377. College Access and Success News

Here are links to recent news on college access and success.
by
Joe Rottenborn

Executive Director, Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP)

1. Read The Joe Rottenborn Daily ▸ today's top stories on college access and success via @rottenbornj ▸ http://paper.li/rottenbornj

2. Whatever happened to…Nancy Guarneros, undocumented student, DREAM Act hopeful? By Thelma Gutierrez – http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/25/whatever-happened-to-nancy-guarneros-undocumented-student-dream-act-hopeful/ via CNN - "Currently, undocumented students cannot apply for student financial aid and they can’t legally work – so unless they can come up with tuition on their own, many are forced to give up their academic aspirations."

3. The Fallout Over Syracuse's Abuse Scandal, by Rebecca R. Ruiz: http://nyti.ms/sbL9lV - "The events again raise the question: What should applicants think? Syracuse’s basketball team and its N.C.A.A. tournament record are points of pride for many students. The school’s strong sports culture has surely served as a draw for some applicants. Will some now see it as a liability?"

4. Report suggests approach to improving graduation rates, by Kaustuv Basu Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/rOwyBk via AddThis - "Only 32.9 percent of men earn a degree in four years, while the percentage for women is 43.8. The gap shrinks to 5.5 percentage points at the end of the sixth year. First-generation college students earn a degree at the rate of 27.4 percent after four years, while students whose parents have college degrees have a graduation rate of 42.1 percent. Asian American and white students had the highest four-year graduation rates, at 44.9 percent and 42.6 percent respectively. Degree-attainment rates remain is the highest at private universities; the lowest numbers come from public four-year colleges."

5. 6 reasons to invest in a 529 plan today, by Lynn O'Shaughnessy - http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-57331762/6-reasons-to-invest-in-a-529-plan-today/?tag=mncol;lst;9 - "Are you wondering whether it's a good time to open up a college 529 savings account? One of the nation's foremost 529 plan experts says the answer is a resounding Y-E-S. Joseph Hurley, the founder of SavingforCollege.com, says there are a number of timely reasons why families shouldn't dawdle in opening a 529 plan. Here are six great reasons to consider acting now."

6. Middle Schoolers Getting Prepped for College, by Nora Fleming - http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/11/29/13middle_ep.h31.html?cmp=SOC-SHR-TW via @educationweek - "ACT researchers found in 2008 that the academic level students achieve by 8th grade has a bigger impact on college and career readiness and success than anything that happens academically in high school."

7. College Bound: Report Sheds Light on Factors Influencing College Graduation, by Caralee Adams - http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/college_bound/2011/11/report_sheds_light_on_who_is_graduating_from_college.html via @educationweek - "There are distinct racial disparities in completion. Asian-Americans had the highest four-year graduation rates at 44.9 percent, followed by whites, 42.6 percent; Latinos, 25.8 percent; African-Americans, 21 percent; and American Indians, 16.8 percent."

8. At Top Colleges, Anti-Wall St. Fervor Complicates Recruiting, by Kevin Roose: http://nyti.ms/tvpf3m - "Banks and hedge funds have long wooed undergraduates from elite colleges with lavish dinners, personalized e-mails and free trips to New York for interviews. It’s all part of an annual courtship ritual known as on-campus recruiting. But this fall, the antibank animus of the Occupy Wall Street movement has seeped onto college campuses. At some schools, anger at big banks has turned the on-campus recruiting process into a crucible of controversy."

9. Secretary of Education Urges Colleges to Rein In Costs, by Kelly Field -http://chronicle.com/article/Secretary-of-Education-Urges/129912/ - "The department is billing the speech as the start of a "national conversation" on college costs."

10. Graduation Rates Can Be Predicted More Precisely by Examining Student Characteristics, Report Says, by Jennifer Gonzalez - http://chronicle.com/article/Graduation-Rates-Can-Be/129914/ - "Many colleges now use basic student information such as race and ethnicity, gender, high-school grade-point average, and SAT and ACT scores to project an expected graduation rate. By considering other, more-personal characteristics, such as how students rate their emotional health, whether they are the first in their family to attend college, and whether they anticipate having to work full time while enrolled, an institution can increase the accuracy of its four-year graduation-rate prediction by 66 percent, its five-year rate by 54 percent, and its six-year rate by 53 percent, says the report."

