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Colleges will do anything to get your money, including lie, cheat and steal.
In a recent article published February 7th 2012 in the Washington Post, the Claremont McKenna school system was caught falsely inflating SAT scores. (http://goo.gl/M97Fn link to article)
Why would a college do that? The answer: the original sin – greed.
Higher SAT/ACT scores increases rankings in the “Best Colleges” publications. With higher rankings comes more publicity. More publicity results in more people (high school counselors, parents and students) being aware of theses college. More awareness results in more student applications.
This last application season UC Berkeley had over 54,000 students apply at $70 per application. That is a whopping $3,780,000.00. Colleges WANT more students to apply because they will make more money.
Now that you know that colleges do anything (and everything) to increase their rankings, you can position your student with these different colleges. As colleges identify potential college students, they are asking if we recruit this student will it increase our rankings? If the answer is Yes, that is when the magic happens. This is where I come in. We will help identify the right types of colleges for your student.
Taking Advantage of Summers - What Separates GREAT Students From Good Students
by Dr. Kuni Beasley
One thing that clearly separates the GREAT students from GOOD students is how the GREAT students strategically use their summers. Although some students have to attend summer school and some get summer jobs, most students simply "goof off" during the summer, as if summer is some sort government entitlement or constitutional right.
In the educational system in the United States, we might have a good, solid six months of actual educational advancement for each 9-10 month academic year. This is because of summer vacations.
About the middle of April (around Tax Day), students get "Spring Fever" and begin to shut down academically. It takes about six weeks to decline into total academic brain death around Memorial Day. During this time the majority of students coast through the last six weeks, doing the minimum. Come August or September, teachers have to re-teach most of the last year because the academic brains have been unplugged for the summer months and have been operating on "dim" for the month and a half before that. So with an extensive review, the school system manages to get the academic brain back to its April 15th state in about six weeks - around Columbus Day. For the six months between Tax Day and Columbus Day, the light is on, but no one is home... academically.
As I look through the Valedictorian and Salutatorian lists in the newspaper, I notice a significant number of children from what I assume to be first generation parents who have come to the US. Many of these people bring with them a value for education and a dedication to work that our population has seemed to have lost, not just in education. As I observe many families new to the US send their children to special summer programs and have their children fully engaged in advancing their education. This shows up in the classroom, on tests, and ultimately on college admissions and scholarships.
The choices, the options, and the opportunities are there for everyone. It just takes those who have not had the privilege and luxury of the opportunities we have here in the US to really appreciate and take advantage of what we have.
To be academically competitive, it takes about 4 hours a week in the summer to gain an advantage. Indeed, a student who does anything academic in the summer will certainly have an advantage over anyone who does not, the 4 hours may be an arbitrary figure. I know from my own experience, a little application in the summer went a long way for me.
I urge you as parents to not think about summer as "vacation" because it shouldn't be. We have summers off schools because a hundred years ago we needed the kids to work the farms. We don't have that need anymore, yet we still take three months off like it was in the Ten Commandments or in the Constitution. The rest of civilized world moved forward.
The United States is the only industrialized country that has to send its students to college to finish high school. As we look at the number of students requiring remedial courses in simple arithmetic and grammar while in college, we should wonder why students have to do this. We can blame the school system, and they have a lot of blame to bear. But we also have to blame ourselves because for 12 years we wasted one-quarter of our year goofing off during the summer.
Do something with your students this summer that will move them ahead. Need some help with coming up with a summer game plan, contact us today.
Kuni Beasley, Ph. D., College Professor, High School Dean, and College Counselor.
No matter what I wrote above, it doesn't mean anything if you don't get into the college you want or have to go into debt up to your eyeballs to do so. Contact us to see how we can help 1-888-237-2087 ext. 2.
Money For College - Do You Know How Need-Based Aid Works?
by Dr. Kuni Beasley
Need-Based College Aid is a simple mathematical formula:
The amount it costs to go to a particular college MINUS your Estimated Family Contribution or EFC.
Simple enough, but somewhat more complex when you get into the details. Let's start with EFC.
