Ask the Consultant: Breaking Up is Hard to Do!

Congratulations on making your decision!

Q: I’ve decided where I’m going to go next year. Do I need to tell the other colleges that I’m not going to be coming?

A: You should! College admission deans watch numbers very carefully leading up to the May 1 deposit deadline. Letting them know early helps them predict and plan for what’s to come. Should enrollments not be setting pace with expectations and former trends, the college may decide to go to their waitlist early, which could help that classmate of yours that has their fingers crossed for that school.

You can let the college know in one of two ways: via your admission portal for that college (there is often the option there) or by emailing them. And while you do not have to tell them where you are attending, it is a nice thing to do. It helps them to discern their most popular overlap schools and who they are losing students to.

Ask the Consultant: College Closure WARNING

Mt. Ida, Green Mountain College, Hampshire College have all recently been in the news: struggling to stay afloat or closing completely!

Q: I’ve seen recent news stories about colleges closing. How can we make sure that we don’t choose a college for our child that won’t be here five years from now?

A: Of course, there is no guarantee that a college will be here five years from now. But there are a few things that you can do to assess the financial health of the colleges you are considering.

Each year Forbes compiles College Financial Grades for four-year institutions. In 2017, they gave Mt. Ida a D-, the lowest grade assessed. Hampshire College, however, seemed about average and less of a concern.

It should be no surprise that the most highly selective institutions generally have the largest endowments and, therefore, are the most financially stable. But there are exceptions!

Moody’s gives credit ratings to colleges and universities on a yearly basis. This past year, Moody’s estimated that only 11% (or 500) institutions have the financial stability to stave off demographic, economic and technological shifts. And several well-known universities have credit ratings far below what one would expect. Georgetown University? UMASS Amherst? Baa2!

So, when on campus, ask about the credit rating, how is all that new building being paid for, how tuition-dependent is the school, what is the endowment. It won’t give you a perfect answer on financial health, but it’s a good start.

What Courses Should I Choose to Maximize College Chances?

It’s all about finding the right balance. Choose challenging courses where you can find success!

Q: It’s course selection time at my school. What should I think about?

A: The question that we always seem to get when we sit down with a student to discuss course selection is, “What do colleges want to see?” We meet with hundreds of college admission reps each year on campus, at conferences, and in our office. So, we ask them! There are definitely some commonalities to their responses.

• Identify your goals. The level of rigor you take on should be directly proportional to the selectivity of the institutions you are targeting. I was once at an Ivy League college information session and a parent asked if it was better for her son to take an AP course and get a B or take a college prep course and get an A. The answer: “If you want to be considered here, take the AP class and get an A.” Enough said!

• Appropriately challenge yourself. College admission reps want to be assured that you will be ready for the rigors of college, which will be a step up from high school. A student with straight A+ grades and less rigorous courses can appear as if they are afraid of challenging themselves.

• Build a foundation. Yes, high school is a foundation for college-level material. For this reason, colleges generally like to see four years of English, math (through pre-calculus), and foreign language. The also like to see a good background in science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and Social Sciences.

• Choose electives that interest you. We know that those students that have a course load like the one outlined above often do not have a lot of room for electives. So when you do get an open spot in your schedule, fill it with something that you’d love to learn!

• Be consistent. If you are a STEM kid, your rigor should be in math and science. Love to write? English and social sciences. Admission officers admit that they get suspicious when they see a student transcript that has honors or AP classes jumping around from subject to subject. Are they just choosing the easy ones?

• Assess your limits. How hard are you working now? Do you have more in the tank or does your current course load seem right? Only you know how much you can reasonably take on. Be honest with yourself and those guiding you in this process.

College Application Submission Delays

Q: My application is ready to go but my transcript and teacher recommendations haven’t been uploaded. Should I wait to submit?

A: You don’t have to wait! Submitting your application early will give you the chance to make sure that everything is submitted correctly and then the college can start to assemble your file. When the rest of your materials are submitted, they will be added to the file and it will be marked complete and ready for review.

