375. 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. Financial Aid Help: http://t.co/eV0mVNlE - "Seniors and Senior Parents: It’s a great time to sign up for your pin #’s from FAFSA.ED.GOV (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid). A parent needs a pin # and a student needs a separate pin # in order to file. Go to fafsa.ed.gov and click “Get Pin #” to proceed."

3. 'Evaluating, Understanding And Comparing Financial Aid Offers' http://t.co/9SmcutMC - "So you have been accepted at several colleges that you applied to. You filed your FAFSA and other financial aid forms. You have been waiting for the numbers to arrive and finally they start filling you mailbox. Now what?"

4. Counselors Urge Applicants to Hit Aid Deadlines http://t.co/DkQaiIT7 via @townnews - "High school officials are urging parents to pay attention to deadlines so there are no missed opportunities while applying for student loans and financial aid for high school seniors."

5. North Star Financial Advisor Gives Back http://t.co/dEUXTXC4 via @sfgate - "Clarisa Hernandez of North Star Resource Group works to help create a better future for underprivileged children."

6. Minnesota Early Childhood Education Achievement Gap http://t.co/EFKnJgLk via @ABC6NEWS

7. Are black students lacking basic skills? http://t.co/mNyf0AtQ - "OPINION - Across the country, the achievement gap between white students and black students persists. . . ."

8. Minorities’ ISAT scores on rise in D300 - Elgin Courier News: http://t.co/gCVAZ0xb via @AddThis - "ALGONQUIN — Elementary and middle school students who are Hispanic and black are closing achievement gaps in Community Unit School District 300."

9. Frenzy over SATs - http://t.co/cUcqeSZC - "In my work with families I encounter a great deal of anxiety about the college application process. Much of this anxiety occurs when parents and kids come late to the tasks at hand. In a panic, they desperately try to play catch-up in order to get through everything that needs to be done . . . ."

10. Mexicans in New York City Lag in Education, by Kirk Semple: http://nyti.ms/tt9mlb - "Mexicans, the fastest-growing major immigrant group in the city, have the highest dropout rate: about 41 percent of Mexicans ages 16 to 19 have dropped out of school. . . . This crisis endures at the college level. Among Mexican immigrants 19 to 23 who do not have a college degree, only 6 percent are enrolled. That is a fraction of the rates among other major immigrant groups and the native-born population."

249.Unstack the Odds-GO TO COLLEGE:STEPS 12-13

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: STEPS 12-13

12) Interpret the Student Aid Report (SAR), received after submitting the FAFSA, to determine EFC and financial need.

13) Interpret and compare Financial-Aid Award Offer letters from colleges to figure the “bottom line” (i.e., out-of-pocket expenses), monthly payments, and loan-debt.

109. To decipher your financial-aid award offer letters, read Part I of Lynn O'Shaughnessy's article at this link: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/03/44-understanding-financial-aid-award.html

110. To analyze your financial-aid award offer letters, read Part II: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/03/44-understanding-financial-aid-award.html

111. Now, calculate the "net price" of the college(s) you'd like to attend: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/03/45-calculating-net-price-of-college.html

112. Next, figure the up-front, out-of-pocket cost of your college(s): http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/03/45-calculating-net-price-of-college.html

113. An important question to ask, according to Penelope Wang in her article from the April 2010 Money magazine, is "Can we afford this college?"

114. Still seeking money for college? Read Lynn O'Shaughnessy's "4 Ways to Win A Scholarship": http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/54-college-scholarships.html

115. Still need money for college? See Lynn O'Shaughnessy's "The Best Places to Find College Cash": http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/54-college-scholarships.html

116. Got money for college? See Lynn O'Shaughnessy's "The Myth About College Scholarships": http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/54-college-scholarships.html

117. Private colleges or universities can discount tuition for students; click this link: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/62-discounts-for-college-tuition.html

118. If you're still seeking money for college, see some unusual scholarships: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/63-unusual-scholarships.html

119. Do Many Students Take Out College Loans? Link to our MVCAP blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/61-do-many-students-take-out-college.html

120. Shop around for college loans; check out the article on our MVCAP blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/58-shopping-for-student-loans.html

121. How much should you take out in college loans? Read our blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/59-how-much-should-student-borrow-for.html

122. How much should parents take out in college loans? See this link: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/60-how-much-should-parents-borrow-for.html

123. For a compilation of links about college loans, refer to this posting on our blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/57-college-loans.html

124. To review the statistics on student borrowing for college, click this posting on our blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/64-who-borrows-most.html

125. To read Lynn O'Shaughnessy's "12 Facts About Student Loan Borrowers," click this link to our blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/64-who-borrows-most.html

126. May 1 is the deadline to let a college or university know if you plan to enroll there; be sure to meet that deadline: act today, if you haven't already!

