required) as well. Many colleges have a fairly detailed questionnaire that you need to fill out for a roommate match, others have sophisticated almost “online dating” type systems where you can check out possible roommates and connect with them prior to signing on as roomies. Want to know what living in a dorm is like? The BigFuture.org website has some great articles on campus living.

No matter who you choose for a roommate, you need to know that it will never be smooth sailing. In a relatively confined space, under sometimes stressful conditions, people are not going to get along 100 percent of the time. If you are honest, you realize that you might have some habits that might annoy others (if you aren’t sure and have a sibling, ask them) and undoubtedly your roommates will also have their own quirks. Here’s a secret: you don’t have to be best friends with your roommate! You can have a perfectly cordial relationship but not have to be best of friends. In fact, it’s probably healthiest if your circle of friends at college is wider than just your roommates, and you spend time with others instead of hanging out only with your roomies.

Before heading off to college you might want to think about your future roommate relationships. Consider some of the issues or situations you might face, and how you could deal with them upfront to avoid or lessen conflict. While you might not necessarily create an actual contract with your new roommate, you should consider putting your thoughts on paper for a discussion with your new bunk mate. If you have a chance to connect with your roommate this summer, you might even bring up some of these issues to figure out where you both stand on things. You should also think about conflict resolution which goes more in-depth than just dealing with mundane issues that might arise. What kind of rules could you agree on in advance in terms of how you will deal with conflict and each other? Thinking about how you would want to be treated and extending that same courtesy to your roommates will help make roommate relations run more smoothly.

Good luck with the roommate hunt!

Admission to college is exciting, trying to figure out exactly what the financial aid award means is  not. For some great insight into decoding the award letter as well as links to pertinent web resources, check out my latest article Deciphering the financial aid award. This article was originally posted on the Examiner.com website which is no longer online.

Deciphering the Financial Aid Award

March 23, 2016

This is the season for excited high school seniors to rip open the thick envelopes (or congratulation emails) from colleges, see they have been accepted into a college and shriek with delight. Then comes the financial aid award, and often the response is less dramatic. Frankly, confusion or concern might be the most common reaction to a financial aid award. So here’s how to decode the financial aid awards and figure out just what they mean.

First you need to know what the Cost of Attendance (COA) is for the college. Most colleges have this information listed, but you should verify that the COA includes both direct costs, like tuition and fees, and indirect costs, such as room and board, books, school supplies, travel expenses, and miscellaneous items. Once the COA is determined, you can then apply the information from the financial aid award to figure out your net price, or the amount you’ll actually be paying.

The financial aid award will likely list several types of aid. The best kind of aid is the “gift aid” which includes scholarships and grants that do not need to be repaid. Scholarships and grants are either “merit” meaning that you earned them because of some level of achievement, or “need-based” meaning that the amount is based on your financial need established by the FAFSA or other financial reporting forms. The merit scholarships are usually reoccurring but may require some level of academic or activity achievement in order to maintain. Usually there is information provided as to what is needed to maintain merit awards. The need-based scholarships and grants may fluctuate each year if the family’s financial situation changes. These grants can be offered through the college, state or federal programs.

The other category of aid is self-help aid, which includes work-study and loans. Work study is a program that allows a student to work and earn the money which is then turned over to the college to pay part of the student’s bill. There can also be several types of loans included in the award letter. The federal loans include subsidized (don’t accrue interest until you leave school) or unsubsidized, PLUS (parent) loans, and Perkins loans. Federal loans are preferable over private loans as they typically have a low fixed interest rate and have repayment plans based on income levels. Some states also offer some advantageous loan programs as well.

So, now you understand the basics of what’s in the award letter. Next you need to figure out really what your out-of-pocket cost will be for the college. If the award letter doesn’t do the math for you, take the COA and subtract any of the gift aid (scholarships and grants) that don’t need to be repaid. What is left over is how much you will have pay, eventually, for one year of college. If some of that amount is off-set by loans and work-study, you still end up paying for it in the end, through working during college and after leaving school through loan repayment. You can choose to accept or decline all or parts of a financial aid award. For example, you could accept the scholarships but choose to decline the loans (or certain loans) if you have the means to figure out how to pay that portion without loans.