11. It's time to fight unemployment the old-fashioned way, says Elaine Chao http://ti.me/syS2bn via @TIMEIdeas - "One of the lessons all ages should take away from this era — and one which parents and grandparents should drill into children balking at homework or at going back to school — is that education is the best protection against ruin in hard times. Those with higher educations certainly have not been invulnerable to harm in this recession, many are underemployed and unemployed, but they always have been in the best position to survive and thrive."

12. Common Core standards pose dilemmas for early childhood, by Samuel J. Meisels - The Answer Sheet - http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/common-core-standards-pose-dilemmas-for-early-childhood/2011/11/28/gIQAPs1X6N_blog.html?tid=sm_btn_twitter via @washingtonpost - "But early childhood education — concerned with children from birth to the end of third grade — seems nearly an afterthought in the standards. Not only do they end (or begin) at kindergarten, ignoring more than half of the early childhood age range, they simply don’t fit what we know about young children’s learning and development."

357. College Access and Success News

Here are links to recent news on college access and success.

by

Joe Rottenborn

Executive Director, Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP)

1. Read The Joe Rottenborn Daily ▸ today's top stories on college access and success via @rottenbornj ▸ http://paper.li/rottenbornj

2. Public Universities Seeking Out-of-State Students, by Rebecca R. Ruiz: http://nyti.ms/vlYca7 - "In an article published on Sunday in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Eric Hoover and Josh Keller reported that public universities are escalating their recruitment of out-of-state students – students who not only bring geographic diversity to campus, but also pay higher tuition rates and improve a school’s bottom line."

3. Advocate for students chides colleges for policies on low-income students, by Doug Lederman Inside Higher Ed: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/11/01/advocate-students-chides-colleges-policies-low-income-students#.TrAGpcyFo4w.twitter - "Haycock and her group, which focuses on ensuring equitable education for students regardless of their race or socioeconomic status, have issued a series of reports criticizing college policies (overemphasis on standardized test scores, merit-based financial aid, etc.) that tend to benefit wealthy and white students over others. . . . Haycock (at left) did not hold back, painting a picture of increasing inequality in higher education in which, among other things, students from families in the highest quartile of family income are now 10 times likelier than those in the lowest quartile to have a bachelor's degree."

4. Emphasize the Ambitious: Q&A With Kati Haycock, by Joan Richardson - http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/11/01/kappan_haycock.html via @educationweek - "That goal took over my life. What animated me was how we could turn around the performance of the groups of kids who were behind. I came to believe that what was happening in K-12 was important to making that change. I think of our work as helping to make our country better. When you consider the ideals upon which we were created, and you look at what the data tell us about inequality, it’s clear that our narrative as a country is far away from where we really are."

5. 12 Best and Worst 529 College Savings Plans, by Lynn O'Shaughnessy - http://moneywatch.bnet.com/spending/blog/college-solution/12-best-and-worst-529-college-savings-plans/7058/ via @cbsmoneywatch - "But, you may be wondering, how do you pick the best 529 plans and avoid the worst? Morningstar, the investment research firm, has made the task easier for you. In its new industry survey of 529 plans, Morningstar has selected the top five 529 plans, as well as the seven worst. Here is your 529 cheat sheet:"

6. New NAEP, Same Results: Math Up, Reading Mostly Flat, by Erik W. Robelen - http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/11/01/11naep.h31.html via @educationweek - "One area of long-standing concern is the large achievement gaps among racial and ethnic groups, especially when comparing African-American and Hispanic students with white students. Although all groups have made academic progress over the past two decades, the achievement gaps have proved difficult to close.The 2011 reading and math results produced no statistically significant changes in the black-white achievement gap from 2009."

7. More States Flag Potential Dropouts With Warning Data, by Sarah D. Sparks - http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/11/01/11earlywarning_ep.h31.html via @educationweek - "At minimum, researchers found that most existing systems flag what Robert Balfanz, a co-author of the study and the director of the Everyone Graduates Center, calls “the ABCs” of such systems:

• Attendance: Students who have missed either 10 percent of school days or 20 days total;

• Behavior: Students who receive two or more mild or more-serious behavior citations, which in most schools means detentions or suspensions; and

• Course performance: Students who struggle to keep up in key classes at different grades."

