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College Selection Tips
By Reecy Aresty
College Admissions/Financial Aid
Expert and Author
It is highly recommended that early in the
college selection process, the entire family visit schools to determine
suitability. The criteria to be considered before submitting an
application should include:
-
Average GPA, SAT/ACT scores, class rank
-
Variety of career choices, in the event
the student changes their major
-
Size, location, Greeks, religious
affiliation
-
Percentage of freshmen who return for
year two
-
Percentage of freshmen who graduate in
four years
-
Percentage of financial need met
-
Percentage of gift aid/self-help awarded
-
On or off campus job opportunities
-
Meal plans and dietary situations met
-
Name recognition
-
Student/teacher ratio
-
Average class size, semester or
trimester
-
Percentage of professors who teach and
percentage of teaching assistants
-
2 or 4-year college or university
-
Availability of Co-ed dorms
-
Freshman cars permitted
-
Handicap accessibility
-
Cost of the sheepskin
Additionally, families need to determine
if the school uses a need-blind or need-sensitive
admissions policy:
Need-blind
is a practice where students are
evaluated without any regard to family income or assets.
Need-sensitive is a shameful policy used by a host of elite schools
such as Emory and Stanford. These schools will admit a less than
qualified rich kid in anticipation of a large contribution to their
endowment fund. In essence, the wealthy family has bought an admission
ticket to a school where their student might never have otherwise
been accepted.
Families should
visit potential schools no later than the 10th grade.
Colleges are always impressed when a 9th or 10th
grader pays an official visit. By keeping in touch with officials you’ve
met, students will have added points to both their GPA and SAT scores by
establishing a rapport. When the time comes, administrators will be able
to associate a face with the
application. This helps a merely qualified student become more
acceptable. However, before packing your bags and filling up the SUV
with gas, make a checklist that includes the following:
-
Confirm that
every school you plan to visit will be in session.
-
Ask plenty of
questions and be an attentive listener.
-
Bring a video
camera or tape recorder for your notes.
-
Find out who
reads applications from your area, and if possible, try to meet with a
reader and keep in touch with them.
-
Student
athletes should meet with a coach or two.
-
Listen to the
school radio station.
-
Get a copy of
the campus newspaper.
-
If the
student has Greek intentions, visit some frat or sorority houses.
-
Check out a
dorm unannounced.
-
Introduce yourself to attending students
and pick their brains.
-
Have a snack
in the cafeteria. After all, their food is what the student will consume for the next four years.
Students who
have decided upon their course of study should make every effort to
arrange a meeting with the head of that particular department and audit
a class or two. This may require an overnight, giving the student a
greater opportunity to check out some dorms.
Recommended
college selection websites:
About The Author:
Reecy Aresty has been a financial advisor since 1977, and
is founder and president of College Assistance, Inc., located in Boca
Raton, Florida. He is the author of the critically-acclaimed, How To Pay For College
Without Going Broke, an invaluable, parent/student
manual. Arguably the most revealing book ever
written on college admissions and financial aid, it is the only book of its
kind also available in Spanish.
Reecy has been
interviewed by financial experts on radio and television, and by many of
the nation's most respected publications including Money Magazine, US
News & World Report, Bloomberg News, Scripps Howard, The Washington Post,
financial icon Terry Savage for the Chicago Sun-Times,
Consumers Digest, The Education Times and AOL. An Internet search for
Reecy Aresty will result in thousands of links to sites all over
the world that feature his articles, advice and methods. Recently, he
created the College Information Network™,
which includes The High School Blog, The College Blog, PayLess For
College and The Way To College.
For almost three
decades, Reecy has helped thousands of families send their kids to the
college of their choice for less than they ever dreamed possible.
The Critics Agree:
The way to college is Reecy Aresty's How To Pay For
College Without Going Broke. It reveals the trade secrets and insider
information our colleges, universities and the federal government don't want you to know. For
further information on the best college funding book on the market today,
please use the links provided.
For more information on admissions and
financial aid - Ask Reecy!
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