When comparing financial aid awards from colleges it is important to compare types of aid you receive, as well as amounts. An award from College A might look like they are giving you more money, but if they are actually giving you twice the amount in loans as College B, it could mean that the net price for College A is actually more because you will have to pay more in loans in the end.

Something to consider when viewing a financial aid award is that this award is for one year of college. What will be the cost for four years? Five or more? Will your family’s financial situation be changing in the next three years (i.e. more or less students in the family in college, projected retirement, etc.) that could change the amount and types of aid you might receive? What about the level of debt you are willing to take on? If your loans are $5000 for one year, that’s $20,000 over four years. But what if your loans are $20,000 for just the first year? Is the college worth accruing $80,000 of debt for your education there? What is the outlook for the career area you are considering post-college, if you even know at this point?

Celebrate your admissions into college but be savvy when viewing and comparing your financial aid awards!

Spring is a great time to visit colleges. Here’s the copy from two articles I wrote for the Examiner.com, which is no longer online. They are Include college visits in your spring break plans and Test drive your college.

Finally, spring is also the time when standardized testing ramps up for high school juniors. The article I wrote for the Examiner.com, Final Prep for the ACT and SAT is listed below as well.

Include college visits in your spring break plans

March 7, 2016

Spring break is time for high school students to relax and enjoy some down time. However many families often spend the break on a vacation away from home. Have you thought about adding some college visit to your holiday plans? As a high school senior you might try to visit those schools where you were admitted and have not yet visited, or else don’t have a clear idea if that particular school is right for you. For younger students, visiting colleges, especially ones that you might not have heard of, is a good way to explore your options.

Spring break is the ideal time to visit colleges, especially if your family is vacationing in an area where there are some colleges in close proximity. You don’t have to spend your entire vacation stomping from tour to tour. Most colleges offer at least two tour times during weekdays and a Saturday option. So depending on your family vacation schedule, a day or morning (or two) visiting colleges will still give you plenty of time to enjoy your holiday break.

If you are staying close to home for spring break, there are plenty of options within a three hour radius of Spokane. Besides Gonzaga and Whitworth universities, and the Community Colleges of Spokane in town, you could visit Washington State, University of Idaho, Eastern and Central Washington universities, as well as Whitman College. It isn’t too late to schedule a visit to most campuses. College admission offices have online sign up systems for campus tours and information sessions. Check out each college’s admission visit webpages for specific days and times for tours.

Once you set up your college visit, make sure you do some preparation before the visit. College Board’s Big Future website has some great tips on visiting colleges and questions to ask. So, enjoy your spring break, and have fun visiting colleges!

Test Drive your College

February 3, 2016

No one would consider buying a car without test driving it, and choosing a college is no different. Many high school seniors have finished submitting their college applications and now are awaiting results for admission and financial aid. Some students have already received acceptances to colleges on their application list but are not ready to make the final decision. This spring is an ideal time to visit those colleges where a student has been accepted but not yet decided to attend.

Why visit? Well, the college websites and view books only tell a carefully marketed part of the college story. Students need to do their due diligence and research further what the campus has to offer. A great way to do that is to attend a campus preview or admitted student day. At an event like that you can get an overview of the major aspects of the college experience, interact with faculty and students, all in a condensed visit. But even at those events, the college is choreographing the experience for the student. An even better way to test drive the college experience is to sign up for an overnight visit at the campus.

Most colleges offer overnight programs where a prospective student can spend the night with a current student. This allows for the prospective student to shadow a the student for a day, taking classes, perhaps going to student events and meetings, eating in the dining hall and sleeping in the residence hall. But more importantly, it lets a student see what happens between those events; what are the down times like for a college student? What kinds of activities and conversations do students at that particular college engage in between scheduled hours? College isn’t just one class or event after the other; it is four years of living a life in a particular location with a focused purpose. What you do outside the classroom or scheduled activity is just as important in the college experience.