8. The Wrong Inequality, by David Brooks in The New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/opinion/brooks-the-wrong-inequality.html?_r=1&hp - "In these places, the crucial inequality is not between the top 1 percent and the bottom 99 percent. It’s between those with a college degree and those without. Over the past several decades, the economic benefits of education have steadily risen. In 1979, the average college graduate made 38 percent more than the average high school graduate, according to the Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke. Now the average college graduate makes more than 75 percent more. Moreover, college graduates have become good at passing down advantages to their children. If you are born with parents who are college graduates, your odds of getting through college are excellent. If you are born to high school grads, your odds are terrible."

9. In a Standardized Era, a Creative School Is Forced to Be More So, by Michael Winerip - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/education/no-child-left-behind-catches-up-with-new-hampshire-school.html?src=recg - "The intent of No Child Left Behind was to provide quality education for poor children, mainly in urban areas, but it has taken over everything. By next spring, 90 percent of New Hampshire schools are expected to be labeled as failing."

10. School Suspensions Among Boys May Be Linked to Lower College Attendance, by Dan Berrett -http://chronicle.com/article/School-Suspensions-Among-Boys/129593/ - "As the likelihood of suspensions increases, students' chances of making it to college decrease. Citing previous research, the authors note that one suspension lowers the chance of attending college by 16 percentage points, and of graduating from college by 9 percentage points. "We suggest that boys' higher tendency to act out, and develop conduct problems, might be particularly relevant to their relative absence in colleges," the authors write."

318. College Access and Success News

Here are links to recent news
on college access and success.

by

Joe Rottenborn

Executive Director, Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP)

1. What teachers really want to tell parents, by Ron Clark - #cnn: http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/index.html - "We just ask -- and beg of you -- to trust us, support us and work with the system, not against it. We need you to have our backs, and we need you to give us the respect we deserve."

2. Are stocks the best option when saving for college? by Matt Krantz: http://usat.ly/nDgaLz#.TmdfgLd_wTQ.twitter via USATODAY - "It's understandable that given stocks' subpar returns, parents are tempted to look for other magical assets that will generate bigger returns. Saving for college is especially stressful, since there's a set deadline in the future you must meet."

3. Program offers enrichment for children, by Bob Coupland - Tribune Chronicle - Warren, OH: http://bit.ly/p0s32E via AddThis - "The Warren YWCA, in partnership with Warren City Schools, has again launched its Before and After School Enrichment Program for local children."

4. Success by Another Name, by Paul Fain - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/nRGrCi via AddThis - "Community colleges face tremendous political pressure to increase their graduation rates and better measure academic quality, most notably from the Obama administration and the Lumina and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations."

5. Mark Milliron - An Optimist's Education Agenda - YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC3lyw4Xcbg

6. Do You Enjoy A College Scholarship Advantage? by Lynn O'Shaughnessy - http://moneywatch.bnet.com/spending/blog/college-solution/do-you-enjoy-a-college-scholarship-advantage/6514/ via @cbsmoneywatch - "White students, according to the study, receive 76% of all merit scholarships from colleges even though they represent 62% of students. Minority students receive 24.4% of scholarships from colleges even though they represent 38% of the student population."

7. U.S. News college rankings are denounced but not ignored, by Daniel de Vise - http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/us-news-college-rankings-are-denounced-but-not-ignored/2011/09/02/gIQAn6BzzJ_story.html via Washingtonpost - "Twenty-eight years after the release of the first U.S. News lists, Morse and his publication dominate the college-ranking business they spawned. Last year’s publication drew more than 10 million Internet hits on launch day."