To determine your EFC, you have to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. The window to file this starts January 1 prior to the Fall semester you expect to get funding based on that particular application. This means that if you plan to start college in the fall of 2012, the FAFSA submission window starts January 1, 2012 and goes, theoretically, to the 30th of June, 2012 -- to accommodate the entire school year. It is theoretically possible to apply for aid based on the FAFSA into the second semester of the initial year. I don't suggest you push the theoretical bounds.
Based on the FAFSA data -- which most of which is extracted from your previous year's tax return -- you get a dollar figure for the EFC. This figure is what the FAFSA people compute to be what the family should be able to "contribute" towards the cost of education based on some secret government formula. Now, I don't know anybody who ever agreed with the EFC they received, but that's irrelevant to this discussion.
Now, each college has a "cost" figure computed for it. This figure includes tuition, fees, books, room & board and other living expenses. A separate figure is used for those on campus and those not, based on what you submitted on the FAFSA.
You take this cost figure and subtract the EFC and you get the "Need," the amount of money you "need" to attend that particular college. This "need" figure will vary from college to college based on the established cost for that college.
Examples: If your EFC is $6,000 and the cost of the college is $12,000, your "need" is $6,000. If the cost of the college is $25,000, your "need" is $19,000.
At this point the Finical Aid office at the college assembles a "need" package of financial aid consisting of a possible mixture of grants (you don't have to pay back), loans (you have to pay back, maybe), and/or Student Work/Study where you work and get paid while going to college. The actual composition of the package is based on a whole different set of criteria, where there is some wiggle room you can work with the folks at the college financial aid office.
Regardless of your financial situation, you need to file a FAFSA and see what you might be able to get. Far too many people feel that they won't qualify, so they simply bypass the FAFSA and probably pay a lot more than they should have. FAFSA information is available at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Side note: through proper asset positioning some six figure income families have been able to qualify for need based aid at some colleges. Talk to us, we’ll let you know if you might be able to qualify for need based aid. There is more in the formula than just financial numbers. Check out the FAFSA guide Line-by-line instruction on maximizing need based aid qualifications under the Parents Tab.
Kuni Beasley, Ph. D., College Professor, High School Dean, and College Counselor.
No matter what I wrote above, it doesn't mean anything if you don't get into the college you want or have to go into debt up to your eyeballs to do so. Contact us to see how we can help 1-888-237-2087 ext. 2.
Money For College - Did You Know Everybody is Entitled to Government Funding For College?
by Dr. Kuni Beasley
EVERYBODY (citizens and legal residents) in the US is entitled to some sort of federal aid -- EVERYBODY! It doesn't matter how much you make or how poor you are, you are entitled to some form of government aid. Many people feel they make too much money to qualify for government aid and forgo their entitlements and spend way too much of their own money for college.
Federal student aid comes in three forms: grants, loans, and work/study programs.
Most people have heard of the Pell Grant -- originally called the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) and named after Senator Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island, who passed away January 1, 2009 (bit of trivia here). The Pell is aimed at lower income students. Statisticians use the Pell Grant as a marker to determine the economic diversity of student at a particular college (a bit more trivia). Next in line is the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), issued to students with extreme financial need.
Three other lesser known grants are also available: the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant a.k.a., the National SMART Grant, and a new one, the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education or TEACH Grant. The ACG is for students who completed a rigorous high school curriculum with distinction and is applied to the first two years of college. The SMART grant targets math, science, technology, and engineering students in their last two years (third year if in a five year program). Both of these are awarded on top of the Pell Grant. The TEACH grant targets students who are training to be teachers and are willing to work in a high-need field in low income areas.
These are grants and do not have to be repaid.
The Stafford Loan is the predominant loan program for students and the PLUS Loan for parents and graduate students. These Federal loans are the confluence of two loan programs, the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and the Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.
Now, get ready for little shell game to help understand these loans. There is kind of a matrix with the FFEL and Direct Loans across the top and Stafford and PLUS along the side. The FFEL and Direct Loan programs are differentiated by where the loan is made. Under the FFEL, the loan is made by a commercial lender (bank, credit union, etc.); under the Direct Loan, the loan comes directly from the Federal government. The Stafford and the PLUS can come from either the FFEL or the Direct Loan sources.