Our local universities all have some type of open house events this spring for admitted students. Check out the admission event websites for Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga, Whitworth,Washington State University, Community Colleges of Spokane, and University of Idaho for their details. Colleges throughout the country host admitted student events as well as offer individual overnight visit programs. You need to schedule early, especially if you plan on doing an individual overnight visit, as often spaces are limited.

Take your time “kicking the tires” of the colleges to make sure its a good fit for what you want from your college experience. Enjoy your test drive!

Final Prep for the ACT and SAT

April 15, 2016

The spring is flying by, and many high school juniors are prepping for the SAT and ACT tests taking place soon. With the advent of the redesigned SAT, studying for these tests has taken a dramatic turn. Many of the quick tips and crafty strategies that have benefited students on the previous SAT will no longer work. A long term approach is required, but there are some things to be aware of that can be employed for a few extra points.

According to Matthew Pietrafetta, Ph.D., founder of Academic Approach, a one-on-one tutoring company, real success on the tests will come from developing and demonstrating the skills that are necessary for college readiness. These are skills that can’t be crammed into a short study session but need to be developed over time. For students preparing to take the SAT in early May, or theACT in June, there isn’t much time if students don’t already possess these skills. However all is not lost, as Pietrafetta offers some strategies from immediate to long-term that can be used to help students improve their performance.

The Quick Fixes

1. No guessing penalty: both ACT and SAT do not penalize a student for wrong answers, so don’t leave any answers blank.
2. Time awareness: bring a silent, digital wristwatch as pacing on the tests is crucial. If you go too fast you can make mistakes, too slow and you leave questions incomplete. Sometimes it is hard to keep track or see the clock in the testing room, so having your own watch with a silent alarm can help you keep track of how much time has gone by.
3. Write in the booklet: no one reads or cares what is in the booklet, only what you put on the bubble sheet. Annotate, underline, circle, write out math steps or whatever you need to focus on the details.
4. Refuel: both tests are long, over three hours, which is in line with running a marathon (okay, a fast runner on the 26.2 mile course) versus a sprint. You need to keep your energy up to remained focused and push through the endurance test. Know you will have breaks and bring snacks or a drink that will help re-energize you during the test.

The Level One Skills

1. Avoid redundancy: on the essays the readers value clear, concise writing. Longer sentences are not necessarily better. Avoid wordy, verbose and excessive language.
2. Answers are in the text: reading sections and math word problems will provide evidence that supports the correct answer. If you can’t find evidence in the passage or info graphics to support an answer selection, it is not the correct answer.
3. Use pencil to avoid math mistakes: common errors are made in the math section because students fail to write down steps neatly and completely in the booklet. Avoid mental math. Method and order of operation mistakes are easy to make if you are sloppy with your work.

The Level Two Skills

These skills are advanced and require months to develop. Advanced skill-based instruction, in the classroom with your school teachers or outside tutors, can help you develop the skills that are valuable for school success and as a side perk, higher test scores. Some of these areas include learning the rules of grammar, proficiency in algebra and word problems, and learning to deal with reading complex passages in primary source texts.

A final thought that Pietrafetta shared was that with the redesigned SAT, there is 44 percent more time per question than the previous SAT. What does that mean? For example, there is more time for annotation when reading as there is approximately seven minutes to read a passage in the reading section of the test. Now students might be able to relax just a bit knowing they have some extra time per question which will help them perform better on the test.

For more information on Pietrafetta’s thoughts on the SAT, ACT and test prep, check out the Academic Approach blog.

I recently wrote several articles about the FAFSA that you might find useful – Quick Tips for the FAFSA,  The FAFSA, Simplified, and Post FAFSA filing tips. These articles were originally  posted on Examiner.com which is no longer online.

Quick Tips for the FAFSA

Dec 30, 2015

The 2016-2017 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) becomes available January 1. Here are some important things to note as you prepare to fill out the FAFSA for your college bound or current college student.