8. Majoring In Debt: College Students Struggle Under The Weight Of Loans - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/06/majoring-in-debt-college-_n_951129.html - "$24,000. That's the average student debt in America, according to a report last year from the Project on Student Debt. For many students, that figure is modest. Take Aleesha Nash, a graduate of New York University. "Logging into the Federal Student Aid website," she writes on the Huffington Post, "I see that today my balance is $104,104.63 for a percentage of the information in my head." And there's Jaclyn Cabral, too. Jaclyn chose to attend Elon University in North Carolina because it's "regarded as one of the most affordable private educations." Still, she graduated $90,000 in debt."

252.Unstack the Odds--GO TO COLLEGE: LINKS

Unstack the Odds: Help All Kids Access College—and Graduate!
by

Joe Rottenborn

Executive Director, Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP)

20. GO TO COLLEGE: LINKS

Here are some additional links to articles of interest; they were drawn from the Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP) blog, with the original posting number shown.

Cost:

22. "College: More Expensive than Ever"
Read the article from Money at this link:http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/19/pf/college_costs/index.htm

23. "Survey Finds That Many Families Don't Borrow for College"
See an article from The New York Times at this link:http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/survey-finds-that-many-families-dont-borrow-for-college/

24. "529 Savings Plan for College"
Check out a column on saving for college at this link:http://www.minyanville.com/articles/college+costs-+saving/index/a/24201#

To read Lynn O'Shaughnessy's post on how much 529 plan savings will affect your expected family contribution (EFC), derived from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), click this link:http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/college-solution/the-no-1-fear-of-529-plan-investors/2164/?tag=col1;blog-river

28. "College Applicants Forego 'Dream Schools' in Recession"
Here's a link to this article of interest from the Boulder (CO) Daily Camera:http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_13604363

To read a summary of the various guides that "rank" colleges, click on the post "Which College Rankings Set Should You Use," by Danielle Wiener-Bronner on The Huffington Post of 9/14/10, at this link:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danielle-wienerbronner/which-college-rankings-se_b_716526.html

31. "College Dropouts Cite Low Money and High Stress"
Here's an article of importance on why college students drop out from The New York Times at this link:http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/agenda/?src=twt&twt=NYTimesCollege

32. "Average Debt for Graduating College Seniors Rises to $23,200"
Here's an article from The New York Times on college student loan debt at this link:http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/debt/?src=twt&twt=NYTimesCollege

38. Financial-Aid Websites
You can click on any of these websites for resources on financial-aid for college:

1. FinAid!--http://www.finaid.org/

2. College Board--http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/add-it-up/397.html

3. Peterson's--http://www.petersons.com/finaid/file.asp?id=906&path=ug.pfs.advice&sponsor=1

4. Student Aid on the Web (Federal Student Aid)--http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp

39. Student Loan-Debt
To read first-hand, student accounts of being in debt from college expenses, click on this series from HuffPost College:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/22/college-debt_n_471023.html?slidenumber=1mvKlgmw4aI%3D&&&slideshow#slide_image

40. Search for Scholarships
To search for scholarships that may interest you, you can access the following website:http://www.fastweb.com/login

43. Student Loan-Debt, Part II
To read about hazards of taking on too much loan-debt for college, click on the following links:

a. re: private loans--http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/02/25/money-college-why-one-student-advises-avoiding-private-student/

b. re: community college students-- http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-07-23-comcol-debt_N.htm?csp=usat.me

44. Understanding Financial-Aid Award Offer Letters
To decipher the financial-aid award offer letter a student will get from any college that has accepted his/her application for admission and received that student's FAFSA data, click these links by Lynn O'Shaughnessy from her articles on thecollegesolutionblog.com:

1. Part I--http://thecollegesolutionblog.com/2010/03/08/how-to-decode-a-financial-aid-letter/

2. Part II--http://thecollegesolutionblog.com/2010/03/09/college-grants-decoding-a-financial-aid-letter-part-ii/

45. Calculating the Net Price of a College
Daniel de Vise, blogging in The Washington Post at College Inc., stated the following:"All colleges will be required to post a 'net price calculator' on their web sites by fall 2011. 'Net price' is what a student actually pays to attend, after subtracting discounts and grant aid from the sticker price."In addition, de Vise quoted Jeff Whorley, President of StudentAid.com, as follows: "Net price is sticker price minus merit and need-based grants. Up-front, out-of-pocket cost is the net price minus work-study and government loans."Calculate the net price of a college you are interested in and determine your "up-front, out-of-pocket cost" to make certain you can afford to attend.To read a report, released by The College Board in mid-September of 2010, on "discounting" (i.e., reducing tuition/fees through merit scholarships) by both private and public colleges, click on this link:http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/09/15/discounting

