Friday, July 15, 2011

Athletics and College Admissions

College Admissions: Top Tips for Athletic Recruits

Monday, June 27, 2011

Cristiana Quinn, GoLocalProv College Admissions Expert

July 1 marks the time when many NCAA coaches are permitted to actively pursue rising seniors with phone calls and e-mails. Until this date, most Division I and Division II coaches** are limited to sending general program information and returning calls; they may not proactively contact recruits. This means that the floodgates open soon for talented athletes. It can be overwhelming and confusing for students and parents. Here are 5 things you need to know if being recruited is in your plan:

1. NCAA rules are strict and enforceable.

They vary by sport, but generally coaches may call an athlete once a week after July 1. In-person contacts and evaluation days at tournaments and camps are limited in number (a contact can be defined as any conversation beyond “hi”). After September 1, seniors in most sports may make up to 5 official (paid) campus visits. Calendars and exact rules for each sport can be found here. NCAA course requirements, minimum GPA and SAT/ACT scores are listed here.

2. Attitude and image matter.

Coaches want athletes who will take direction, work hard and be able to keep up academically. They want to avoid students who display arrogance, a lack of commitment, or they suspect could get into trouble on or off-campus. Most of all, coaches want athletes who want their college more than any other school. “Showing the love” matters. So, follow-up on each coach contact if you are interested in a school, write thank you notes after you visit, and demonstrate your interest in the college and program.

3. Only pursue colleges that are a good match for you.

More than 70% of athletes who begin playing a sport in college are no longer on a team by senior year. They get cut, their grades fall below minimum standards, they lose interest, etc. So, make sure that the schools pursuing you are a good match for you academically and socially. Don’t get flattered by coach interest at a less competitive college if you are an A student. Go after the coaches at the schools that YOU are interested in. Remember that in order to be recruited by the Ivy League and some other very elite colleges, you MUST meet the Ivy League Academic Index.

4. Ask coaches the tough questions.

This is one of the most important decisions you will ever make; don’t go in blindly. Ask the coaches how many students graduate in 4 years. Find out what the training and travel demands are and how many students get cut or drop out of the program. Determine if there are restrictions on what you can major in or for studying abroad, and ask about tutor support. Most importantly, make sure that the coach style matches what you respond well to as an athlete.

5. Only sign a Letter of Intent or apply Early Decision (ED) if you are CERTAIN that the college is your 1st choice.

Most coaches will pressure recruits to apply ED if the college has an ED option, and they will ask the athlete to sign a Letter of Intent if the athlete is going to receive an athletic scholarship. This letter is a binding agreement and ends the student’s chances to consider any other colleges or offers. Signing dates are available here. Keep in mind that you need to have visited all your colleges and assessed your options before these dates hit—because most coaches won’t pull for you in the regular decision round. The best chance for a coach to get athletes accepted is during early action or early decision.

Cristiana Quinn, M.Ed. is the founder of College Admission Advisors, LLC which provides strategic, college counseling and athletic recruiting services for students. www.collegeadvisorsonline.com.

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Financial Aid Myths

Paying for College: 7 Most Costly Myths and Mistakes

By Kathy Kristof | Jun 28, 2011 | 3 Comments

What’s the most expensive purchase you’ll ever make? If you’re about to say “a house,” stop and think for another second. Did your house cost $250,000 plus four years’ wages? That’s the cost of a private college education these days. The cost of public schools, while cheaper, is still likely to exceed $100,000 once you add in room, board, books and lost wages.

That’s why college-cost myths can prove so costly, says Carol Stack, co-author of “The Financial Aid Handbook: Getting the Education You Want for the Price You Can Afford.” These myths often lead to mistakes that can cost students and their parents tens of thousands of dollars.

What are the most costly myths and mistakes? How can you learn the truth about paying for college? Here’s a guide.

Myth #1: You get what you pay for.

Many parents assume that the pricier the college, the more valuable the education. But, in reality, not only do some costly colleges not deliver the quality education they promise, few students pay the same rate at the same schools. You can liken the seats in a classroom to the seats on an airplane. Every person in the room is likely to have paid a different amount.

If you want to get the best deal on a college — just like an airline seat — you’ll need to do plenty of research, Stack says. Investigate schools based on your child’s interests, the schools’ graduation rates and their generosity with aid — in addition to the sticker price. For detailed information about how to figure the net cost of attending a college, check out this related post: College Decision time: How to Find the True Cost.

Myth #2: If you get into a “reach school,” you should go there.

This could be the most costly mistake a student could make, says Stack. The reason? Colleges give the most aid to kids who are in the top of their entering class. Kids who barely qualified to get into a school are not likely to be offered much other than loans, which could cause them to graduate mired in debt. To get merit-based scholarships and grants, your student should be positioned in the top 25% of those accepted by that particular college. The data on what grades and SAT scores each college requires is readily available on the web. If price is an issue, forget the reach school and go to a school that’s reaching for your student.