First, your student and one parent will need to create a FAFSA ID as your official signature for submitting the FAFSA. It works best if you can create the FAFSA ID before you start working on the actual FAFSA to save time, but isn’t vital that you do so. Once you create your FAFSA ID, keep a copy of it in a safe place as you will use it every time you make an update or create a FAFSA in subsequent years in college.

Make sure you are choosing the correct FAFSA to fill out. The FAFSA for next school year is not available until January 1, 2016. Once you go to the FAFSA website make sure you choose the “Start a new FAFSA 2016-2017” as both the 2015 and 2016 versions will be available.

If you can gather your documents in advance, it makes filling out the FAFSA much easier. You can find the list of documents as well as directions on filing the FASA on the StudentAid.ed.gov website. Taxes do not need to be filed prior to filing out the FAFSA, and in fact most families do not get their W-2s and other tax statements early enough to meet many universities priority filing dates for the FAFSA. “Don’t wait, estimate” is a common refrain you will hear about filing the FAFSA.

Finally, filing the FAFSA is always free and there is abundant help available through the FAFSA website. Many high schools and colleges host events in January to assist families with the FAFSA process. You can find the events held in Washington at the College Goal Washington website, sponsored by the Washington Student Achievement Council. Never pay to file your FAFSA

The FAFSA, Simplified

January 14, 2016

What is the FAFSA?

• The Free Application for Federal Student Aid – it is a FREE form, so if you are on a website that asks you to pay – it is the wrong one!

What does the FAFSA do?

• Determines your eligibility for federal and state need-based funding, including grants, loans and work study.
• Calculates the Estimated Family Contribution “EFC” which tells a college how much your family can absorb in educational costs for a year. It is NOT the amount you will have to pay the college.
• Provides colleges with a snapshot of your families’ finances so they can determinefinancial aid eligibility based on their institutions’ awarding process and types of aid you qualify for at their school.

How does it work?

• Once the form is submitted and processed, it gets sent to the colleges you list on the form. If you have applied there and have been admitted, then the college will use that information to create a financial aid award based on the FAFSA information (for need-based aid) and academic/activities (for merit awards).

Why apply now?

• Funding is limited at colleges. Imagine in the process there is a bucket of money from which a school hands money out to students. There is more money at the beginning in the bucket than later in the year. FAFSA opens Jan 1 to fill out, so January is the “beginning” when the bucket is full. Filing the FAFSA early helps you receive priority status for financial aid awarding. Don’t wait, estimate (taxes) as colleges will use your original submission date to determine priority.

FAFSA tips:

• It is strongly recommended that you create your FSA ID (electronic signature) prior to filling out the FAFSA in order to save time, but you don’t have to do so. You can create your FSA ID and use it to file and submit the FAFSA in the same sitting. The FSA ID serves as an electronic signature, but stated plainly, it’s a username and password that you can use to electronically sign the FAFSA. The student and one parent (for dependent students) each need a FSA ID, and it is strongly encouraged that you also provide an email address for your FSA ID. Email addresses need to be unique so both parent and student can’t share the same email address for the FSA ID.
• When filling out the FAFSA you will be prompted to create a “save key” which is basically like a second password. Write it down or keep in a safe place as you will need to enter that save key to go back in and make updates to the FAFSA.
• Pay attention to whether you are on the student section (blue highlight bars) or the parent section (lavender bars) in the FAFSA. You don’t want to mistakenly put parent info where the student info should be.
• After submission, review the Student Aid Report (SAR) for any errors (address, email, names, etc.) and update FAFSA as necessary.

Post-FAFSA filing tips

January 20, 2016

After filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), should you just sit back and relax? Tempting as that might sound, there are still a few things that you will need to follow up on in thefinancial aid application process.

File taxes, if required.

Go back into the FAFSA and update with income tax information about two weeks after filing. This will allow most people to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, which will link FAFSA and IRS taxes and automatically upload the tax info into the FAFSA form.

Review again the Student Aid Report (SAR) and correct any errors by logging back into the FAFSA.

Know your college deadlines for admission applications, other financial aid and scholarship forms that might be required. Some of the more selective private colleges, and a few public one, require the CSS Profile form which has a fee associated with it. The FAFSA is free to file.