47. Verification
If your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has been selected for verification, read the post by Doug Schantz of CheapScholar.org at this link:http://cheapscholar.org/2010/03/30/help-i-have-been-selected-for-financial-aid-verification/

49. "Can We Afford This College?"
In the April 2010 Money, Penelope Wang writes an article entitled "Can We Afford This College?" After students are accepted to a college, have filed their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and receive their financial-aid award offer letter, they and their parent(s) need to ask this same question. Ask it before the May 1 deadline to indicate to the college they will enroll; don't wait until the first bill arrives in August. If you can't make ends meet without taking on significant loan-debt, now's the time to consider other college possibilities.Writer Lynn O'Shaughnessy advises students and parent to get a "financial aid pre-read" early in the college-search process. You can see her column "What's This College Really Going To Cost," posted online on 9/9/10, at this link:http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/college-solution/whats-this-college-really-going-to-cost/3007/?tag=col1;blog-river

50. Ask for a Reconsideration
If you can not afford to attend the college of your choice and hope more financial aid might enable you to enroll, you can ask your financial-aid officer to "reconsider" your financial-aid award. You may be asked to present financial-aid award offer letters from comparable colleges, complete a form on any "special circumstances" important to consider, or provide other information--but take a chance! Be polite, speak for yourself (rather than having a parent make the contact), and avoid using the term "negotiate." Stress that the college is your first choice and you'd like to attend, but your financial-aid award won't let you do that; therefore, can it be "reconsidered"? For suggestions on how to do this, read the blog posting by Lynn O'Shaughnessy at this link: http://thecollegesolutionblog.com/2010/03/21/student-aid-5-ways-to-negotiate-for-more-financial-aid/

Also, check out the post, "Fight for Financial Aid the Smart Way," by Peter McDougall at this link: http://ow.ly/1vhOM

Finally, Sandra J. Oliveira--Executive Director, Office of Financial Aid at Providence College--offers advice on appealing your finanical-aid award at this link from The New York Times:http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/aid-2/#more-19867

52. Tuition at Public Flagship Universities in the U.S.
To see tuitions during 2009-2010 at public flagship universities in the U.S., click the following link to a database in USA TODAY: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-20-college-costs_N.htm

To see the annual revenue and number of students enrolled by some of the largest for-profit companies/universities, click this link to an article in The Wall Street Journal, dated August 30, 2010:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703418004575455773289209384.html?mod=WSJ_article_related

To read the article by Stephanie Chen, "For-profit college risk: Huge debt, questionable degree," posted on 9/2/10, at CNN online, click this link:http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/09/02/for.profit.college.debt/index.html?hpt=C2

54. College Scholarships
Many students--and their parents--want to know how to get a college scholarship. The simple answer is "Be an attractive candidate for one"--that is, have a high grade-point average (GPA) in a rigorous course of study, earn a top class-rank, and score well on the ACT or SAT. In other words, be the type of student any college would love to have enroll--and might offer a scholarship to facilitate that. But there are other ways as well. For some ideas, check out the following links to these blog-posts by Lynn O'Shaughnessy:

1. "4 Ways to Win A Scholarship"--http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/college-solution/college-scholarships-4-ways-to-win-a-scholarship/1761/

2. "The Best Places to Find College Cash"--http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/college-solution/the-best-places-to-find-college-cash/442/?tag=content;col1

3. "The Myth About College Scholarships"--http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/college-solution/the-myth-about-college-scholarships/312/?tag=content;col1

55. How Do Elite Schools Determine Prices?
For one opinion on why elite colleges and universities are expensive, see the opinion piece by Andrew Manshel, "Why Top Colleges Squeeze You Dry," in The Wall Street Journal on April 9, 2010, at this link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304017404575165730979629178.html?KEYWORDS=andrew+manshel