The Stafford is further divided into subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Subsidized loans are awarded based on need and the government pays the interest while the student is in school. The unsubsidized is not based on need and the interest accrues while the student is in school.
PLUS loans are made based on the credit check of the parents. These can be paid back 60 days after the loan is disbursed or 6 months after the student finishes or leaves school.
Everybody is entitled to at least the unsubsidized Stafford Loan regardless of income.
You have to file a Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for any Federal grant or loan http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.
Loans are a good thing if you cannot afford the cost of college. However, I am not a big advocate of borrowing. The student could easily end up with a loan payment as big as a mortgage payment and have no house to show for it. I don't think any school in the country is worth that much. But, I have had parents disagree with me and borrow upwards of $150,000 (combined parents and student) to put their kids through a high priced college.
Wouldn't had been easier just to make better grades and higher SAT and ACT scores?
Kuni Beasley, Ph. D., College Professor, High School Dean, and College Counselor.
No matter what I wrote above, it doesn't mean anything if you don't get into the college you want or have to go into debt up to your eyeballs to do so. Contact us to see how we can help 1-888-237-2087 ext. 2.
Money For College - Four Sources of College Funding in Plain English
by Dr. Kuni Beasley
Here are four sources of college funding:
1 -- Merit Aid is "money" the college awards you based on your academic, athletic, or artistic abilities. There is really no such thing as a football scholarship. These are officially grants-in-aid where a dollar figure is credited to the students' account. Merit Aid is simply the college waiving normal costs to the college in exchange for the student's attendance or participation in college activities.
2 -- Need-Based Aid -- This is calculated based on the information submitted using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Need is defined as the difference between what the FAFSA people determine what your Effective Family Contribution (EFC) should be and the total annual cost for the college. The difference between the two is the Need and you can access federal, state, and college based programs to fulfill the Need amount.
3 -- Entitlement Aid -- This is often missed because many people -- including those who are supposed to know -- don't know. You may have entitlements based on your geographical location (in-state tuition vs. out of state), past military service (like the GI Bill), special category (like the blind, hearing impaired, foster children or children of deceased fire, police, or military members), and special status (mothers going back to college, Native Americans, people training to be teachers). Beyond these categories lie the vast gamut of government loans that virtually anyone in the United States (citizens and legal residents) qualify to receive.
4 -- Private Source Aid -- One of the big tools scholarship scammers use is the abundance of private scholarships that "go unused" every year. There are many thousands of private scholarships awarded each year. Many are made through a particular college, or, like the National Merit Scholarship, awarded to the student, but dispersed through the college, or, in several cases, a check from the private provider is simply presented to the student. Most of these are tied to academic performance, but many are targeted to specific groups -- ethnic, gender, national origin, activity, etc. For example, the National Achievement Scholarship parallels the National Merit Scholarship, but targets African-American students. See Scholarship Scam Articles here.
Conceptually, we seek multiple methods of college funding to reduce the amount of your money that comes out of your pocket in order to pay for college. We seek more ways to pay less through grants and scholarships, to defer for payment later (loans), or to get costs discounted or waived, in order to keep more of your money in your pocket.
Kuni Beasley, Ph. D., College Professor, High School Dean, and College Counselor.
No matter what I wrote above, it doesn't mean anything if you don't get into the college you want or have to go into debt up to your eyeballs to do so. Contact us to see how we can help 1-888-237-2087 ext. 2.
Getting Started in SAT Prep - What You Need to Know But Nobody Tells You
By Dr. Kuni Beasley
Most high school students are told they need to take the SAT and many are told that they need to "get ready" for it, but nobody seems to tell the vast majority of students where they need to start and what they need to do. Everything you need to know is available online. The problem is there is no systematic procedure or checklist to help you navigate the start-up process - until now! Here are four things you need to start:
Student Information - Go to the College Board website and click SAT. Become VERY familiar with the information on ALL the links that pertain to you. This will take an hour or so, so invest this time into yourself.
Parent Information - There is a section for parents on the website. Have your parents review the information on this site.
Online Practice - Take the Online Practice Questions. Don't short-cut yourself on this. Make sure you read each link associated with these pages so you thoroughly understand how the SAT will ask questions. Read each question, select your answer, and review the answer explanations to see how you did. Keep track of which ones you got correct and which ones you didn't.