Myth #3: State schools are the most affordable.

Yes, your tax dollars may have been supporting your state’s public colleges and universities for years. Yes the sticker price of a state school may make it appear more affordable. But these schools still might be more expensive than a private school that’s willing to meet 100% of your “need.” Many incredibly expensive private colleges, such as Harvard and USC, provide so much aid to qualified students that their all-in cost can be considerably cheaper than the least expensive state school. Top students should never eliminate a college based on the sticker price. The net price — the price after scholarships and grants — is what makes a college costly or affordable.

Myth #4: You don’t need to talk money until your student is accepted.

If you want to avoid disappointment and debt, you’d be wise to have frank discussions about what you can afford early in the college application process — possibly even before your student fills out applications. Good students should still apply to costly schools (as long as they’re good about meeting aid), but parents should explain any provisos involved in attending those institutions. To say: “We can only afford XYZ school if you get scholarships and grants of at least $5,000, and if you get a job to pay all your incidental expenses” for instance, gives your child something to work with.

If the child is set on a school that doesn’t provide enough aid, you can also suggest that he or she search for private scholarships at FastWeb.com to make up the difference. What you shouldn’t do is dash hopes at the last minute, says Stack. “There are books on how to talk to your kids about sex, drugs and alcohol, but there’s very little to tell you how to talk about money,” she adds. But with a decision this costly, you’ve got to find a way.

Sit down together and go through a budget. In addition to making college more affordable, it’s a great life lesson for kids who are about to launch independent financial lives of their own.

If money is really tight, don’t forget about the College Two-Step — two years at a community college plus two at a four-year university. This little dance can cut college costs almost in half and allow your child to qualify for universities that would otherwise be a reach. (Many top-notch four-year universities have articulation agreements with community colleges that guarantee admission to any student who successfully completes two years with a minimum GPA.)

Myth # 5: If my parents won’t pay, I’ll get more aid.

If your parents can’t afford to pay for college, you may qualify for more aid. But financial aid formulas are designed to ensure that families that have the economic wherewithal to pay for college, don’t throw the burden to schools or taxpayers. The only way you get more aid when your parents are flush, is if you qualify as an “independent” student. That’s not easy to do. The most common ways to be “independent” are to be older — born before 1989 (for the 2012 school year); married; a grad student or a foster child.

Myth # 6: If you’re not poor, there’s no reason to fill out financial aid forms.

There is no specific income or asset level that knocks you out of the running for financial aid. The ability to claim aid will depend on family circumstances and the cost of the chosen college. Even those who didn’t qualify for aid in one year could qualify the next because, for instance, another child might enter college and make your family more “needy” based on the aid formula — or because you earned a little less or child is attending a more expensive school. Furthermore, if you want to be able to borrow at low fixed rates through the federal student loan program, you need to fill out the FAFSA form. Unless you’re stupendously wealthy and couldn’t care less about financial aid, go to fafsa.ed.gov and get cracking.

Myth # 7: I can pay someone to find scholarships for me.

Nope. If you want a scholarship, you’re going to have to apply for it yourself. And legitimate scholarships never require an up-front fee. The companies that promise to get you scholarships for a fee are simple scams, according to the Federal Trade Commission. If you want help finding scholarships that you can qualify for, check out FastWeb, which is a free (though advertising supported) online scholarship search service. For the cost of clicking past a few advertisements, FastWeb will match you up with relevant scholarships and show you where to get information on how to apply.

If you pay a scholarship search service, you’re wasting both time and money.

What Makes a School Large or Small? - College Admissions Q&As (usnews.com)

8 Strategies for Starting Your College Application Process - The College Admissions Insider (usnews.com)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

North Carolina Eastern Tour (NCICU)

THE NORTH CAROLINA INDEPENDENT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (NCICU) EASTERN TOUR

JUNE 19 TO 24, 2011

After completing the NCICU Central Tour in 2010, I knew that completing the next leg of the tour would be valuable. On Sunday, June 19^th we began the Eastern Tour at Barton College in Wilson, NC. They wined and dined and entertained us with an amazing musical group. After spending the night in a Barton dorm, we shared breakfast, toured the Barton campus.

Barton is located in a lovely small town. Some of their unique majors include gerontology and an education major for deaf/hard of hearing. After our tour we then boarded our bus. Doug Neiry was again our bus driver. This would be his 20^th year as the tour’s driver. Our college admissions counselors were again Zaire McCoy from Elon Univesity and Ernie Rushing from Methodist University. Zaire and Ernie provided us with a constant stream of beverages and snacks.