57. College Loans
Today, many students--and their parents--will likely consider loans to pay for college. Indeed, some may come to regard a loan as the "four-letter word" of financial aid! To learn more about borrowing for college, Lynn O'Shaughnessy has compiled several of her blog-posts on loans, "Best College Loan Advice: 9 Tips for Borrowing for College," at this link: http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/college-solution/best-college-loan-advice-9-tips-for-borrowing-for-college/1864/?tag=col1;blog-river

248.Unstack the Odds--GO TO COLLEGE:STEP 11

Unstack the Odds: Help All Kids Access College—and Graduate!
by

Joe Rottenborn

Executive Director, Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP)

18. GO TO COLLEGE: STEP 11

11) Both student and parent undertake the online PIN application process, complete and submit, by priority deadlines for financial aid, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the web (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/).

73. To be considered for financial aid, including federal and state grants, you must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

74. To start your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), student and parent apply for a PIN at http://www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp

75. To see a Draft FAFSA for 2010-2011, click that link under FAFSA in the left margin of our MVCAP blog at http://mvcap.blogspot.com/

76. To see which documents students and parents will need to file the FAFSA, they can check out this link: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/before003.htm

77. If your goal is to file a FAFSA by February 1 for priority consideration for financial aid, prepare your IRS Form 1040, 1040 EZ, or 1040 A now!

78. To view "The Five Minute FAFSA Video" for an introduction to completing that form, check out a link: http://www.finaid.org/fafsa/video.phtml

79. To search for a Federal School Code before filing your FAFSA online, check out this link: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/FOTWWebApp/FSLookupServlet

80. Start completing a 2011-2012 FAFSA on the Web Worksheet from your guidance office--or download one at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/before012.htm

81. To learn more about financial aid, click this link to our blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/1-confused-about-college-financial-aid.html

82. To begin understanding the concept of "financial need," click this link to our blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/2-financial-need.html

83. To get an overview of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), click this link: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/3-fafsa.html

84. To learn about the Student Aid Report (SAR) you'll receive after filing the FAFSA, click here: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/4-sar.html

85. To learn about the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) you'll get from filing a FAFSA, click: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/5-efc.html

86. To learn about a Financial-Aid Package a college will award you, click here: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/6-financial-aid-package.html

87. To learn about Gift-Aid a college may put in your financial-aid package, click this link: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/7-gift-aid.html

88. To learn about Self-Help colleges may put in your financial-aid package, click this link: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/8-self-help.html

89. See how students with an EFC of $0 can go to college locally: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/21-efc-of-0-go-to-college-in-valley-for.html

90. To see an outline of common criteria for merit aid, click this link to our MVCAP blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/14-merit-aid.html

91. To read an explanation of need-based aid, click this link to our MVCAP blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/15-need-based-aid.html

92. To calculate how much a college may cost you, check out this link: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/11/16-how-much-will-college-cost-me.html

93. To read an update from Money on college costs, click this link: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/12/22-college-more-expensive-than-ever.html

94. To see a survey on how U.S. families pay for college, click: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/12/23-survey-finds-that-many-families-dont.html

95. To learn about saving for college with a 529 plan, click this link: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/12/24-529-savings-plan-for-college.html

96. To compare the tuition of 168 colleges in Ohio, click:
http://www.collegeview.com/SearchSchools.do?state=48&location=1500&referLocation=4860

97. To see tax credits for college in the stimulus bill, click: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/12/25-stimulus-bill-offers-tax-credit-for.html

98. Watch an ABC 20/20 video and decide "Is College Worth It?" here: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/12/26-john-stossel-is-college-worth-it.html

99. To read about students choosing colleges in this recession, click: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/12/28-college-applicants-forego-dream.html

100. See factors--including finances--that stress college dropouts: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/12/31-college-dropouts-cite-low-money-and.html

101. Read an article on the average loan-debt of college seniors: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2009/12/32-average-debt-for-graduating-college.html

102. To access the information on financial aid of FinAid! just click this link: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/02/38-financial-aid-websites.html

103. To find information on financial aid from the College Board, click here: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/02/38-financial-aid-websites.html

104. To find information on financial aid from Peterson's, access this site: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/02/38-financial-aid-websites.html