Check your email regularly as many colleges communicate with students through email.

If a college requests additional information, supply it promptly. About one third of students are randomly selected for verification (provide information to verify what you put on the FAFSA). Send the information in quickly so they can continue to process your financial aid.

Compare financial aid awards, which usually come out in March, from your schools. Look not only at what the bottom line is, but what the content of the award might be – did one school give you more grants and another more loans?

Many schools ask students to set up an account on their student portal website. If you do so, check there frequently for messages.

For Washington state students, apply for outside scholarships using the Washboard.org and use the resources at your high school as well. Most high schools keep a list of local or regional scholarship opportunities either on their website or student portal, such as Naviance.

You must accept your financial aid award and admission offer by May 1. You can accept all or part of the award. For example, you can decline the loans and pay that portion some other way.

Financial aid money gets released to student accounts at the beginning of each term or semester. They won’t actually hand you a check!

Reapply for financial aid every year. Next year the FAFSA opens Oct 1 and you can use 2015 tax info.

I’ve been asked this several times in the last few weeks. My response is always the same.

“What are you going to do differently this time?”

See the reasons behind this answer in my latest article HERE.

As seniors are filling out their college applications, many will be utilizing the Common Application (www.commonapp.org). Sometimes it can be confusing as to what information to put where, and the guys at Collegewise have created a guide that students and counselors can access for free. Click HERE for the link to their Common App guide.

Happy application season!

There isn’t just one “test-optional” admission policy. Colleges who employ these type of policies have their own twist on it. Read this article for information on what kinds of test-optional policies are out there, and just what they mean. It was originally posted on Examiner.com, which is no longer online.

Clarifying the test optional college admissions plans

August 21, 2015

Just when you thought it couldn’t get more complex, with the redesign of the SAT and ACT’s planned changes to their test, colleges add their twist with new testing policies in admission.

There used to be two options. Colleges required either the SAT or ACT, or, they didn’t require the tests. When the movement began for universities to opt-out of having their applicants submit test scores, the category of “test-optional” colleges was born. However, as with all things in the world of college admission, it could never remain as simple as a school either required the standardized testsor not. Welcome to the varied word of test-optional admission policies!

No longer can a student be assured that when they read in a brief description that a university is test-optional that it means they don’t have to submit their test scores. Students should do their due diligence and dig a bit deeper because some colleges have added variations to the formerly straight forward policy.

If a school lists itself just as “test optional” then they mean students can choose to opt out of submitting their standardized test scores for admission consideration. They will use the other credentials you submit in your application. Some of the schools who are test-optional includeAmerican University, Beloit College, Lynn University, Pitzer College, and closer to home, Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR.

A newer alternative that colleges have started to use is “test-flexible” which means that you can submit something else in place of the SAT or ACT scores. Each school that employs this policy sets their own criteria, such as requiring SAT Subject tests, AP or IB scores, additional writing samples or portfolio pieces. For the student who is test-phobic, submitting other test scores seems hardly to make the situation better. However for those students who have performed well on other exams but not necessarily the SAT or ACT, this policy allows them to use those stronger scores to their advantage. Colleges that offer test-flexible policies include Colby College, Colorado College,Hamilton College and New York University.

The category “test-conditional” means that standardized tests are only required of some students who do not meet certain criteria. This could include GPA or class rank cut-offs, or residency status. Examples here are Arizona State University, Eastern and Central Washington Universities, fifteen of the California State University campuses, Eastern Oregon University and Montana State’s Billings,Bozeman and Northern campuses. University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita Stateand several Ohio State campuses require test scores from out of state applicants.

A “test-blind” school does not ever ask for standardized tests as part of admissions. They will not look at scores submitted. So far Hampshire College is the only school that currently uses this policy, however more schools could adopt this policy as standardized testing continues to evolve.

The National Center for Open and Fair Testing keeps an updated listing of colleges who list themselves in one of the test-optional categories. Knowing which testing policy a college adheres to is just another piece added to the admission world puzzle!