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How to Find College Scholarships

August 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Last year, graduates who took out loans left college with an average of $24,000 in debt. (New York Times, 4/2011)

If you have a high school Senior, you are probably consumed with college applications and college visits. Now is the best time to start thinking about scholarships. Knowing where to look is half the battle.

Never pay for scholarship information!

Websites like College Board or Fastweb.com are great places to start. Fastweb actually matches your to relevant scholarships that meet your requirements either based on your major, your interests, your extra-curricular activities or how much money you might be looking for.

Look locally!

There are some scholarships available in your own community. Check out local Kiwanis or Rotary Clubs, churches and synagogues. Ask your school counselor, too, as they might have been informed of scholarships available in the business community. Don’t forget to get those SAT and ACT scores up! Many state schools offer scholarships to students with strong college admissions tests and GPAs.

Talk to the college of your choice.

Colleges will usually provide a list of scholarships they offer. Don’t get hung up on the amount of money being offered. Even small amounts add up!

Meet with a college counselor at Chyten.

At Chyten, in addition to helping with all of your application and essay needs, we also offer services to help meet all of your financial concerns about attending college.

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College applications continue to surge, while acceptance rates fall

September 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment

More students are applying to an increasing number of colleges, while acceptance rates are slightly down, a report released by the National Association for College Admission Counseling today reveals.

The 2010 State of College Admission by the Arlington, Va.-based education association, finds that 73 percent of colleges reported an increase in applications for fall 2010 over the previous year. Even as the number of high school graduates declines, more nontraditional students are seeking higher education, the report found.

After remaining stable for three years, the average acceptance rate at four-year colleges and universities declined by 1 percentage point to 65.5 percent. The yield rate—the percentage of all admitted students that actually enroll—dropped from 43 percent to 41 percent. This is likely linked to the larger volume of applications, according to NACAC officials.

Of the freshman class of 2010, nearly 77 percent applied to three or more colleges; an increase of 16 percentage points over the last 20 years. Twenty-five percent submitted seven or more applications. The ease of applying electronically contributed to this rise, said NACAC’s Melissa Clinedinst, assistant director of research, in a webinar this afternoon. Four-year colleges received an average of 85 percent of their applications online, up from 80 percent in 2009 and 58 percent in 2006.

With this influx of applications, colleges are using various strategies to manage enrollment. One of the biggest surprises in this year’s report, said Clinedinst, was the increased use of wait lists—48 percent of NACAC survey respondents indicated using a wait list in 2010, up from 39 percent in 2009. Yet, just 28 percent of students were admitted off the wait lists on average last year while 34 percent were the previous year.

Concerns over wait lists as a strategy to deal with the uncertainty of freshman-class numbers prompted NACAC to appoint a committee earlier this year to study the timing, transparency, and financial considerations of using wait lists. The group is to report back with recommendations to the membership in 2012, said Clinedinst.

The number of students who accepted based on “early decision,” an early binding commitment to attend, was up at only 38 percent of colleges with ED policies, down from the previous three years when about half of colleges reported increases. The gap between ED and regular-decision acceptance narrowed considerably in this year’s survey. For the fall 2010 admission cycle, colleges with early-decision policies reported a 7 percentage-point gap in acceptance rates between ED applicants and the overall applicant pool (57 percent vs. 50 percent). For the fall 2009 admission cycles, the gap was 15 percentage points.

For “early action,” which is nonbinding, 72 percent of schools reported an increase in early-action applications; last year, 68 percent did.

The top factors for admissions remained stable, with grades in college-preparatory courses, strength of curriculum, standardized admission test scores, and overall high school grade point average as the most important. Admissions counselors said they were increasingly looking at students’ demonstrated interest in an institution, which may help them sort through applicants most likely to attend in the ever-growing pool.

By Caralee Adams, Education Week

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What are the differences between ‘Early Decision’ and ‘Early Action’?

June 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

If your child finds a college that seems a perfect fit, applying early may be a good idea. Early decision and early action plans allow your child to apply early (usually in November) and get an admission decision from the college well before the usual spring notification date. You know by December or January whether your child has been accepted at the first-choice college.

Sometimes, students who apply under these plans have a better chance of acceptance than they would through the regular admission process. These plans are also good for colleges because they get students who really want to go to the college to commit early in the process.

Early Decision vs. Early Action

Your child should understand the differences between early decision and early action before sending in their college applications. Keep in mind, also, that the rules may vary somewhat by college. Your child can check with the school counselor to get an understanding of the early  applicant’s rights and obligations.

Bear in mind that…

Early decision plans are binding. Your child agrees to attend the college if accepted and if the college offers an adequate financial aid package. Although your child can apply to only one college for early decision, applying to other colleges through the regular admission process is allowed. If your child is accepted by the first-choice college early, all other applications must be withdrawn.

Early action plans are similar to early decision plans, but are not binding. If accepted, your child can choose to commit to the college immediately, or wait until the spring. Under these plans, your child may also apply early action to other colleges. Usually, candidates have until the late spring to let the college know their decision.

Single-choice early action is a new option offered by a few colleges. This plan works the same way as other early action plans, but candidates may not apply early (either early action or early decision) to any other college. Your child can still apply to other colleges under regular decision plans and is not required to give a final answer to the early-application college until the regular decision deadline.

Should My Child Apply Under One of These Plans? Your child should apply under an early decision or early action plan only if your child is very sure about wanting to attend a particular college. You child should not apply under an early decision or early action plan if planning to weigh offers and financial aid packages from several colleges later in the spring. Also, your child shouldn’t apply early if it would be beneficial to have more senior year work to show a college.

Early Decision and Early Action Calendar

If your child is even considering the option of early decision or early action, here are the steps your child needs to take:

Junior Year

January-May

  • Take college admission tests, such as the SAT and ACT.
  • Visit colleges during spring break.

May-June

  • Take SAT Subject Tests to demonstrate your knowledge and achievement in specific subject areas and to help you stand out on your college applications.
  • Work hard and keep up good grades.

Senior Year

September-October

  • Complete applications.
  • Get teachers to write letters of recommendation.
  • File early decision or early action applications according to college deadlines and procedures.
  • Take the SAT if necessary (Note: October is the last test date that makes scores available in time for early decision and early action programs).

November

  • File any early applications by the college deadline.
  • Follow up with teacher recommendations.
  • Work on regular-decision applications as a backup in case you’re not accepted early decision or early action.
  • File any college-based financial aid forms that may be required of early decision candidates.
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