105. To see information on financial aid from the U.S. Dept. of Ed., click here: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/02/38-financial-aid-websites.html

106. For student accounts of loan-debt from college, hit this from HuffPost College: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/02/39-student-loan-debt.html

107. Lindsay Carroll, 21, Pitt, has $15,000 loan-debt; see why at HuffPost College: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/02/39-student-loan-debt.html

108. To seek scholarship opportunities that may fit you, investigate fastweb at http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/02/40-search-for-scholarships.html

105. MVCAP fyi

See free MVCAP e-books on college admissions and financial aid for sharing, printing, and downloading at our online resource library: http://fb.me/HOUIYNqq

1. Pay for 8 years of college on 1 salary http://t.co/iLu6eyd via @CNNMoney

‎"Spend the kids' assets first. Aid offices assess money in a student's name at 20%, vs. up to 6% for a parent's money. So Amy should spend her kids' savings accounts and bonds before the 529s--the latter is typically considered a parental asset."

2. Drafting a College List in a Tough Economy#more-23659#more-23659 - http://nyti.ms/aGdtcK

‎“When I started as a counselor in 1981, kids would apply to two reach colleges, two targets and two safeties,” said Eileen Connolly, who oversees guidance at John F. Kennedy High in Bellmore, on Long Island. Now she estimates that most of her students apply to 15, not including those who apply early to one and get in."

3. http://huff.to/cOMO6R Huffpost - Celebrating Community Colleges and Their Students

"But the American Dream is more than access to college. It's about a complete education and the better future that comes with it: a steady income, a rewarding career, a home in a nice neighborhood where you'd want to raise your family. Increasingly, to achieve those goals, students have to get a college degree or a professional certificate after high school. According to every measure -- employment rates, wage premiums, labor forecasts -- students who get those credentials can seize opportunities that those who stopped their education with high school can't. In 1973, only about one-quarter of the American workforce needed a postsecondary degree or credential in order to get or hold on to a job. In 2007, that figure hit 57 percent. New research predicts that, by 2018, 63 percent of jobs in America will require an education beyond high school. Unable to find enough skilled workers here, U.S. businesses are outsourcing millions of high-skill, high-wage jobs to Germany, Japan, Singapore, Korea."

4. http://huff.to/djphS8 Huffpost - College: It Pays

‎"According to a College Board report released earlier this month, college graduates on average earned about $22,000 more than those with just a high school diploma ($55,700 compared to $33,800) in 2008. What's more troubling is that the gulf between the two has increased by 13 percent since 2005. And with the economy in tatters, there's probably little doubt who's suffering more. Unemployment has jumped for both college graduates and for those with a high school diploma. However, the gap in the unemployment rate between the two groups has more than doubled in the last five years. The point is if you don't have a college degree you're far more likely to be unemployed."

5. http://huff.to/cja9EW Huffpost - College Squeezing Out the Middle Class

"The cost of higher education is spiraling out of control. It is squeezing middle class families out and making America less competitive. We pride ourselves on the best higher education in the world, but we're coasting on the reputation of three dozen selective institutions. Most students pay too much, get too little, and half drop out. For students being priced out of the market, there are a growing number of cheap or free alternatives and many are personal digital learning options."

6. At Rallies Across the US, Students Turn Out in Defense of Public Education http://chronicle.com/article/Students-Turn-Out-in-Defense/124853/

"Students are becoming the cash cow for the institution because the university is banking on whatever they can pay," Mr. Chapela said. "They're standing up for what they believe to be wrong budgetary policies in both the state and the nation."

102. MVCAP fyi

See free MVCAP e-books on college admissions and financial aid for sharing, printing, and downloading at our online resource library: http://fb.me/HOUIYNqq

1. Community colleges are focus of White House summit - http://bit.ly/bR60I3 #cnn

‎"The goal is to ensure there are strong partnerships between growing industries and community college or training programs in every state in the country," Obama said. He called community colleges one of the nation's most under-valued assets, and repeated his goal of increasing the number of community college degrees and certificates by 5 million by the year 2020."