127. You go to college to graduate; for graduation rates of Ohio colleges & universities, click: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/65-graduation-rates-in-ohio.html

128. Who graduates in 4 years? See a study of MVCAP advisees on our blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/04/68-who-graduates-in-four-years.html

129. Need to borrow money to pay for college? Learn the differences between federal and private loans at http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/05/69-government-or-private-loans.html

130. Still looking for a college? See U.S. schools with space available for fall: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/05/70-space-availability-survey-2010.html

131. Still short of money to pay for college? See this link on our blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/05/71-still-need-money-for-college.html

132. If your 1st-choice college plan doesn't work out, have a Plan B; hit this link to our blog: http://mvcap.blogspot.com/2010/05/73-plan-b.html

157. MVCAP fyi

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

1. Me, in 500 Words or Less, by Michael Campbell - http://nyti.ms/eqkrD4

‎"The essays are my chance to reveal myself as an individual with substance beyond scores and merit beyond my transcript. If I fail to do so, I will become little more than a statistic in the eyes of admissions. If I succeed, I may prove myself a worthy candidate for acceptance."

2. Goodbye DADT, Hello ROTC, by Dan Berrett - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/hZMcLE

"It also effectively ends what has been a vexing problem for higher education, including at Columbia -- given our desire to be open to our military, but not wanting to violate our own core principle against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation," continued Bollinger. "We now have the opportunity for a new era in the relationship between universities and our military services."

3. Spare the Rod, Pay the Prof, by Steve Kolowich - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/ig5ERr

‎"Instead, the university is offering to share tuition revenues from online students with colleges and departments that accommodate them. In the College of Arts and Sciences, professors — who are not generally given bonuses for developing new courses — are offered $5,000 to adapt a course to the online medium."

4. 'The Global Auction' by Scott Jaschik - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/fByZ2t

‎"Start asking hard questions about your reasons for going to college, which college is likely to offer you a high-quality education, and what your chances are of finding a job that meets your expectations after graduation. If you’re aiming high, be prepared for a long and intense competition that doesn’t end when you enter the job market. If you do not see yourself at an elite university, is it better to go for a two-year rather than four-year college education and then opt for further training while employed?"

5. Top College Role Models Of 2010 - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/20/top-college-role-models-o_n_799011.html#s201958

"They showed their true selves. And in 2010, they accomplished monumental things. Below, see 11 inspiring college students, campuses, groups and professors who lead by example this year -- and may renew your confidence in younger generations."

6. 100-Headed Monster That Digests College Applications! by Ruth Starkman - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ruth-starkman/100headed-monster-digests_b_798907.html

‎"At large universities additional temporary readers, usually 100 or so, are hired on for the reading season from December to February. They are the first line of people reading your applications. These "external" temporary readers undergo several weeks of training before the reading process and continue to receive support from the fulltime admissions personnel after the reading starts. External readers are a hugely mixed group of people from high school academic counselors to alumni to retired or part-time faculty from many different universities."

7. Why Don't Professors Like to Teach? by Lynn O'Shaughnessy - http://t.co/ThEkjhK

"The reason is simple, according to a policy paper by the Center For College Affordability and Productivity. Professors are rewarded for staying out of the classroom. The big money in the higher-ed world is in research. It’s definitely not in teaching a bunch of undergraduates Psych 101 or holding office hours."

8. Cutbacks Force Some Early Colleges to Close Down, by Mary Ann Zehr - http://t.co/ThIN94j via @educationweek

‎"Over the past two-and-a-half years, two such schools have closed in Georgia, and a District of Columbia high school greatly scaled back its school-within-a-school early-college program. In Ohio, Youngstown State University is transferring responsibility for an early-college high school on its campus to the nearby Eastern Gateway Community College because it can no longer afford to sponsor it."

9. Early Decision Up, Yet Still Small Part of Admissions Pie, by Caralee Adams - http://t.co/Qr19mFc

"Early decision is when a student applies to his first-choice school and, if accepted, the decision is binding. Early action is similar to early decision, but the student doesn't have to commit immediately. She can still apply to other colleges and wait to make a decision until spring. About 18 percent of colleges offer early decision and 24 percent have early action plans, according to the 2010 State of Admissions Report by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). These plans are more common at private colleges."

10. Families Struggle To Compare Financial-Aid Offers, Survey Finds - http://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/many-families-struggle-to-compare-student-aid-offers-survey-finds/27748

"Nearly two-thirds of respondents said the contents of individual award letters were clear and easy to understand, but more than half said that letters from different colleges were hard to compare. Almost seven-eighths of respondents said award letters should be standardized."

11. 30 Ways to Rate a College - by Alex Richards and Ron Coddington - http://chronicle.com/article/30-Ways-to-Rate-a-College/124160/

‎"That indicates a lack of agreement among them on what defines quality. Much of the emphasis is on “input measures” such as student selectivity, faculty-student ratio, and retention of freshmen. Except for graduation rates, almost no “outcome measures,” such as whether a student comes out prepared to succeed in the work force, are used."

• Follow the most important stories on college admissions and financial aid on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rottenbornj


• For links to articles on college admissions and financial aid, you can "friend" Joe Rottenborn at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23325544


• "Like" the MVCAP fan page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23325544#!/pages/Mahoning-Valley-College-Access-Program-MVCAP/284002915922


• You can join the group MVCAP Financial-Aid Friends at this page: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=126580419181


• Read The Joe Rottenborn Daily for today's top stories on college admissions/financial aid in newsletter form - http://paper.li/rottenbornj
  

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

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/