North Carolina Wesleyan in Rocky Mount, NC was our midday stop. They are actively rebranding their institution and hoping to eventually grow to 1,000 undergraduates. The world’s largest serpentine wall borders this campus.

Chowan University in Murfreesboro was our late afternoon destination. There is a variety of architectural styles on this campus which is part of a sleepy Southern town. One of their unique majors is packaging design within graphic arts. In 2013 they will introduce women’s lacrosse

Louisburg College in Louisburg was our evening destination. After dinner, we were treated to hotel rooms at the Days Inn. Tuesday morning began with breakfast at Louisburg and then a campus tour. Louisburg is the only two-year residential college in North Carolina. It is also the oldest two-year residential institution in the United States. It was founded in 1787, which is two years before Washington was inaugurated as President of the United States.

Louisburg is very strong in athletic participation. They also have a program modeled after Landmark College which serves the needs of students with learning issues.

Tuesday afternoon found us in Raleigh, NC at Saint Augustine’s College. Founded in 1867 by the Episcopal Church to educate freed slaves, it is a HBCU. There are several unique majors: forensic science, Mandarin Confucius, and real estate management in the business department. Saint A’s gets the ribbon for serving the best food! Shrimp salad, chicken salad, and huge brownies were served along with many other delicious dishes. The best Southern cooks must work at St. A’s.

Meredith College, also in Raleigh, was our evening stop. It is an historic women’s college with many traditions. A palazzo in Italy was recently purchased and renovated for students who wish to study abroad in this area. A unique major for Meredith is environmental sustainability. They also have a program that allows students to work with autistic children.

Meredith’s president shared dinner with us. As of the end of June, she is retiring.

Wednesday morning we went to Peace College, which is just down the street from Meredith. Their relatively new female president greeted us over breakfast. Peace is a women’s college that has transitioned to a four-year college. Their new buildings are lovely, bright and airy. Best of all is the fact that the new buildings blend with the architecture of the campus. The newest major at Peace is musical theater.

The new president has put several new initiatives in place on the campus. This includes four years of writing and English, a personal financial management course, a portfolio program, a required internship and statistics course.

Campbell University in Buies Creek is home of the Camels. This school is affiliated with the Baptist church. This school is a good fit for a home schooled student. Spread out on 850 acres, this campus offers diverse educational and athletic opportunities.

Mount Olive College in Mount Olive hosted us in the afternoon. They are located in the town as the pickle company of the same name. The strongest and largest major on this campus is science. A session with the chairman of this department was very impressive. Agribusiness is a unique major to this school.

The staff was very cordial to the group. Ollie the Pickle greeted us. We were treated to a variety of pickles. Before our departure we were served orangeade, lemonade or ice cream. All of this was graciously provided by an alumnus who has a successful food business.

Mount Olive was one of my treasure finds on this tour.

Methodist University in Fayetteville was our evening stopover. They hosted dinner for us at the Huskie Warehouse Restaurant. We were housed in some of their upper class men apartments for the night. Methodist is an institution that is growing in many ways. They are adding new Greek housing to their campus. In 2011 they will be constructing a state-of-the art nursing building that contains a simulated hospital facility.

There are many exceptional things at Methodist: an Honors program based on the Great Books, a golf management and tennis management major, and a unique environmental disaster management simulated lab.

Saint Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg was our lunch stop. They have an expansive 600-acre campus constructed around a series of large lakes. At one time this campus was built exclusively for wheelchair access for students. Due to recent financial and accreditation circumstances, they are in the process of merging with Weber International in Florida.

While on campus we visited the world’s largest science lab. After a lunch that was topped with the freshest, sweetest summer peach ever, we drove to the new equestrian center. In addition to having competitive equestrian teams, there is an equine business management and equine therapeutic major offered. The equestrian facility is first rate. After our visit to the horses, we boarded the bus. We were sent off with individual bags of homemade brownies and peanut butter cookies. Yum!

We once again headed back to Raleigh to visit Shaw University. This HBCU was founded in 1865. It is set within the city. Shaw is trying to recover from the devastation of a tornado that occurred in the spring.

Religion and philosophy are the oldest majors at Shaw. This is a school that will give anyone who wants an opportunity to attend college the chance.

The evening was spent at the ball park cheering on the Durham Bulls. Several counselors went on their own for other activities. I was among a small group who found a lovely, local Italian restaurant. We enjoyed good company, conversation and food.

Our tour wrapped up on Friday morning at Duke University in Durham. The Dean of Admissions spent some extended time with our group. We then toured the lovely campus. When you receive 30,000 applications for an entering class of 1700, you must be doing something right.

This was a week full of learning and interaction with colleagues. Once again I have found some gems to add to my ever-growing list of colleges. The tour next summer to the western part of North Carolina is reputed to be even better. I can’t wait to see!!

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