Practice Test - Download the SAT Practice Test and the scoring sheet, and take the test. We recommend you print the test out and take it a pencil, and grade your test.
The College Board website is at http://www.collegeboard.com.
Here are five SAT things to sign up for FREE:
1. Get a user account and have your parents get one.
2. SAT Question of the Day - this keeps your brain in the SAT Mode - thinking about it every day.
3. Note the testing dates and the deadlines for registering
4. Go through the Skill Insights and Answers Imagined section online
5. Get the newsletters for both you and your parents
The College Board site also has My College Quick Start, College Search resources, and more.
Kuni Beasley, Ph. D., College Professor, High School Dean, and College Counselor.
No matter what I wrote above, it doesn't mean anything if you don't get into the college you want or have to go into debt up to your eyeballs to do so. Contact us to see how we can help 1-888-237-2087 ext. 2.
Getting Started in ACT Prep - What You Need to Know But Nobody Tells You
by Dr. Kuni Beasley
Most high school students are told they need to take the ACT and many are told that they need to "get ready" for it, but nobody seems to tell the vast majority of students where they need to start and what they need to do. Everything you need to know is available online. The problem is there is no systematic procedure or checklist to help you navigate the start-up process - until now! Here are four things you need to start:
Student Information - Go to the ACT Main website and set up an account. Become VERY familiar with the information on ALL the links that pertain to you. This will take an hour or so, so invest this time into yourself.
Parent Information - There is a section for parents. Have your parents review the information on this site.
Online Practice - Read the Test Descriptions and Test Tips.
Take the ACT Practice Test Questions. Read each question, select your answer, and review the answer explanations to see how you did. Keep track of which ones you got correct and which ones you didn't.
Preview Test Tips.
Download Preparing for the ACT. Read and review pages 1-12.
Preview Test Descriptions.
Practice Test - Take the ACT Practice Test in Preparing for the ACT. We recommend you print the test out and take it a pencil, and grade your test.
Grade your Practice Test and figure out how many you got correct and the number incorrect.
You'll have a pretty good idea where you are what you'll need to do to increase your score.
The ACT website is http://www.actstudent.org
Kuni Beasley, Ph. D., College Professor, High School Dean, and College Counselor.
No matter what I wrote above, it doesn't mean anything if you don't get into the college you want or have to go into debt up to your eyeballs to do so. Contact us to see how we can help 1-888-237-2087 ext. 2.
Which One Should I Take - SAT Or ACT? Millions of Students Ask This Question Each Year
by Dr. Kuni Beasley
Every year, millions of high school students ask this question and few actually get a definitive answer. There are differences between the two tests and if you know what makes them different, you can plan a better college testing strategy to best position you for admissions and scholarships.
The ACT - for American College Testing - is in Iowa City, Iowa. The ACT consists of four sections - English (45 minutes), Math (60 minutes), Reading (35 minutes), and Science (35 minutes), with an optional Writing section (30 minutes). ACT scores are calculated for each section (English, Math, Reading, and Science) then a composite score is derived from those section scores.
The SAT comes from the College Board - technically, the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB), in New York City. SAT used to stand for Scholastic Aptitude Test, but doesn't stand for anything anymore. The actual test questions are developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey - that's where the Princeton Review gets its name - because it was started in Princeton, NJ, not because it has any relationship with Princeton University.
The SAT has three components: Reading, Math, and Writing. These are spread out in ten test sections.
Now - for the differences:
Difference Number 1:
Do you know what SOHCAHTOA is? No, this not a Native American tribe from upper New York state. If you know what this means, then you are probably better prepared to take the ACT than someone who does not. The answer is at the bottom of this article.
Difference Number 2:
The ACT is a curriculum based test, which means that questions are based on what students are supposed to have learned in high school English, Math, and Science. This can be good or bad, depending on your perspective. If you didn't learn much in high school, it will probably show on your ACT score. If you learned what you were supposed to, that, too, will probably reflect on your score.