2. Retirement funds tapped for kids' tuition http://t.co/Qvf7UON

"The main problem with raiding retirement accounts for college is that it triggers big tax penalties compared to other types of investment plans. Even taking a loan out against a 401(k) can be dangerous, because it has to be paid back within 5 years, or immediately when the borrower changes jobs.Also, when retirement accounts are tapped for college, that money counts as adjusted gross income and will reduce the amount of financial aid a family qualifies for the following year by as much as 47%, according to Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Fastweb.com and FinAid.org."

3. RT @USATODAY Obama seeks to partner businesses, 2-year colleges http://usat.me/40462546

"Over the next decade, nearly eight in 10 new jobs will require higher education and workforce training, economists project. As part of his goal for the USA to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020, Obama last year challenged the nation's 1,200 community colleges to produce an additional 5 million graduates. He also has acknowledged that many community colleges — and the more than 8 million students enrolled in them — face significant challenges. Just 25% of students at two-year schools earn a credential or transfer to a four-year college within three years."

4. RT @USATODAY Families can better afford college if they strategize early http://usat.me/40460924

"One key is applying to a variety of schools — public, private, in-state, and a local community college as a backup plan, recommends admissions consultant Katherine Cohen of ApplyWise.com. In an online survey of 137 families with college-bound students, ApplyWise and media partner NextStepU found that more than a third said it was likely that their child would go to community college for two years, then transfer to a four-year school. In 2008, only 13% said that was likely. Make sure every school you apply to is one you would be happy to attend, but also make sure you have one you can get into and afford, Cohen says. "You have to think about fit in so many ways."

5. Raining on the Parade - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/bQX7MQ

"In a report released Monday, a marketing firm working for the Coalition for Educational Success, an advocacy group for several privately held for-profit companies, argues that community colleges engage in “unsavory recruitment practices” and offer students “poorer-than-expected academic quality, course availability, class scheduling, job placement and personal attention.”

6. Support All College Options - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/c6berB

‎"These diverse options are unlike those offered by any other nation and include small liberal arts colleges, community colleges, large public universities, online universities, for-profit schools and research institutions. Each sector serves a slightly different niche of students and provides quality programs leading to degrees ranging from an associate to a doctorate. And each will contribute significantly to achieving President Obama’s goal."

7. Americans Support Community Colleges: AP Poll http://huff.to/cmoHi1 Huffpost

"Obama wants the United States to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. He's got his work cut out for him: Just 35 percent of community college students and 60 percent of students at four-year institutions graduate with diplomas each year."

8. Families are trimming plans to pay for college, survey finds: http://wapo.st/btrW5s

"On average, families have saved about $28,000 to pay for college. About 12 percent of that money is in 529 plans, while 14 percent comes from general savings accounts or certificates of deposit. Another 21 percent comes from investments, but the largest portion of that money - 23 percent - is in retirement savings."

9. The Most Expensive Colleges: Forbes List (PHOTOS) http://huff.to/9YgRyc Huffpost

‎"In compiling their list, Forbes evaluated the schools according to highest tuition, fees and room and board costs, using data collected by the Chronicle of Higher Education and Campus Grotto. This year, Sarah Lawrence College -- alma mater of newly-announced Chicago mayoral hopeful Rahm Emmanuel -- takes the first slot, at $57,556 per year."

10. 7 Ways to Succeed in Community College http://t.co/zH9zKe7

‎"Before selecting a community college, review how it fared in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement. The CCSSE, which is based at a nonprofit on the University of Texas, Austin campus, attempts to measure the academic excellence at community colleges. Students at participating community colleges fill out questionnaires on such topics as student and faculty interactions and academic rigor. You can find scores for individual schools at the CCSSE website."

24. "529 Savings Plan for College"

Check out a column on saving for college at this link:

http://www.minyanville.com/articles/college+costs-+saving/index/a/24201#

To read Lynn O'Shaughnessy's post on how much 529 plan savings will affect your expected family contribution (EFC), derived from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), click this link:

http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/college-solution/the-no-1-fear-of-529-plan-investors/2164/?tag=col1;blog-river

For a list at FinAid.org entitled "State Tax Deductions for 529 Contributions," check out this link:

http://www.finaid.org/savings/state529deductions.phtml