That being said, most colleges do not review an application until it is complete, so once you send your application, make sure to let your school counselor and teachers know that it has been submitted!

To ED or Not

Forced decisions tend to be those which we regret.

Q: I'm trying to decide where to apply Early Decision, but I'm a bit stuck. My first choice school does not offer it, so I'm left deciding between schools that I really like but aren't at the top. How do I choose?

A: Don't. If the college that is your first choice doesn't offer early decision, don't sell out! We never want our students to have buyer's remorse at the end of the process. 

So what do you do if your college of choice does not offer a binding Early Decision option? Make sure that they know that they are at the top of your list! If you've met your regional admission representative, send them an email letting them know of your interest. Check to see if the regional rep will be visiting your school this fall. Visit the college. Interview if that is an option. Don't go overboard -- you don't want to seem desperate, but be honest about your interest. That will go a long way. 

National Merit Commended Scholar or Semifinalist? What's the Difference?

Q: What is the difference between being a Commended Scholar and Semifinalist for the National Merit scholarship?

A: High school juniors take the PSAT each October, many with hopes of becoming a National Merit Scholar. Scores are released in the winter months, but students have to wait until September of the following year to learn if they will be progressing in the competition. 

Commended Scholars are those that have a high score, but their results are lower than the selection index in their state. This year, the cutoff for Commended Scholars is 214. So a student who scores a 219 in Connecticut, where the cutoff to move on is 222, will be given a letter of commendation in recognition of their achievement, but will not be in the running for a scholarship. They may, however, be able to get money from a corporate award through a parent's workplace. 

Those that meet or exceed the National Merit cutoff will become Semifinalists and are eligible to complete an application to become a Finalist and vie for a scholarship. At this point, the committee looks at more than just a high test score. Finalists must have a strong academic record and an excellent letter of recommendation from their principal. 

Ask the Consultant: Another SAT?

Q: I took the SAT this past weekend and don't think I did so well. I was hoping to apply to a few schools early action. Will I have time to take it again?

A: First of all, take a deep breath! We often have students tell us that they "bombed" a test initially, and then are pleasantly surprised with the results.  Good news!  Most colleges will consider October or even November SATs, or September ACTs, for consideration for early action. As always, check the college website or call the admission office to confirm!

There is still time!

You can indicate on your Common Application or Coalition Application that you are planning to take a test in the future, which will signal to the college admission team that they need to wait for that score to render a decision. Just make sure that you send an official score report to each college via the College Board or ACT website as soon as scores are released. You can then go back into your Common or Coalition app and update the testing section with your better scores! 

Ask the Consultant

Q: What are the difference between AP exams and SAT Subject Tests? Which should I take?

A: We get this question a lot! They are both tests administered by ETS that assess your knowledge in a single subject. But beyond that, they are very different.

Some colleges require SAT subject tests as an admission requirement (although the number that do is dwindling). That being said, even if they don't require them, most colleges will consider them as a part of your application if you submit them. And while SAT subject tests are given in particular areas of study such as Chemistry, US History or Latin, they do not directly correspond to one specific course curriculum. Our advice: good test scores never hurt a student. Take a practice exam and see how you do. If you do well, take the test, even if the colleges to which you will be applying do not require them. Having two solid SAT subject test scores in your testing portfolio gives the student the most options! 

AP exams are also subject specific, but they are tied to a specific curriculum. AP exams scores are never required for college admission because there are many high schools that either offer the International Baccalaureate curriculum or have decided to sidestep the AP curriculum altogether. That being said, one does not need to be enrolled in an AP class to take an AP exam. We have had many students earn college credit via their AP scores, even in courses that were not classified as AP. The main purpose of taking AP exams is to earn college credit, which usually requires that a student score a 4 or 5 out of the maximum score of 5. 

So which should you take? If qualified, take both. The subject tests to show readiness for college-level work and AP exams to exhibit mastery of a subject.