The SAT is supposed to be an aptitude test, which means it is supposed to test your ability to think or analyze, or something like that. This means (theoretically) that if you didn't learn much in high school because you were bored out of your gourd because you are actually some sort of latent underachieving genius, it will show up on this test. This perspective has some validity, because there are many underachieving otherwise intelligent kids who make terrible grades yet score high on the SAT. The opposite is also true. There are many hard-working high school students who make good grades, but score poorly on the SAT.
Difference Number 3:
The Essay. Back in 2005 the SAT made massive changes and one of those was to include an Essay. ACT followed up with an optional essay. The reality is that after four years, many colleges completely discount the SAT Writing component, including the Essay because of problems with grading consistency. These colleges usually use the Math and Reading scores.
This is where you need to do your homework. Find out if the colleges you are considering actually use the SAT Essay or require the ACT essay. You have to watch out. Although many colleges "officially" do not consider the SAT Writing and Essay, they still get the scores with those components, and... with those scores right there in front of them, may influence their perspective even though they are not "officially" considered.
My recommendation is that you take both - preferably in your junior year - and see how you do on them. Don't send your scores to any colleges until you have scores you want to send.
Oh - SOHCAHTOA is the acronym for the Trig functions: Sin = Opposite/Hypotenuse; Cosin = Adjacent/Hypotenuse; Tangent = Opposite/Adjacent. The SAT only goes through Algebra II. Trig is on the ACT.
Kuni Michael Beasley, Ph. D., College Professor, High School Dean, and College Counselor.
No matter what I wrote above, it doesn't mean anything if you don't get into the college you want or have to go into debt up to your eyeballs to do so. Contact us to see how we can help 1-888-237-2087 ext. 2.
Money For College - Four Critical Things You Need to Know About Filing the FAFSA
by Dr. Kuni Beasley
The Free Application for Federal Financial Aid or FAFSA, is where most college funding starts and here is what you need to know about it:
1 -- Who actually processes the FAFSA? The people who do the ACT process the FAFSA. I guess some years ago when the SAT people and the ACT people decided to divide the college testing universe, Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and a few other things were retained by the College Board, which does the SAT. The ACT people got the NCAA qualification process and the FAFSA. This is the simple version of how the universe was divided.
2 -- Who needs to file the FAFSA? The short answer -- EVERYBODY! I don't care if you won the lottery or your grandfather donated the money for the science building, you still need to file the FAFSA. Although the FAFSA results are used for Need-Based Aid, those seeking Merit-Based Aid (i.e., "scholarships") usually have to pass through the FAFSA process. Colleges have you do this even if you are getting an academic scholarship because for each scholarship dollar they give you, that's money they forfeit. To mitigate the money that are not getting from you because you are getting a "scholarship," they will see if there are other sources of money that you would be eligible for that could be applied towards the money they are forfeiting up to give you a "scholarship."
3. When do you need to file the FAFSA? The short answer is -- right after ball drops in Times Square. I tell the parents of my students to send in the FAFSA when they get back from the New Year's Eve Party. Seriously, the sooner, the better. The FAFSA requires tax information from the previous year, but I don't know anyone who has their taxes ready when the ball drops. It is best to get your taxes done early and get that data on the FAFSA. However, if you don't have the taxes done by, let's say, Valentine's Day, you can submit the FAFSA with estimated information and send an update later.
4. Where do I get the FAFSA? Online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. The form is pretty straight forward and simple. However, millions of parents get "FAFSA Phobia," and seek assistance. There are many people out there who are willing to treat the "phobia," but be careful. A lot of these people can scam you. There is also a site to help you estimate your FAFSA results at http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov. I recommend you try the sites yourself first and if you still have the "phobia," get some reputable help. (Side note: check out my FAFSA guide. This guide covers the FAFSA line by line, and explains how to fill it out for your student's benefit. Login to view it.)
The FAFSA, Need-Based Aid, and the entire maze of college funding can be both confusing and intimidating. I hope this eased some of that for you.
Kuni Beasley, Ph. D., College Professor, High School Dean, and College Counselor.
No matter what I wrote above, it doesn't mean anything if you don't get into the college you want or have to go into debt up to your eyeballs to do so. Contact us to see how we can help 1-888-237-2087 ext. 2.
